HND Automotive Engineering Exam: MGF lump swap

[Alexg]

The 1400 Cityrover lump is'nt a K series, so crack on

[garethj]

The only car with a worse engine reputation than an MGF was the NSU Ro80.

 

Therefore I suggest you swap to a Ford V4 like the NSU owners did

[Father Ted]

Sukida Sk50QT with a 62cc big bore kit.

I was thinking along the lines of a 1300cc Hyabussa donkey myself. But I like your thinking Mr mad.

[pogweasel]

I was going to suggest a steam engine, but it appears to have one fitted already.

[Guest]

I THINK IT SHOULD HAVE A FORD PINTO BECAUSE I LIKE FORDS AND I LIKE WHAT I KNOW

 

OTHER CARS ARE FOREIGN AND NOT FORDS SO WE SHOULD MAKE THIS ONE MORE LIKE A FORD

[Tayne]

Land Rover two and a quarter diseasel.

 

It'll bolt right in. The one in my old Series 3 did 27mpg of diesel and about the same of oil.

[Albert Ross]

Ok, laughing aside, stay with the K, but build a proper motor out of a 75 Turbo. It WILL bolt straight in!! (Of course you need to modify loads of bits, and fabricate shit, but the ENGINE will bolt straight in!) Or what about the one out of a BRM... upgrade it to VVC spec!

[ashmicro]

Rover S Series from a Montego. POWERRRR!

Jag/Ford 2.2 Diesel 170

Jag AJV6

2 Litre Pinto

1.6 turbo CVH

Jag V12. Place the driver's seat on top of it.

 

SRSLY, the Toyota VVTiTTiTVTI is reputed to fit.

[Justin Case]

Suzuki Hayabusa.

 

Edit: I've just noticed Father Ted has already suggested it.

[dollywobbler]

Albert's on the money really. VVC only needs the top of the engine, which you've got to take apart anyway. Don't think there are any internal differences otherwise.

[Futuramic]

Obviously a Mitsubishi 1.8 GDi. It's great.

 

On a serious note Cadillac Northstars are cheap these days, require no maintenance and come in transverse flavour.

[eddyramrod]

On a serious note Cadillac Northstars are cheap these days, require no maintenance and come in transverse flavour.

 

They're also bloody good to drive! And you get that magical exhaust note that no other configuration can give...

[Pete-M]

Keep the BMW - Rover thing going and fit a BMW 801 motor from a Focke-Wulf 190. They overheated too!

 

[chaseracer]

http://jalopnik.com/#!5302246/awesome-defined-the-10+liter-radial+engined-goggomobil

 

[mk2_craig]

Decided to ignore all of the above and get the original lump fixed with the upgraded headgasket.

Two days later the f*cking radiator blew...



then the coolant tank expansion cap failed, replaced that and there was still bubbling in the coolant which suggested to me that the head might be warped. So in a very roundabout way, the K-series has been replaced with an N-series:



Frying pan, fire?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Wow, have you bought a 'chinese' MGF?

[Craig the Princess]

Looks good! What happened to the old one?

 

When the HGF happens in the new one I suggest a Commer TS3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commer_TS3

(Just an excuse to post about my favourite engine)

[mk2_craig]

Original owner was the local MG franchisee's cousin. He came into some money last year and traded the TF (first reg Oct 2008) in for a Porsche. Dealer wanted shot sharpish and cut a part-ex deal with an independent trader who had a newish Merc or some such on his forecourt. He seemed keen to have a '98 F and six grand in his pocket instead of the orange eyesore, which sounded ok to me given that I couldn't find any of these Nanjing TFs for sale any less than about 10k last summer.

Of course it is full of comedy quirks such as intermittently noisy brake/clutch pedals, lighter socker illumination that suddenly started working one day and a bootlid that goes 'GROIIIK' every time it's opened. It also has worryingly fragile paint with small bits chipping off every time you hit a moth, hopelessly inaccurate fuel gauge and most of the original design flaws still present causing water to leak into the cabin in annoyingly familiar places. Oh and there's plenty of Chinese script on stickers/labels throughout the car

 

Only thing that's been done to it so far is mudflaps which are /a/ essential, /b/ practically impossible to find, /c/ a pain in the arse to fit properly. The original-fit and unbelievably user-unfriendly stereo is probably going to get launched in the bin soon though.

[Station]

Boot lid went GROIK on mine as well. Think this is actually the sound of the aluminium head emitting a harrowed, warped groan, and it cannot be fixed.

Windows can be adjusted if they leak! There's four bolts visible if you take the door card off.

