Jump to content

xflow to zetec


westy666

Recommended Posts

xflow to silvertop zetec in a prelit/narrow body

Parts definitely required

Engine (!)

1.8 flywheel

Inlet manifold

Exhaust manifold

carb rechoke/jet

LR707 starter motor

ECU

Engine Mounts

Spigot Bearing

New plumbing

Alternator Mounting

Alternator

Oil breather baffle/plate

Exhaust Manifold/silencer link pipe

Recommended Parts (to save headaches later on!)

1.8 water pump

New Rev counter

Shortened/baffled sump

Stronger fuel pump

Shorten the prop

New silencer with 2.5 inch entry pipe

Ignition pack

HT Leads

Transplanting a zetec into the pre-lit is not as easy as it may first appear!

Taking the xflow out!

If you've never pulled an engine out of a car (or a westfield) before - YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE!

Preparation is key as is taking your time while lifting it all out.

Make sure you disconnect all plumbing & electrics and as many ancillaries as possible from the engine, aswell as removing the bolts from the engine mounts (not forgetting to support the engine prior to this!) prior to contemplating lifting the engine out.

There are two schools of thought for engine and gearbox removal - taking them out together, or separately. Taking them out together can be marginally quicker but often results in oil spilling out of the tail of the gearbox.  Taking them out separately is probably easier, particularly if you intend to change the gearbox aswell as it'll need splitting off anyway.

Fitting the zetec!

If you are getting a salvaged zetec then there are a number of items that you should strip off it prior to considering installation. Existing Exhaust/inlet manifolds are not required.  Air con pump, pullies & mounting are not needed.  

You may wish to retain the standard thermostat housing (more info below)

The main issue for the prelit tends to be clearance with the bonnet due to the increased height of the zetec over the xflow. This is not so much of a problem with the later narrow bodied cars.  Some savings can be made in this area with using a shortened sump, but this can still leave very little space between the top of the engine and the low body line of the prelit. If you have the skills (and imagination) I have discovered that it is possible to create your own mounts by using such items as Escort Mk2 anti tramp bars - unfortunately I don’t have the skills ... so didn’t go down this route!  

The easiest solution for me was to go the bonnet bulge route which will allow you to use the Westfield supplied engine mounts.  

The offside mount unfortunately has to be cut and rewelded to increase the incline angle due to the fact that the mounts are only supplied for use in the wide bodied westfield. This is particularly painful as the mounts retail at around £90!

The position of the nearside mount to the chassis remains at the same location as the original xflow mount but the offside has to move a good 6 inches further up the chassis in order for the mounting lugs on the block to match with the mount.

The preference is to get the engine as far back as possible in the engine bay, which (if a type 9 box is replacing a Type 2 or 3 at the same time) may result in the original prop having to be shortened slightly. The handling benefit of this is negligible but more importantly, with the low lines of the prelit the bellhousing must be positioned as close as possible to the transmission tunnel or the cam pulleys at the front of the zetec may end up fouling the nose cone when you come to refit it ...

Replacing a type2 or 3 gearbox is a well documented exercise in a narrow bodied westfield - basically the mounting plate for the gearbox needs to be cut out and rewelded approx 4 - 6 inches further back to accept the location of the mount cast into the type 9.  Mounting rubbers are available from WF.  If you have the 2.0 zetec it’s best to replace with the 1.8 flywheel as it is alot lighter.  Various clutch kits are suitable for the zetec type 9 combo.

Before you bolt the box to the engine its important a spigot bearing is inserted into the hole at the rear of the block directly behind the crank.  This decreases the circumference of the hole so that the gearbox nose sits neatly within rather than having room to move around.  It is also worth noting at this point that the type 9 will only bolt up to 4 out of the 6 mounting points on the zetec without adjustments being made.  Four fixings however, are widely accepted as being suitably strong enough, so should not be a concern.  Finally, before the box and engine are mated its time to check that the Crank Position Sensor is the correct type!  The CPS reads the holes machined into the back of the flywheel and when it reaches the blank it sends a pulse to the ECU that TDC has been reached.

There is a difference between the manual and automatic CPS so if you are unsure of the origin of the engine it’s an important thing to check, as this can only be changed with the gearbox and engine separated. Side by side the manual CPS has a far longer nose when it is mounted through the bell housing and sits very close to the 1.8 flywheel.  The Auto CPS sits much further back from the 1.8 flywheel as the 2.0 auto flywheel was much fatter.  Changing the CPS is a simple process, 2 mounting bolts and it’s off!

