Ask the expert
“If it’s a later twin-point injection, you’re in trouble as there’s no hole in the block for a dizzy”
INJECTION TIME?
Q I have bought a 1990 Mini Cooper in need of restoration. It has the 1275 with a single SU carburettor. Even though the engine appears to be in good condition, I was recently offered a second-hand engine taken from a fuel-injected 1.3 Cooper. It’s still in its front subframe with all the drive intact. I want to put the whole thing into my car and replace the fuel-injection unit with my inlet manifold and carb. Is this a worthwhile swap?
Alex
The earlier carb’d Coopers were essentially the MG Metro engine and so gave better performance than the later injected ones — which are little more than the standard Metro engine with fuel-injection fitted.
The hassle is that the injection engine uses electronically programmed ignition, so you’ll have to sort something out here if it’s the earlier single-point engine. Fortunately, it still has a hole and drive for a distributor to be fitted. If it’s the later twin-point injection, you’re in trouble as there’s no hole in the block for a dizzy. This means running the ECU and therefore using the injection wiring loom and all the grief that goes with it.
Ancillaries fitment may be a problem depending on which injection engine it is too, although this can be sorted by using most of the bits off of the outgoing engine.
As for if it’s a worthwhile swap, we’re
