Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Zetec Maintenance Ford VTEC?

Alright, looking in the engine bay, piston farthest to the left just beyond that has what lloks sort of like a starter, I know it isn't though. What it looks like is Ford's version of Honda's VTEC. What the hell is it? I looked at my owner's manual, those things suck, and it told me nothing. So I had no choice but to consult other owners. Thanks.

I think, historically speaking, Honda's VTEC is a version of Ford's Zetec. I may be wrong, though...

I'm not sure what you're talking about. The only thing I can think of over there is (a) timing belt and (b) fuel pressure regulator. Unless you have the cam cover off...then I definitely don't know.

On the cam cover? To the left of the left most spark plug? I think that's something to do with the VCT.. It's not on cars that don't have VCT, I know that much.

VCT = variable cam timing.. Sorta like VTEC I guess. But on the Contour, it's not used to make power, and it's only on the exhaust cam.

I believe the Honda VTEC system was actually around before the VCT on our cars. Even though the Zetec engine has been around much longer. I believe what you're referring to is known as a motor mount. If you're talking about something actually on the engine then maybe the VCT solenoid/gear that mounts on the exhaust camshaft. Like perry was referring to.

I makes your car eco-friendly. It's a Variable {exhaust} Cam Timing.

From my wife's ZX2:

Yep. VTEC uses hydraulic pressure to move a pin in between sets of rocker arms, thus activating or deactivating them. For VTEC to work, the cam must have multiple lobes to switch between for each cylinder. This changes cam timing and lift, and in some cases in-cylinder swirl.

VCT only changes cam timing by using hydraulic pressure to rotationally index the camshaft. On the ZETEC, it is only exhaust VCT which improves NOx emissions (like an EGR valve does) and has a small impact on fuel economy.

The SVT Focus has intake VCT which allows for more power and also allows for lower NOx.