There were still a few issues after that initial start, but Loyal expertly addressed them by fiddling with things and then yelling at me in the driver’s seat: “Okay, now try cranking it!” In time, he diagnosed a bad fuel shutoff relay, and later discovered that the tiny diesel return hoses between the injectors were badly cracked and leaking. An extremely cool guy named Jacob (who, incidentally, is working with his girlfriend to fully restore a Land Rover Defender 110) in a nearby garage had some extra hose left over, and gave it to me free of charge (this isn’t the first time he’s volunteered parts to me—again, he’s extremely cool. I’ll show you his Land Rover sometime later).

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Here’s a look at those hoses:

Image for article titled How I Got My $600 Diesel Manual Chrysler Minivan Running And (Sorta) Driving
Photo: David Tracy
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Now, with the fuel system bled and a relay and all leaky hoses replaced, the engine springs to life quickly and confidently. And it doesn’t seem to leak much, either. So it seems I’ll be able to avoid having to tear into the incredibly intricate mechanical fuel pump.

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Of course, I had to go on a test drive, because as a long-time wrencher, I’ve learned that you can’t really diagnose all of a car’s problems until you’ve gotten it on the road. (But mostly, I just wanted to drive this amazing, Graz, Austria-built van from Italy).

The initial test-drive revealed a loud clicking noise anytime I had the wheel turned while applying throttle in gear. This is a telltale sign of a bad CV joint. That, and the fact that the clutch and synchros between first and second and second and third seem to work fine, is pretty much the only thing I surmised, as the initial drive—which I enjoyed with four friends—was quite short and slow.

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Expect a full review of how this van drives as soon as I get this axle shaft replaced, and feel more comfortable driving at higher speeds around the private lot here near the workshop.

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Since getting the van running and driving, I’ve really just been waiting on the new axles to show up in the mail (I’ll be replacing both sides, for good measure). I did throw in a set of sway bar bushings as you can see in the clip above, though I somehow managed to break a bolt on the most rust-free car I’ve ever worked on. No matter, though, as I’ve been working on rusty Michigan junkers for the last seven years, so I took care of the problem with a welder in short-order.

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I also did an oil change. Afterward, I ran the car for a minute or so and checked the level. It was right where it was supposed to be. Then, the next day, I got the van up to operating temperature, and let it cool down, noticing that the oil level had risen (and that the oil looked quite dark).

Whether getting the new oil up to temp had knocked some sludge off the top of the engine, which had been sitting for a while, I’m not sure. I just hope the higher dipstick reading isn’t a product of some kind of fluid leaking into my crankcase. I’ve got a head gasket leak tester on the way. If it senses CO2 in the cooling system, I’ll have a problem.

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But I’m not going to worry. Yet.