I've got a Locost which used to have a 1300 xflow. I bought a 1600 xflow which I've just started up and the big ends are knackered. So that's £300 plus hours of work down the pan. Decided that the cost of another 1600 would be greater than, say, a Zetec but how difficult is it to replace a xflow with a Zetec. Anyone got a definitive list of what's involved.
Gone from 1700 x-flow to zx9
Keep with the xflow £60 worth of bearings and its a good engine
I always keep a spare engine in the garage
steve
The 1.6 zetec is not a good engine by all accounts, the weakest oerformer of the range. The replacement will probably be in the order of £1.5-3k by
the time you are finished unless you are a wiz with electrics and more importantly have space for all of the oem inlet/sensors etc.
Basic list will be exhaust headers, someway of getting fuel in (carbs, bike carbs, throttle bodies), some way of getting spark [and injection]
(emerald, omex, ms or possibly oem ecu if you are clever), may need to change the sump and waterpump, alternator may need brackets and plumbing will
need changing. Note there is a way of running the 1.8 silvertop zetec on a stock ecu, cams and weber 40's to give about 140hp, you need the right
ecu and the right jets but runs pretty well. Designed for homologation for formula ford I was told.
In summary not a trivial task.
If I had to stick to 1.6 I would be looking at the 1.6 zetec se/sigma, you will need all of the above plus a new bell housing and the exhaust is on
the other side so some body work will be needed.
You could also look at a cvh turbo (fiesta or escort rs turbo) or a zvh turbo (zetec bottom end with cvh turbo head, not seen many 1.6 zvh though).
Or finally the vauxhall 1.6 16v XE is pretty well regarded.
Sorry lots of options but you may need to revisit the £ numbers before replacing the xflow with anything else, all do-able at a cost.
You can probably drop the sump with the engine still in place and have a look at / change the bearings. Oil pump is external too.
u can drop the sump (engine in car) but the only bearing that cant be changed is the rear crank main bearing
it can be doen, but is a bitch of a job if your lying on your back doing it
I'm after a 1600 xflow too
If you decide not to rebuild it
The crank journals really need checking for ovality with a micrometer, as if their out the new bearings won't last long.
You might get lucky, But then you might not, So better to be safe than sorry...
quote:
Originally posted by Eggy
I'm after a 1600 xflow too
If you decide not to rebuild it
is there any reason you want to stick to a 1600 engine ?
quote:
Originally posted by Ugg10
The 1.6 zetec is not a good engine by all accounts, the weakest oerformer of the range
Hi......
1st post for me so hello to all from Brighton!
I am in the process of changing from a 1600 xflow to a 2ltr zetec blacktop...... and what a nightmare its proven to be so far!
I managed to get a zetec from a 2001 ford focus, so that makes it a phase 3 zetec, the one with the 2 piece sump assembly, which means when you try to
bolt up the type 9 gearbox the starter motor apature is hidden by the sump
So i had to source a single piece alloy sump from a phase 1 zetec, not so difficult you might say, untill i realised the oil pick up pipe is different
so had to source one from a different phase 1 zetec......
Had the sump modified and baffles welded in by my mate at work who can tig weld.....
Ive gone for R1 bike carbs (£120) from ebay, and megajolt ignition whuich was flipping expensive!!!!!!
Ive also had to get a different prop as the type e 4 speed box cant handle to power from the zetec
All in all its been a rough ride so far, but im sure the smile when i plant the throttle for the 1st time will make up for it
J5
Budget dictates what you end up doing
If you really fancy more power and a later engine then zetec is the easiest option
I bought a rs1800 silvertop to replace my cvh
Turned out a straightforward swap tbh
A silvertop escort/fiesta sump pan is at the front of the engine and was 1/4 shallower than my cvh-so no cutting,starter fits,no water pump
issues,flywheel takes a mondeo 1.6 clutch which mates with a 23 spline gearbox
It depends on how handy you are as to how much itll cost
I bought an inlet manifold kit off ebay and made it up myself - with cbr carbs
I hear an st170 manifold can be cut so that bike carbs fit too
Buy a bike fuel pump-that way you dont need a pressure regulator
You can get exh flanges and modify your manifold if you want to keep costs down or search classified for a used one
Ign can be sorted with the esc off a late fiesta or escort ( dizzyless models with the coil pack on the back of the block)
Thatll run a zetec quite well,beyond that theres a whole loads of ign only ecus
Ime delighted with my conversion - a modern 16 valve twin cam engine is so much nicer
Doesnt have the character of the xflow mind
quote:
Originally posted by johnny5
I am in the process of changing from a 1600 xflow to a 2ltr zetec blacktop...... and what a nightmare its proven to be so far!
quote:
Originally posted by mcerd1
quote:
Originally posted by johnny5
I am in the process of changing from a 1600 xflow to a 2ltr zetec blacktop...... and what a nightmare its proven to be so far!
actually that doesn't sound all that bad - but if you were finding all the little issues as you went then I can see why it would feel like a nightmare...
if any of the mod's seem like too much hard work then their are often off the shelf aftermarket parts to do the job (for a price of course)
this give you a good idea of whats involved:
http://www.toyne.org.uk/zetec-fitment.html
(btw - the 1.8 CVH to silvertop swap is a bit easier than most - depending on how you go about it you can even use the CVH starter and sump)
[Edited on 23/5/2014 by mcerd1]
[Edited on 23/5/2014 by mcerd1]
quote:
I managed to get a zetec from a 2001 ford focus, so that makes it a phase 3 zetec, the one with the 2 piece sump assembly, which means when you try to bolt up the type 9 gearbox the starter motor apature is hidden by the sump
I managed to get a damaged ford focus complete for 160quid, i removed the engine and other bits i needed and then broke the rest of the car for spares, i made back almost what i paid for the car just by selling the interior!
Plumbing is quite straightforward if you search for diagrams
Theres an overcooling mod thats worth doing otherwise they rarely get up to temp
I bought a little denso alternator , a kabuta one i think, dirt cheap off ebay and mounted it on the o/s under the inlet
Theyre the same as brise ones but far cheaper
Many thanks for all your replies. I'll take the engine out and get the crank checked. It only "rattled" for a few seconds when I first fired it up so maybe I'm lucky.
Apologies for hijacking the thread, has anyone swapped a xflow with a Mazda 1.6/1.8 (+gearbox)?
Anyone know the difference in dimensions?