Hey...I have a nice little 87 xr3i but the engine refuses to run properly. I wanna make it reliable but not destroy it so im thinking of upgrading to a zetec. I have two donor cars available, a 97 escort 1.6 zetec or an 03 mondeo 2.0 zetec. Which of the two cars will be simplest/best to use and what is involved in the conversion? My car is an early MFI so I know i will need to use all the bits assoc

iated with the EFI but what else?

 

03 plate 2.0 Mondeo will be a duratec badged as Zetec.

1600 silvertop Zetec is shit slow.

Look for a 1800cc Zetec from a Escort gti or perhaps a xr2i 16v or Rs1800 fiesta if you can find one.

 

Ive a 2.0 litre in my MK3, the conversion is handy enough done once you gather the right engine and parts.

The money your gonna spend doing it would probably fix the CVH a few times over

 

Fitting a 1600 Zetec-E is a waste of money. The bigger ones (1.8 and 2.0) in the Mondeo MK1/2 should be fitted with a MTX gearbox, they must be converted to make the BC box fit. And Moneos camw with different oil sumps that won't fit a Fiesta or Escort. Go for a Zetec 1.8 out of an Escort or Fiesta (as mentionend above) or better: keep the CVH. A 1,6 MFI N/A is one of the most reliable engines made for the Escort.