11 replies to this topic

[danny2009]

I am going to be converting my SPI to carb i know i need a carb tank, carb and other bits, but what about the engines are they the same ?

Can i just bolt a carb onto my SPI engine ? i have a inlet manifold and a LCB plus a full carb loom

but what my concern is the fuel pump and the distributor ?

Can i fit a mechanical fuel pump like on carbs ? and change the alternator for a carb one ?

or do i need to swap the engine ?

Thanks for any advice

Danny

[xrocketengineer]

Hi,

MiniMania has a kit to do that. The description tells you what parts you need. It appears that they retain the SPI tank and pump and use a relay to operate the pump.

http://www.minimania...4/InvDetail.cfm

Hope that helps,

Ivan

[Bungle]

you will need a engine block from a carb mini otherwise you won't pass the MOT emissions test

[danny2009]

ill worry about emmissions later . but can i still fit a mechanical pump and distrubutor to my spi engine ?

[mgb1978]

Yes, you can fit the mechanical petrol pump to the back of the SPi engine. There should just be a blanking plate bolted where the pump normally fits. I have just done the very same thing as you are doing, but i was replacing a knackered mini 35 engine with an SPi one so i already had the bits i needed. The only problem is that there is no temperature sender on the SPi head (it's fitted to the injection manifold) so you will either have to get the hole drilled and tapped or fit the sender somewhere else (you can get adaptors on ebay that will allow you to fit it along one of the water hoses).

[danny2009]

Thanks for that mate, will i also need a carburettor distributor as i now have no ecu controlling it ? and how do i know what engine mine is will it be A+ with it being a SPI ?

[mgb1978]

You will need a distributor, i was able to use the electronic one off my old engine . i don't think that an older dizzy will fit because the drives are different, but if you ask on here i'm sure someone will know (try on the technical sections- not the SPI specific one).As for the type of engine you will have they are all A+ engines since the early 80's when the A was phased out.

[Alexandre34]

Yes you will need to use an A+ dizzy, the A series don't fit.

There is another solution when converting to carb, you can retain the spi fuel tank with the internal high pressure fuel pump by using a fuel pressure regulator to drop the fuel pressure enough to by used with a carb, then you need a 5 spades relay to replace the ECU, a carb, an inlet and exhaust manifold.

Look at this:

Spi to carb kit

and this

Spi to carb tech info

All the bits are available separately.

Hope this help, cheers.

Edited by Alexandre34, 31 March 2010 - 09:34 AM.

[danny2009]

i have sold the SPI tank and have a carb tank sorted, and mgb1978, ill put a post on the tech section

thanks

Edited by danny2009, 31 March 2010 - 06:28 PM.

[Manuel B]

Can the ECU and dizzy be left to run things, except the fuel delivery ?, I was happy with the SPI system until last April when it went bad, almost a year of replacing items with no end in sight or solution, will the A/C function without the ECU ?,

[Blackivory]

Manuel B,
I think that ECU has nothing to do with the A/C rather than automatically adjusting the idle when the engine is loaded by the A/C compressor. The A/C should work fine without the ECU.

[xrocketengineer]

Can the ECU and dizzy be left to run things, except the fuel delivery ?, I was happy with the SPI system until last April when it went bad, almost a year of replacing items with no end in sight or solution, will the A/C function without the ECU ?,

I am not smart enough to tell you if the ECU and dizzy can be used without the fuel delivery function. However the ECU does run some functions of the air conditioning. As a matter of fact the SP ACR ECU diagnostics has an option to operate actuators including the main relay for the air con. I have tested that function on my Japanese Cooper and it runs the compressor clutch and the condenser fan.

The attached PDF page 24 shows the wiring diagram for the 97 on air con and should be similar (I have not verified that) to the older system:

http://www.theminifo...x...st&id=68240

The attached PDF page 46 explain the function for the above items:

http://www.theminifo...x...st&id=68242

It might be possible to replace the ECU output with some relays and maintain the air conditioning functioning with no ECU.

Hope that helps.

Ivan