Zetec turbo, 7 years on... [update Pg6]

[nelmo]

Great work and write-up - you should create a blog; organises it much better for you and makes a better record than a forum post which will drop out of sight eventually...

[Weathers]

Steve if I saw feathers on the end I would have said that "valve grinding tool" was an arrow from one of the kids bows and arrows!!!

Great work. Keep the updates coming.

[SteveRST]

Great work and write-up - you should create a blog; organises it much better for you and makes a better record than a forum post which will drop out of sight eventually...

Yes, you're right - I've considered it. That's kind of why I upload my images independently from the forum, so that I can always use them elsewhere if I want to.

Problem is that I spend my entire working day 9>5 staring at a computer screen, so the thought of doing more of what outside of work puts me off I do website/Wordpress blogs at work too, so I could probably knock up something fairly reasonable. Hmmm, so how much more bored I get during lockdown...

[nelmo]

Surely not much more effort than what you've done on here?

Look at mine below - takes seconds to setup...

[SteveRST]

UPDATE - Wow, nearly two months since the last update! I left off last time with having just finished refurbing the head, so the next step is to bolt head to block.

And this is where this engine is going to be quite different to the last one; compression ratio.
- The last engine was running a 3mm thick decompression plate sandwiched between two head gaskets. The total extra material between the head and the block was about 4.6mm. That's quite a lot! I'd guess that would have lowered the compression ratio to about 7.5:1 - which is very safe, but maybe there is a better way. (2 litre Zetec is 10:1 compression ratio as standard.)

Previous engine head gasket setup - 4.6mm in total for low compression



- The new engine I'm going to try to run without a decompression plate at all. I will however use a thicker head gasket (1.3mm compared to 0.6mm as standard on a black top). So, that should lower the compression ratio slightly to about 9.5:1.
I will have to take some timing out of the map, and reduce max. boost from 12 psi to 10 psi, and make sure that it's running nice and rich under boost (11-11.5 AFR) but I'm hoping it will still be quicker and more responsive than the previous low compression engine.
The downside is a greater risk of detonation / pinking and serious engine failure

New engine, single 1.3mm MLS (Multi Layer Steel) head gasket


Head on the block
New head bolts used, but nothing special.


Cams in and torquing cam caps



Fitting the timing belt requires that the engine is in the correct position. There are no timing marks on this engine, but you can find TDC (Top Dead Centre) by putting something like a long screwdriver down Cyl #1 spark plug hole and then turning the engine over by hand and finding where the screwdriver (or whatever you use) is elevated to the highest point by the rising of the cylinder. There will be maybe a few degrees of dwell where the cylinder is neither rising or falling, and ideally TDC should be marked at the middle of this dwell period.

There is also a tool to find TDC. See the images below and the black pin type tool. This is screwed into the engine block (there is a cover bolt that is removed, and this tool is screwed into its place) and when you turn the engine the tool will lock against the crankshaft when it is in TDC position.
I think it's more accurate to set it by eye yourself (or better still, with a dial gauge!), but the tool was still accurate and gave me peace of mind that I was doing it right.

Tool to check TDC position of the crank shaft


Cam shaft locking tool used to lock cams in position


Once the bottom end / crankshaft is at TDC, you can align the camshafts so that they are in the correct position. I used this locking bar (pic above) which slots into the back of the camshafts when they are in the correct position (Cylinder 1 TDC on the compression stroke).
If you have the cams 180 degrees out then the locking bar doesn't align perfectly with the top of the head, so you know you have the cams in the wrong position.

Once all is lined up, you can fit the cam pulleys and the timing belt and timing belt tensioner.



Oh, I fitted a new water pump too. This was very cheap, £16. Actually the damn metal gasket between the block and water pump cost nearly as much,£15 from Ford (mine was corroded badly).

Water pump, old and new


Idler pulley to facilitate water pump drive
Next job was to sort out an idler pulley, so that the alternator belt can be used to drive the back of the water pump - and spin it in the correct direction.
Luckily the engine I got came with a suitable pulley (belt tensioner I think), but I have locked it in place and made a little bracket to keep it in place).



So that looks pretty good I think. I was able to use the standard alloy alternator bracket, and I was pretty happy with the setup.
However, I've since hacked the alternator bracket to pieces
My inlet manifold/plenum plans mean that I need the alternator mounted lower, so I'm still working on the inlet & alternator arrangement!

Oily turbo
I'd noticed when I was running the car (over a year ago!) that the turbo was smoking and burning oil from somewhere but I wasn't sure where the oil was coming from. Upon taking it off,I was apparent that it was leaking oil from inside the housing itself.
(oil is used to lubricate and cool the turbo bearings.)


Oil was coming out of the housing at the turbine end.


This is the turbo shaft with the turbine wheel. (The turbine wheel is in the airflow from the exhaust, and this is what is spun using exhaust gases and which subsequently causes the compressor wheel to turn and suck air into the turbo and force it into the engine).


So, I think (hope) that the piston-ring type oil seal was worn. So I've just fitted a new staggered oil seal (£10) and cleaned all the carbon deposits off. Time will tell if that has sorted it.

The whole lot ready to go back together again.


Treated the exhaust manifold to some high-temperature spray paint





Better check it all fits!
Which it does! Phew!



But wait?! It's out again and the radiators are missing?!


Yep, there's more upgrades happening!
And I still need to work out a decent, budget inlet manifold solution. I could just use the old "over the engine" inlet, but I really want to keep everything packaged within the bonnet if possible.
Until next time...

[Wingco]

Really enjoying this Steve, very detailed and very well written up.
Fingers crossed you want be long before you can fire the beast up.

[greenwoo]

loving this, don't leave it another 2 months though!

[ChrisL]

Great write up!
BTW you can tell TDC on Zetecs as the crankshaft woodruff key is at 12 o'clock
Intrigued to see what you come up with for an inlet manifold….

[Tony C]

Very impressive work Steve.

[DJ.]

Another good write up
7.5:1 is really low, that's like they used to run in 2002 turbos back in the Seventies! The new engine should be much more driveable, but I'll miss you spinning the wheels at every T junction