Are 2 1/4 petrol engines ok/reliable.

Im thinkin of buying an ex army 109. Looks in good
Nick. But dont no alot about the 2 1/4 petrol engine,
Only gonna run it 30 to 40 miles a week. Been stood
Over a year and cracked straigt up. though that
Could be a good sign. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks

Very reliable if serviced and quite tunable as its a very understressed engine. yor not going to make it a rocket ship but you can improve performace a fair bit.

Yes. My old series 3 was the most reliable landy I've owned. Don't expect good mpg with them though

My last one was a petrol 2 and 1/4. Really nice engine but overdrive made huge difference to cruising speed and mpg. Bit pricey now but easy to fit

You will get thru 3 to 4 gallons a week then , they are very reliable if looked after , and quite reliable even if they are not !

tacr2man said:

You will get thru 3 to 4 gallons a week then , they are very reliable if looked after , and quite reliable even if they are not !

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10 mpg???

You have got to be FN joking!!

Properly tuned and the running gear in good fettle, you should get somewhere between 18 and 25 to the gallon!

I really must start a business tuning Landies for economy!!

Mine used to do 14 on a good run

MPfive said:

Mine used to do 14 on a good run

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50% economy can usually be gained by adjusting the attitude of the nut behind the wheel!

If its doing 30 to 40 mile a week its probably going to be on choke half the time, I used to average about 17 to 20 on a run when the damn things were new ! , the best mod I did was fit an SU carb . It would benefit from a CR increase as well with modern ULP . esp if you are going to fit hardened valve seats. JMHo

Oldseadog said:

50% economy can usually be gained by adjusting the attitude of the nut behind the wheel!

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Too true. I was 17 at the time

tacr2man said:

If its doing 30 to 40 mile a week its probably going to be on choke half the time, I used to average about 17 to 20 on a run when the damn things were new ! , the best mod I did was fit an SU carb . It would benefit from a CR increase as well with modern ULP . esp if you are going to fit hardened valve seats. JMHo

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The choke should be pushed in as soon as possible, as it's primary function is to assist the engine with starting!

If you keep it out, once the engine is under load all you are doing is pouring fuel, and money, away!!

I think I'll start driving courses as well!!

Oldseadog said:

The choke should be pushed in as soon as possible, as it's primary function is to assist the engine with starting!

If you keep it out, once the engine is under load all you are doing is pouring fuel, and money, away!!

I think I'll start driving courses as well!!

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I totally agree , but they dont warm up very fast,( cast iron low compression) and if you can get the choke in quick then you probably have it set too rich for normal running . JMHE

They warm up faster without the choke!

Oldseadog said:

They warm up faster without the choke!

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Not if they dont keep running they dont , the extra cooling due to fuel enrichment , would be a minor effect .
In cold weather particularly you need to pull out the choke , it will then be incrementally pushed in , to enable acceleration without hesitation , or possible weak cut, and should be fully home by the time the yellow choke warning light comes on (if fitted) . JMHE

Thanks every one for your feed back.

How do they compare, performance wise, to the 2.5 N/A diesels? Perhaps performance is the wrong choice of word, lol,

The petrol is better at the 'top end' whilst the doozil has more power at the bottom end.

Obviously the 2.5 would be better than a 2 1/4, but this is like trying to compare apples and oranges!

Depends what you want to use it for!

The 2.25s seem to go on forever - will be a bit gutless in a 109 but my 88 is quite nippy once its moving. !5mpg around town, 20something on a longer run. You might need choke for a couple of miles if it's sub zero but usually it's just for starting on coolish mornings. You never seem to find 2.25s and HGF in the same sentence.......

if you want "gutless" try a 2 1/4 diesel in a 109