mpi conversion

Hi ALL
I am planing to replace my 2.0 T series engine with a turbo version from a Rover 820 which should increase the bhp to around 200 and increase the low rev torque quite a lot. It looks fairly straight forward and a lot easier than a conversion to diesel or a V8. Has anyone here carried out the conversion or know someone who has?

Don't think you'll find anyone in here with an MPI!

Sell the MPI and buy a Tdi - will be a far cheaper option long term.

Matt

the only realistic way to get enough power from an mpi to pull a disco is to bolt 2 of them together

There were a few turbo conversions around but mostly on the continent as thats where most of the MPI were sold. We did have at least 2 conversions at solihull and it was a political decision not to introduce them. Remember this was pre ford days where change did not come easy. On the road they performed better than the 3.9 but for off road some engineers said it lacked engine braking others said it was ok. If you had a v8 or diesel then its not worth all the effort to convert but if you already have a mpi then its an easy and cheap conversion provided you have a doner car. You will need the post 96 engine, all the ancilliaries, intercooler hoses etc. Wiring is straight forward. A modification is required onthe main shaft from the gear box but its only an addional bearing if memory serves me. I cant remember all the details. One of the magazines possibly LRO did a road test on a turbo conversion and gave it a glowing write up so you might be able to get a copy but that was 10 years ago.They could not understand why it was never put into production. some of the t engines had head gasket problems.
The t engine is good for 250 horses cheaply but any addional gains after that come at a high price. If 250 is not enough then get rid and go for a v8. Insurance might be a problem though. Interested in how you get on.

Thanks for the info and views both pos and neg. Well I have now bought a 820 turbo ready for the transplant and I should pick it up at the weekend. Actually I did not think the mpi was all that bad, it got me to Homs in Syria and back with no problems (really wished it had aircon on that trip)as well as several journeys into Germany, Italy and Greece.We also took it from North to south Germany on the old tank route that used to follow the border of E & W. Most of which is off road. Did break two springs on that trip and put the car on its side. Never had any other problems with the car except the **** R380 gearbox which was replaced at around 50k and then again at 112k which is my only worry. If it cant handle the power of the standard 2.0 how will it handle an extra 60 bhp. The engine is now at 173k and getting a little noisy hence the conversion.
I will let you know how I get on.

How did you get on with the turbo on the mpi. I have picked up a 60k mpi Discovery and am interested

Hi
Well as it happens personal circumstances prevented me from finishing the project but a friend of mine has built a 4x4 with the 16valve Tseries engine although not a land rover. He faced several problems with the mems ecu system so in the end he decided to dump it and fit a mega squirt system to control the fuel injection. He also fitted a larger hybrid turbo. The project is not totally finished yet but the rolling road figures are awesome. Another guy I found was a chap called Marko. He fitted the T Series turbo in series landy to replace the existing engine with good results. You might want to do a google search for his site as I dont have the address anymore. Anyway the conversion from standard MPI to turbo mpi is fairly straight forward but I would advise getting a donor car such as a rover 820, 620,220 turbo as is saves a lot of time. Remember to replace the head gasket and dowel as well for a multi layered one ( big weakness on the turbo engine). If you have a donor car then you wont have the ecu problems.
Good luck