DIAPHRAGM SPRING - Verto types including injection

The Verto/Valeo type diaphragm included the pressure plate in its assembly, much like a 'normal' car set-up. The spring being of the 'finger' type as opposed to the disc spring used on earlier, three-piece assemblies. There were originally three diaphragm specifications using progressively stronger springs - small-bore, big-bore, and Metro Turbo. Later joined by the type used on the injection cars, though most definitely not interchangeable. Initially, the biggest problem was the Turbo ones were never really available on their own. If you wanted one you had to buy a whole clutch/flywheel assembly - the cost exorbitant. Rover originally believed that if the clutch plate was worn out, then the flywheel and pressure plate would be too. It has only been recent times that the diaphragm/pressure plate has been available on it’s own - but not until after the Turbo unit became unavailable. Even that has changed recently with the cessation of the Turbo diaphragm as a service part.

DIAPHRAGM SPRING - Verto types including injection

The Verto/Valeo type diaphragm included the pressure plate in its assembly, much like a 'normal' car set-up. The spring being of the 'finger' type as opposed to the disc spring used on earlier, three-piece assemblies. There were originally three diaphragm specifications using progressively stronger springs - small-bore, big-bore, and Metro Turbo. Later joined by the type used on the injection cars, though most definitely not interchangeable. Initially, the biggest problem was the Turbo ones were never really available on their own. If you wanted one you had to buy a whole clutch/flywheel assembly - the cost exorbitant. Rover originally believed that if the clutch plate was worn out, then the flywheel and pressure plate would be too. It has only been recent times that the diaphragm/pressure plate has been available on it’s own - but not until after the Turbo unit became unavailable. Even that has changed recently with the cessation of the Turbo diaphragm as a service part.

CLUTCH PLATES - Verto types, including injection

There is only one original Verto/Valeo clutch plate and is fashioned more like a ‘conventional’ clutch plate - it has a sprung centre section. Four springs around the centre section of the plate take up shock, and supposedly reduce the likelihood of judder. It was an attempt by Rover to improve the clutch take-up and engagement to make is more like a 'modern' car. Except it didn't. The engagement feels wooly at best, and judders horribly at worst. They even went as far as making two plates, one for small-bore, one for big-bore. The difference being the centre spring tensions! From experience, judder is caused by undulating flywheel/pressure plate surfaces, or ‘breakfast cereal packet’ lined non-genuine plates. It's OK, but if any warming up of the engines output is considered, definitely go for the pre Verto plate. This will fit with the Verto set-up and is a cheaper into the bargin. The Metro Turbo had a Verto flywheel type, but the clutch had the more familiar solid centre of the p

Injection - Tuning Update 03.14.03

This program of development embarked upon by myself and colleague Mike Barratt (MBE, Lincoln 01522 545189) was instigated by Keith Dodd, owner of Mini Spares centre. His instructions were for us ....

Flywheel - Verto type, injection

The advent of ECU-equipped fuel injection saw the need for a trigger system to provide the ECU with information on engine speed and piston position. In their infinite wisdom, Rover decided to fit a reluctor ring into the rear of the already humungous iron flywheel section.

Identical in all aspects to the non-injection flywheel except for this reluctor ring and the raised ridge it is fitted into. It weighs a little more than the non-injection item, but can be fitted to non-injection pre-engaged starter endowed cars should the situation deem it necessary. But ONLY the flywheel - NOT the diaphragm (see 'Pressure plate - Verto types' for further details). Consequently the same in-effective non-cost effective limited lightening can be carried out to the standard item.

Identical in all aspects to the non-injection flywheel except for this reluctor ring and the raised ridge it is fitted into.

Flywheel - Verto types (not injection)

There is only one version of this flywheel as standard, and fits all A+, Verto or Valeo (same type, different manufacturer) installations. And it's heavy. Very heavy.

Those up-rating power outputs in later Minis bearing this set-up were stuck with it. It is possible to shave a few ounces off this chunk of iron, but is difficult - especially for the DIY-er - and not cost effective when paying to have it done. Mini Spares recognised this shortfall early on. Sympathising with the plight of their customers, they produced a replacement outer section for the Verto kit from the same high-grade steel as used in the other light-weight versions.

	LB	KG
Standard Verto flywheel outer section only - unmodified	12.83	5.82
Steel Verto flywheel outer section only	8.84	4.01

Injection Cars - Tuning up-date

OK, so what's happened to the Min Tec/Mini Spares development program?

It has been a long time between my first few words on basic injection car tuning and these - for that I apologise, but business has been unbelievably fraught this year.

I did promise regular and frequent up-dates, but the best laid plans, and all that… As I said, business has been more than brisk.

