Bought It, Track It, Blew It

[Pistol Pete]

When fitting a guage if you for an electric one, worth getting a sender with a gauge output and low pressure light output. It can be very difficult to watch a gauge mid corner, much easier to have a big amber light lite up in from of you - you can guess how I know.

[wesacosa]

sorry to hear about that bad news. Hope you get sorted. Does leave me a bit worried about my new toy

My new purchase has a silvertop zetec. Looking though the build receipts it seems to have a Westfield supplied sump fitted. I assumed this will be correctly baffled, do you think this would be ok or would I need something better like the ones suggested in this forum?. I do plan to trackdays with the car and run 888's

Cheers

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman]

it seems to have a Westfield supplied sump fitted. I assumed this will be correctly baffled, do you think this would be ok or would I need something better like the ones suggested in this forum?. I do plan to trackdays with the car and run 888's

Cheers

Never assume! especially with kit cars that practically beg their owners to tinker and modify them. You need to identify what the sump is and what it's like internally, if it's not up to the sumps mentioned by FBB in post 15 then either don't go down the extra sticky tyre route, or upgrade the sump. Personally, I'd do the sump

[Paul Aspden]

The black top does have some differences to the silver top, you may find that the ignition coil will need swapping over, I've found that some systems will not trigger the later coil packs correctly.

Other than that, you could buy an engine that you've heard running (Yes i do have just the thing in the for sale section!) but you MUST find out why the old one went pop.

Not to be a smart A***, but did you check the oil level during the day? Did the oil light ever come on whilst on track? (assuming one is fitted)

Hope you get it sorted soon.

[wesacosa]

Thanks for the advise. Its definitely a westfield modified sump bought from them directly but I cant seem to see from forum searching or their website if their sumps are baffled or not. Was hoping to not have to take mine off to find out !

[EPC]

Hi guys

It has been a while!

I know I know I promised to become a member a long time ago. Well since my first post. A lot has changed. Work mainly. You have I get the funds in before you can play with the car!!

We had the engine into an engineering shop, to try and evaluate the issue. Maybe 1 of the 3 suggestions from Cleggy??

Turns out the sump is fine and is correctly baffled. How ever the previous owner had used silicon to deal up the sump pan to the block in stead of a gasket. I kid you not. There was no way of knowing this until you took the sump off. The oil had broke down the silicon and blocked the pick up pipe! The reason for it to go 'pop' was oil starvation.

The time delays meant I could have a think about the options you kind folk suggested.

That coupled with the whole reason I wanted a westie was to build my own one day. I decide to take the opportunity to break another car for the engine and learn from the experience.

I bought a 95 mondeo with another silvertop in. Had 70k on the clock backed by MOTs.

We started work on it in Jan and it is great fun.

First stripping the old car down and grabbing the engine out.

Then scrapping most of the old beast (once I took as much off as I thought would sell)

Then got to work on the 'new' engine. Stripping off all the auxiliaries and pumps. Cleaning off the gaskets. And finally as of this weekend. Decarbing the block and head and spraying it all up in black engine paint.

Ok so a lot has been done. But a lot more to do. I know this is not the cheapest way. But it is the most fun and the best way to get the experience.

Any way I hope you like the update I could do with more of your wealth of knowledge! I have a list of parts I need, some of which I can't seem to find easily. Namely;

Oil pump

Water pump

Any ideas??

Also I want to put on a lightened flywheel whilst it is out of the car. I have a MT75 box. Does anyone have some suggestions as to who to turn to for advice/buying.

I will keep you all up to date on the project. Aim is to have her on the road by end of May. Exactly a year since the 'Pop'!

[corsechris]

Happy anniversary

 

In case you've not already thought of it, I'd suggest new camshaft seals and new followers while you are there. I take it a cambelt kit is on the cards of course.....

 

Again, while you are there, front and rear crank oil seals too - cheap enough and easy to do now, you'll spit if later on you find they leak. I'm thinking age is a factor as well as miles for these parts. 

 

When I put a used Zetec in our car, I did pretty much this list:

 

Followers, head gasket and bolts, ARP rod bolts, valve stem seals, valve springs, both crank seals, camshaft seals, oil pump, water pump, spigot bearing, cambelt and idlers/tensioner of course.

