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identifying which zetec engine I have

pstrbrc

CEG'er
Joined
Apr 22, 2007
Messages
57
Location
Elkhart, Kansas
My wife's '99 Contour popped a radiator hose, and shows all the signs of a warped/cracked head. I came across a zetec engine that was such a good deal I couldn't pass it up, and it appears to have a March '98 manufacture date. I'm assuming that these are interchangable engines? The guy I got the engine from says it's out of a Contour, but I can't be positive. Were there differences in the engines they used in Contours and ZX-2's? How can I tell?
The major visual difference in the engines is the camshaft cover. The one in the car is black with the Ford oval and "VCT" embossed on it, the other one has a plain cam cover, painted light gray.
 
hard to say,the new one might not be vct and that could present a problem,not too positive on that,or it just might not say it's vct but it is lol
That probably doesn't make a whole lotta sense hahaha
 
Don't look at the TOP camshaft or valve cover, look at the FRONT upper black plastic cover that covers sprockets/belt. If both have the big bump-out on the right hand side as looking at engine front or passenger side you are good to go. The bump-out is for the VCT cylinder on the end of exhaust cam.
 
the VCT zetec has a plug that attaches the the VCT solenoid which comes up through the valve cover. the non VCT zetec does not, it has nothing protruding up through the valve cover.
 
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