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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - 2000 4.0 Discovery engine

I recently purchased a 4.0L from a 2000 Discovery. My neighbor is my mechanic (and used to work for the Land Rover dealer) and he mentioned that the engine would be a great conversion but this engine has the new Bosch fuel injection and that would cause alot of problems. The engine, transmission, and exhaust he said was all connected to three separate computers that work together. Without the sensors for the transmission and the exhaust (especially the one before and after the catalytic converter) the engine would not run right. You also cannot cut or splice the wires for they will change the resistance within the wire and cause the computer to fail its readings! As I do beleive what he says, will this engine work or should I start looking for another one? This engine also has the cast aluminum fuel injection, so will it fit inside the bonnet? Has anyone tried this conversion with this or a newer engine? What should I do about the wiring?
Thanks
Samy
Samy Cuzmar

If you can get a hotwire injection system, or a carburetor, the buick style front cover, and either 3.9L rover or buick 215 oil pan, you're good to go. People have made the new system work, but reinventing the wheel sucks. Try and unload the injection system/ front cover to a rover guy to help offset your investment in the new toys and that'll ease some of your pain. Oh yeah, you need to use a cam designed to accomodate a timing chain.

Here's a GREAT link I got off this board for parts compatibility with rover V8's:
http://www.ajmac.co.uk/v8-swops.htm

Here is Nick Smallwoods car showing your front timing cover and the gems injection system (albeit modified):
http://www.mgbv8.co.uk/


Justin
Justin

Thanks Justin,
That is what my mechanic mentioned. But do you know anyone that has successfully got this system to work that I can talk to before I unload it? Is the Hotwire systemless much less complicated? I assume it doesn't need all the sensors compared to the one I currently have.
Thanks again.
Samy

My hotwire injection system has 2 oxygen sensors, a coolant temperature sensor, a fuel temperature sensor, and the airflow meter (if you'd like to call that a sensor) and that's it. Once you get it set up and working properly, it's a complete no-brainer. The hotwire setup is REALLY sensitive to air leaks (which I found out the hard way) but once you get those all figured out, it's a very simple setup. Try to get a 1990 or later setup if you can, as those have tune resistors, and reprogrammable ecu's. Fuel mapping for a 4000lb suv should be WAY different then our cars, and for $400 you can have the ecu rechipped to reflect that. I use the buick 3.8L V6 front timing cover, the buick 300 cubic inch distributor with a pertronix electronic ignition, and the whole thing seems pretty bullet proof so far. The wiring harness on the hotwire injection is almost all inclusive. There are only 4 wires that interact with the car:

1) power from starter solenoid
2) signal from ignition
3) fuel pump
4) coil "-" terminal

Aside from those 4 wires, you just plug in the sensors and away you go. You WILL have to make some changes to the height of the injection, and also to your fueling system to make it work. Nick Smallwoods site goes into great detail about shortening the height of the fuel injection (ala Roger Parker) and that site should be studied with great intensity. Use a gas tank from an early B (fuel feed line incorporated) and the sending unit from the late 77-80 b (fuel feed line incorporated into that as well) and you'll have your two necessary fuel pipes (feed line and return.) MSD makes a high volume fuel pump that can be had for 90 bucks, and away you go!

This may all sound complicated, but it really isn't. Yes it's more work, and more money then dropping an edelbrock 500cfm on the car, but I believe the rewards are far greater.

What year B is this going into? What trans?

Justin
Justin

Justin,
Thanks for all the info. The car is a 1977 MG with a ford T5 transmission. Calling around another mechanic mentioned that Holley and some other manufacturers make programmable ECU's that can be changed. These ECU only require the the sensors used by a Hotwire system and like you said can be reprogrammed using a laptop computer. I wouldn't need to change anyother part but the ECU. Also the Bosch fuel injector does not require a return fuel line to the tank. Would I be able to use the tank that came from my car? Have you heard of this being done? I wonder if there will be a bonnet clearance issue also.
Thanks
Samy
Samy

I very quickly looked around a few performance sites, and the ECU's I saw were all in the vicinity of $450.00 JUST for the ecu. I paid $350.00 for my entire hotwire setup off a range rover bulletin board. Yeah the fuel mapping sucks, and yes I had to have it shortened, but for 350.00 compared to 450.00 for just a computer.... I'll remap the ecu later... I've heard (but can't confirm) that the new style injection can't be shortened height wise. From the top of the cylinder head in my car, to the top of the injection is about 5 3/4" and I still have rubbing on the bottom of my hood. So if your injection is any taller then that, you're going to need to bubble the hood. If you don't need a return line to your tank, just make sure the inner diameter of the fuel line in the B is comparable to that of the Discovery, and you should be ok.

Good luck!
Justin
Justin

This thread was discussed between 02/08/2002 and 06/08/2002

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