Zetec Motor

[New2 7's]

Hi,

I'm thinking about upgrading my "7" from a crossflow to a zetec, and would like to know if there is a difference in years of motors.
Are all Zetec motor VCT (variable cam timing)?
Is there a better year of motor?

I know some are steering me toward Duratec but thought the 200 hp available in the zetec would be more then enough.

Thanks,
Scott
Los Angeles

[RV8a/Stalker]

I am really not "up" on my domestic 4 cyl engines, is there anything made in the USA that will work? Or at least imported to the USA that can work? The engines you mentioned are only available in Europe right?

For me personally I would not consider anything less than 200 HP. At 240~250 squared at the wheels it took a while to get use to it but now after 4k miles I want more power!! It all depends on what kind of performance your looking for......are there any particular numbers you want out of the car? For me I wanted 0-100 in under 8 seconds.

If your in Los Angeles maybe we should meet up and I will let you drive the car, but, you must be fairly tall, 5'10" or so to reach the pedals, I am 6'3". The drivers seat is also 16~17 inches wide. The passenger seat.........well its only 14 inches wide and for the honey, but its okay for a short drive with one cheek in and the belts on.

[athens7]

Only SVT Zetecs are VCT. Zetec motors are commonly available, and in stock form put out about 135 hp at the crank. Caterham USA claim 147 hp, due to the exhaust, and possibly some ECU programming. Zetecs with Jenvey throttle bodies, hot cams, and Pectel ECUs are claimed to be 200 hp. SVTs in stock (Caterham) trim are claimed to be 180 hp, 200 hp with the Kent camshaft upgrade. Note I use the word "claimed" repeatedly. British car companies (American ones, too!) are famous for inflating hp claims. The stock SVT Zetec motor puts out 170 hp at the crank, with a tuned and engine specific header that doesn't work on the Caterham. I have yet to speak with an individual that can document, or see a dyno chart for, ANY Zetec motor that makes the hp Caterham USA claims. SVT Zetec (or the European equivalent, the st170) motors are hard to come by these days, as they haven't been made since 2004. The Zetec block is great, cast iron and bullet proof, but heavier than a Duratec by some 50 lbs. Exhaust is out the driver's side. The general consensus among the Zetec crowd is that 200 bhp is impossible without a ported head and either an SVT motor or the Jenvey ITBs. The Zetec will take forced induction and put out some serious hp; supercharging may be better suited to the 7 application. I have an SVT motor with Kent cams, and I've spent a year and $5000 or so on development to get close to the 200 bhp Caterham USA claimed for this motor. I still need a new exhaust and a cold air intake to optimize the set up (another $XXXX?). The benefit to the SVT is the factory ECU and better driveability than the Jenvey ITB setup (so I'm told), but the ECU must be reprogrammed to get the most out of the package. Duratec 2.3s make more power, and are lighter weight, but may not be as easy to install-there are others on this forum with great Duratec knowledge. My car makes 160 hp at the wheels; the crank numbers are as debatable as the existence of God, depending on the loss percentage one uses, or if one even believes that loss percentages are measurable or accurate. As always, try to drive examples of each before chucking your $$$ into the fray (great advice, if you could actually find enough examples of our cars to do this-I drove exactly one before I plumped down my $55k, so do as I say, not as I do!)

[sdcat]

I have a ZX-1 Zetec - the first generation which was used on Contours in the U.S. and European Fords in the 90's. In order to get 163 HP at the wheels, I have a ported head, Kent cams, Jenvey throttle bodies, an Emerald ICU, new wiring harness to accomodate it, and long tube headers. A duratec seems a very nice way to go if you're going to go through the trouble of getting a whole new engine, harness, etc, and I'm guessing not that much more expensive than a zetec when you're starting from scratch? I'm curious myself.....

Justin

[slomove]

AFAIK any of the Zetecs is more or less bolt-on replacement for a Crossflow. Duratec is quite nice but obviously more to change (John Christensen did that change for his Westfield). I would consider it.

ZX1 (Contour, Mystique and Mondeo 95-3/98) what I have. Nice engine with hydraulic lifters and beefed up bottom end but spare parts get hard to find or extinct, sometimes only in Europe. Not recommended.

