Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) +4 from the 80s - Rover or Fiat? - advice please

Hello again.

Would appreciate advice on the positives and negatives of these engines. My use for the car will be weekend driving and some commuting. No races or rallies.

It will end up in Australia - parts availability?

Thanks in advance.

Neil,

It is really up to you.

The Fiat 2 litre twin cam engine really is a classic , in design and performance and would be my automatic choice every time. However it is an older unit , the spares are getting a bit rare (although pattern parts are available in Europe). It is a true "sports car" engine that loves to rev and suits the Morgan well.
The killer might be what about Australia , and here I have no idea at all. Were Fiats ever imported into Oz? If not you might find it rather difficult to find spares or even a channel to import them.

The Rover engine had 2 iterations , the M16 and T16, the latter being the preferred option. Originally these engines were a mite "unloved" by enthusiasts as they were not really tuneable, they had a poor reputation for reliability ( but I cannot recall why, perhaps others here have more info) and they went out of production pretty quickly. I think the tuning issues are now resolved as are some of the reliability points. However for me the key issue is the match to the car. It was designed as a saloon car engine , and it is not a free revving flyer (unless tuned).
Again I have no data regarding spares etc in Oz , I would think it might be easier than Fiat , but I may be totally wrong there. I would advise you to get in contact with the Australian Morgan clubs and ask their advice; there is at least on regular contributor on this forum.

Just my two pennyworth.

I had the Rover engine in a Land Rover Discovery which I sold (part ex) to a garage at 80K miles, several weeks later the new owner rang me to say the engine had "blown up" and would cost £1700 to rebuild. I don't think this was an isolated case as I remember reading later that some serious work was needed on these cars at that mileage. After saying that many Morgans have very low miles so this may not be an issue.

Thanks Andy. I don't mind which, I just want a +4 and this is part of my research. It sounds like either engine will give me a good Morgan time, and I will not wear it out with the intended use. I have contacts in the club here.

Interesting debate -
I had a Fiat TC enginned carburetted 4/4 for some years and, apart from being very thirsty on oil, it ran very well and started every time. Only problem was that I could'nt use lead-free petrol and apparently, after much research on the internet, neither could the fuel-injected +4 Fiat engine.
Three years ago I bought an M16 Rover +4 with 56k miles from new and, with a present total of 135k miles and a head-gasket change at 100k miles ("they all do that, sir") I am very happy with it. Runs on lead-free too.
I would think that the 'gasket is the cause of the "reliability issues" but a look on the different Rover forums will give you a better idea.
Good hunting !
Chris

Rovertech forum is a good place to start. Omex can sort the ECU for you.
Eh up Scruffymog lad.

The T16 is regarded as a strong engine, it is essentially a evolution of the B series with development assistance from Honda.

Had a T16 Rover with 53K absolutely trouble free miles.

Religiously changed oil and timing belts as recommended.

mine is a M16 Rover, gasket changed now recent at only 40k km.. but OK, also 25 years old...seems them weak point.
But runs great i find, IMHO for such a "trad" chassis. It's a cruiser, not a racer....

The Fiat is supposed tobe good but I have no experience. I had a T16 for 35k miles with 15 k when I got it.

some say the cylinder heads go. Mine didn't but the ECU kept playing up. Replacing is easy & cheap but I sold it when the second one started the same dermot i.e. not idling or idling at 3k.

I had put a Librands exhaust & manifold on it which transformed it giving lots of torque at mid range. Plus a drop in K&N.

Not as fast as my current Roadster 3l bit a great car.
Spares seem t obe easily available from Rimmer Bros. You can also add throttle bodies or turbo charge them.

Good luck