Thread: Is the 96 and 00 V8 engine block the same?

No the blocks are different.

A 96 D1 will be the 3.9 which has minor changes to the block itself but has smaller crankshaft bearing journals and is not cross drilled for the 4 bolt mains.

The 4.0 which is in the D2 which is exactly the same capacity as the earlier 3.9 has larger crankshaft journals and has 4 bolt main bearings. The 4.0 and 4.6 blocks are the same.

The later systems will bolt onto the 3.9 but you will have to add things like crankshaft and camshaft position sensors which may or may not be easy, the dissy in the 3.9 will have to be removed and the hole blocked - there may or may not be other sensor issues.

Garry

A D1 engine doesn't have provision in the block for the crank angle sensor. The 1995 update was for the Rangie P38 GEMS engine only until the D2 came in. Don't know if you'd get the ring gear to fit either, it's a totally different setup. The D2 has a bunch of stuff on the back for the crank sensor to interact with.

Thanks guys for the quick replies, I will be ratting the bits I want and get rid of the D1. Shouldn't be hard to move as a good engine.

All RV8 blocks are backward compatable but unfortunately not forward compatable as the engineers lost their crystal balls.
So agree with others that no go.
You can read How to Power Tune Rover V8 Engines by Des Hammill on Amazon, which gives the full story. ( ISBN1-903706-17-3/UPC 6-36847-00217-6)
Regard sPhilip A

Do all d1 in Australia have distributors? In the US the 4.0 came out in 1996, with the 4 bolt main caps and no distributor, and the block can be used in a D2, but you have to swap/weld the mount for the crank sensor as the gems sensor is different than the Bosch sensor.

Different country - different vehicles.

The D1s (updates) were all 3.9 V8s with distributors. With the D2 the 4.0 was introduced with no distributor.

At about mid life of the RR P38, the 4.0 was available in lower spec models but this engine was not fitted to the D1.

Garry

You cant swap or weld on the CAS mount its driled into the lower LH ear of the block. And I'd hate to do the setup to machine it out. A replacement block would be cheaper.

Be aware that if you do look for a replacement block, the 4.0 and 4.6 (at least from a P38) CAS plate are slightly different in the CAS mounting method. You need to grind back the weld and pull the plates and swap over. Rather than weld it, loose fit (it's still tight) and fit the flex plate/ring gear and align the CAS pin in the grove and then drill and punch in a couple of roll pins.

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