Originally Posted by MarkW
Hi,
1) 1200 130 spec 3i's were made on a J (early registered) or a K in the mk 5 shape. 12 rumoured to make it into mk5b shape and 1 confirmed late registered M plate mk5
2) Yes to an enthusiast same as any performance ford the XR's will never achieve as strong a status as the RS's but theres a good club at
www.xroc.co.uk. Down Under the XR badge still flys the flag as Fords performance wing they're awaiting the release of the Focus XR5 Turbo
3) Prices vary from nothing to silly money for a 14 year old escort but I wouldn't expect them to gain in value
4) 1.8 Zetec, different cams, throttle body and ecu to the 105 and lower spec zetecs.Oil Colling jets to cool underside of the pistons, slight differences in the intake trunking but otherwise the same as any zetec.
5) Up to you but try and steer clear of cossie reps
6) How much do you want to spend? BHP anywhere from 130 up. NA 200+ is possible but not cheap or easy. Forced induction with turbo or supercharger skies the limit. Some loony yanks have been running 500+bhp in single use drag engines
1) Bollucks - the 130spec engine found its way into loads of 1.8 escorts... XRs, Si's and Ghias from the factory, there are plenty of mk5b 130's and even some mk6 Si cabriolets
4) the under piston oil sprays are present on all zetec E engines - they're blanked off on the 1.6/1.8 105/115, having played about with lots of zetec E's the inlte trunking is of the same shape and bore for all engines fitted with the EFi manifold. also the MAF sensor had a different element to measure increased flow.