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im looking to build a Zetec turbo engine over the next year to 2 years.
im a complete novice with turbo charging a non turbo engine (hence the time frame) and looking for any advice on how to do it.
i have a 1.8 zeta engine with 39k on and believe is the old type of Zetec engine.
i appreciate its going to be expensive but am happy to spend the money over this time frame to get a decent build done.
Any advice is greatly appreciated
and is it worth the hassle in the end
cheers
chris
All down to the level of power you want and your ability to make stuff work and your budget.
I wouldn't bother with the 1.8 if your building a monster. Then again there are newer and better engines to start with now than a zetec. And I do love a zetec.
Wasa, read a few of your posts now on zetec turbo's, what sort of money roughly are you talking for a budget build?
nothing fancy, something close to 200bhp for example
My idea of budget is around a grand. That’s running and tuned. If you have seen some of what I do, my party trick is wiring up ecu’s. I can and have done all sorts but I’ve never found the time to learn how to map them, so take an Oem ecu and match the spec of the engine to the tune.
The focus Rs is a turbo Zetec running around 215~220 bhp. The engine has some nice bits giving it head room for more power. I’ve talked to a few mappers and most tell me a well mapped no det and no huge boost spikes 2.0 Zetec will hold 250. So a set of valve springs to make sure there is no float and a set of Arp rod bolts, the weak link on any tuned Zetec and you have one cheap as chips modest turbo Zetec.
A stand alone mappable ecu like an omex 600 starts at £650 bare. Megasqurt isn’t much cheaper these days. Add a loom, a couple of mapping sessions transport and a couple of days of work and that will look more like two grand.
How it breaks down.
2.0 Blacktop Zetec £100
ST170 valve springs £50
Arp rod bolts £50
Rs ecu £150
Rs inlet complete £150
Impreza Td04 (best I could find) £150
Exhaust manifold and Td04 flange £100
Turbo oil feed and fittings £30
Turbo return and fittings inc sump £30
Rs turbo coolant sandwich plate and pipe work and fittings £50
ST170 engine, gear box, injector wiring looms £50
Sensors £90
I could do it for a bit less or more depending on sourcing of parts. The Rs parts are just bolt on. Drill and tap a return in the sump and weld a new flange on the exhaust manifold.
Cut the st loom up and rebuild it to Rs spec.
Thanks for your reply chaps
and that sounds cheap for a build if I’m honest but 2k I’m happy with that 👍
I would like about 220/250bhp weather that’s possible from a 1.8 I’m unsure but if not a 2litre will have to be bought.
And that is a impressive engine on that video the noise!!! That’s what I want 😂
And waza is this something that you do as a hobby or are you just building this for yourself???
ile be putting the engine in a escort after it’s built would the wiring be capatible with this age car or would additional mods be needed
cheers for all advice
chris
My way is not the only way of doing things. Its not the right way or the wrong way. But I don't have tens of thousands invested in an engine either.
I love cars but I love engines more. It's a hobby. Some I put in cars but often I get board and cut them lose for some one else to play with. I started this one for track day car. Being ford its long since gone due to rust.
Fair play your work is impressive!!
And that st engine sounds awesome 👍
would love to have the brain to have a hobby like this but mine is shotblasting haha
no brains required 😂
If you run a ST170 bottom end with a black top head, use ST170 valve springs and a 1.8mm frs head gasket it’s been proven at 300bhp
That is top end but will run well around the 250/270bhp mark, and costs peanuts to run
Spend the money putting a proper ecu on, or find a full efi set up and run a ofam ecu if you can find one, it’s boost monkeys plug and play version of a ofab ecu but with mega squirt internals etc
Yep I am building any st/ Zetec hybrid at the moment. Cost wise, your looking at around half the price of an Rs engine.
Some would argue do it properly as well. That could soon be several thousand of pounds.
The Rs ecu is way more advanced than any megasquirt ecu. It can be flashed, chipped, or mapped to the spec of the motor but you won't map it your self.
Yep I am building any st/ Zetec hybrid at the moment. Cost wise, your looking at around half the price of an Rs engine.
Some would argue do it properly as well. That could soon be several thousand of pounds.
The Rs ecu is way more advanced than any megasquirt ecu. It can be flashed, chipped, or mapped to the spec of the motor but you won't map it your self.
I agree it’s all a good route
If I was doing another I’d use ignition advantages plug and play ecu and loom
But it still looks like megasquirt. I’ve played with and installed a few. I am not a fan but each to there own. And the price, well my full turbo engine only cost a few beers more and much less by the time it’s mapped.
My idea of budget is around a grand. That’s running and tuned. If you have seen some of what I do, my party trick is wiring up ecu’s. I can and have done all sorts but I’ve never found the time to learn how to map them, so take an Oem ecu and match the spec of the engine to the tune.
The focus Rs is a turbo Zetec running around 215~220 bhp. The engine has some nice bits giving it head room for more power. I’ve talked to a few mappers and most tell me a well mapped no det and no huge boost spikes 2.0 Zetec will hold 250. So a set of valve springs to make sure there is no float and a set of Arp rod bolts, the weak link on any tuned Zetec and you have one cheap as chips modest turbo Zetec.
A stand alone mappable ecu like an omex 600 starts at £650 bare. Megasqurt isn’t much cheaper these days. Add a loom, a couple of mapping sessions transport and a couple of days of work and that will look more like two grand.
How it breaks down.
2.0 Blacktop Zetec £100
ST170 valve springs £50
Arp rod bolts £50
Rs ecu £150
Rs inlet complete £150
Impreza Td04 (best I could find) £150
Exhaust manifold and Td04 flange £100
Turbo oil feed and fittings £30
Turbo return and fittings inc sump £30
Rs turbo coolant sandwich plate and pipe work and fittings £50
ST170 engine, gear box, injector wiring looms £50
Sensors £90
I could do it for a bit less or more depending on sourcing of parts. The Rs parts are just bolt on. Drill and tap a return in the sump and weld a new flange on the exhaust manifold.
Cut the st loom up and rebuild it to Rs spec.
I can do the st220 for a lot less.
Thanks for that, its all good info. What can you do with a st220?
I've got a mk5 zetec s i want to do something with but not sure how well a zetec will go into one of them. Have you done anything with a zetec se engine, particularly a 1600?
Thanks for that, its all good info. What can you do with a st220?
I've got a mk5 zetec s i want to do something with but not sure how well a zetec will go into one of them. Have you done anything with a zetec se engine, particularly a 1600?
It’s all about running them on the cheap. So take the engine out of a 1600 kg st220 and put it in somthing else half the weight.
Yes I’ve done the Zetec se, it goes well in a a 450kg kitcar. You wouldn’t bother in a 900kg fiesta though.
That’s where engine tuning and aftermarket ecu’s come into there own. Or fit a bigger engine
I did a plain Oem Blacktop into this. 145 bhp in a Mondeo = boring. 145 bhp in 600kg where you can lay your hand flat on the tarmac when sat in the drivers seat = lots of fun.
No ive never done a zetec Se turbo as the oem parts / ecu wouldn't lend it self to it.
The Fiesta isn't mine or my work but I can run the engine in it on the cheap. Ie an oem v6 2.5 ecu can be had for £20.
Again I didn't build that kitcar. But I did do the engine managment wiring loom for the oem zetec ecu that passed iva emissions first time. The ecu was less than a tenner.
01-11-2017, 10:27 AM
Zetec turbo???
