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MG MGF Technical - toyota reliability

hello from a generally quite satisfied owner of a R plate MGF..
however, whilst being recovered for over 130 miles(another HGF story), the driver mentioned an MGF he came across with a toyota avensis 2.0L motor which dropped straight in.. any truth in this do you think??
S Gardner

Tell me more.
rb wadwsorth

Well Toyota engines go in an Elise !!. But I think they weigh a lot more and that could make for an interesting ride. I would not think of an Avensis engine maybe a Corolla Sport 189hp.
Andrew W Regens

you would need about 15 HGF's to break even on an engine swap
Will Munns

quote "Well Toyota engines go in an Elise" so there may be some truth in this. the driver said it was a MY2000 avensis motor and just pulled the half shafts from the MG box and dropped toyota lump straight in the hole.
Ps how much for a gasket/skim in texas
S Gardner

quote "Well Toyota engines go in an Elise" so there may be some truth in this. the driver said it was a MY2000 avensis motor and just pulled the half shafts from the MG box and dropped toyota lump straight in the hole.

well i dont think it will be a 'just pull the shafts and drop in job'

firstly you will need an ecu

then a wiring conversion loom( a big pain)

then the cooling system replumbed and rerouted depending on which engine

then engine/gbox mounts made up

then a complete redesigned exhaust and manifold assy.

then an redesigned intake system

then a pair of shafts ( better make that 4 pairs of shaft until you get the material and design correct)

then a banker who will bankroll the conversion

then a good builder ( of which i had)

then a massive ammount of time on your hands ( this is for the tims its off the road redesigning the things you thought you got right the first time, but didnt)

then the ba*** to start it and stay with it.

there are a lot more things to it , small things like how do you check your oil without removing the engine cover etc, and the ones that my mind has made blank to retain my satity.

the elise is possibilly a little easier due to its sub frame built, but not a lot better.

sorry but if as 'straight foward ' as another conversion i was party to, it aint easy.

however driving a 235bhp mgf IS the bollo***

so go do it you wont regret it
gerry

It looks as a difficult task but the final result would mean a lot. The F is a troubled car all around but I would be most happy getting rid of the K engine and placing a good one. All the many the other inconveniences would be more tolerable.
J. Empshill


I would guess that the job would require 10k for the first car and probably about 7k per car after you sort out all the bugs.

To give you some idea, for a k-series conversion* in a midget where the halfshafts stay the same and the engine and box and loom are sorted seperatly you are _still_ looking at about 3k and several solid weeks work. Add a good k for engine, box and loom, add another £300 for brakes and £200 for the halfshafts you snap when pulling out smartish on a wet road. Add another 6 months troubleshooting, add another big wedge every year from having a konverted car (much less than you would pay in a modern, but still in the 1/2 HGF a year range)


By comparison a HGF in the Uk can cost between £600 and £1k, but usually around £700. So lets say 20 years to get your money back compared with a HGF every year.


* a well tried and tested route with known parts and suppliers
Will Munns

As the owner of a k-series Midget let me just reiterate, Doing this 'because you are scared of HGF' is bloody stupid - there is no way that you will ever make you money back.

'improve reliability' is also a load of crap, unless totally bugs releived by a previous owner over at least 6 months on the road in all conditions you should _expect_ problems (in some cases breakdowns) such as a wire straying too close or shearing internally as the routes are not well planned (once I burned thru the temp sensor wire with the exhaust), air locks because you forgot to plan for unexpected currents (I used to get overheating going up hills, but not flat out on the motorway - turns out there is a reasonable current coming from the front of the head, and it blocked the bleedway in the radiator - going sharply uphill the rad would occasionaly be above the water tank, air would get in but not leave till the engine was alloed to stop), odd effects due to everything being disturbed (found the side and rear lights failed off and left no warning with full beam on), compolents which you thought would be up for the job turned out not to be (for me it was halfshafts, for you it might be subframe bushes)

Doing this because you like playing with metal in the garage is reasonable

Doing this because you want a damn fast car is on dubious ground because there are much cheaper and easier ways to achieve the same thing, but life is a journey and there is little point playing with metal 'for the hell of it'.

I respect anyone who wants to push the boundaries, but don't kid yourself you are doing it to 'save money' or
'improve reliability'
Will Munns

This thread was discussed between 11/12/2006 and 12/12/2006

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