280i Cosworth engine conversion project

[Sireatalot]

Hi guys..
First of all, Happy New Year to you all.

Appologies for not posting for sometime.

For a while now, i have been interested in doing the cosworth v6 engine conversion on my 280i
Seeming it has been off the road for approx 3 years needing engine work etc.. I thought I may aswell take old one out and stick a cossie block back in !!

Happy to say, now the owner of a nearly running ford scorpio ( R reg with 24v cossie block in it). The head gasket will need replacing along with water pump but other than that.. fairly sound condition.

Have any of you got any advice for the conversion, things to look out for etc..

I imagine there will be lots of questions in the future months.
Thanks all.

Dominic

[y282]

Sireatalot said:

Hi guys..
First of all, Happy New Year to you all.

Appologies for not posting for sometime.

For a while now, i have been interested in doing the cosworth v6 engine conversion on my 280i
Seeming it has been off the road for approx 3 years needing engine work etc.. I thought I may aswell take old one out and stick a cossie block back in !!

Happy to say, now the owner of a nearly running ford scorpio ( R reg with 24v cossie block in it). The head gasket will need replacing along with water pump but other than that.. fairly sound condition.

Have any of you got any advice for the conversion, things to look out for etc..

I imagine there will be lots of questions in the future months.
Thanks all.

Dominic

Hi Dom, whereabouts are you based? I have this engine in my capri and you're welcome to have a look. One thing that occurs to me is that the engine you have may be the later BOB version, not the earlier BOA like mine:



AIUI the BOB engine is a bit more of a pig to wire in, but if yours looks like the one in the pic above, i may have copies of the wiring diagrams still lying around somewhere. Let me know if it is and i'll try to take a pic of them for you.

[Boosted LS1]

OP, if the head gasket needs replacing you may as well look into some other areas. I'd suggest you drop the sump amd remove the timing cover. The blade and guides are a common weakness and break on the BOA Cosworth engine. I build these engines and carry some stock if you need anything.

[y282]

Boosted LS1 said:

OP, if the head gasket needs replacing you may as well look into some other areas. I'd suggest you drop the sump amd remove the timing cover. The blade and guides are a common weakness and break on the BOA Cosworth engine. I build these engines and carry some stock if you need anything.

don't have a pair of the plastic spark plug lead covers for sale by any chance do you?

[Sireatalot]

I'm based in Bristol. Mine has a molded plastic cover on top so reckon it is the BOB version. I would still be interested in seeing the wiring diagram though if thats ok?... may give a few pointers.

Cheers
Dom

[hallsie]

Whats wrong with the old 2.8 engine?

• DIBS*

Stu

[Graham]

Im in the process of sticking a Boosted built BOA in my race tasmin, so wouldnt mind a butchers at that wiring diagram. I'd prefer to stick an emerald in, but as i've got the original ecu and edis it might be worth running that to start.


The biggest pita/expense will probably be the exhaust manifolds

Cheers

Graham


IIRC the problem with the BOB version is that it uses the later ecu eec V as opposed to EEC IV the EEC V has all the imobiliser gubbins which is a pita..

Edited by Graham on Tuesday 4th January 15:53

[Graham]

hallsie said:

Whats wrong with the old 2.8 engine?

• DIBS*

Stu

Its the crappiest version of the v6 ever produced. the older essex and later 2.9 12 and 2.9 24v are much better

[Sireatalot]

There is a rather large oil leak from the rear of the engine around the bell housing / starter motor area. Few people have looked at it and seem to think the rear end bearing has gone.

[y282]

Graham said:

Im in the process of sticking a Boosted built BOA in my race tasmin, so wouldnt mind a butchers at that wiring diagram. I'd prefer to stick an emerald in, but as i've got the original ecu and edis it might be worth running that to start.


The biggest pita/expense will probably be the exhaust manifolds

Cheers

Graham


IIRC the problem with the BOB version is that it uses the later ecu eec V as opposed to EEC IV the EEC V has all the imobiliser gubbins which is a pita..

