Hi everyone! I have had to bite the bullet and fork-out NZ$55 for a Gregory's Manual #604 for petol 2WD and 4WD models. After installing a new water pump and balance shaft timing belt correctly, upon starting had a considerable pressure build up in the cooling system, thus indicating at least a blown head gasket, or worst a cracked head. So I bought the book. If I can be of some assistance by e-mailing you the relevant page or two for your problem I will, but allow alittle time as I work full time and scanning to MS Word documents takes a little time. Also the paper quality is not the best, alittle off white and some of the photos are a little dark for good reproduction. The line drawings should be ok though as well as the written word.miris@orcon.net.nz

PROBLEM
Hi, I got your e-mail of the mitsubishi forum, you said that you had a 2L Express Starwagon 1987 -1994 manual. I’ve go t a 1985, L300 starwagon and I've got a problem with a broken brace or something on the steering column near the ignition, it might be the same. Do you still have that book?
thanks for you time.

RESPONSES
Herewith is p176 Body Electrical. Apologise for size of file, I have had to scan in grayscale to get some definition from the off white paper etc. I think the bracket is in bottom right hand picture under the label "steering lock" ? If I can't find any reference to it in the manual, I'll have a look at my van to see what's what. Regards Mike.

Reference to the bracket you are talking about seems to be that mentioned P149 which says “The steering column is of the energy absorbing type and is designed to collapse in the event of a severe front end collision. The energy absorbing components are the column tubes, steering shaft and mounting bracket breakaway capsules. All these components should be handled with extreme care when working on or around the column.”
miris@orcon.net.nz

PROBLEM
Hello Mike,
thank you very much i really appreciate this, yes i think it may have something to do with the steering lock, it broke when the steering was locked, i wasn't able to turn the key and simply by turning it the bracket that goes around the shaft and then is connected via spring and a long nut, directly below the ignition. broke.
i don't seem to have received any pages of pictures or text, did you make them as attachments, i only seem to be getting pictures of butterflies! :)
kind regards,

RESPONSE
Yes, picture sent, though it took some doing because it is 3136kb and maybe your e-mail won't handle this? I have checked and it has left my out box. Yes it is sent as an attachment in the form of a MS Word document as nearly anyone can open this type.
However, your latest communication suggests that the bracket may be the one holding the combination switch array. (lights,wiper,ignition & lock cylinder.)
P177 of the manual has this to say:
"Ignition Switch Removal"
The ignition switch is mounted on the end of the steering lock and can be renewed as follows:
1. Disconnect negative battery terminal.
2. Remove the upper and lower steering column covers.
3. Disconnect the ignition switch wiring connector and remove the harness retaining strap.
4. Remove the ignition switch retaining screw and withdraw the ignition switch from the steering lock.

Lock Cylinder Renewal
The lock cylinder is integral with the steering lock and cannot be renewed separately.
To renew the steering lock, remove the ignition switch as previously described and drill out the self-shear type bolts which retain the steering lock to the column.
Use new self-shear type bolts when installing the lock to the column and tighten untill the bolt heads shear off. END

I suspect that one of these clamping bolts may have broken allowing the combination switch array to swivel or move on the steering column. If so, you may have to have it drilled out and fit some sort of bolt to clamp it tight again. Hope this helps, otherwise send more information, regards Mike.

Hi there Mike,
I did end up getting the picture i just didn't have word so couldn't open it. Any how i managed to take of the blinkers and the ignition, the key won't turn in the ignition ( can't quite figure out what's wrong with it i'm not sure it i can fix it or wether i will need to get a new one) and the braket holding the tope of the column to the dash (it has adjustable steering so thats what the was) so thanks for all that, now i'm just going to have to find replacment parts i guess! i've looked at a wreckers already but there all hanlde gears, were as mine has floor gears.. so it seems that lots of the L300 's don't have floor gear sticks, does yours?
well thank-you very much, and i hope everything goes well.
RESPONSE
Column change gears on mine, I suspect that 4WD models may have floor change, though, my manual does not appear to reference the gear change mechanisms.
Your van could have been modified by a previous owner, of course. Regards, Mike.

Hey there Mikal,

I see you mentioned a build up in the coolant system being a sign of a possible blown gasket or cracked head.. I just bought an L300 4x4 1990 Cyclone, and its lacking a bit of power, (still gets up to 100 but just has no guts) is smoking a bit, and the other day the coolant pipe form the radiator to the engine was under so much pressure it actually burst.

After reading your post I was wondering if maybe thats what is wrong with the van?

Any help would be much appreciated.. the van is a beauty, no rust and amazing setup in the back, just had its cambelt etc done, but is sitting on 220,000km's, and I was debating after driving her with the lack of power just getting the engine reconditioned or throwing in a newer one, but if its the head which can be fixed for less than that then maybe thats the best bet instead.

By the way, I'm also in NZ (Wellington), and have been trying to hunt down a manual for the van but am unsure what manual to buy.. I dont know the L300 models very well and am not sure if my L300 4x4 Cyclone is just a rename Delica or Express etc. Where abouts in NZ are you?

