Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Zetec Maintenance vc.......what!?

What is the difference between the intake and exhaust VCT?
Perry says to make power on the intake (Focus). And ours is to minimize emissions, well it sounds like it's actually used better on the Foci. Can we just switch the pulleys around? If not why?

The cam timing is controlled via the ECU. On the Contours the ecu is programed to alter the timing of the exhaust cam under certain circumstances (probably some huge formulaic "if this: then this" table with variables for load, throttle position, engine speed, and OBD-II input, and probably a bunch more stuff)in order to have the least possible amount of emmisions. On the SVT Foci the intake cam is varied by the ECU in order to increase performance based on a similar but different table. If you want the VCT on the intake cam you would just have to buy a focus engine and ECU. If you want it on both you should buy a honda :p

In my opinion VCT is just another way to make tuning an engine more complex. My car doesn't have VCT so all need to do in order to time my cams is buy a set of variable cam gears and get on a Dyno. If I had VCT I would have one of two options. 1) I could ditch the entire VCT assembly and put on an adjustable cam gear(and live with the CEL on for the rest of my days) or I could try and hookup some kind of piggy-back ECU like the greddy E-manage(there is no guarantee that you could control ford's VCT system with the Greddy like you can control hond'as VTEC. The greddy(or any other electrical tunig device) in my opinion is the much more compicated of the two.

So I'm stuck with what I got and Tricked needs to buy the ECU when he buys the new engine.

Posted by tricked96" If you put a regular focus ZX3 engine in your contour I don't see what the big deal would be about the swap. The ZX3 is probably the most tunable and tuner responsive reiteration of the Zetec engine yet(they don't have VCT). I don't think that the ECU from your 96 would be able to properly manage it, though as to many variables have probably changed in the sensor voltages and outputs and such. So I would say anyone who is hassling you about a ZX3 swap is just shooting their mouths off.

from what I have seen in the past is the VCT Zetecs don't show as good of improvements in power with mods as the non VCT zetecs do. that is why the lotus 7 owners look for the non VCT Zetecs to beef then up.

Exactly why I have these gears...as far as remember no one here has put them on a 98+ car. I remember one guy with a 95 and OhsigmaChi(? I think)?

Now if I can just get around to actually installing them. :rolleyes:

Hopefully that will be happening over the next couple of days.

So does anyone have any idea why we had VCT in our later Zetecs and the Focus doesn't use it? It just seems odd to me that Ford would develop it, implement it and then drop it for the Focus.

Cost maybe?

ummm even odder is I remember reading that the VCT was developed for the focus... then again I could be wrong

what's even stranger is that Ford is still producing VCT Zetecs for the 2002 model run of the Escort ZX2(last year ), and simultaneuosly making non VCT Zetecs for the FOcus at the Same time

I have a VCT.