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The Turbo Zetec

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striker2

Official CEG Vendor
Joined
Mar 15, 2004
Messages
7,903
Location
Arvada, CO
since we all know that my zetec was having problems, im going to skip the details and go straight to the pics.

100_0601.jpg


100_0604.jpg


im not sure what happened exactly but it seems that there might have been piston slap on all 4 pistons as they all have cracks in the lower left "corner", the same place that number 4 is missing a chunk. I know that they did not look like that when i put the head back on a few weeks ago.


at this point im not sure if im going to save up and drop in a fully built focus block from focus sport or if im just going to cut my losses and either sell it whole or part it out and maybe find a spec class miata to have as a toy/autocross car.
 
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damn that sucks man...you really think they were hitting the head? that ain't good...my old 302 blew a head gasket one time, when it blew the piston at the weak point was on the power stroke so the peice of the metal ring in the gasket ripped off and got sucked down the cylinder at the speed of light:nonono: ...and way once it was done it looked like someone shot a 30-06 between the piston and cylinder wall...the wall was scratched to hell and the piston was disentigrated on that side...kinda fubar:nonono: ...so i just put an HO in there!:laugh:
 
tredse1 said:
damn that sucks man...you really think they were hitting the head? that ain't good
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yeah, there are marks on the top of all 4 pistons, mainly cylinder 4, that line up exactly with the flat sections on the cylinder head. you can see the marks in the pictures i posted.
 
That's the kind of stuff that really pisses me off. :nonono:

Considering you own the only turbo zetec, i'd really hate to see you part it out, but Miatas are fun too i guess. :cry:
 
Loco4G63 said:
Wow, that really sucks Dan! Either way, it sounds like you have a plan.
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i was looking at costs last night and this morning. to buy a focus engine and rebuild it to be comparable to the focus power engine would cost me almost $6000. A miata in the generation i want (1998-2005) would cost me at least $8000 for a good condition one. the focus power engine would cost me about $4000 shipped (maybe less).

CustomX157 said:
Considering you own the only turbo zetec, i'd really hate to see you part it out, but Miatas are fun too i guess. :cry:
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while i would love a miata, the zetec at 13PSI was just insane. I think it put a bigger grin on my face then the first time i rod in Hectors Evo :D:D:D
 
striker2 said:
i was looking at costs last night and this morning. to buy a focus engine and rebuild it to be comparable to the focus power engine would cost me almost $6000. A miata in the generation i want (1998-2005) would cost me at least $8000 for a good condition one. the focus power engine would cost me about $4000 shipped (maybe less).
Click to expand...


Well damn, $4000 is a lot less than those other two numbers.
 
striker2 said:
i was looking at costs last night and this morning. to buy a focus engine and rebuild it to be comparable to the focus power engine would cost me almost $6000. A miata in the generation i want (1998-2005) would cost me at least $8000 for a good condition one. the focus power engine would cost me about $4000 shipped (maybe less).


while i would love a miata, the zetec at 13PSI was just insane. I think it put a bigger grin on my face then the first time i rod in Hectors Evo :D:D:D
Click to expand...

Probably how the rest of us feel when we drive our three liter cars.

Sucks about the motor, but it seems your trans was the least of your worries!
 
Hey question Dan, what was the compression ratio on the engine after your Eagle rods? First thing my buddy said when he saw these pics was that your compression ratio was sky-high...
 
ohsigmachi said:
did you have your block blue-printed or did you assemble it yourself?
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I assembled it myself but asked the machine shop that did the boring for the pistons what size bearings to buy so i assume he measured everything properly.

zorrex said:
Hey question Dan, what was the compression ratio on the engine after your Eagle rods? First thing my buddy said when he saw these pics was that your compression ratio was sky-high...
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im not sure what the exact compression ratio was but the pistons were 9:1 and the eagle rods are stock length for the focus. now, the focus rods are slightly longer than the pre98 contour rods BUT the compression height of the focus pistons is slightly smaller so the overall assembled length is the exact same. it did not make any more power than stock when i ran it NA to break it in. it actually should have made less due to the lower CR from the pistons.

i know for a fact the pistons hit the head as there is marks on both that line up exactly. im not sure why right now as i still have to pull the engine and look at the bottom end. my speculation is that either the rod or main (or both) failed for some reason allowing enough play for the pistons to hit the head. I will say that there were NO marks on either the pistons or the head before i installed the head just a week prior. something happened on the last run, maybe the one before it, that allowed them to hit the head.
 
If memory serves, the rod bolts on Eagle rods are ARPs. Maybe they also have the black coating that you had to remove from the Head studs? If you didn't remove the coating from the rod bolts they could have loosened/stretched and here you are...
 
ohsigmachi said:
If memory serves, the rod bolts on Eagle rods are ARPs. Maybe they also have the black coating that you had to remove from the Head studs? If you didn't remove the coating from the rod bolts they could have loosened/stretched and here you are...
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I hadnt thought about that but now that you mention it that could be a possibility. i never bothered to look as at the time i didnt know that coating can cause problems.

the block is toast though as it has a piece of the piston ground into the cylinder wall. I will try to get pics of that tomorrow.
 
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