PRV ENGINE changeover

[jamesvnz]

HI could i get a pPRV 2.8 engine from a 90's volvo and would it fit my delorean? as the dmc has prv as well

has anyone done this with there DMC

[vwdmc16]

The short answer: yes.

long answer: yes as long as you have an original DMC motor to add the unique parts like the oil pan, intake, K jet, ect. however you wont be able to use a 90's engine, you will need a mid 80's or older( I dont know the exact year cut off ) since they did away with the Mechanical distributor and a bunch of other things with the newer gen engine which had EFi and thus different heads too.

Im sure someone can add on the whole list of key differences and correct anything I might have wrong. But the thing is that you will still have a 20-30yr old engine that probably could use a rebuild just the same. May I ask what's wrong with your DMc engine?

[Nicholas R]

The volvo 760's from the late 80's are essentially identical to the motors we have in the DMC's. When I had the PRV, I regularly ordered parts at stores and online saying I had an 86 Volvo 760 because more places had it in their database than had DeLorean. If your goal is to use a different PRV, maybe a 3.0 or an EFI engine etc. there are options. I am not an expert on those though.

[WelmoedJ]

The cut-off is 1987.

Besides that the Renault version we have in our car uses different mounts (on the lower block) than Volvo or Peugeot.
That's why you can use any Renualt PRV up to 1987 as it has the same mounts (on the lower block).

1987 and later have even fire engines and may have different engine block mounts.

If you are going to use a later engine you may need to convert the D mounts and mounting position.

[Jim D]

What about the crank rotation? I've been told that the Delorean Engine turns counterclockwise.

[DMCMW Dave]

What about the crank rotation? I've been told that the Delorean Engine turns counterclockwise.

No. All PRVs turn the normal direction. (other than older Honda-normal). Clockwise viewed at the pulley end.

The transmission is modified to allow the engine to work when installed in the back of the car, but the engine is normal.

[David T]

Unless your PRV was severely overheated or run without oil you are probably better off (and cheaper too) rebuilding or repairing the original motor. If it is missing that is another story but getting all of the Delorean specific parts will be a challenge. At that point maybe consider an engine swap or a crate motor from DMCH.
David Teitelbaum

[jerzybondov]

The advantage we've got this side of the pond is that Volvo 760s up to 1986 had the B28E engine which didn't have the restrictive fuelling and lower compression of the B28F that went in the DeLorean. And putting one of these in is relatively plug and play (as long as you retain the lower crank case from the original D engine). But I'm pretty sure that any Volvo you find stateside of the correct era will be B28F and there won't be any advantage to be gained.

Equally the B280 that went into 1987 and later Volvo 760s was EFI and that's a much bigger job. No-one in the UK has attempted that swap as far as I'm aware.

[jerzybondov]

The advantage we've got this side of the pond is that Volvo 760s up to 1986 had the B28E engine which didn't have the restrictive fuelling and lower compression of the B28F that went in the DeLorean. And putting one of these in is relatively plug and play (as long as you retain the lower crank case from the original D engine). But I'm pretty sure that any Volvo you find stateside of the correct era will be B28F and there won't be any advantage to be gained.

Equally the B280 that went into 1987 and later Volvo 760s was EFI and that's a much bigger job. No-one in the UK has attempted that swap as far as I'm aware.

[David T]

I may be wrong on this but didn't previous B28X's have problems with camshafts? I know that was fixed by time they got to the "F". As for the restrictive breathing, the stock exhaust in the Delorean is terrible for that. An engine swap all by itself won't fix that, you need to install a whole new exhaust system too.
David Teitelbaum

[jerzybondov]

My understanding is that the B28F wasn't a successor to the B28E - the F represented the fact it was 'federalised' and was built concurrently with the B28E which remained in use until 1986/7. The B27 was the predecessor which you would find in the Volvo 262. I'm not aware of any particular issue with camshafts in those - I think the changes were mostly oil flow related. But conceivably this could have been related to camshaft wear...

[Jim D]

Has anyone successfully used a Volvo mid 80's 760 in a Delorean? I need a good block and have located one out west at one of those "used parts" places. It is a 1986 Volvo 760. Is the oil pan the only part that is exchanged?

