2.8 efi question

[Dansta]

Hi folks.

I've been rebuilding a 2.8 efi engine.

I noticed that where the radiator top hose comes off the engine, the spout looks like it could be removable. Indeed there are 3 bolts that someone previously has tried to remove and have been snapped off. It's not budged for me so I was wondering whether anyone knows is this top spout should come off?

If it should, then clearly I need to do something about those snapped bolts.
Thanks

[Peter-S]

It doesn't look like it would all be a single casting does it? Certainly on a standard 2.8 engine the components that fit in that space bolt on to the head so I suspect that spout does as well but I can't confirm for sure I'm afraid.

[Stroker]

Yes it can come off, but they get bad corrosion around the studs to the housing. I had issues getting mine apart and also broke a stud.

[Dansta]

Thanks both. I figured it would come off but not really tried very hard. Cheers.

[Stroker]

Hey Dansta out of interest are you going to be running the standard ECU or a aftermarket ECU?
My plan is to run a Speeduino ECU.

[Dansta]

Hey @stroker. I started with speeduino and went the full DIY assembly route. After blowing up 2 Megas and 2 boards, I've swapped to Megasquirt.

[Stroker]

Hey @stroker. I started with speeduino and went the full DIY assembly route. After blowing up 2 Megas and 2 boards, I've swapped to Megasquirt.

Ohhh dear not good! I'm going the Speeduino fully assembled board route when I get around to it. So hopefully have better success with it. Are you running the standard TFI distributor with it or a trigger wheel?

[Dansta]

Hehe. It was a learning experience. I've had a trigger wheel welded to the front of the crank. I'm also turbo charging it.

[Stroker]

I wondered why you hadn't posted on the Speeduino forum since last year. I've been reading and following your project thread over there.

[Dansta]

Yeah. That and I took a risk assessment view of the conversion work I did and felt it was a fire hazzard which is when I happened across a really inexpensive 2.8 efi engine on eBay because the owner didn't advertise it as an efi

[Not_Anumber]

How does it differ from a standard 2.8 i engine ?

[Dansta]

Bottom end is virtually identical. Water pump and timing cover are slightly different and the crank pulley is like the 2.9's. Big difference is the inlet manifold and plenum. It's a half way house to the 2.9 V6. It's EFI rather than MFI.

[Stroker]

How does it differ from a standard 2.8 i engine ?

Apart from the vastly superior 6 port inlet manifold, didn't they come from the factory with hardened exhaust valve inserts in the heads?

[Dansta]

Nope not all of them. This one didn't.

[Not_Anumber]

Sounds good. Was this the engine that went into all the 2.8 Mk 3 Granadas before the 2.9 was released ?

[Dansta]

I believe it was in Production for one year around 1985 into Granadas and perhaps some XR4is.

[r2vdh]

Running a Megasquirt ECU on mine.