Once the engine and gearbox are mated together & mounted in place you will most likely find that the Cam pulleys & dipstick foul the bonnet on the prelit.  This is where you will need to cut the bonnet to allow them to protrude slightly.  Some fettling of the original carb trumpet exit may also be required as the zetec DCOE manifold appears to mount the carbs a little higher than how they were on the xflow.

This 'just' leaves the manifolds, ancillaries, plumbing & ECU.

The WF exhaust manifold does fit the prelit, however as it is designed for the wide model it does extend further out of the bodyline than ideal.  Some minor trimming of the passenger side cycle wing may be necessary to avoid it fouling the hot exhaust and melting!  Also if using the WF exhaust manifold, it should be noted the exit pipe from the collector may need adjusting (read bending) slightly to line it back up parallel to the side of the prelit bodyline.  However, this bend could alternatively be accommodated within the new link pipe required between the manifold and the silencer.

If you retain the original zetec alternator/mounting point you will quickly notice a problem when you come to bolt a DCOE inlet manifold on ... basically you will be extremely lucky to make it fit!  The alternator needs to be relocated slightly lower down the block.  A new alternator mounting will be required which can be easily fabricated, or the likes of Raceline do a couple of nice, but expensive alternative kits.  I discovered that the WF supplied zetec alternator mounting did not allow enough pivot to tighten the cam belt sufficiently within the prelit engine bay, but this may vary dependent on the exact position the engine is mounted.  You will most likely need to find the smallest alternator belt available (so put a morning aside for sitting in a motor factors sizing up all the belts!), along the lines of a Renault 5 should do the trick.

If retaining the webers from the xflow, these will more than likely need re-choking if going for the 2.0 zetec and also  re-jetting due to the change of engine.

Clearance between the oil filter and the steering column could be an issue for you if you have a newer solid column, rather than the originally WF modified version (which allows the column to run parallel to the outer side of the body past the oil filter before a UJ angles the column back towards the correct location on the steering rack) A shorter filter will be required more often than not, again renault5 should do the trick or the likes of Dunnell et al sell the 'stubby' filters that are quite popular. (Crossland 659  Fram ph2874 Unipart GFE210 thanks Doug D)

The cooling system is relatively straight forwards although retaining the main hoses from the xflow is unlikely to be possible - the water pump is on the other side of the block when compared to the xflow and has a much larger outlet.  2 key options are available - retain the existing thermostat housing and run hoses/pipes down the side of the car to the radiator or go the water rail route.  There are pro's and cons to both options which I will steer clear of in this article.

An ECU will be required to run the zetec as there is no distributor so a device is required to fire the spark at the correct time.  Many aftermarket ECU's are available which, if sticking with carbs, will need minimal wiring to allow the engine to be run.  The only other electrical challenge you may meet is that with the lack of ignition coil with the zetec you existing rev counter may not be suitable to read the 'pulse' output from the ECU on the zetec.

Finally, the 2.0 zetec can be alot thirstier than a 16/1700 xflow, so some consideration should be given to the power of the fuel pump you currently have.  The Red top interrupter appears to be the recommended route in order to keep the fuel pressure at the recommended 3.5 bar otherwise you may find the engine running a little lean at a long full throttle moment if retaining (for example) the silvertop solid state pump.

And there endeth the lesson,  obviously I've skipped some detail in certain sections for the sake of readability but hopefully it gives a more educated review of what is actually entailed when you think about 'just swapping it out for a zetec' !!

All the challenges aside, if you do choose to 'go zetec' you will certainly notice the change in power, but also the increased levels of torque that the zetec is reknowned for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a couple of things to add to Westy666's excellent coverage of the subject

A shorter filter will be required more often than not, again renault5 should do the trick or the likes of Dunnell et al sell the 'stubby' filters that are quite popular.

Crossland 659  Fram ph2874 Unipart GFE210

The engine fitted into my 1990 narrow (just) without any body mods using the wide body factory mounts.

We used the Dunnel cooling  pipe kit but it needed cutting & shortening in a couple of places

I already had a type9 5 speed fitted so had to do no prop mods

the 2.0 zetec can be alot thirstier than a 16/1700 xflow

I found a definite improvement in fuel consumption against my x/flow ( we did use a redtop pump with the zetec)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What spigot bearing and clutch release bearing do you use  ?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spigot bearing I used was Ford part number FINIS code 1554973.  

I retained the type 9 clutch fork and used QH CT133 release bearing.

Clutch kit was finis number 5029603 - no idea what it's off - was recommended on here so I went with and it all works fine  :t-up:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I converted from crossflow to 2L blacktop zetec (late type of narrow chassis, Westy666 gave me loads of info. There are not many differences in retro fitting the the blacktop engine.

