The V8 Owners Forum -

can you convert 1996 rover 3.9 v8 serpentine to v belt? if so what parts are needed?

also is the sd1 water pump the same as the p6?

Thankyou

keefy wrote:also is the sd1 water pump the same as the p6?

No.

Yes you can.
I used a P5 pulley that I had shortened. The pulley just drives the alternator which sits low in front on the passenger side.
The water pump is an Electric Davies Craig 115 which has been reliable for the last 4 years.

Mark

If it's a full serpentine, i.e. just one wide belt, then it's a pretty major change. You need a new timing cover and all the ancillaries / brackets etc. The water pump is also different, so hoses may need changing, as may cooling setup.
There are different crankshaft ends to suit different arrangements, so you might fall foul there too!

Chris.

Serpentine fronts have water pumps that run anti clockwise, V-belt water pumps run clockwise, so it's not an ideal swap. Personally I would rather run a serp belt, less power loss, sprung tensioner means no maintenance and just a nicer more modern look!

to swap a 96 serp to v belt you will need the timing cover, water pump, accesories and pulleys, the crank snout is the same so nothing needed there, the distributor will also need a drive dog for the oil pump.

I'm sure the cam nose is completely different too- the serp ones are shorter as they don't have a drive gear on the end for dissy and oil pump.

topcatcustom wrote:I'm sure the cam nose is completely different too- the serp ones are shorter as they don't have a drive gear on the end for dissy and oil pump.

96 3.9 should be an interim engine so has serp drive belt, crank driven oil pump, distributor driven from cam.