ZX2 (Contour from 3/98) I believe started using solid lifters and had an exhaust VCT for emission reduction. Few people use this engine and the ones who do eliminate the VCT. Not recommended.

ZX3 is the old Focus engine and has solid lifters and tons of aftermarket stuff.

SVT Zetec has the improved head and cams but I believe otherwise like the ZX3. Probably a good idea because some expensive goodies are already in the package.

[New2 7's]

I was able to source a SVT Zetec for about $2,500
But went to today Pick-A-Part and found several stock Zetec motors for $150
So, I was thinking about going the route of a Zetec (whether it be a SVT or Stock) after seeing the amount of time and money someone else on the website spent on his conversion.
I've driven 200bhp cars and 140bhp cars (my car is approx 140bhp) and I'm convince that I dont need more power for a street/track car.
Does anyone have a breakdown on the cost of Jenvey Fuel Injection, Emerald ECU and Headers?

[sdcat]

I spent $1300 on the Emerald K3, and $1750 on the Jenveys. You also need several additional parts such as sensors to make the conversion to Jenveys, which would be a few hundred. You would also probably need to have your wiring harness modified. The wiring harness cost me quite a bit, but there are some here who could do it cheaper.

[JohnCh]

As Gert mentioned, I swapped my crossflow for a Duratec. However, I also rebuilt the car at the same time and replaced virtually every component but the frame and driveshaft, so not really a fair comparison to someone doing a straight swap. Mine was effectively a new build.

Here is my 2 cents though. Given the cost to do the conversion, I would spend a little more and go with the Duratec. There is nothing wrong with the Zetec, particularly in SVT guise, but the Duratec is somewhat lighter and has more potential in NA form. You have a choice of 2.0L or 2.3L and if you have deep pockets, you can even go with a custom 2.2L setup. As for the weight savings, the Ford press release at the time pegged it as just under 40 lbs (18kg) for the 2.0L. That weight savings was for the early engine with the aluminum valve cover. The later plastic valve covers save an additional 3 lbs. The 2.3L is a little heavier thanks to a slightly taller block, and heavier 8 counterweight crank (only 4 counterwieghts in the 2.0L). Keep in mind that the press release is a little vague on the makeup of the savings, so part of that could be down to savings in bolt on components like the intake manifold, sump, and alternator, rather than the long block. Regardless, the Duratec is lighter.

Converting to a Zetec is easier because the exhaust and intake are on the same sides as the crossflow. However, that doesn’t mean that the old holes for the exhaust (and intake if applicable) will line up with your current set up. So that “savings†may not materialize for you.

As for cost, I think there are only two areas where you will see much difference: core engine and bellhousing. Duratecs are not as abundant in wrecking yards, so seem to cost a little more, but deals are still out there. The Zetec and Crossflow share the same Ford bellhousing bolt pattern, but the Duratec is different and will require a new unit. On the other hand, unless you are buying an SVT, then you will save some money on the Duratec if you are planning to get in the 200hp + range. According to Ammo Castellani, a respected UK tuner (aka Raceco), the stock Duratec head flows as well as a Zetec head with 8 hours of porting work.

Regardless of the engine chosen, a swap like this isn’t cheap. In addition to the obvious things like the engine, headers, motor mounts, throttle bodies/linkage/air filter (unless you keep the stock setup), you need to factor in a host of other components:

modified or new wet sump
Clutch master & slave cylinder (assuming you have a mechanical setup today)
Possibly a HD clutch and lightweight flywheel
High pressure fuel pump
Swirl pot or FI fuel tank
Return fuel line (carbs only run 1 line)
High pressure fuel filter
Fuel pressure regulator
ECU
Engine loom
Oil filter housing (not sure you need this for Zetec)
Alternator & mounts (stock alternator location may not work for your installation)

Depending on the power level you are targeting, you may also need new cams, valve springs, and fuel injectors.

A good way to get a handle on the price differences between the Duratec and Zetec is to check out Raceline’s website. They are certainly not the cheapest tuning option, but they do offer similar parts for both enignes, so you can get a handle on the delta – or lack thereof.

-John