Donor Pinto Engine Questions

[Guest Billfish]

Looking to buy my donor in the new year, couple of questions;

 

1) What is the best age/reg range to go for. I want to be able to run on unleaded, but don't want to have to fit a cat. I know there is no difinitive answer here, but a guide would help.

 

2) Can any pinto engine be altered to run on unleaded?

 

3) I know that the fuel injection engines will not fit in the Zero, is this just down to the fuel injection unit being too large or are there other reasons? If it is just the fact that the fule injection system is too large, would it be possible to remove it and use a bike carb conversion (which I entend to do anyway)

 

Thanks

[Guest chris brown]

Looking to buy my donor in the new year, couple of questions;

 

1) What is the best age/reg range to go for. I want to be able to run on unleaded, but don't want to have to fit a cat. I know there is no difinitive answer here, but a guide would help.

 

2) Can any pinto engine be altered to run on unleaded?

 

3) I know that the fuel injection engines will not fit in the Zero, is this just down to the fuel injection unit being too large or are there other reasons? If it is just the fact that the fule injection system is too large, would it be possible to remove it and use a bike carb conversion (which I entend to do anyway)

 

Thanks

1/. Any Sierra as they were never fitted with a cat (too old)

2/. Yes but if you get an injected one it will have hardened valve seats already and the 205 block (stronger)

3/. The injection engine (pinto that is not DOHC) is identical in size to all others it is as you say the plenum is large but that can be cut down to fit (instructions to do this were in the last mag) or as you say you can fit carbs in which case bike carbs would be the way to go.

[Guest salty_monk]

The Injection pinto, apart from stronger block & hardened valve seats also has a slightly better flowing head than the earlier ones. I believe they started in about 87 (D plate).

 

Dan

[Guest zoomzoom]

The pinto engine in my car was an injection engine (205 block) and i am running it on a carb.

Just found a good twin choke carb and manifold on ebay and bolted it on.

Hope fully bike carbs some time in the future.

[Guest salty_monk]

That was what mine was too... it's all backwards compatible.

[Guest Billfish]

So basically;

 

I don't need to worry about the cat.

 

Any Pinto will run unleaded (what adjustments are necessary?)

 

Best off getting an injection engine as they have hardened valve seats and the 205 block.

 

How do you tell if its a Pinto or DOHC? (i.e what question do I need to ask the seller to avoid a wasted visit?)

 

Can someone send me a copy of the instructions to cut down the plenum - will be joining RHOCaR in January, but I take it they don't do back issues.

 

One last question - which would be better, keeping the injection system, or using bike carbs?

[ibrooks]

Best question to ask is which side of the engine the exhaust comes out. I found that people played dumb when they knew they had the one people like us didn't want - I even had people tell me a car had a Pinto and then when I arrived to find a DOHC or CVH lurking under the bonnet they would say they thought it was a Pinto or had been told it was a Pinto (I'm damn sure most of them knew full well what they had but hoped I wouldn't check/know). Ideally ask them for a picture of the engine. On a Pinto the carb or EFI plenum is on the passenger side and the exhaust comes out on the drivers side. With the DOHC or CVH or most of the other "undesirable" engines the carb/plenum is on the drivers side and the exhaust comes out of the passengers side.

 

Iain

[Guest erichetherington]

Just to clarify only injected Pintos can run unleaded without being modified, hardened valve seats.

[agent_zed]

Just to clarify only injected Pintos can run unleaded without being modified, hardened valve seats.

 

um hopefully not as ive a carbed 1.6 pinto that i run on unleaded. Its from a H reg. Not sure where i read it but the engine code will tell you whether it is for unleaded or not.

[agent_zed]

found this on burtons

 

SOHC Pinto Engines

 

All engines produced after 01/89 (glad mines a 91 )are suitable for use with unleaded fuel. For all other engines, an identification mark (adjacent to No 4 spark plug) must be present to designate suitability for unleaded. These are:

* 1.6 - M, MM or N, NN

* 1.8 - S, SS

* 2.0 - P, PP or R, RR

[Guest salty_monk]

You'll find all the injected engines are suitable for unleaded.... plus the others as listed.

 

In reality with the mileage most cars do you can just run a leaded engine till the valves are gone & then deal with it at that stage....

 

Dan

[Guest chris brown]

um hopefully not as ive a carbed 1.6 pinto that i run on unleaded. Its from a H reg. Not sure where i read it but the engine code will tell you whether it is for unleaded or not.

It will be a leaded engine but are usually good for a fair few thousand miles before the valves recess into the head any great amount.

 

Bill

PM me with your Email address as the instructions have photos which calnt be sent via this forum

[agent_zed]

It will be a leaded engine but are usually good for a fair few thousand miles before the valves recess into the head any great amount.

 

but mine is a 1991 which from the statement i found above and also here

 

http://community.rhocar.org/index.php?auto...rticle&id=3

 

in the Rhocar wiki pintos from 1989 onwards are unleaded. so i should be ok as it is 2 years later. i hope...

[E.Hunt]

1/. Any Sierra as they were never fitted with a cat (too old)

 

Sorry Chris after 1992 all petrol cars had to have a cat and the Sierra was made untill 94. Not very many around with them on but I have sold them in the past.

 

Bosal UK

[Guest erichetherington]

Can't simple things get complicated quickly, or is that just life