Zetec Turbo How To Full Instructions

Copyright j.smith ltd 2006

 This guide is based on turbo charging an 1800cc Zetec engine.
Before the guide starts, if you want to turbo a 2.0cc engine you
must replace the sump, flywheel, clutch and ideally the oil pump
with 1800cc ones. In general you are better off using the 1800cc
engine you will also require the 1.8 waterpump

however if you want more power then go for the 2.0 as it will produce more torque
this guide will take you through whats needed and
also more advanced stuff for advanced users

As you would imagine, certain parts of the Zetec engine need to be

modifacations need to take place if your going to turbo charge a standard based engine
more power = more stress = you need to modify the engine
so now i guess your thinking great lets get started, but be patient and read carefully
on following engine modifacations need for this conversion

sorting out your compression

Exhaust Manifold Modifaction
Injector information
Engine Breather Modifacation
Turbo Return & Turbo Oil Supply
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 Step 1: Compression
Compression Reduction:
Reduction
Compression Reduction

If you want to run at power between 180 bhp- 240 bhp then you
you can save hundereds of pounds useing the budget method

Get a drawing with all dimensions of your head gasket, make sure
the main bore diameters are such that the gasket was seating
entirely on the plate with no risk of overhang into the bore, whilst
also ensuring clearance for the pistons, as they protrude from the
block about 0.5mm at TDC.

Go to a engineers and gi ve them the plan, they will laser

cut the design for you with a 99.99% accuracy rate.
you need to get is 2.5mm steel or alloy
is just as good. This gives you a compression rate of 8:2:1 CR
As a guide you should be paying £30-£60 for this all in, that’s a big difference from £600 +.
The plate works fine and the head gasket sits nicely on top.
and if done currect you will have a reliable motor

another hint
instead of paying 500-600 pounds on forged pistons, get yourself some mahle c20let calibra pistons

these are forged as standard and can be had for 100 pounds for a complete set
(please note this will only work on 2.0 engines not 1.6 or 1.8 due to the 86mm piston size)

Step2: Exhaust manifold:

The exhaust manifold used can be the standard Escort Turbo or
Fiesta Turbo item with T3 turbo attached. The port centres are the
same on Zetec and CVH engines which is handy, but the studs are
in the wrong positions - all 8 need to be re drilled and tapped in the
correct position. You can use a new exhaust gasket is used as a
template to mark out the new hole positions, then drill and tap the
new holes.
Be very careful while drilling the clock as the CVH manifold bolt
holes will pass through an oil chamber, so make sure you get all
the swarf out to save any problems.
You will be happy to know that there are two alternative methods
you can use. These are:-

Similar to the compression plate you can get a plate cut using the
exhaust manifold as a guide then just spot weld it into place, then
attach the exhausts

Or

The way we do it,, use the standard Zetec manifold and make the
turbo fit on. This will put the turbo in a different position but you
don’t run the risk of loosing compression, people with even the
most basic welding skills can do this, just takes a bit of fiddling
 Step 3: Injectors and Fuel Rail:

You have a few options as to what fuel rail you use. The most
obvious is the Fiesta RS Turbo rail. The only modification you need
to do is make brackets so it can be mounted onto the inlet
manifold.
You can also use Vauxhall 2.0 8V fuel rails with the same bracket

modification as above.

To fit the cosworth injectors into the Zetec inlet manifold, a few
modifications are needed..
A custom rail has to be fabricated to start - can be produced from
copper piping and injector connector stubs salvaged from another
rail.
The original injector mounting casting is modified to remove
excess unnecessary metal where the original fuel pipe connections
and regulator attach - the injectors fitted into the pockets nicely,
with the o-rings sealing correctly at the bottom. A thin o-ring is
fitted to the top of the body to hold it snugly in the casting.
It down to personal preference though
however i would suggest bosch 803 greens as best injectors to use
We always use the Vauxhall rail as they have never faulted us

Step 4: Block Breathers and Turbo Oil Return.