 

As the engine was unknown, I stripped it to check...and in some ways wished I hadn't bothered really - it was in truly excellent condition throughout. Peace of mind though and it was nice to have a play and familiarise myself with it before fitting.

 

Really do like the SilverTop engine.

 

Can't really help with your list of bits though - I got the oilpump from ebay at the time, waterpump from a local factor - 1.8 Escort pump IIRC??

 

Light flywheel I opted for the halfway house job of using an 1800 Mondeo flywheel - quite a bit lighter than the 2l job and very good VFM (cheap!).

 

Good luck and enjoy.

[EPC]

Cheers Corsechris

I had a list put together. But will now add to it from yours too.

The engine on inspection looks very clean. Fingers crossed it fairs better than the old one. Haha.

Spoke with Paul at Dunnell. Very helpful chap. He suppliers all of the above. Just awaiting some costs.

He has also suggested their flywheel clutch option. Was thinking of doing the clutch whilst the engine was out anyway.

It is great to hear from someone that has been there and done it. Love the silvertop too.

[corsechris]

TBH, the followers could be seen as a bit of overkill, but I have a thing about tappet rattle, and given I had no idea of the history of the engine, had bought it out of the back of a fellow WSCC members garage, couldn't hear it run, I figured I'd just put new ones in.

 

In your case, you've heard the engine and know it's low miles, so you could give followers a miss.

 

Before putting the Zetec in the Westy, my exerience of Ford engines had been very much last century - I grew up working on assorted crossflows, Pinto's and Essex V6s, had a crossflow in the car for the first 15 years of it's life, so opening up the Silver Top was a revelation! Imagine, a Ford engine that doesn't rattle, smoke and leak oil Of course, you could argue it's not really a Ford engine...

 

I'm always a fan of doing everything that's easy while you are at it - so clutch is a good call. But then that's probably why I have spent so much money dicking about with my cars over the years! I also like to buy all the bits in early so I can just do the job, so another reason I end up spending more than I need to. Doubt I'll ever change my ways though.

 

Re the cause of the original engines failure, that's surprisingly common I think. Some folk seem to think that 'silicone' is all the same and can be used for anything. Back in the mists of time, I took more than a few carbs apart to find them full of slimy goo that used to be silicone instant gasket (or worse!) that someone had used to 'repair' the things. The proper type of adhesive is fine, and usually far less likely to leak than a gasket.

[Norman Verona]

 Imagine, a Ford engine that doesn't rattle, smoke and leak oil   Of course, you could argue it's not really a Ford engine...

 

 Probably the reason

 

Not disagreeing but Silicone is Silicone. Only difference is how much talc is mixed in which is price dependant.

 

There is a chap on the darkside that claims you must have high temperature Silicone for exhaust use. Silicone will not be affected by heat and any talc in it will burn off. But then some folk like spending money.

[corsechris]

I'm guilty of laziness and assumption with the term 'silicone' actually Norm - I happily use instant gasket products that have a silicone-like nature without knowing what's in them (I'm not a chemist so it wouldn't help me much anyway!). I just make sure I use the right product for the job is all. Silicone instant gasket (or bathroom sealant) and petrol isn't a happy mix for sure.

 

Funny enough, I happily use 'ordinary' lambda-friendly silicone instant gasket for exhaust joints. That's one particular snake-oil I didn't fall for   Bet my garage is full of plenty of others though.

[Norman Verona]

I only use it around the 4 to 1 joints. Helps get them off next time. 

 

I don't like using it for gasket joints in case a dollop comes away and drops into the engine.

 

I use red Hermatite for the sump end and Hylomar for the top end. In fact the cam cover on the BD is gasketless so Hylomar's perfect. You must realise by now that I'm an old fart with dinosaur ways,

[corsechris]

I'm pretty Victor Meldrew as well Norm - that said, I don't mind using modern stuff if it works properly.

[Norman Verona]

I've seen the results a blob of silicone can do in an engine.

 

However, having said that I was pulled up next to an Elan whilst waiting to get the ferry to Le Mans. We started talking (I had an Elan at the time, but was in the 7). He opened the bonnet and I was amazed to see a spotless engine without a trace of oil anywhere. Assembled with siliconed joints was the reason. I was tempted.

[EPC]

I don't know much. But 1 thing I have learnt so far is that silicon and engines don't go together well.

I have planned to use a standard gasket. Will this not do the job??