OK, so what's happened to the Min Tec/Mini Spares development program? Apart from a whole lot of investigation and repetitive research into what's available currently - not that much. It is all hinging on this forthcoming ECU from this particular company. Unfortunately the company concerned is not run by businessman or automotive engineers. They are electronics whiz kids who are trying to achieve the Holy Grail.

Injection - Tuning up-date Mar. 2003

Late again - I know. But there were pressing problems and I wanted to clear something up about another company's claims I alluded to in my last up-date.

 
Previous article in this series:
Injection Tuning - Basic Information (5/02)
Injection Cars - Tuning Update (12/02)

The very astute of you will also have noticed I've dropped the 'cars' from the title/header - simply because this is applying more....

Historical Article-August 1994-The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the tr...

THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH! When we started on the electronic management system for our 8-Port, it was also our idea to make a system for the latest fuel injection Minis.At the same time,Glyn Swift (Swiftune) had started work on a unit with M.B.E.Electronics,but even at a fairly advanced stage, it was still having reliability problems,so it was withdrawn from the market. Swiftune,as you will know from previous articles....

SUSPENSION - Terminology

Glossary of terms used in the suspension on the mini. The Mini has consistently more than proven its capability in competition with very limited and cost-effective modifications based on the standard equipment fitted. Having first ensured the bodyshell (in reality little more than a complex bracket to hold suspension and driver securely in place) is well sorted out by removing all cruddy or rotten metalwork and into something like straight, square and strong we, maximising suspension stability and geometry pays dividends in the enjoyment that is driving a Mini. Understanding what the individual ingredients are helps in pursuing what you want from the experience. Smooth Mover Good, reliable, and consistent handling is dependent on a number of factors. At this stage, we’re concerned with clapped out or badly adjusted suspension components. Stiff, seized, partially seized or slack, sloppy, worn out suspension components will cause inconsistent, wayward, confusing and – more important

Primary Gear - Bush Replacement

With the cost of new primary gears spiralling ever upwards, and the availability of good, serviceable used ones, fitting new bushes to existing gears is becoming a more common solution. For some reasons for bush failures and rectification to stop it re-occurring, see article Primary gear - Bush problems. Since there is no useful information given in any of the workshop or DIY manuals on this subject, following is my approach to dealing with the issue. The first thing to get to grips with is which bush is which. This has added an element of confusion to many conversations I have had with folks on this subject, so - the FRONT bush is the one nearest the engine block, the REAR bush is the top-hat one nearest the flywheel. This is because the front of the engine is actually the radiator end - quoted in 'in-line' engine-speak. The REAR bush is the same on all primary gears - be they for small or large bore engines. The FRONT bush is different for each though; the small-bore one is smaller

Primary Gear – Bush Problems

Although not of immediate interest to many road-runners/street-burners, mainly accorded to the racing scene, it seems to be a perplexing problem to a very large number of folk around the world, and has burned up plenty of telephone time.

part numbers: 13H2934, LUF10005, CE12, 22G109, DAM8889, DAM8887

With the cost of new primary gears spiralling ever upwards, and the availability of good, serviceable used ones, fitting new bushes to existing gears is becoming a more common solution. For some reasons for bush failures and rectification to stop it re-occurring, see article 'Primary gear - Bush problems'. Since there is no useful information given in any of the workshop or DIY manuals on this subject, following is my approach to dealing with the issue.

The first thing to get to grips with is which bush ...

Cylinder head - What can easily be achieved

During a discourse with the editorial staff at Mini Mag, it was decided the build feature presented an ideal opportunity to demonstrate just exactly what such an engine build is capable of in days where it's generally believed you have to have an all-singing, all-dancing 1380cc engine to have an enjoyable road burner - leaving those with very limited budgets a little depressed. During a discourse with the editorial staff at Mini Mag, it was decided the build feature presented an ideal opportunity to demonstrate just exactly what such an engine build is capable of in days where it's generally believed you have to have an all-singing, all-dancing 1380cc engine to have an enjoyable road burner - leaving those with very limited budgets a little depressed. So the idea was to finish the engine off using a relatively 'mild' specification to maximise drivability. The camshaft used was the fantastically versatile Swiftune Racing SW5 profile that provides drive from nowhere up to 7,000rpm - d

Valve Guides - Materials and Useage

Material choices for guides are down to two distinct types - cast iron and bronze. Yes, cast iron. NOT steel as described in many adverts and by vendors. Never have been, never will be. These are as fitted to the various A-series cylinder heads as standard in all applications. Cast iron is used because it is a very dissimilar metal from any used in valve manufacture - important to eliminate galling that causes seizure of the valves in the guides - is softer, yet resilient enough to wear well. Bronze, on the other hand, is a very general description as there are a variety of 'bronzes' used by various folk. In days gone by, the bronze base type used was 'PB1' (also known as 'Navy Bronze') - a phosphor-bronze alloy that was very orange in colour, and very soft, used primarily in race engines. Unfortunately they wore out very quickly. Silicone-brass content bronze is probably the most popular now - often with a high aluminium or manganese content - is very yellow/gold in colour.