The main Zetec breather assembly mounts on the front of the
block, and completely interferes with the exhaust manifold and
turbo, so needs to be removed and blanked off with a plate:
To compensate additional breather port is drilled into the back of
the block, with an oil return fitting in the sump. A similar fitting is
positioned in the front of the sump to accommodate oil return from
the turbo. The existing breather port on the cam cover is also
available to breath from.

Step 5:Coolant and Inlet Air Temperature sensors:

The positions of both these sensors is retained in the original
Zetec positions, coolant in the top of the thermostat housing and
inlet air temp. in the back of the inlet manifold opposite the throttle
housing.
The threads of these two sensors is different, so adaptor sleeves
need to be made to fit the sensors in the BSP threaded ports of the
Zetec - M14x1.25mm for the inlet air sensor and M12x1.25mm for
the coolant sensor.

We found that the standard sensors do just the same, so no really

need to change them over, depends how picky you are

Step 5: Management:

This is down to yourself, if you just want a reliable turbo car then
choose the OFAB ECU out of a Fiesta RST.

If you want to go cossie then you will need all the sensors and
ECU set up professionally.

RS Turbo management is good up to 250bhp, as we have found

with all our conversions

Note
the best managment i advize is Megasquirt as it has a basemap

plus its not that hard to plum in and you can map it with your laptop
Plus you can download maps and updates from the net, very Cool
http://www.megasquirt.info/
 Water pump NOTE

for 1.8 builds use your excisting water pump

for 2.0 turbo builds use a 1.8 water pump as the 2.0 spins opposite direction.

Coil pack & leads

the standard coil packs and ht leads on both cc engines are ok to use no mod needed.

Thats it Sounds Easy eh, Well it is When you know what your doing.
turbo charge your Zetec safely and without spending £4000.
understanding of problems you may come across while doing this
We would be happy if you had any questions or feedback if you would

email us on:- [email protected]

Please enjoy the finished cars, and good luck with your project.

Advanced Zetec Turbo Information Next Pages

>>>>>>>>
 Ignition

standard Zetec coil pack is fine, as are the Ht leads

use proper ford parts, do not skimp here.

Water Pump

please not if ur useing your existing 1.8 zetec engine the 1.8 waterpump is fine to use

if your useing the 2.0 engine you need the 1.8 water pump,
the reason is because the 2.0 waterpump spins the wrong way.

so please note if ur building a 2.0 zetec turbo build "USE THE 1.8 WATERPUMP"

Inlet Manifold

if your build is a 1.8 use the 1.8 inlet manifold

if your build is the 2.0 you will need the 1.8 manifold as the 2.0 is plastic
so please use ur standard inlet manifold for 1.8 builders or for 2.0 use the 1.8 inlet.

picture above is a 1.8 inlet with custom made injector rail

 heres a example of the efi inlet with custom fuel rail to accomadate the third party injectors

here is the complete Zetec turbo Technical Guide for advanced builders

Choosing your engine

The 1.8 as fitted in the XR2i and RS 1800 is a possibility, although most people opt for the 2.0,
which has the obvious advantage of the extra capacity and a wider choice of pistons.
The 2.0 is more expensive and sometimes harder to find than the 1.8

What Modifacations need doing to the block?

Oil feed and return The turbo requires a high pressure supply of oil for cooling and lubrication
which then drains out of the turbo and is returned to the engine.
 Oil feed and return ( continued)
The feed is taken from a T-piece between the block and the oil pressure switch.
the escort rs turbo braided hose line can be used

the return should be above oil level and normally goes into the block

the the rear of the zetec block theres a oil preasure switch which you take out and replace
with a t-piece that screws in so you can connect the t3 turbo hose to turbo.

the on end of t-piece you screw your oil switch back in, Simple!

