Hi

Can the capacity, spec and age of a Rover K series engine be determined from the engine number please?

What I want to know is can you tell a 1.1 litre Rover K8 (8 valve single cam) engine from a 1.4 litre K8 engine from its number? And will the engine number give built year to help with IVA?

I am trying to find a 1.4 Rover K8 engine that came with an SU carb at standard on a few early Rover Metros and Rover 214 cars to go into my Locost project as a no electronics approach, mated to a Ford Type E 4 speed gearbox.

Most of these K8 engines seem to be the later fuel injected ones and most commonly in Rover Metros and in 1.1 guise. The giveaway for the SU carb to spot on under bonnet pics is a round air filter, rather than the triangular one of the fuel injected cars as well as a distributor (not being a twincam is easy to spot for both fuel injected and carb cars is from the width and shape of rocker cover)

Anyone else shoved such a single cam SU carbed K Series engine in a Locost?

Cheers
Mike

The first 4 characters of the engine number deal with capacity and number of valves so an engine number that starts 18K4 is a 1.8 K series with 4 valves per cylinder (16 valves total). A 1.4, 8 valve would start 14K2 and an 1.1 8 valve would be 11K2. I've got tables for what most of the other characters mean on the 1.8s but not for the smaller engines. e.g. on 1.8s the fifth character is either F or K. F indicates its a multipoint injection without VVC and K tells you its a multi point injection with VVC. I do know that a 1.4 8 valve with single point injection starts 14K2D so D for the fifth character represents single point injection. I don't know what letter is used for carb but if you see an engine number with the fifth character as something other than K, F or D I'd say it must have been on a carb.

Edit, just had a quick search and it looks like the carburettor engines had A as their fifth character so you'd be wanting an engine number that starts 14K2A and that should be 1.4, 8 valve, carburettor

Pretty sure there is no date code in the engine number but also fairly sure the carb ones weren't made after 1993

[Edited on 5/11/23 by Sanzomat]

[Edited on 5/11/23 by Sanzomat]

[Edited on 5/11/23 by Sanzomat]

Many thanks, really helpful.

Cheers
Mike

https://rimmerbros.com/c/MG-Rover-200-25-MG-ZR-Vehicle-Information

the first couple of tables are below, the list continues for other engine sizes, Diesel etc.
it also covers the various transmissions