Can I use a '94 Gems 3.9 in my '87 3.5 - Land Rovers Only

philippe · 01-04-2006, 03:45 PM

Hello, I am on the hunt for a good used motor for my '87 EFI and have been offered a 94 3.9.
Can I use the block with my ancillaries or is it too complicated to use the GEMS engine as a base?
Any thoughts greatly appreciated

OkieRover · 01-04-2006, 04:03 PM

GEMS?
If it's a Land Rover 3.9 it will drop right in.

philippe · 01-04-2006, 04:07 PM

I was thinking more about the ignition, distributor and injection, timing cover etc...

92RRRANDALL · 01-05-2006, 07:52 AM

Phillipe

You can use any newer engine block. Starting around 1994 the crankshafts of all the engines got to be about 20mm longer in the front. If the newer engine has a longer crankshaft nose then you will probably need a crankshaft spacer and maybe a longer key for th shaft. Easy to get.

Also if the newer engine block does not have a distributor, then you will need to transfer all of your front cover and ancilleries to the new engine block.

Really it is no problem as the bolt patterns on almost everything is the exactly the same. It's just that the parts which bolt together got better and better over the decades.

Randall

philippe · 01-05-2006, 09:18 AM

OK thanks for that. I am concerned because my mechanic tells me that the front cover is heavily worn around the oil pump from dirty oil and lack of changes and that is one reason why my oil pressure is low. He wants me to use a better cover in the new engine.
I suppose then that I can also use all my ancilleries including my 3.5 plenum chamber which does not have 3.9 marked on it, so that visually it all looks like a regular 3.5.

92RRRANDALL · 01-05-2006, 12:06 PM

Phillipe

My engine still says 3.9 on top.

Basically everything bolts up to the block. Doesn't matter which side of the block it's on. You really should replace the oil pump when you change engines. Some of the oil pressure losses are probably related to worn out bearings which are hemoraging oil.

The "intermediate" front cover has a much better oil pump. If you use this cover then you have to use everything off the front of an "intermediate" engine as well. There would also be quite a lot of custom plumbing to get things hooked up to your truck. Very doable though.

Randall

TerryS · 01-06-2006, 05:15 AM

There's no such thing as a 94 3.9 Gems. If it says 3.9 on it, it's Lucas, and will go in without modification( though, as I said before, you 'should' use the ECU that came with the 3.9, 14CUX). Gems came out on the 4.0 in 95 (96 in the US)

01-04-2006, 03:45 PM	#1 (permalink)
philippe Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 54 Gallery: 0	Can I use a '94 Gems 3.9 in my '87 3.5 Hello, I am on the hunt for a good used motor for my '87 EFI and have been offered a 94 3.9. Can I use the block with my ancillaries or is it too complicated to use the GEMS engine as a base? Any thoughts greatly appreciated

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01-04-2006, 04:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
philippe Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 54 Gallery: 0	I was thinking more about the ignition, distributor and injection, timing cover etc...

01-05-2006, 07:52 AM	#4 (permalink)
92RRRANDALL Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: CARY NC Posts: 7 Gallery: 0	Phillipe You can use any newer engine block. Starting around 1994 the crankshafts of all the engines got to be about 20mm longer in the front. If the newer engine has a longer crankshaft nose then you will probably need a crankshaft spacer and maybe a longer key for th shaft. Easy to get. Also if the newer engine block does not have a distributor, then you will need to transfer all of your front cover and ancilleries to the new engine block. Really it is no problem as the bolt patterns on almost everything is the exactly the same. It's just that the parts which bolt together got better and better over the decades. Randall

01-05-2006, 09:18 AM	#5 (permalink)
philippe Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 54 Gallery: 0	OK thanks for that. I am concerned because my mechanic tells me that the front cover is heavily worn around the oil pump from dirty oil and lack of changes and that is one reason why my oil pressure is low. He wants me to use a better cover in the new engine. I suppose then that I can also use all my ancilleries including my 3.5 plenum chamber which does not have 3.9 marked on it, so that visually it all looks like a regular 3.5.

01-05-2006, 12:06 PM	#6 (permalink)
92RRRANDALL Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: CARY NC Posts: 7 Gallery: 0	Phillipe My engine still says 3.9 on top. Basically everything bolts up to the block. Doesn't matter which side of the block it's on. You really should replace the oil pump when you change engines. Some of the oil pressure losses are probably related to worn out bearings which are hemoraging oil. The "intermediate" front cover has a much better oil pump. If you use this cover then you have to use everything off the front of an "intermediate" engine as well. There would also be quite a lot of custom plumbing to get things hooked up to your truck. Very doable though. Randall

01-06-2006, 05:15 AM	#7 (permalink)
TerryS Moderator Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Bloomfield, CT If I died today, I lived there all my life. Posts: 2,234 Gallery: 0	There's no such thing as a 94 3.9 Gems. If it says 3.9 on it, it's Lucas, and will go in without modification( though, as I said before, you 'should' use the ECU that came with the 3.9, 14CUX). Gems came out on the 4.0 in 95 (96 in the US)

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