Compression

the change required for the engine is to reduce the compression ratio from 10:1 to

between 7.2:1 or 9:1

Methods

Forged low-compression pistons

(Aftermarket pistons produced with a low CR specifically for turbocharged applications)
+ Strong, reliable
- None
 Methods (continued)

Spacer plate
(a thin metal plate to space out the head from the block)
+ Cheap
- boost still limited due to stock cast pistons

Skimmed pistons
(machining the crowns of the standard cast pistons)
+ Cheap
- Further weakens pistons that are already unsuitable for turbocharging,
boost levels are severely limited

the most common source for 2.0 pistons is the Vauxhall C20LET
from the Cavalier and Calibra Turbo. Fitted to a Zetec these will give a CR of 7.4:1

The C20LET bore is 86mm, compared to the 2.0 Zetec's 84.8mm,

so a slight overbore of the block is required

This will take the original 1998cc to 2045cc. Also required is modification to the rods to accept
the 21mm wrist pin.

Head Gasket

(Focus) Zetec head gasket is fine for turbocharged use and has been used without problems

Strengthening - Cheapest
 Strengthening - Cheapest (Continued)

the increased stress on the engine from turbocharging, key areas need to be strengthened.
not much needs to be done in order for an engine producing a fair amount of power to be reliable

The weakest link is the connecting rod bolts

replace these with for ARP conrod bolts items (around £80)

The rods themselves will handle around 250bhp

Inlet Manifold

the standard Zetec injectors are not able to flow enough for much more
than a couple of pounds of boost.

The Zetec manifold is retained, but the fuel rail is replaced with one that uses end-fed injectors
such as the FRST or XR2i item. The complication
here is that there is no simple and obvious way to mount the rail. Some fabrication will be necessary
 Inlet Manifold (continued)

+ Ports well matched

- Requires adaptation / replacement of the fuel rail

FRST / XR2i EFi manifold and adaptor plates

This avoids needing to adapt the fuel rail by using it with the manifold it was intended with.
Two spacer plates are required. One to address the mismatched mounting holes
the manifold and head, and another to "sandwich" the upper and lower portions of the
manifold to clear the rocker cover, which sits higher than the CVH.

The failing point here is that the ports differ in shape between the two engines, so
the airflow is disturbed somewhat, inhibiting power.
+ Direct bolt on fit.
- Ports not matched.

Injectors And Fuel Pump

The T25 EEC-IV Escort Cosworth's item will fit for a mild upgrade (up to 250bhp)

230bhp, EEC-IV injectors

The practical limit for "Beige" 701 injectors, commonly sold as part of the 195
"Stage 2" chip upgrade for the FRST. Maybe suitable for low boost conversions.

Management
Simple Megasquirt, already built, easy to install, runs great, best and cheapest.
alot of people try and use ofab for managment, but its just too much hassle
also too much on the pocket Be Warned!!!!!
 Exhaust Manifold And Downpipe

The standard, cast ERST option is the cheapest, although it does present a problem

the bolt pattern does not align with the Zetec head. This can be rectified cheapest way:

Adaptor plate
Quicker and easier than tapping,

where space between the engine and can be had for around 50 pounds

Turbo Choice

to keep things simple use a escort rs cosworth t3 or even a rs turbo t3 turbo

this will bolt onto your rs turbo t3 manifold which bolts onto your

freshly built adaptor plate

An Important Note About Build Budgets

Building a Zetec Turbo

or having one built for you is never a cheap project. The biggest "hidden" expense is that of all
the ancillary parts - gaskets, bolts, piping and hoses etc. All the little things mount up
to a fair amount of your budget so it's advisable to have 50% more funds available than you think
it will cost.
Having said that, in terms of cost for performance

the Zetec Turbo represents exceptional value for money.

HAPPY BUILDING
Before you think your ready to build a full zetec turbo, please read the guide through and through
DO not start your projecect if you dont know what your doing as you will prob make things worse

when you have read this guide over and over and are confedent and have the knowledge

then welcome to the zetec turbo world and good luck please take your time

and when finished your mates will envy you, you will have the knowledge

to help others and finally you will have ONE FAST CAR :-)
we hope you find this guide very usefull and hope you too can build your very own zetec turbo

advice regarding there zetec turbo build can contact us

[email protected]

More Power, More Torque, More Bhp, More Wheel spins, More Attititude!

.Z.E.T.E.C...T.U.R.B.O.
copyright j.smith ltd 2006