Edited by Graham on Tuesday 4th January 15:53

i'll try to dig out the wiring diagrams for it. think i got them from Top Boss. from memory you're right about the eecV immobiliser being an issue.

with regards to the original 2.8i engine, if it's the cologne one they're only any use as a boat anchor. awful engine.

[Graham]

eek, Sounds like you might be better off bunging it back on ebay and looking for a better earlier car with the boa.

Whilst these engines are very nice, rebuild costs to do it properly mount up very quickly your looking at a bill with three noughts rather than two to rebuild one.

[Geoff38]

Hi , what engine do you have , BOA or BOB ? (edit - whilst I was typing it is now clear that you have a BOB)

My brother and I both have Taimar's , one is fitted with a BOB engine with datafast ecu , T5 gearbox and very minimal wiring to the engine ( most of the vacumn sensors are not used ) which was on the road and running but is now under going body restoration work.
The other is currently standard but also under going resto. We have just stripped a scorpio estate to get a cosworth engine to go in this one and the standard wiring is a nightmare , so much of it !! The gearbox route for this one is possibly going to be a hybrid ford MT75 as I have managed to obtain the mixture of two and four wheel drive boxes to do it.

if we can be of any help just ask.


Cheers
Geoff.

Edited by Geoff38 on Tuesday 4th January 16:09

[y282]

Geoff38 said:

Hi , what engine do you have , BOA or BOB ?

My brother and I both have Taimar's , one is fitted with a BOB engine with datafast ecu , T5 gearbox and very minimal wiring to the engine ( most of the vacumn sensors are not used ) which was on the road and running but is now under going body restoration work.
The other is currently standard but also under going resto. We have just stripped a scorpio estate to get a cosworth engine to go in this one and the standard wiring is a nightmare , so much of it !! The gearbox route for this one is possibly going to be a hybrid ford MT75 as I have managed to obtain the mixture of two and four wheel drive boxes to do it.

if we can be of any help just ask.


Cheers
Geoff.

geoff, do you know how to connect the rev counter up? it's the one thing i haven't go tworking on mine!

[hallsie]

I think Ive posted this before, but

http://www.chevroletls1.com/ford_cosworth.html

Stu

[Graham]

y282 said:

with regards to the original 2.8i engine, if it's the cologne one they're only any use as a boat anchor. awful engine.

Yep I've got about 4 dead ones in a shed somewhere. a couple of the best failures i've had were the rocker shaft snapping, two lifters siezing in the block on another, valves slipping on the collets, and the most spectacular was the head coming off an inletvalve, being punched through the water jacket in the head and filling all 6 pots with water vi the inlet manifold. then we go on to the timing gears shattering, oil pump drives shearing not to mention the 2 port head design and the restrictive inlet.

we did get a reasonable power increase though by dumping the FI and bunging a twin choke weber in its place.

G

[hallsie]

Graham said:

hallsie said:

Whats wrong with the old 2.8 engine?

• DIBS*

Stu

Its the crappiest version of the v6 ever produced. the older essex and later 2.9 12 and 2.9 24v are much better

You can only piss with the cock you're given!

Stu

[Graham]

hallsie said:

I think Ive posted this before, but

http://www.chevroletls1.com/ford_cosworth.html

Stu

thats Boosted LS1 who posted below. very helpful and put my engine together

g

[Geoff38]

I'll have to ask my brother about the rev counter and get back to you.

[y282]

Geoff38 said:

I'll have to ask my brother about the rev counter and get back to you.

cheers geoff. i've got a set of capri 2.8i clocks and a BOA engine with original EDIS6 and EEC-IV setup.

O/P, FWIW the BOA engine is pretty tough, delivers the power well and sounds great when open. almost sounds a bit italian to me

[Boosted LS1]

This is a forum where you'll get proper wiring diagrams and installation help.

http://www.fordpower.org.uk/forum/index.php?s=6a35...

Well worth joining up, I'm a mod over there but I'm not biased.