2.0 litre DOHC

[Mickaleen]

Hi,

I have a Marlin Cabrio and I would like some help with the engine position. The engine is not running North-South but about 10 degrees off?
I have yet to measure it more accurately, but it is noticeable. Should I reposition the engine, I realise this would involve me making new engine mounting brackets.

Kind regards
Mike

[Mike]

Re: 2.0 litre DOHC

Mike

My 6 cylinder BMW engine has to sit at a slight angle in my Cabrio in order to get it in: it is just not possible to have it sit straight - though I wouldn't say it is as much as 10 degrees off line though?
When I had my propshaft made up at Dave Mac Propshafts in Coventry they told me not to use the BMW rubber doughnut fitted as standard on the back of the gearbox as it will only cope with very very minor misalignment and fail in a very short distance if the angle is too great. Instead they suggested using a proper universal joint which wears better if there is an angle in the propshaft/engine alignment.

So, if you have the Ford rubber joint fitted after your gearbox in front of the prop shaft I'd suggest you align your engine-gearbox/ propshaft as perfectly as you can - if not, and you have a proper U/J then leave it: a U/J will cope with 10 degrees easily.

Mike

[scott h]

Re: 2.0 litre DOHC

For a prop shaft with two uj's the engine and gearbox center line should be parallel with the diff center line or vibration will result. It is possible to have the engine and diff not parallel if the alignment of the uj's are altered to cancel each other but it involves some complex maths. You should google prop shaft angle compensation, but be prepared to be bamboozled! The simple solution is keep them parallel, not necessarily in line, but parallel. In fact a prop should run at a slight angle to provide movement in the uj or premature wear will result from the load always being on the same part of the needle bearings.

[cameronfurnival]

Re: 2.0 litre DOHC

yes! I put a 2.0 DOHC in (Romero) and didnt quite get it parallel - the whole thing shook like a jelly. I remade the engine mounts and used a laser to get a reasonable line and now its silky smooth. The key is drive line through engine and box needs to be parallel with Diff as scott says.

[djj_engineer]

Re: 2.0 litre DOHC

I built an autocross car with a Riley 1.5 engine ( like a small MGB eng) but it was on it's side like an Imp eng
I had to alter the oil pick up and create a new sump but it ran on 1 SU's ( on a home-made manifold) with a 7 port cross flow head.
It ran quite happily and spent about an hour circulating Oulton Park. However autocross knobblies and the shape of the dart were not a good companion for rapid times.
I did see about 95mph on the back straight but it was getting a bit light on the back.
Cornering was more a matter of throwing it at the corner and powering the resultant slide round, especially at Lodge.
The gearbox eventually produced blue smoke but i guess the constant driving had tended to make it get hot.
I think a 10 degree angle should only affect the fuel level in the carbs. unless of course you have fuel injection.
I dont think Tolkien is particularly vertical and it has survived for a long time.

[scott h]

Re: 2.0 litre DOHC

Are we talking about the same thing? I took the original post to mean the engine was not on the center line. But if it means not verticle then that is a different problem. I would think that being a bit off verticle would not be a problem. Things like oil level with a standard dip stick may need some thought and float levels on a carburettor may need attention. The Vauxhall engine that I am fitting to my Berli is designed to run seven degrees off verticle as space is tight in the original Vauxhall.

[Mickaleen]

Re: 2.0 litre DOHC

Hi,

My 2.0litre is vertical but offset Front to Rear by about 10 degrees. I don't have vibration or fuel starvation problems.
The doughnut was replaced with a metal flange that was used on a Ford transit as per Marlin build instructions.
I have UJ's each end of the prop shaft that was supplied by Marlin.
Thank you all for your input I appreciate that very much.

Kind regards
Mike.

[ggrum]

Re: 2.0 litre DOHC

Some years ago I helped a friend build a Westfield and the build manual instructed us to fit the 1600 Ford crossflow engine at an angle from the centre line. Can't re-call what the angle was or the reason but the car ran fine. By the way the car was fitted with a Sierra Type 9 box and LS diff so not very different to the Cabrio.

[Mickaleen]

Re: 2.0 litre DOHC

Hi,

I have carried out some measurements on my engine to determine its offset. The gear box support is the pivot point from which I took dimensions. From the pivot point I measured to the front of the engine. I then measured how far off centre the front of the engine is, in my case 65mm. Drawing this out full size has given me an angle of 3.5 degrees. So not as bad as I thought so I will leave it as it is.
Thank you all again for your kind assistance.
Kind regards
Mike.