Hello everyone, I'm new to this forum and thought I'd sign up as it seems like a popular and well informed place!

I have an issue. Long story short I recenly bought a mk4 escort with a ZVH turbo in it. Shortly after buying it (privately) I noticed gunk in the header tank. The person I bought the car from had completely bodged the ZVH conversion and had used a felpro gasket with a badly made decompression/converter plate which was attached to the top end with a gasket seal compound...doomed to fail from the start. It was leaking oil into all 4 pots form various places.

But what I know need to know is what is the best (budget) way to go about attaching the CVH top end to the Zetec bottom end properly and I need an expert in the field. There's millions of conflicting Ideas and methods in different forums, one chap called Ian Howell seems to know his stuff but I cant track him down, infact all the ZVH forum chat seems to die down after about 2006.

Can anyone help?

 

That main reason for that is everyone is improving there engine spec I.e going full zetec,

I would recommend either getting a set of zetec lower comp pistons or a set of lower comp pistons and get them machined, (vauxhall are a good cheap option)
Then if make sure that the zetec block has bin build properly to suite the cvh head and turbo setup I.e brass blanking plugs, oil return

Burtons do the best zvh gasket I've found IMO

Your better off running a solid engine with high compression than a ropey engine that has low comp

 

As above but in my experience of zvh building, sitech racing done the best gasket it was a purposely made multi layer steel gasket

 

Thanks for your reply

Can you expand on that. What exactly should be done?

 

You can buy all the parts needed from burtons

 

When you fit the cvh head onto the zetec block there are oil galleries that don't line up therefor need to be blanked off with brass blanking plugs, the oil return needs to be plummed in above the oil level, as the zetec(except focus rs) was designed as an N/A, check oil pump aswell as these are a big zetec flaw, also get someone with a burrette to check the volume of the bores so at least you will know what your compression ratio is as ideally you need around 8.5:1 for it to run and last

 

I'm doing one for a member on here at the moment. What do you need advice on? or do you want the whole thing doing properly for you?

try eBay for parts, as Burton are.... pricey.

 

Call up sitech racing and speak too them, he supply's all the parts for needs

As above, bore the block and deck, vauxhall pistons pocketed and machined for standard rods and arp bolts with sitech conversion parts and you should have a solid engine

 

Cheers for the replies guys, just one question so far, the pistons seem to be dished but the garage tells me that all standard zetec pistons are flat. Is this correct?

 

Heres the link to the engine if that helps
http://www.ebay.com/itm/390198737676

 

Early pistons are flat, late ones have a dish.

 

Excellent thanks. Don't suppose anyone can tell me the exact CC of the dish or where to find it?

 

Afraid not. You could try looking at the mahle website as that may give you the dish dimensions.

Thinking about doing an updated zvh guide on here, as the black tops look far easier to convert.

 

Would be a good idea same as a zetec turbo sticky thread.

Are zvh engines still in such a big demand though?

 

I still get asked, there more for the s1 owners to keep the original look,

A sticky would be a good idea

 

Speak too sitech racing mate trust me,

He does the conversion parts too run a st170 bottom end which has been proven at 300bhp

This way you shouldn't ever have too touch it again


Is your car efi or mfi?

If mfi use Zvh route but if your already efi I would run a full zetec as it's cheaper on a budget