I think the N-series will be OK on HGF.

[AnthonyG]

You should have kept the old one, so you could start retro fitting all the 'British' bits when the Chinese trim starts falling off, in the style of those Rover 75 boys who fit all the early spec. parts before MGR started cost cutting.

 

Be interesting to see how you (and your missus) get on with this. Don't TF mudflaps fit, must be available from Arnold Rimmer & Co?

[Pete-M]

Rover V8 mated to a princess gearbox.

 

It fits in the back of a Mini!

 

Yeah but you end up with a crummy engine on a terrible gearbox!

 

HERETIC!!!!

 

 

(and I'm not talking about the Princess gearbox...)

[dieselnutjob]

If Rover 75 bits will fit then will a BMW turbo diesel fit?

Also XUDs have been fitted to 106/Saxos which seem to be sort of related, that said if they are like other peugeots only connection between the powertrain and the subframe is the "torque reaction" link that comes off the back of the block, with the right hand drive shaft going through it and onto the subframe

If you are going to do that then go the whole hog and fit a 2.2HDI

or a Perkins Prima

[AnthonyG]

What Pug engine is in the Cityrover? Is it the XUD or the 1400 petrol?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

No evidence exists to back up the theory of PSA derived engines in the Cityrover.

[mk2_craig]

You should have kept the old one, so you could start retro fitting all the 'British' bits when the Chinese trim starts falling off, in the style of those Rover 75 boys who fit all the early spec. parts before MGR started cost cutting.

 

Be interesting to see how you (and your missus) get on with this. Don't TF mudflaps fit, must be available from Arnold Rimmer & Co?

OE rear flaps are still available via Xpart distributors for abour £30, they fit ok-ish but not perfect, I guess the 2008-on TFs must have a rear bumper that is moulded a couple of millimetres out compared to the 2001-2005 examples. The MG Car Club now do reproduction front mud flaps, daylight robbery at 60 quid posted though. I had bought a batch of ten pairs to fit various Rovers off Ebay having seen a pair of TF front flaps in the photos - naturally when they arrived the TF flaps were nowhere to be seen. Instead there was a pair of 04MY 75 saloon flaps which are rare as hen's teeth. Boshed them straight back on the bay and sold at £107 which paid for the four TF flaps at least.

 

 

The Chinese trim actually seems to be pretty good quality in general, it seems to have all the bits that MGR deleted on the last ones they built, dual horns and underbonnet lamps are fitted for example.

 

I would have hoped that the mechanicals had been thoroughly sorted out by 2008, the car's reputation would have been pretty horrendous by then, I believe it has improvements such as low coolant warning, progressive thermostat and the multi-layer head gasket. However it's wedding year so I can see it getting chopped in for an old Astra convertible

[dieselnutjob]

when I say "fitted" I mean with hammers, angle grinders and welders.

Not fitted in the factory

 

an example

[dieselnutjob]

more info on XUDs in a 106 here

http://www.106owners.co.uk/forums/showt ... -needed%21

[mk2_craig]

it's wedding year so I can see it getting chopped in for an old Astra convertible

27 months old, to be precise. With a whole 252 miles on the clock.

 

 

I'm never going to be able to afford getting my XR2 restored at this rate

[Ross_K]

I couldn't be arsed reading through all four pages of suggestions.

 

Did anybody suggest a 2.0CDTi out of a Rover 75? 130bhp and 300 torque things should be enough in one of those shitboxes.

 

edit. Fuck it - just noticed the thread started in 2011...

[mk2_craig]

A postscript to this particular story - probably should be in the ebay "Bargains" thread, but anyway:

 

After we traded the TF in it was never seen again and I had some intel that it had ended up being exported but I didn't know where to.  Occasional Google searches turned up nothing until last week:

 

http://www.bluchip.gg/cars/mg/tf/le500/90076/0

Mudflaps and only a few miles away in Guernsey where the dealer we traded it to has a sister company.  Possibly a bit salty at £4995 but sold anyway.

 

Then shortly afterwards:-

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-TF-LE500-No-21-of-500-Vibrant-Orange-Pearl-October-2008-18-200-miles-/222648704162

 

 

The same car and confirmation no. 21 of 500 so definitely the one we had.  Also visible in the photos is the flap thing over the coolant expansion tank which I forgot to fit to the blue Mk1 MGF, and fitted it to the TF when I found it again a while later. 

 

£7250 though!  That's more than we got for it five years ago.  I know there's only supposed to be 75 of them built in this colour, values cant be on the up already?