[chris williams]

I have done a couple of these, so long as it looks right then it's the right one. Basically (and I'm sure I have missed a few bits) Change sump & sandwich plate. Rocker covers, crank pulley and all associated brackets for A/C Alternator Etc, Flywheel plus silly things like installing oil pressure gauge sender. Fuelling can be left as is on the Volvo (you may need to check for US rules on emmissions) you just don't use the frequency valve.
But if all you need is the block just swap everything over from your old to new!
Chris

[uhhair]

You're gonna need to post more than 1 sentence questions here to get the answers your looking for. A nice backstory on the car you have and what you intend to do will go a LONG way in helping get the answers you're seeking.

[Jim D]

Thanks for the information. Sounds like it really is not a "plug and play" swap. The car I'm working on had been sitting behind a building in the Richmond area for several years. Needless to say the entire interior will be replaced. It was my understanding that it had been sitting at Grady's for awhile back maybe 8 years ago. The owner told me the block was bad and not much else. My guess it that when he found out how much it would cost to "fix" the engine, he bought it back home and parked it until I came along. When I found about a gallon of green antifreeze in the crank case, and green fluid that poured out the oil filter, I began to look for another block. It is a automatic, which for me is good as I have a 5 sp "D" in pretty good shape. When I bought the automatic, I did get it for a good price and thought about parting it out but after restoring the 5sp and getting a lot of great information on this forum, I decided to "bring it back to life". Thanks again for the help!

[uhhair]

Thanks for the information. Sounds like it really is not a "plug and play" swap. The car I'm working on had been sitting behind a building in the Richmond area for several years. Needless to say the entire interior will be replaced. It was my understanding that it had been sitting at Grady's for awhile back maybe 8 years ago. The owner told me the block was bad and not much else. My guess it that when he found out how much it would cost to "fix" the engine, he bought it back home and parked it until I came along. When I found about a gallon of green antifreeze in the crank case, and green fluid that poured out the oil filter, I began to look for another block. It is a automatic, which for me is good as I have a 5 sp "D" in pretty good shape. When I bought the automatic, I did get it for a good price and thought about parting it out but after restoring the 5sp and getting a lot of great information on this forum, I decided to "bring it back to life". Thanks again for the help!

Okay that helps a lot more. A more popular option is the 3.0L PRV swap for the Delorean. There are multiple owners who have done it, as it is (correct me if I'm wrong anyone) probably the "easiest" of the engine swaps available, as the engines/parts are readily available/affordable, and enough owners have done them that information is readily available as well.

Check out the custom section of the forum, there is more info there on them, and owners who would be able to help steer you in the right direction.

[DCUK Martin]

I disagree - if you have a running K-Jet donor engine, it will be entirely plug and play with the original. none of the stuff you'll need to swap over will have been affected by coolant in the oilways.

An EFI engine is a whole different ballgame and you need to learn a lot in order to make a success of that kind of conversion. it will also involve all the work required in fitting a replacement k-jet engine.

I have both a Volvo B28E and a B280E sitting on my racking for conversion one day.... :)

BTW the DeLorean crank case is from the Renault 30. The Renault 25 crank case was used for a lot more cars including the Espace which had the PRV right up to the late 90s.

[uhhair]

Ah good call, I guess if you can get your hands on a k-jet donor engine like that, that is the easiest option.

[Jim D]

Okay a stupid question, is the "K" jet engine you refer to, the same as the 1986 Volvo B28F?

[DCUK Martin]

Depends - as someone said earlier - if it looks the same, it is a K-Jet engine. The later EFI engines look very different on top.

[chris williams]

Sounds like it really is not a "plug and play" swap
No it is really, as MartinG wrote. You just need to make sure the engine your getting is the correct one. The 'rule' I go with is to look at the inlet manifold, that has to be the same on the one your buying then you know your getting the correct engine. There's not a lot to changing the bits over from one engine to the other. Get yourself a Haynes book for the Volvo 260 or use the DeLorean book for reference so you can see the parts Etc. You just need to compare one engine to the other and move over the parts you need. The hardest part is the sump and sandwich plate and the hardest part of that is removing the old gasket from the sump!
Chris

[DCUK Martin]

...unless the gasket stays fully stuck to the crank case and the sump comes away clean. In this case, leave well alone and re-use the old one!

[Jim D]

Thanks again, unfortunately, the engine I have located is from one of the salvage companies that sends engines nationwide and they can't even send me a photo to compare. I just pay them and it shows up from somewhere. They guaranty it to be the correct engine to fit the 86 Volvo 760 but of course they have no clue about a Delorean. Im pretty sure the 86 model will not be an electronic FI system but who knows, they may think they are doing me a favor by sending a later model that will mount in the 86 Volvo.