BMC A-Series engine

BMC A-Series
Overview
Manufacturer	Austin Motor Company British Motor Corporation British Leyland Motor Corporation Rover Group MG Rover Group
Production	1951–2000
Combustion chamber
Configuration	Straight-4
Displacement	803 cc (49.0 cu in) to 1,275 cc (77.8 cu in)
Cylinder block alloy	cast iron
Cylinder head alloy	cast iron
Valvetrain	OHV
Combustion
Fuel system	Carburetor or Rover MEMS
Fuel type	petrol
Cooling system	water-cooled
Output
Power output	28 hp (21 kW; 28 PS) to 94 hp (70 kW; 95 PS)
Torque output	40 lb·ft (54 N·m) to 85 lb·ft (115 N·m)
Chronology
Successor	Rover K-series engine

Austin Motor Company's small straight-4 automobile engine, the A-Series, is one of the most common in the world. Launched in 1951 with the Austin A30, production lasted until 2000 in the Mini. It used a cast-iron block and cylinder head, and a steel crankshaft with 3 main bearings. The camshaft ran in the cylinder block, driven by a single-row chain for most applications, and with tappets sliding in the block, accessible through pressed steel side covers for most applications, and with overhead valves operated through rockers. The cylinder head for the overhead-valve version of the A-Series engine was designed by Harry Weslake – a cylinder head specialist famed for his involvement in SS (Jaguar) engines and several F1 title winning engines. Although a 'clean sheet' design the A-Series owed much to established Austin engine design practise, resembling in general design (including the Weslake head) and overall appearance a scaled-down version of the 1200cc overhead-valve engine first seen in the Austin A40 Devon which would form the basis of the later B-Series engine.

The A-Series design was licensed by Nissan of Japan, along with other Austin designs. Nissan modified the design into the Nissan A engine that was launced in 1966. It became the basis for many of their following engines.

All engines had a cast iron head and block, and two valves per cylinder in an OHV configuration. Engines were available in Diesel in the BMC tractor.

All A-series engines up until mid-1970 were painted in British Standard (381c) 223 Middle Bronze Green. This does not include overseas production models such as Australian manufacture.

The original A-Series engine displaced just 803 cc and was used in the A30 and Morris Minor. It had an undersquare 58 mm (2.3 in) bore and 76.2 mm (3.00 in) stroke. This engine was produced from 1952–56.

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