Engine - Identification Data Updated

If you have the engine tag still attached to the engine - just in front/below the thermostat housing - or perhaps the original engine number in the log book then the following should help you determine which engine you have. For Metro units, see 'Engine - Metro identification data'. Original engine identification numbers 850cc 8A Austin up to 25000 8MB Morris up to 25000 8AM Austin & Morris 25000 onwards 8AH Austin & Morris Automatic 8AJ Austin & Morris closed circuit breathing 8AK Austin & Morris automatic with closed circuit breathing 8WR Wolseley Hornet & Riley Elf 8AC Moke 85H/101 All variants 1969 onwards Note: third suffix letter denotes compression type, L = Low, H = High, e.g. 8AM/U/H101 denotes high compression. 998cc 9WR Wolseley Hornet & Riley Elf Mk2, pre closed circuit breathing 9AD Austin, Wolseley Hornet & Riley Elf Mk2 with remote type gearbox and closed

Valves, guides and springs.

Concerned about fitting up-rating parts to injection engines? A short while ago I had several conversations via e-mail with folk abroad who were a little concerned about fitting up-rating parts to their injection engines - like one of the many 'GSi' tuning kits available. A rumour had been put about that fitting this kit caused engine damage. Closer questioning culminated in the rumour saying that the high lift (1.5 ratio) rockers were causing camshaft and valve/guide damage. You know me - I can't let things like this alone until I find out the root cause. After some more digging and goading, I believe I've found the problem.

Cam damage is usually caused by something amiss in the valve train - obviously. Since the engines concerned were as they came from Rover and had done many thousands of miles without issue, it had to be something to do with these kits.

Valves, guides and springs.

Concerned about fitting up-rating parts to injection engines? A short while ago I had several conversations via e-mail with folk abroad who were a little concerned about fitting up-rating parts to their injection engines - like one of the many 'GSi' tuning kits available. A rumour had been put about that fitting this kit caused engine damage. Closer questioning culminated in the rumour saying that the high lift (1.5 ratio) rockers were causing camshaft and valve/guide damage. You know me - I can't let things like this alone until I find out the root cause. After some more digging and goading, I believe I've found the problem.

Cam damage is usually caused by something amiss in the valve train - obviously. Since the engines concerned were as they came from Rover and had done many thousands of miles without issue, it had to be something to do with these kits.

Cylinder head - Min Tec head range

I'm often asked about the range of cylinder heads I do for Mini Spares/Mini Mania, so here's the low-down…

Although the following range of heads accommodate specific fitments - like pre-1992 where by-pass hoses and heater take-offs on the clutch end of the head are used and post-1992 where neither of these exist, and on SPi (single point injection) heads where they don't usually have a threaded hole for the temperature sender - in reality it is easy to convert almost any of them to fit any other engine since holes are easily blocked off - or by-pass hoses not used, water pumps blanked off and drilled thermostats fitted (see articles on cooling/engine transplants). A list of which is what and what to do to each to convert is at the end of this article.

For more in-depth descriptions of the head specs, see article 'Cylinder head - About Min Tec Heads' - basically the valve sizes used have been decided on after extensive and in-depth flow test...

Engine - 1275, 95bhp sports/tourer test result

DIY enthusiasts often believe that building an engine to give excellent all-round road performance is beyond them. Mainly from comparisons made between what they have been able to achieve and what specialists say should be achievable from any particular type of engine build.

Generally scrambled further by the non-perfect match of parts and components used between aforementioned specialist and erstwhile DIY-er, and the ritual 'nose-tapping and knowing winks' display of those specialists. Something you can very nearly 'see' even when talking to such folk on the phone - or that inimitable 'ah, yes, well…' So some form of 'black art' is implied. Whilst there is most definitely a degree of 'feel' involved between the real specialist's results and those of just a good engineer - the bones of the deal is subject to no such thing and is certainly within the capability of the DIY enthusiast given the necessary information. And that has been the problem.

Engine - Identification data

If you have the engine tag still attached to the engine - just in front/below the thermostat housing - or perhaps the original engine number in the log book then the following should help you determine which engine you have. For Metro units, see 'Engine - Metro identification data'. Original engine identification numbers 850cc 8A Austin up to 25000 8MB Morris up to 25000 8AM Austin & Morris 25000 onwards 8AH Austin & Morris Automatic 8AJ Austin & Morris closed circuit breathing 8AK Austin & Morris automatic with closed circuit breathing 8WR Wolseley Hornet & Riley Elf 8AC Moke 85H/101 All variants 1969 onwards Note: third suffix letter denotes compression type, L = Low, H = High, e.g. 8AM/U/H101 denotes high compression.