Zetec FAQ once again!

[cougarprophet]

engine options



1st choice: 1998-2000 Contour/Cougar/Mystique Zetec with an auto trans.
why? the motor will be less beat on since the crankshaft loads from shift transitions are more dampened, and little old lady drivers probably treated their car to less abuse than a alpha type MTX owner. also, it's going to be a simple slam dunk fit w/o any real install headaches.

2nd choice: same as above except w/ a manual trans.
why? all of the 1st choice except the little old lady part.

3rd choice: 1998-2003 ZX2 w/ auto trans.
why? the altenator/power steering/ ac compressor mounting / oil pan / flywheel/flex plate timing cover / front engine mount / throttle body is different enough not to fit. you'll need all those parts from your mystique.

4th choice: 1998-2003 ZX2 w/ man trans
why? see #2

5th choice: 2000-2004 Focus zetec w/ auto trans (tuner's #1 choice)
why? much of the same parts need to be replaced like the zx2. this is a good choice for an engine buildup, but if you were going to go gung-ho on the driveline i'd recommend finding a MTX-75 tranny to go with it (cougar or contique trans is preferred for the 4.06:1 ratio vs the taller focus ratios). the focus motor does not have vct (duh) so you'll need to burn a custom SCT chip to turn off the vct capabilities inside the mystiques's pcm. i'd recommend using the mystique's manifolds to make the egr pipe and exhaust system bolt up unless you plan on upgrading the intake manifolds and exhaust as well (smog check be damned)

[cougarpimp916]

i was looking to upgrade my coil and plug wires. does anyone who has done that got an msd or accel part number for the coil and the wires? i'm not sure exactly which one to get and i don't want to get one that doesn't fit.

[james99]

Originally Posted by cougarpimp916

i was looking to upgrade my coil and plug wires. does anyone who has done that got an msd or accel part number for the coil and the wires? i'm not sure exactly which one to get and i don't want to get one that doesn't fit.

zxtuner.com has the msd coil and plug wires. i think its about 140 for the set....

[1cougr2nv]

please help, i know this thread is old but i have a major dilema. My car is losing coolant and i just noticed today that some of it was dripping down the left side of the engine block right near the cam gears. So im pretty sure its a head gasket. Now the thing is, my mechanic is quoting me $750-850 to replace the headgasket but since the motor has 230,000kms on it, we both agreed to swap the motor and go with one with less kms. So my question is, i want to get rid of the VCT engine from the cougar and go with a straight 16v engine like the focus without the VCT crap. Sooo, who here knows what engine i should be looking for (year , make, model). Basically the simplest swap. However, on the first page of this thread i think (optiion 5) the tuners choice is the engine im wanting/ looking for. But i want to know what exactly ill need on top of this motor to make it fit or will it drop right in. Also my mechanic told me he would charge $800 to do the swap, thats without the new engine, just the swap. Is that a good price, do you know anyone in Canada, near toronto preferably that is cheaper or even someone on the boards here that knows how to do the swap for a good price?.

Thanx,
Dan

[james99]

Originally Posted by 1cougr2nv

please help, i know this thread is old but i have a major dilema. My car is losing coolant and i just noticed today that some of it was dripping down the left side of the engine block right near the cam gears. So im pretty sure its a head gasket. Now the thing is, my mechanic is quoting me $750-850 to replace the headgasket but since the motor has 230,000kms on it, we both agreed to swap the motor and go with one with less kms. So my question is, i want to get rid of the VCT engine from the cougar and go with a straight 16v engine like the focus without the VCT crap. Sooo, who here knows what engine i should be looking for (year , make, model). Basically the simplest swap. However, on the first page of this thread i think (optiion 5) the tuners choice is the engine im wanting/ looking for. But i want to know what exactly ill need on top of this motor to make it fit or will it drop right in. Also my mechanic told me he would charge $800 to do the swap, thats without the new engine, just the swap. Is that a good price, do you know anyone in Canada, near toronto preferably that is cheaper or even someone on the boards here that knows how to do the swap for a good price?.

Thanx,
Dan

if you go with an engine without vct, youll have some issues. youll have a cel and the car may possibly run bad. the ford focus would have the engine to use if you wanted to go without vct.

[1cougr2nv]

Sooo wuts my best bet, should i just get another cougar motor with the vct and delete it myself with the zxtuner delete kit? Also is there any difference between a 1999-2002 vct zetec motor from the cougar. And what ohter car uses the exact same motor as ours with the vct that will bolt right up?

Thanx

[Hardrive]

Originally Posted by 1cougr2nv

please help, i know this thread is old but i have a major dilema. My car is losing coolant and i just noticed today that some of it was dripping down the left side of the engine block right near the cam gears. So im pretty sure its a head gasket. Now the thing is, my mechanic is quoting me $750-850 to replace the headgasket but since the motor has 230,000kms on it, we both agreed to swap the motor and go with one with less kms. So my question is, i want to get rid of the VCT engine from the cougar and go with a straight 16v engine like the focus without the VCT crap. Sooo, who here knows what engine i should be looking for (year , make, model). Basically the simplest swap. However, on the first page of this thread i think (optiion 5) the tuners choice is the engine im wanting/ looking for. But i want to know what exactly ill need on top of this motor to make it fit or will it drop right in. Also my mechanic told me he would charge $800 to do the swap, thats without the new engine, just the swap. Is that a good price, do you know anyone in Canada, near toronto preferably that is cheaper or even someone on the boards here that knows how to do the swap for a good price?.

Thanx,
Dan

I'd just replace the head gasket and have the head milled down. For $800 and the price of a used zetec motor, it would be cheaper and less of a pain.
Plus, it would be sore if you swapped and that engine was not up to par.
Once you get that done, I'd worry about VCT delete. Even with high mileage the 2.0 is still pretty durable. I'm working up to 189K on mine.

P.S.
Make full sure it's a head gasket and not something else.

[cbman]

First off, why's this in the FAQ thread?
Anyway, I'm not sure how much you've done to toubleshoot the problem, but is it possible that the leak is coming from the water pump? You could run the car with the plastic cam cover removed and see if you can tell where its leaking. The plastic cover just has four bolts holding it on, but you have to bend it to pull it off. You might have to move the coolant resovoir out of the way. Sorry if I'm just explaining the obvious.