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Rover 75 engine swaps

12K views 14 replies 7 participants last post by  komninosefelixx 
#1 ·
My 1.8 petrol has just blown up! total failure so Im now in the market for a new engine. Been considering either the 1.8T or a 2.0 V6, can anyone tell me if they are a straight swap (drop right in) or will I have to change all sorts of bits and pieces to make one fit? Im looking at buying a full engine from the autotrader parts finder thingy. Advice would be appriciated!
 
#4 ·
Sometimes I wonder why people bother. One of my friends has spent the whole of easter just trying to get an old mk1 golf back on the road! It is honestly not worth it - think about the time and hassle. Add these up and it's much cheaper to just buy another car and sell your current car in the state it's in! For example, another friend just redid an old Merc 350sl, and it cost him £20k overall in terms of parts, tools and getting body parts sprayed. Now the car is worth about £16k, so it was a waste of time!
 
#5 ·
Often the decision is not based on economics, but rather the challenge of going something different. And besides, why scrap a perfectly good R75 for a sake of an engine?

I agree though, going for another 1.8 litre K-series would be the best option, as this would mean you could retain the existing suspension. Looking quickly at the EPC, it appears that the R75 suspension part numbers change according to the engine fitted, which probably reflects the weight of the engine and thus spring and damper rates...

Fancy something really unique? Why not a R75 VVC 160? ;)
 
#6 ·
Selling the car is not an option, Ive just bought a new house and cannot risk buying another car just for it to break down and cost more money. Im going to buy a warrantied engine from somewhere its just finding one!
The reason Im looking at the 1.8T is simplicity, I find the standard 1.8 sluggish for a big car and and it appears the easiest swap, 1.8 for 1.8T, Im having it fitted at a local garage so hopefully not too many problems ahead!
 
#10 ·
Getting anything other than the standard engine put in would cost a fortune at a garage.

KV6 uses a different transmission and drive shafts so you would need custom shafts made up. Also a new exhaust system. And ECU.... Not cheap

The 1.8t seems the simplest but as someone else stated the Electronics are likely to be a bit tricky.

I would recommend you get the std 1.8 fitted and if you want something more powerful sell it and get a different car later.

If you really do want to get more power then you could get the standard cylinder head modified to give more power.

I have just launched myself into a project to supercharge my MGF. But I fully expect it to cost a couple of grand.

Shaf
 
#9 ·
Result!

Well Im nearly back on the road, a bloke rang me from an engine company and im getting a 2005 1800cc, 18k miles, 3 month warranty for £626 inc VAT and delivery. Hopefully its arriving on Fri 20th and will be fitted next week...relief!
 
#12 ·
I'd consider updating the the suspension to MG ZT or a similar sports kit. That was really the only thing that made me buy a ZT instead of a 75.

Also on the 1.8 engine two worthwhile upgrades which are both fairly cheap are
Sports filter. I have a K&N style cone filter on my MGF and it transformed the engine note from dull to sporty.

larger throttle body (I think the normal upgrade is 52mm metal one) these are fairly readily available. Look on Ebay.

Shaf
 
#14 ·
I havn't actually done this on mine yet. I have heard it is pretty easy. I think it is straight bolt on and plug in the sensor. But you have to make sure you get the right throttle body. Do a search and you should find someone else who has done this.

Something you might be interested in is that I have just got myself an Eaton supercharger off a Merc C230K. Plan on fitting this to my 1.8 MGF. Will be a while before I really get started but from paper calcs I am predicting about 170 bhp (Not too impressive I know) but more importantly about 220+ Nm torque. Am aiming to bring it in at under a grand but that remains to be seen.


Shaf
 
#15 ·
yea i got a rover 75 sub cat 2
engine totaly cooked
trans is to blame due to intense heat buildup,75 is rated at cd 26 so cant cool at all too well
you wont know there is an issue till its on its last legs assuming you opt for the same original unit to place back in
water accumilates an its over rover after another 60.000 miles
its a teribly thought out engine as air circulation cant occour eficiently at all
water pools lower down and stays in the vee basin
now you got super heated vapour slowly denigrating wiper resivour tanks and other plasticy fidley stuff
a shambes
if you love your rover suggest nissan2.0L and do a bit of headwork on it,i cant give too much away
the other option is m47n diesel at 2324cc
i would not get the turbo but that's my pref however i don't disagree that as long as its maintained right it cuts down on emissions
and adds a bit more oomph also is a sipper at highway speeds
aprox 6.3l/100km
the non opened up-2.0l is 5.7l/100km highway and just on track 7.2l/100km freeflowing city traffic
apart from that its the most butiful car i have admired and now i own one
 
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