Trying to educate myself on Mini's before I take the plunge and have some questions about the engines.

1. Which configuration is better suited for a daily driver the fuel injected or the carburated models.

2. Multi port verses single port.

3. how reliable is the stage 3 engines.

Been looking at the Sport Pack Mini's on the Riverhouse web site and they all seem to be the MPI fuel injected. Thanks in advance for any input you can share with a humble newbe.

 

Please be aware of what you are buying and what is legal in the US to import. According to fed regs that would be a Mini first registered April 1, 1980 or before. All Minis must be 25 years old or older. At that time there were no SPI or MPI injection Minis, no air bags, no Sportspacks, etc. They may be selling a pre-1980 Mini "updated to 199x specs"

That said any Mini updated to late model spec will be an excellent daily driver and there are many here in the US. You may incur difficulty in finding parts or someone to service an injected & computerized Mini in the US. I personally would opt for a carb'd car to be safe. Carbs can be fitted to any Mini.

What is a "Stage 3" Mini, exaclty. Details would help. Normally its a car with a 276' or 286' cam, extensive head mods, balanced, inatke & exhaust mods. The hotter cams are a PITA in traffic and a 266' or 276' (max) would be my recommendation. You don't want to have to rev the nuts off it all the time to go anywhere...

 

The Sports Pack Mini's that I've seen must be put together here in the U.S. after they are brought over here from where ever.


I'm not sure what the stage 3 engines amount to. I was hoping to get more info on that on this forum. So sounds like what I'm looking for would be a 1275cc carburated. What about single port verse's multi port engines and does that refer to intake or exhaust valves.

Thanks

 

You can see what a stage 3 kit is supposed to include on Minisport.com That'll give you some idea for comparison.

 

What is a good daily driver ??

Well in the 70"s I drove an MG Midgett which has essentially the same engine as a Mini. The A series MG engine.

After I toasted it due to a major failure, I rebuilt it and it was my daily driver for 2 years. It not only got me to work it was my work car calling on clients.

It had dual SU carbs. If you beleived your buddies, it was tough to tune. If you FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS in the manual it was easy to tune, reliable and I did not subsequently need to touch the carbs, from sea level to going over Loveland pass at 12,500 feet (several times) in the two years after the rebuild.

My current mini (Australian, 1978, 998 cc) has one su carb, and any high school kid that reads the directions can tune it. I had mine tuned at a shop with an exhaust gas analyzer as "ear" tuning will make it run fine, but to pass a tail pipe sniff (pollution inspection) it needed to be tuned on a sniffer.

We use the car as a daily driver.

I have never worked on an injected Mini so I have no opinion on them. In general EFI cars either work very well, or not at all, and there is not much you can do about it unless you have the diagnostic tools to work on an EFI.

Happy Motoring!

John

 

I would look for an MPI. I have all three and although the SPI seems perhaps a little quicker, I don't think they are as reliable as the MPI based on my reading, not experience. The carb cars are fun but require a little more monkeying around with. Parts are readily available for all, if not from US sources than in the UK. Because of the dollars freefall parts are becoming expensive.

 

What do you (or would you do) for a computer problem? I understand there is no one in the US who has the program or ability to tackle those types of issues? Have you found someone?

Although carbs are more sensitive, they are simpler to find parts & service for...

 

Since I started this thread I have learned much about Mini's and the different engines. I have deceided to go with a 1275 "A" engine with a single carb. This engine will be every bit as quick, and be easy to tune. Thanks for all the replys.

 

I am assuming you mean ECU....
There are sources in the UK for both new and used ECUs should the need arise. With more and more cars in the US with ECUs it is just a matter of time.
Unlike the new MINIs there haven't been any issues with the Mini(Rover) ECU.
I don't know what the problem is with BMW and ECUs but the one on my K12GT bike had to be replaced because of cold start problems and engine performance at 7K. I also had some ECU issues with my 02 and 03 MINI.

 

I had minor ECU issues with the 02 (one reprogram), but have not had any issues with my other new MINIs (4). The 05 is the best yet.

Rover ECU diagnostics are unavailable in the US and someone considering a Mini with such equipment who may not have the mechanical/electronic aptitude should be aware of the potential issue. Whether they become available in the future, their cost, & availability overseas may not mean much dependent on the individual buyer's circumstance. A Mini newbie should be cautious, imho.

 

I have two cars with Rover ECUs and I think that the ECUs, for the most part, will last as long as the engines. One is 10+ years old the other 5+. I think that by the time the ECUs would fail it would probably be time for more than just an ECU. I agree though the lack of diagnostic equipment in the States is a definite concern and perhaps when the time comes engine replacement would rule out replacement with a Rover ECU equipped engine. Perhaps something from the Orient.....

 

"Typical ECU REBUILD charges are in the range UK100.00 (EURO/USD140.00) to UK350.00 (EURO/USD 500.00) - the average charge is about UK150.00 (EURO/USD 210.00). (Rebuild means repairing ECU plus replacing all parts that are known to cause problems plus re-engineering with uprated components where necessary)"
Pulled from a site in Southampton,UK. Turn around time less than a week.
So, based on those numbers a complete failure(rare), could cost a couple of hundred plus shipping. Rest easy ECU drivers!

 

That's not a bad price, tho @ the low end UK 100 GBP = 187.22 USD today, with the high end around $650 USD plus shipping and any service diagnostics, removal & refitting on this end.

I was just cautioning those who may think of an ECU equipped Mini who have little knowledge, experience or mechanical skill (unlike yourself) to consider that they may be SOL & at the mercy of a repair shop should something fail.