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I think the engine in the Delica van is seized.
Long story short did an oil change on the Delica a few days before we were to leave on our next planned road trip. Obviously was not paying attention … the gasket from the old filter did not come off with the filter … it stayed on the filter housing attached to the van. I did not realize this at the time … nor did the new filter feel any different when it was screwed on. I did not check the old filter for the gasket … I do not think I will be forgetting that check again. As usual I idled the van in the shop prior to replacing the skid plates and nothing leaked. On tuesday Stephen and I left on our California road trip. We were driving to Berkley, California so I could go to a workshop about the gasifier I am assembling, and then we were going to spend a few days visiting in the area. We had converted the van so we could sleep in the back and we were carrying enough oil to get us there and about half of the way back.
At highway speeds the doubled gasket blew and the engine lost all of its oil within 5 kilometres of the house. I am guessing if I had reacted faster to the engine warning light (I had under a minute of warning; check engine light came on but nothing else … the engine temperature read fine) I would be better off right now. There was a bang from the engine (not good), some swearing from me (Stephen sat very still) and the van immediately lost power.
I got the van off the highway and investigated; oil everywhere on the undercarriage, and the coolant was boiling … really not good. Once I figured out what had happened I re-sealed the oil filter (with just one o-ring), replaced the oil and tried to crank the engine (all on the side of the highway). It cranked briefly and then it seized … I tried the starter again and it just clicked. We were towed back to the house by North River Towing … not my proudest moment … looking back I wish I had a picture of it. I still have not confirmed how badly damaged the engine is, but I am guessing minimally the engine needs to be pulled and worked on … if not replaced. Still trying to deny that I just did this. Does anybody know how to pull the engine on a Delica L400?
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Hi
I am just researching the Delica, as I am looking for a vehicle that I can go camping in and that is small enough for me to handle. One that is not too complicated. My son had his Dodge Ram converted to oil and he and his friend collect oil from a couple of restaurants in town.
Would you recommed the Delica? There is an auto sales dealer in Parksville that sells them. They range from $8000 = 1995 to $13,000 = 1996 with approx 150,000 kms. Seems like a lot of mileage. What do you think?
Thank you
Judy
We love our Delica because it’s roomy enough for the five of us when we travel. However, remember that because of import laws, the newest vehicle you can get in Canada will already be 15 years old. Despite the fact that many Delicas have very low kms (ours had 64,000) the rest of the van could have aged naturally. For instance, a lot of the plastic on ours was brittle and the little hooks on the curtains broke easily. We paid $11,500 for ours from the dealer in Armstrong, http://www.jdmparts.ca/index.php. It is a 1994 Exceed Space Gear. I know that there are a lot of dealers in BC, such as Amazing Auto Imports, CVI, Rising Sun and a few others often have vehicles in their lots. Since the tsunami and earthsquake in Japan I think it has been more difficult to import and customers are a bit pickier about where the vehicle comes from. As far as the conversion, we seem to be having some niggling issues with stalling while driving on oil, but I think this is more our issue than the conversion parts. Diesel engines tend to last a long time so ultimately the kms on it should be weighed against the condition of the rest of the vehicle, both mechanically and cosmetically. Some parts are expensive to replace (the plastic cover for the heating and radio area was $280), but others can be cross referenced to N.American parts, like brake pads, etc. Good luck!