Camshaft change in '92 mini
Discussion
My mini has a circle hole in my inner wing. for fan, not those slotted grillie. and i got all parts ready. can i change it while the engine is in the car? or will there be lots lots of swearing to be done.
If not. how much i am looking to pay, when i got camshaft + bits. to garage to fit it in for me.
Jay
If not. how much i am looking to pay, when i got camshaft + bits. to garage to fit it in for me.
Jay
Hi Jay,
You can only do an in-situ camshaft change in 850, 1000 and 1100 cc engined cars, and that's a bloody fiddling job. Actually you can do it with a Cooper 'S' - original type up to 1971 - as well.
The 1275 engine fitted to all other big-engined Minis has a solid block and you can't get at the cam followers. Thus you need to turn the engine upside down for a cam change.
Are you intending to change the cam because it's knackered, or because you simply want more power?
If it's the latter it would be worth 'freshening up' the rest of the engine whilst it's out of the car. typically a new oil pump, new mains, big ends and thrust bearings, new piston rings, new valve guides and seals, skim block and head, lightly polish the combustion chambers and inlet/exhaust ports, check the water pump, check & replace the cam bearings if necessary, fit a duplex timing chain and sprockets, time the cam in properly, clean out the oil galleries, etc. Also, never change the cam without also fitting new cam followers.
If I get an engine/gearbox unit out of the car, but not yet split, I reckon it's about 25 to 30 hours labour to do most of the above at, say, £20+ per hour plus parts. You don't know what parts you need until you strip it down. It is always worth checking the gearbox and, definately, changing the diff pin (a cross pin is always best). Then you just have to re-fit the unit and start it up.
Allow about 2.5 hours to remove the 'lump' and 7.5 hours to re-fit it. So my advice is to take the engine out and put it back in again yourself.
The trouble with any 12 year old car is that until you strip it all down you never know what you'll find. For example, I bought a 1990 Cooper 1275 and it had done 108,000 miles. I stripped it all out and was surprised that the crankshaft was still like new, but it needed a re-bore and new pistons, plus new cam bearings. All I did was to micro-polish the crank and fit new bearings, plus going to 1330cc (that's +0.060"), with everything else new.
However, the gearbox was not in good shape and I spent £500 on a complete re-build including all new gears. I could have got away with the basic gears, but as it's a rally car I do need good reliability, so no chances.
That's Minis for you. As Forest Gump might have said, 'Minis are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you've got until.....'
I hope all this encourages you.
Peter
You can only do an in-situ camshaft change in 850, 1000 and 1100 cc engined cars, and that's a bloody fiddling job. Actually you can do it with a Cooper 'S' - original type up to 1971 - as well.
The 1275 engine fitted to all other big-engined Minis has a solid block and you can't get at the cam followers. Thus you need to turn the engine upside down for a cam change.
Are you intending to change the cam because it's knackered, or because you simply want more power?
If it's the latter it would be worth 'freshening up' the rest of the engine whilst it's out of the car. typically a new oil pump, new mains, big ends and thrust bearings, new piston rings, new valve guides and seals, skim block and head, lightly polish the combustion chambers and inlet/exhaust ports, check the water pump, check & replace the cam bearings if necessary, fit a duplex timing chain and sprockets, time the cam in properly, clean out the oil galleries, etc. Also, never change the cam without also fitting new cam followers.
If I get an engine/gearbox unit out of the car, but not yet split, I reckon it's about 25 to 30 hours labour to do most of the above at, say, £20+ per hour plus parts. You don't know what parts you need until you strip it down. It is always worth checking the gearbox and, definately, changing the diff pin (a cross pin is always best). Then you just have to re-fit the unit and start it up.
Allow about 2.5 hours to remove the 'lump' and 7.5 hours to re-fit it. So my advice is to take the engine out and put it back in again yourself.
The trouble with any 12 year old car is that until you strip it all down you never know what you'll find. For example, I bought a 1990 Cooper 1275 and it had done 108,000 miles. I stripped it all out and was surprised that the crankshaft was still like new, but it needed a re-bore and new pistons, plus new cam bearings. All I did was to micro-polish the crank and fit new bearings, plus going to 1330cc (that's +0.060"), with everything else new.
However, the gearbox was not in good shape and I spent £500 on a complete re-build including all new gears. I could have got away with the basic gears, but as it's a rally car I do need good reliability, so no chances.
That's Minis for you. As Forest Gump might have said, 'Minis are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you've got until.....'
I hope all this encourages you.
Peter
can you not get the followers out by using a pencil with masking (the cream coloured stuff) wrapped around until just the right size to go tight when pushed into the follow and then lift out - work in by TR engine. Not sure how you get the cam in length wise in a mini with the car engine in-situ though.
Cheers
Jon
Cheers
Jon
I wouldn't fancy trying that for 2 reasons:
1. Although you might lift the followers clear of the cam I don't know how you would hold all 8 of them above the cam whilst removing the old one and fitting the new. Maybe 8 magnetic rods would do this. I would never try it, it's easier to take the engine out and split it, then do the job properly.
2. You would then have a new cam with old followers- definately NOT recommended.
You would get the cam out by cutting a hole in the inner wing, removing the rad, timing cover, timing gears, etc, and drawing ghe cam out of the front (i.e the water pump end) of the engine and through the wing.
The other disadvantage is that you could not check the cam bearings or change the oil pump.
1. Although you might lift the followers clear of the cam I don't know how you would hold all 8 of them above the cam whilst removing the old one and fitting the new. Maybe 8 magnetic rods would do this. I would never try it, it's easier to take the engine out and split it, then do the job properly.
2. You would then have a new cam with old followers- definately NOT recommended.
You would get the cam out by cutting a hole in the inner wing, removing the rad, timing cover, timing gears, etc, and drawing ghe cam out of the front (i.e the water pump end) of the engine and through the wing.
The other disadvantage is that you could not check the cam bearings or change the oil pump.
Gassing Station | Classic Minis | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff