Hello everyone, just a few questions. Does anyone know what the difference is between a 1275 A vs 1275 A + is. It is because I bought a 1275 A. Also can I use my current 1.5 su carb out of my 1000 cc motor. I was told that the 1275 motor burns a little oil. I am going to strip it down changing the valve seals check the rings, lap the valves. Is there anything else that I should be looking for. I have never changed a motor before, but what better time then now. I am not going to do this alone I have a buddy who has done this a few times before, but any help out there would be much appreciated due to this is a mini after all. Cheers.

P.S. I will probably be asking more questions as I go along with the switch over.

 

Google is your friend. I found a few good links with my first Google search. Here's one:

http://www.moke.com.au/Forum/index.php?topic=4248.0

Try this: http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=difference+...2B+mini+engine

That'll get you going

 

if you are planning to keep the same dizzy you may have a problem. The way the dizzy mounts is different, and the shaft as it fits into the block is different. The a+ technically uses the 59D dizzy (mine does anyway), while your A probably has either the 45 or the 25. There are those that say you can convert the 45 to the shaft required for the 59 which is shorter and has a different lobe on the end.....well anything is possible.

in this picture a 59 is on the left, and that's a new 45 in the bag on the right. guess when I learned the difference?


I'm also told that the A+ has a different number of teeth on the ring gear of the flywheel which can cause issues with the older starters. A mismatch will work for a while, how long is anywhere from short to forever, but there will be some clashing with a mismatch. When I had finally correctly identified my block as an A+ - during my dizzy battles - I was advised to check this, but given that I'd been driving the car for 6 years at that point as is, I didn't worry too much, but filed away for future reference.

 

I believe that the A+ has webbing cast into the block which is supposed to make it more robust. I have a 1275 A with a 1.5 SU, and with the right needle it runs very strongly. Needle choice depends on the mods you may add to the setup. My carb came from a 1000, so richer needle was needed to get more out of the engine. The dizzy is a 45D4.

 

Hello everyone, just a few questions. Does anyone know what the difference is between a 1275 A vs 1275 A + is. It is because I bought a 1275 A. Also can I use my current 1.5 su carb out of my 1000 cc motor.

my bad ... I read too much into the question . ..

You bought a 1275 A to replace your 998 . . . . dizzy and flywheel ?s do not apply, sorry

 

Hello again, thanks for the info. So for power wise they are about the same. The engine did come with a dizzy on it, but how can you tell if it is a 59D or 45D. I am hoping that it will bolt up to my current trans mission and clutch housing. If not I guess I will be on the hunt for those items. Cheers.

 

Although I don't have any personal first-hand knowledge with A+ engines, I seem to recall that the clutch was different (pre-verto vs. verto). Anyone know for sure? Also, isn't the starter pre-engaged on one and non-pre-engaged on the other?

 

The distributor will be stamped with markings that will ID it. You may have to clean grime off to see it or remove it to take a careful look, but it should be there. To respond to jeff5150's statement about the clutches, I think he is correct. My A has a pre-verto clutch (the one with a long clutch arm).

 

A versus A+ The A+ version of the venerable A-series engine showed up around 1980 and a common identification question is, “How can I tell the difference between an A and A+ engine?". Here are a couple of ways. There are more.
Alternator bracket. This one is the easiest and can usually be done even from a photograph of an engine in a car. The A-series engine started life using a generator, which is a couple of inches longer than a Mini alternator . The rear (clutch end) mount was bolted to the side of the engine block a comfortable generator length from the front mounting spot on the water pump – about 6” or so.
By January 1973, when alternators finally became standard on Minis, the mounting points on the block weren’t changed so the bracket had to have an extension to bridge the gap caused by the alternator being about 2” shorter.
When the A+ block was designed, the shorter alternator was taken into account and the mounting points for use of a smaller bracket were moved forward on the block towards the alternator.
So, look for a generator (A-series), or an alternator with a bridging rear bracket (A-series), or an alternator without the bridging rear bracket (A+).


More information can be found here:
http://www.minimania.com/ArticleV.cfm?DisplayID=1801

 

So for power wise they are about the same.


yes, it would appear the 'heavier' A+ could be bored out larger tho - as with the later 1300 and larger versions of the Mini engine - and specials built by Seven and the like.

The engine did come with a dizzy on it, but how can you tell if it is a 59D or 45D.

If the engine came with a dizzy, I'd say it is a safe bet it is the right one. As mentioned the model is actully stamped on the rim of the metal portion, just below where the cap would sit but it is small writing. If the dizzy is off or the engine is out of the car you'll find it. With the dizzy in the car - good luck. Unfortunately just looking at the top and the points, the 45 and the 59 are damn near exact as far as I could ever tell. There IS a difference tho cuz then I put the Pertrnix module for a 45 in a 59, it fit, but the car ran like crap - missing a lot. Finally got the correct 59 module and all was well.

This web page, for the 123 distributor for the Mini shows on the subsequent pages detailed drawings of the shaft and lobe difference between the A and A+ versions of the dist' http://www.123ignition.nl/brand/Mini.html
(somewhat confusing on the site but the two models are the Mini-R-V and Mini-R-V-A+) Note that the shaft length on the A+ version is 53.7mm while the A is 59.6mm - and the lobe on the end of the shaft is a different width .. . they are not interchangable.

With regard to visually ID of A vs A+: the oil dipstick on an A fits into a tube that serves as a spacer above the block surface; on an A+ there is no tube and the dipstick fits flush to the block. On an A the dizzy mount is a plate held to the dizzy with a collar bolt, and then two bolts thru the plate to the block. On an A+ the dizzy is held by one bolt to the block thru a forked bracket. The bolt is in the small hole and the fork wraps around a collar on the dizzy. In use the bracket would be upside down fm this picture.

{Picture linked from MiniMania.com: "This clamp is used on all A+ motors to hold the distributor in place. "}

Just a couple of other tell-tales. I was never sure what I was looking at with the ribs and the alt' bracket - these I CAN see for sure