Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Zetec Performance New Member: What should I do?

Alright, I've got a 97 contour with the 2.0L zetec. I love the thing to death. I already have a nice stereo in and working on some cosmetics, but I'm not yet sure what I want to do as far as performance. I have a 95 contour with the 2.0L zetec as a parts car (has a blown headgasket)and didnt know if it would be worth pullin the motor out of the 95 and doin work to the motor while I still drive my car? I'm not yet familiar with the posibilites the car may have and if anyone thinks it would be worth it, what could I do? I don't want a racecar by any means but I'd like to have some more power out of it.

Auto or manual?

The car I drive now is a manual.. the 95 is an auto.

Depends, how much are you willing to spend? Whats your background working on engines?

Zetecs are fun to mod cause of the ease of it, if you have the money, a supercharger is out there that fits the zetec but its hard to come by. Some have done the supercharger and could help out more if thats the way you want to go. But there are plenty of things you can do to the zetec, you just have to search.

Welcome.

manual.....drop in the new engine - custom turbo setup.

Well I'm new to engine work, but my dad was a mechanic for 22 years so there's someone to help and I really want to learn. I was just havin difficulty finding things to do other than intake and exhaust and I don't have the money at this point for a turbo or anything like that. Would the motor out of the 95 be worth workin on? I mean being that it blew the headgasket there are some things to check over first. What is a good site to buy parts like injectors, intake, etc because search results always come up with things for the focus but I didn't know if there would be issues with focus parts working or not.

One other thing, say I did get a turbo, would it be cheaper to buy one of those kits for 4 grand or could I get just any turbo and put it all together?

If I were you (which I'm not) this is what I would do. Pull the head off the 95. Oversized valves are easily found on Ebay. Have the head rebuilt with oversized valves. You could also get some of the components coated by Swain Techniques and grab some of the cams for hydraulic lifters (I forget who makes 'em maybe Comp?) and a set of adjustable cam gears (good for tuning in the cams and lightening the rotating mass).

So let's review.

1) pull cyl head

2) disassemble it and have it hot tanked and checked for warpage (may need to be slighty shaved down)

3) rebuild with either stock parts and seals or with oversized valves and hotter cams/ maybe get some stuff coated you could also have it mildly ported at this point and the valves unshrouded

4) Install head with cam gears

Then you will need complementing mods like intake and exhaust and lightened underdrive pulley to uncork your free-breathing head.

You can pretty much "rinse and repeat" with the rotating assembly from the bottom end of the parts car.

List of power adders in order of ease, cost, availability, and power.

When I say N/A (naturally aspirated) I am refering to real engine mods, not simple bolt-ons.

Ease;
1) Nitrous
2) S/C
3) Turbo
4) N/A

Cost;
1) Nitrous
2) S/C
3) Turbo
4) N/A

Availability;
1) Nitrous
2) N/A
3a) S/C
3b) Turbo

Power;
1) Turbo
2) Nitrous
3a) N/A
3b) S/C

Reliability;
1) N/A
2) if properly installed and maintained, all other power adders are the same

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Pro's of Nitrous;
cheap, easy install, lot's of power, no other mods required, as you mod the engine the nitrous becomes more effective

Con's of Nitrous;
if you are an idiot or screw something up then your engine goes bye-bye, have to refill the bottle, bad reputation

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Pro's of S/C;
good HP, minimal mods needed to support the install, can be easily tuned, part fitament and availability is better than that of the turbo option

Con's of S/C;
takes power to make power, lack of TQ, install is not for the average person so you'll have to find a shop

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Pro's of Turbo;
lots of HP, lots of TQ

Con's of Turbo;
major mods required to support extra power, second highest cost option, install can be tricky, need to relocate the battery, needs more tuning than a S/C

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Pro's of N/A;
you are building power the old fashioned way, least impact on engine life & reliability, can add nitrous later on

Con's of N/A;
cannot add a Turbo or S/C later on, expensive, parts are harder to come by, power is limited

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This is not the perfect list, just a general guideline. The weighing pro's versus cons should be done by each individual. Invest a little time in research and planning a project, and it will pay off.