MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGF Technical - Engine Removal

In view of the HGF problems etc with the MGF, how practical is it on a DIY basis to lift the K Series engine out of an MGF so that it can be worked on in comfort, for maintenence, cam belt change, head lifting etc etc.


Tony
A Jackson

To remove the engine it has to be lowered out of the bodyshell with the gearbox and subframe. Unless you have access to specialist equipment then it is far 'easier' to undertake the general maintenance jobs you have mentioned with the engine in-situ.
mike

Errrm, by coincidence .... :)
Just 2 Minutes ago I finished another webside with DIY engine removal.

http://www.mgfcar.de/k_engine/christian/
Relates to the German (Christian H.) who asked in last August for help with the cam wheel position and troubles with a heavy marked cylinder head (head had gone soft). Also some lines had dropped.
(He got it back running after changing several parts sourced from different sources)
There is no brief instructions. Just the first shot and it needs some proper english vocabulary and spell check.

Anyway, as Mike said, it's almost not needed to go that way but keep the engine where it is.

Regards
Dieter

Dieter

Good pictures there Dieter!

Would have loved a pictures with the rear up in the air though. If available,...

I think that next winter Iīll give the car an overhaul. As it doesnīt come out that much any more, I canīt stand it being that dirty.

BTW, the writeup isnīt that bad ;-)

cheers,
david
David

Hi all,
Dieter,can you please give some more data on Christians engine.

Were the steel dowels there from the start, i.e what year of engine manufacture ? The impeller of the waterpump seems very rusty and pitted.Is it "only" sludge ,or also possibly cavitation and/or bad coolant ? What coolant,polyprop. (green/blue) or organic (pink/red) ? A very nice re-build and very useful pictures,many thanks to Christian for the documentation. Best Regards / Carl.
Carl

Please don't shoot me down but my boyfriend is a welder and he reckons he can cut the body, engine out and then put it back after job on it is done and weld the body back up. I said surely it would be like one of those cars to avoid, two cars welded together but he seems to have confidence in his welding. (He does it for a living). If you think this is a crazy idea tell me why so that in the event that my MGF needs engine out work I can dissuade him from this plan!
kate

Kate, it probably could be done in that fashion, and feasibly without leaving you with a death trap, but is he also a good bodyworker & paint sprayer, with a spray booth? I have an image of a Frankenstein'd MGF; are you sure he's not pulling your leg??
Mike Hankin

No, he was deadly serious!!! I have seen his handiwork before - cut off the roof of a range rover, made it convertible and made the ride better (it felt "like a boat" before apparently with the weight of the roof high up). Solution - cut it off! Sorted! He tends to go for function more than finish so maybe you have a point.
kate

Kate, I think that that approach would be somewhat bonkers - it would be a huge amount of work for very little gain. It would, as Mike says, be "easier" to work with the engine in situ. Or if he has access to a car lift, to drop the transaxle on its subframe from below...
Rob Bell

Cutting bits off is one thing, but re-attaching them is definitely much more involved. Ask him to ponder the possibility of converting the rear of an F into a kind of hinged clamshell arrangement, without upsetting the structural rigidity or safety parameters, and without significantly adding to the weight, and then we're talking...
Mike Hankin

Carl,
I'll ask him.
For sure the dowels were original. I assume the engine stood drained from coolant for a longer time cause I don't think the rust at the pump would appear if it was filled.
http://www.mgfcar.de/k_engine/christian/100_1897.jpg
Waterpump with metal wheel. No plastic and not a late one.
Dieter

... MGF Trophy 160. Look at the head lamps.
Dieter

... but a Trophy 160 would have the 11-spoke alloys and AP Racing front calipers..?
Mike Hankin

Nice Job!

shame about the over use of red paint on the nicely cleaned up finished engine
Neil

Hi again,

Thanks for the responses on this point. I guess it is not really a normal DIY job.

For all the nice points about an MGF it does appear that (as on so many modern cars) the assumption is that all maintenence will be done by a garage with specialised facilities. In these days of 3D CAD etc it beats me why basic access etc is so over looked.

As a relative oldie, starting with an MG TC and following up with Frog Eyed Sprite, TR4, 4A and 6, apart from the fun, you could at least get at the things....

Such is progress.

Thanks

Tony
A Jackson

Hah! They're restricted compared to a Triumph Herald/Vitesse/Spitfire/GT6! ;o)
Rob Bell

Ah! The Triumph Herald. Now there's an engine bay you could get your teeth, and everything else, into!

Sam
Sam Murray

This thread was discussed between 05/03/2006 and 07/03/2006

MG MGF Technical index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG MGF Technical BBS now