What do you reckon?
The bottom end on my Mk5 ZS is knocking, drives lovely and pulls hard still. But knocks on over-run and at low-load 2,000-3,000rpm...

Now do i spend 250quid on an unknown engine and spend the next few cold weekends swapping it over or do i break the car in the hope to get £700-800 for all the parts.

Its worth noting the car has done 105k and is really tidy, suspension and brakes are like new, the bodywork is relatively unmarked with a small rust bubble on each rear arch and thats it.

 

if you like the car repair it

 

Spending more cold.weekends breaking it. Time wasters wanting parts and not turning up. Waiting for it all.to.sell. Or fix it... Or puma it.

 

Its a runaround, so i would fix it but not puma it...
Thats a good point, it would take ages to sell and strip.

 

for what there worth i would find it a good excuse to puma it and carry on enjoying it!

if your going to replace with a 1.6 get a black top one out of a focus or late zs as the alloy rocker silver top im guessing you have W X plates are prone to bottom end failure!

 

Fair enuff mate you can replace pretty cheap so.i would imo.. I just sold complete engine.box.loom&keys.brakes.fuel tank.driveshafts for 300quid.

Breaking is.good if you have space or sold.all your bits before stripping.. But you get people asking have you got a screw cover or silly things and wanting to pay 10p.

 

They don't break for much tbh. Might get 500 back on a standard one.

I'd repair it. Don't my swap in 4 hours, engine out new one in and driving. V easy to work on

 

Zippy- Gearbox stays in situ?
Is the blacktop a straight swap into the silvertop bay, ie all the ancilleries etc swap straight over?

Been out in it today, and im not convinced its the bottom end... Its silent under load, just rattley when free revving... Maybe a lifter or worn cam?

 

ide say realistically if you have done a engine swap before i should take you less than a days work to swap it or,
day getting it ready to take out, then another swapping it, another reattaching everything if your not in a rush.

 

put a video up, its kinda hard to guess as some sounds can be deceiving.
Bottom end usually sound a deeper sound than top end but it would be a guess with out hearing it.

 

black top is a straight swap for silver top! all bits will fit it too! you will do it in a day! i did a puma converion on one in a day and it was my first engine change.

 

I'll try and get a video up this week...
The cams r a mission to change on them arn't they - keyless crank etc?

I might put a cvh in it, they are lovely and simple to work on!

 

Is it a zetec block in them? you could fit a 2 litre?

 

the early silver tops are throw away engine imo, put a black top in it or go 2.0 conversion

 

I don't mind going for a blacktop if its 100% plug and play.

 

Both the blacktop and silver top Zetec SE's are 'throw away' engines, and also, neither are more or less prone to bottom end failure. They are both very sensitive to low oil though...

 

Zippy has a 130bhp rs1800 conversion for sale

 

I usually pull engine and box out as one straight out the top. Thakes less than an hour. And I do indeed have a rs1800 set up for sale

 

No not really, keyless crank and cam pulleys, but you just lock everything using a timing kit and do them up. Only think that can be a pain is getting the crank bolt off, need a decent impact gun to undo the nut!

 

Sam - you sound like a knowledgeable man for zetec-s's
The car was low on oil when i brought it, the dip-stick was dry - i paid very cheap money for the car due to this fact. The engine has been noisy but hasn't got any worse, and it stays silent up to 6,500rpm and the noise is very light and not the usual bottom end knocking noise, it worsens as it warms up. I might stick some thicker oil in it and see if it quietens down?

 

Oh right, the dipstick being dry is normally a bad sign with these, if you don't keep them near the max, or atleast over the 'middle' of the dipstick, they do not like it. Mine's always kept pretty much on max! You may (and it's a slim chance) have got away with it, if you topped it up straight away, and it hadn't been driven hard whilst low. It's strange that it doesn't do it when increasing rev's, this'd be the first sign usually. These engines are VERY tappy, due to running solid lifters, which, as you probably know, wear, and create quite a bit of top end noise. Mine is appalling lol. What oil has it got in it currently? Generally a good quality 5w30 is all these need, unless being tracked and getting very hot. Thicker oil may make matter worse, as it will not lubricate sufficiently, due to the tight tolerances. Get a video up mate, let us hear the noise, as normally when the bottom ends go on these, you know about it! (I had one go, it was pretty obvious straight away )

 

Cheers Sam...
Its on castrol edge 5w30 - was gonna try a 10w40!
I'll get a vid 2nite and try and post it up! Via Photobucket im guessing?

To me it is more tappy than knocky... Lets hope so!

 

Personally I'd take the Castrol out, and stick some better quality stuff in, I've always used Comma in mine, better, and about 1/3 of the price of the Castrol stuff! But stick to 5w30, only try thicker if it is definitely knocking, and you need to use it. And cool, just host it anywhere, as long as we can hear the noise

 

Option 3, turn it into a project and make something special out of it

 

Im liking the look of Sam's ZS on the 4x4 cossie rims, but no! Its a winter runaround, when the weather warms up im back in the orion and this will be for sale!

 

have you considered this

https://passionford.com/forum/cars-f...tax-675-a.html

 

Cheers, I really like the rims on it, and I like how my car looks in pictures, looks a shitheap in real life, too many stonechips/scratches/dents.

 

When I bought my zetec s I got it for 300 as it had a knocking bottom end, I already had a puma lump ready to go in it.

Went to pick it up and drive it in to the trailer , only had a light tappin, I canned the shut out of it for 3 months before chucking my puma lump in, was just worn litters I guess.

 

alright roger,
puma it you know you want to

 

I'd love to puma it, but wanna spend my sparce free time on the Orion m8... Otherwise that will never be finished!

Video of tapping/knocking...





The tapping goes at high revs and hard throttle, but it audible if i pick the revs up to 3,000rpm and hold them there!
Let me know what you think...?

 

Very much sounds like knocking mate Whip the cam cover off to check the cams aren't damaged or anything, but I'd bet on bottom end. Also, puma swap is all plug and play pretty much, can be done in a day if you read up how to.

 

Sounds like something has failed in the top end to me, i had a Focus blacktop do that sound after an oil and filter change but it stopped by itself after a few hundred miles?

 

Definate bottom end fella.

 

Had a listen around to it and used a stethoscope, the sounds alot louder in/around the rocker cover... But i suspected bottom end aswell! I guess it worth taking the cam cover off and checking for any un toward sights in there?
If not engine swap it is i think then.
It has made that noise for 2-3months and a few thousand miles, hasn't got any worse?

 

Our local salvage yard has a couple of puma's in around the £300 quid mark.
Worth keeping a eye out because if theres somewhere local to you thats got one in, by the time you take the engine out and dump the old zetec s one in the boot, you might end up breaking even when weighing it in if you buy wisely.
Might even be a damaged zetec s about?

 

Cheers m8, i'll keep an eye out!
Good shout on the weighing in aswell!

 

Where you located mate? If needed, I may know of a cheap semi-stripped Puma going, with everything you need for the conversion, if he's still got it...

 

If you go puma get a digi one as much easyer to swap , I done my engine swap with a old puma set up ( I'd had the puma for 5 years) and start the convertion at 9pm and worked through to 2 pm the next day and all was done and running minus some tidying

 

Im in essex...
U mean digi dash puma, so it uses the later tyre gearbox speed sensor? R there other differences too?

 

Oh right, they guy I know was only in the Dartford area, can still see if he has it if needed?
And yep, you need the digital dash/loom puma.