Cheers in advance,

Caleb

Yeah Caleb, we're in the same boat alright! Though I think if you're putting out BLUE oil smoke this indicates worn cylinder rings. If you're putting out WHITE vapour this will indicate a blowing head gasket - this does not mean you will see a broken or torn gasket upon inspection - but rather just a dark brownish to blackish area on the gasket between the cylinders where exhaust gasses are blowing past the gasket and entering and pressurising the cooling system. My top hose has lost all it's convolutions as a result of this process. I just had my head examined the day before yesterday by (free plug for the helpful guy there) Leading Edge Cylinder Heads, Trugood Drive, Pakuranga. He said that the L300 cylinder heads are are little more robust than many and generally repair quite well. Cost about NZ$550 to crack and soft spot test, weld and plane. That is with me delivering the head stripped of manifolds etc. I was nursing my motor along with a bit of blow-by forcing the coolant out of the overflow for some months, however the failure of the water pump created a crisis with the resultant engine overheat doing the gasket and head a bit more damage to the point where the motor could not evenly idle but rather stutter and stall. Hence I have removed the head and another from a friend so I can use the better of the two. Super Cheap Autos have Gregory's manual 1987 - 1994 L300 Express Starwagon #604 for NZ$54.99 Mike, Manurewa, Auckland.

Ahh thanks a lot for the info.. Im not much of a mechanic so pulling it all out myself probably isnt much of an option at the moment, unless of course its relatively straightforward, Im definitely up for learning anyway, I have a habit of buying vehicles that need a bit of love. My last was a Citroen AXGT, fun to work on.

Do you have any idea what costs would be to get a mechanic to do all the work to fix the head if its blown? I'm going to get a pressure test done next week to confirm it. I have half a mind to just drop another engine in or get this one completely reconditioned, but also have no idea on costs of those two options too.

I'll have to buy myself one of those manuals I believe.. the only thing that was holding me back was figuring out what model van I actually had, and it appears you've answered me in the other thread so cheers for that as well :)

I found some stuff online that may or may not be helpful to people here -

http://www.rxauto.com/

Supposedly fixes heads to new at a fraction of the price, no idea if it really works or not though.

Cheers again,

Caleb

A couple of years back I had a head job done at a garage and got little change from 2G. I had not worked on a L300 motor until last month and I now appreciate how many hours go into making the head available for removal, ie remove seats, engine covers, radiator, fan, top timing cover, exhaust pipe, heater hoses, fuel hoses etc. Knowing what steps to take to maintain the engine timing is essential before removing the camshaft sprocket, and having a 6 pt socket 10mm to hold a cut-off 10mm allen key to fit the socket one end and the head bolts the other. Inevitably some hosing will need replacing and a set of new plugs while it's in bits makes sense as well as a new oil filter and degrease the engine block and carburettor exterior to make it easy to check for leaks later. so with new gaskets and sealant, coolant, oil etc, you can see how the bill adds up at $60 per hour.

Bugger.. I dont like that at all. I really _did_ get sold a lemon I think. I wonder how much a full recondition or engine swap will cost then.

My friend has a stuffed motor too, and he is looking for a motor. Thats why I've got a thread asking if any other model motors will easily fit as L300 ones seem to be in short supply, awaiting response to that one, fingers crossed. It's the thread that erroneously reads L330 in the title. Mike.

Heh, well if you manage to find one and get a price on the swap (unless of course you're doing it yourself) let me know, i'm thinking maybe thats the best option. And thinking that if the head costs 2G to fix then a recondition is probably going to be double that.

PROBLEM:
hi there,
my 1989 L300 wiring just caught fire, now there is a big bundle of melted wires, i have got the vehicle going but still need to sort some electrics out, do you have a wiring diagram available, please can you email me

SOLUTION: E-mailing you, p180 has colour codes, p181 is the diagram, hope it helps,regards Mike.

PROBLEM:
i own a mitsubishi 1986 starwagon with the 2.0 ltr petrol engine ,im after info on the carby ,mainly the description of where all the rubber pipes come off carby and go to .could you assist me ......

SOLUTION:
8 pages for you, will send one at a time, for faster upload. Quality of pages hard to maintain with the poor quality paper in this manual. Hope this helps. My own motor is in bits until this weekend, and when it's back up & running again I may be able to describe hose positions with some certainty, regards Mike.
I know the pictures are lousy quality, they are too dark in the manual to start with. I will try to capture on grey scale those that show hoses, regards Mike.

Got my motor back together last weekend, and glory be, it goes well!! Sorting out where all the hoses went was tricky though, especially as modifications made for LPG unit in the past and not currently in use.

G'day mikal.

I have a 1988 Express Starwagon GLX (2 litre petrol motor).

Someone in the past has removed the standard carby setup and put on a double barrel Weber with a custom made air cleaner cover and connections. Many hoses have been blocked off.

It goes great when warm and has lots of pickup when planting your foot to overtake, but runs like a sick dog for the first 15mins each day. Also the fuel consumption is only about 25mpg on long trips and 18-20 around town.

What I would like to do is replace the modified setup with the standard carby and cleaner attachment. I don't know which hoses and pipes were blocked off normally or which has been blocked by the modifications.

Any chance of a page or 2 showing the carby area and it's hoses.

Many thanks if you can do anything for me.

teemac (Australia)

Hi Teemac,
If you had e-mailed me, I would have answered sooner. My van also has some modifications to acommadate a LPG conversion not now in use, so hose connections are a problem. The manual does not help a great deal because of poor picture quality and the angles used. As my head repair barely lasted 500km I will soon be taking the covers off again, I will endeavour to accurately list the hose connections and take some digital photos as well in full and glorius technicolour.
miris@orcon.net.nz

On another post I saw wonderings about fuel consumption: I get almost exactly 10km/litre of 96 petrol, it's not much, is it? Mikal.