I was supplied with westfield engine mounts. The nearside mount which is in two pieces required the lower part of the mount to be welded to the chassis as its position was too far forward to allow it to be bolted in place. The off-side mount was chopped at the point it bolts to the engine. A bit of grinding was needed to change the angle before re-welding it.

I found that even with a short oil filter it still fouled the steering column. To get round this I bought a remote filter take-off plate, a stainless braided feed and return pipe as well as a remote filter holder. All available from here.

I bought a new polo 1L radiator, got this from GSF

For the cooling system I got CBS (here) to make up aluminium pipes with beaded ends. 4 were straight pipes, one was T shaped. This worked out at about £60. I used silicone hose to join it all up.

I used the 1.8L zetec flywheel, and clutch cover, with a sieara clutch plate, the same QH release bearing and spigot bearing that westy666 mentions above.

I found the position of the gearbox when fitted to the engine in the car had not changed, so was able to retain the same propshaft.

The cam cover on the front of the engine needed to be removed and binned because it would have fouled the back of the nose cone. I also removed the cam cover and ground some metal off the front lip to increase clearance by about 10mm.

I bought a sump from scholar engines, to deal with surge and clearance problems, which cost more than I paid for the zetec engine.

I changed from carbs to bike throttle bodies so had to change the fuel system and fit an ecu. For the fuel system I moved my facet silvertop pump from the engine bay to the rear of the car. The  silvertop pump proved not to flow enough fuel to meet the engines demand so has been changed for a facet redtop pump.

As there is only one water pump for the blacktop I kept the one that came with the engine, and bought the kit from westfield needed to keep the rotation of the water pump and alt in the correct direction.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 9 years later...

Hi Guys and Girls. I am aware that I am resurrecting a very old thread here, but I'm after a bit of advice and this seemed like the ideal place. I am changing from a 1.4 cvh to a 1.8 blacktop zetec. I have the original clutch and flywheel from the blacktop zetec which looks to be in good nick. I am connecting all this to a type 9 5 speed box.  I am aware that the splined blacktop zetec plate won't fit on the type 9 shaft due to the wrong amount of splines/shaft diameter, but I am led to believe that I will be able to use an early zetec clutch plate from a silvertop 1.8 that will fit the type 9 'box. Is this correct, and will I be able to use the existing blacktop flywheel and clutch cover, or will I need the full clutch kit for the early zetec?

Many thanks for any help you could provide.

Gary.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most folk with 2l zetec use a 1.8 flywheel as they are lighter.   You should be able to use the clutch kit as listed in the above post.   Although it's at its limit on a 2.0 with throttle bodies like mine.. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

220mm early Mondeo clutch will work with 1.8 Zetec flywheel and type 9. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Chris King - Webmaster and Joint North East AO said:

220mm early Mondeo clutch will work with 1.8 Zetec flywheel and type 9. 

Thanks Chris.

Do you know if the flywheel is the same between the early silvertop and the later blacktop? There seems to be conflicting information on the interweb. I don't believe that mine is the  dual mass flywheel found on the later models. I picked up an engine with flywheel and clutch from a 2001 mondeo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Later 2.0 blacktops have 240mm boat anchors, Took one off my crate blacktop and it weighed a ton. If you use the lighter 1.8 flywheel then it needs to mate up to a 220mm clutch. Not exactly which models had them, but know it was an early Mondeo, so 2001 might be a bit late?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Chris King - Webmaster and Joint North East AO said:

Later 2.0 blacktops have 240mm boat anchors, Took one off my crate blacktop and it weighed a ton. If you use the lighter 1.8 flywheel then it needs to mate up to a 220mm clutch. Not exactly which models had them, but know it was an early Mondeo, so 2001 might be a bit late?

Thanks again Chris. I'll measure the existing flywheel when I get home tonight. I suspect I have a 240mm version as it does seem a bit on the heavy side.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Have measured my current clutch plate and it comes in at 210mm. The flywheel is difficult to measure but it doesn't appear to have a lot of space to accommodate a larger clutch plate - not even by 10mm. Hence the wanted ad I have placed on the parts wanted forum. I'm going to get hold of a  220mm clutch plate and cover and see if it fits or not. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Quinten Uijldert - Northants AO said:

I've just been through the (financial) pain of upgrading from Xflow to Zetec and I can recommend the Retroford flywheel and then just a Pinto clutch and cover (I got mine from Ebay).  Make sure you also buy the correct starter (I bought this one on ebay from this seller).

Thanks Quinten. That retroford unit looks good. Not a bad price either. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Please review our Terms of Use, Guidelines and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.