A SPECIAL I NOTE
FOR 1988 AND 1989 PLUS 8 OWNERS
A batch of fuel tanks fitted to Plus 8s in the 1988/1989
period have pickup points which could become "dry" when the fuel moves
to the left under the centrifugal force created by a turn to the right.
The symptoms reflect other possible problems with the fuel systems such
as an intermittent fuel pump failure, improper ground or injection
system problem. This can be maddening and the possibility of this problem
should be quickly investigated. The solution is the fitting of new tank.
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IMPORTANT WATCHPOINT: April 26, 2021 FOR All PLUS 8 OWNERS AND BUYERS Please be careful.
A frequent 1999 Plus 8 contributor to TalkMorgan, a British Morgan
forum with a reputation for fine socialing though often mistaken mechanical
advice, has erred on KEY componentry again. In this case, it is Plus 8
fueling systems. The domino effect has enthusiasts now buying the wrong parts
at high prices from all reports and my own inbox. He goes by the
name of MOG 615 and Andy G.
In
this instance, the fellow has mislabelled and errantly commented on fueling
systems, one never used in a Morgan. His assetion is that EFI Morgans, from
1983 to 1990 used a system called a 13CU. I have personally been
contacted in recent days on a number of occasions by those asking advice on how to
cure
issues with a "13CU" fueling computer that he points to as a "Flapper"
computer. Dealers and experts I
communicate with regularly are getting the same calls, asked for
advice and components that have never been used on a Morgan. In some
cases, these owners have spent money on parts that will not fit and have no
effect save for
painfully lightening their wallet, putting those suppliers to LOTS of work
for
nothing and even causing unnecessary ill will. TYjios is complicated by the fact that MORGAN FUELING
SYSTEMS DID NOT FOLLOW THE LR MAINSTREAM since 1989 which has always caused a
lot of part-sourcing confusion. This fellow has doubled down on
that.
The
true computer fitted to this era of Plus 8s (a system,
under other names, also used with the Rover and Fiat Plus
4s) was the 4CU whiuch has nothing to do with the 13CU. The 4CU is an L-Jetronic systems, the longest used EFI
system in history of automobiles. It is a successor to Bosch's famous line-up of
the Jetronics, the D-Jetronics, K-Jetronics,
KE-Jetronics, L-Jetronics, LE1-Jetronics, LE2-
Jetronics, LE3-Jetronics, LU1-Jetronics,
LU2-Jetronics, LH-Jetronics, Mono-Jetronics found in almost all EFI vehicles(2-
and 4-wheeled) from 1979-1991. The latter versions, used on Morgans,
were indeed called "FLAPPERS". After the Jetronics, Land
Rover then moved, for a short period (1991 to 1996), from Bosch to an Hitachi-based system
(aka the "Hotwire") and then to GEMS (1996 to 2000) before returning again to Bosch Motronics. (Morgan only kept the Hotwire system in the UK and Europe until 2000 and only switched to GEMS as Land Rover switched back to Bosch!).
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For your interest, the 13CU (1989-1990) has NOTHING
in common with any Flapper or any Morgan for that matter. The 13CU was
a lame duck ECU shipped to the USA only where it was promptly removed.
It was the first Hotwire system developed
by Land Rover to meet California emission requirements in 1989 very much like the first Rover 4CU made for California TR8s in 1980. However, the system was removed by US Morgan dealers on
arrival and a much more powerful propane system fitted. If any
US Morgan Plus 8 has one, it would perhaps be 3-4 cars from the then new Cantab Agency.
If so, I recommend it be removed and I will try to help sort the
proper replacement of choice. The
13CU was later altered and improved and became the US 14CU, which
cannot be easily re-chipped and requires a special "harness" to do so.
Lastly 14CU was muchly improved and reborn as the 14CUX (two basic
versions as it was debugged in 1991). There is a
special TVR/Morgan/Ginetta/Marcos fueling version fit to Plus 8s.
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I have extensively worked on ALL Plus 8 variants (with even performance aftermarket systems). I have never imposed on myself a BUDGET when it comes to Morgan Plus 8 fueling systems.
They are, after all, my hobby. In brief, after all is said and done, I
have chosen the Flapper systems, albeit with greater capacity
components as the capacity of my LR/Rover V8 increase. I
use Flappers
with success on everything from very high-rpm 3.5 blocks to low
down torquey 4.6 and beyond. I love their simplicity and easy
adjustability. They have reliably carried me and mine in over 300,000
miles of mogging around the world.
The Flapper
system was the first to provide the primary advantage all proper
EFI systems bestow, multiport fuel injection. The buying
market has been trained to think each later fueling system is
better..but as the famous books by tuners and writers state (David
Hardcastle), that is merely a canard as later systems become more
govermentally compliant and the systems effectively prohibit owner
intervention. It is amazing how they do their job, but their primary
job is NOT to provide more power and fun, it is to give greater
milegage and less emissions.
In any
event, please try to ignore errant advice or at least check it out.
Post-1983 Morgan engine parts sourcing is confusing enough without flamboyant public mistakes.
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The computers fit to your cars are called a 4CU which is a Rover/LR variant running the famous Bosch L-Jetronic setup. It has NO meaningful similarity to a 13CU, the computer he mistakenly refers to.
A 13CU was one of the first attempts at a Hotwire (aka
Rover/LR/Hitachi) and the predecessor to his own Morgan's computer, a
few variants down the road..namely the 14CUX. The 14CUX is a fine ECU,
the 13CU is anything but. The 13CU WAS shipped to the USA, but it was removed by the local dealers and a much more potent propane system on carbs was swapped in, (though one US dealer, Cantab, tried to save money by leaving the 13CU in, to sad effect.)
If you mention to a parts supplier or EFI Rover expert that you have a 13CU, you will have one of two effects;
1. If you are lucky, they will not know what you are talking about and sell you no parts or advice.
2. If you are unlucky, as a few have been already, they will ship you the wrong parts at an enormous price.
Beware of forum advice. Sadly, the days of competent public (anglophone) Morgan forums have ended.
A WET ECU
The Plus 8 ECU is often placed poorly and can allow water egress.
Care should be taken to prevent this and a plastic
or rubber covering is not unheard of. Here is what to do if it does get wet.
The problem
A RR died after drowning the computer in a river. They
were near a camp-site so they prized some circuit board out and hung it
up to dry, and next morning it started straight away. I don't know if this
is normal. It seems to me that good clean water swiftly removed shouldn't
do much harm ?
The Answer
The ECU should survive AOK, but I recommended that, now
that the RR is back home, the ECU be opened up and a re-check be made to make
sure that everything is absolutely dry. Also, take a look at the contacts
on the printed circuit board(s): if they are dull looking, try gently rubbing
them with a pencil eraser: along the length of the contacts (not cross-wise.)
I was told a story about a SD1 and a torrential rainstorm,
with flooding. The car inhaled water through the air intake. Back on dry land,
the starter motor was used to pump the water out of the engine and no damage occurred.
However, a year later, the car failed. After testing I had them do, we diagnosed an
air flow meter malfunction. When opened up, they found enough corrosion to have caused
the trouble. In the end. the meter had to be rebuilt (that can be done with a L-Jetronic).
PLUGS FOR THE NEW PLUS 8S
The Land Rover V8s from 1999 on use the 5.2.1 Bosch Motronic
system. The heads contain a NEW spark plug (or better 8). It must be replaced by
the same type as the EMS relies on the varying resistance of this plug
to adjust spark force and timing. The genuine is an Champion RC11 PYPB4
double-platinium spark plugs. This spark plug allows extended plug life,
recommended interval is 72000 MILES! Probably a good thing if you look
at the price of these little beauties. Always verify if the correct plugs
are mounted. This type may NOT be cleaned as this shortens it's lifespan.
You can tell them by the lug nut size: 5/8 on the new versus 13/16 on the
old. If a wrong type was mounted you MUST also replace the High Tension
Cable as the head on the plug have an other (bigger) diameter and will
not fit the correct plug anymore. This is not visible and you don't feel
it either but I trust LR on this. My personal opinion on changing these
special spark plugs as expensive as these is a first timer for me:
Leave it to the dealer. If you break ONE it will cost you more than the
quarter hours work they charge for this. This engine is not touchable by
other than a Rover dealer and only those with all the technological machinery
necessary. It may produce fortunes when it is off warranty.
The Bosch Motronic is is similar to the systems used on
BMW series 7/8 on their V-8 and V-12's. However an unit from such a car
can not be substituted if yours goes goodbye, as Rover uses a different
command set in their EPROM.
Hard to Start When Engine Hot?
This is well known problem inherent to the Flappers. In a
nutshell, if the engine is warm or hot, and/or parked in the sun while
at a filling station or briefly stopped in that condition, fuel
vaporization occurs at the injectors and car will not start. When
the car is stopped, the heat of the engine is not longer removed by the
cooling system and it become very hot, especially when ambient
temperatures are high. It gets hotter in this state than when running.
Sadly, other factors kick in. The system is designed to have the fuel
pump running only for a few moments if the engine does not quickly
start. If it ran longer, you could "push" the vapor out of the rail.
Not to be.
The Australian division of the Rover group designed a fix..which is described in their dealer bulletin here. Dealer Bulletin It describes a Hot Start Kit where
a solenoid blocks the return hose and increases the fuel pressure which
overcomes the probelm and starts the car. These kits are no longer
available. However, I have an other way to work around the problem.
1. I bypass the airflow meter control of fuel pump
2. To reinstate the safety feature removed by #1, I installed a SEPARATE inertia switch in the fuel pump power wire. If the car is impacted, it takes the fuel pump offline. VERY IMPORTANT
3. When my car is reluctant to start, I merely run the pump for a few moments and it will comply.
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