fiestaturbo.com

[climbingmike]

Hi All,

I have recent put my 8v XR2i back on the road after a three year rest. The tappets are making a F**king racket! So I thought I might but a new engine instead of a cam kit.

I am looking for some info on installing an RS1800 lump. Am I right in thinking that this lump should fit with no modification?

How can you tell the difference between the 105ps and the 130ps 1.8 Zetecs?
Which Escorts had the 130ps 1.8 Zetecs and will this be any different to one out of an RS1800.

If this has been covered before please can you point me in the right direction. Any other surgestion are wellcome.

Thanks

Mike

[jimmyesh]

It's definitely the right move chucking a zetec in your '2i instead of forking out for a cam kit mate, The escort xr3i 130 and mk5 orion ghia si came with the same engine as the rs1800, be aware though that there was also a 105bhp XR3i too, this had drums on the back end whereas the 130 had discs.

A fiesta/escort 1.8 will bolt straight up to your 'b5 gearbox, you'll need the engine mounts though.

It may be a bit tricky trying to find a low mileage, good condition 130 zetec 1.8 lump though, and also make sure it's genuine-not a 105. one big difference is the throttle body-the 130 has a 57mm one.

A 2.0 zetec could always be installed instead, just get an escort/fiesta 1.8 sump, oil pick up and water pump and inlet manifold and you're laughing.

Another lump worth considering is the 115bhp spec 1.8 from the escort si/gti, in truth these lumps put out almost the same power as the earlier 130 rs1800 lump (which always fell a bit short of a "genuine" 130bhp) as they come with a nice plastic inlet manifold and a half decent throttle body.

As far as ECU choice goes you are best off with a fiesta RS1800 ECU (which also runs the 2.0 zetec too in standard tune as point of spark etc are the same) Bear in mind though that the later model RS18's have a "pats" sensor for the key so you need the key with the ecu, a pats sensor and associated wiring.

you could always try megasquirt or something otherwise mate, I've even heard that you can get away with the xr2i ecu with the rs18 engine but that it's not ideal...

Hope that helps, Jim

[sailorbob]

As far as ECU choice goes you are best off with a fiesta RS1800 ECU (which also runs the 2.0 zetec too in standard tune as point of spark etc are the same)

The 1.8l and 2.0l are different.

[Oranoco]

The 130PS 1800 Zetec isn't all it's cracked up to be. From experience of knocking several RS1800's into a cocked hat with a mildly tuned 8v CVH I would either stick with a nicely built CVH or if you want to go Zetec, make it count and drop the 2.0 in. Added bonus with the 2 litre conversion is it's often cheaper to insure as the engine hasn't come from a hot hatch.

[climbingmike]

I think the 2.0l engine is the way I want to go.

I have been looking on the site for info and found the guide, but this is for a 16v xr2i which mine is not. How difficult is this job? The electrics are the part that worries me the most. Things like PATS and the ECU.

Please can you point me in the direction of any threads on this site or any other site with info on installing this engine into my car.

Is the 2.0l zetec much heavier than the 1.6 cvh engine?

Is there any particular 2.0 zetec I am looking for? I now it comes from a Mondeo, but is there a particular engine type?

Thanks for your input

Mike

[jimmyesh]

To sailorbob, the inlet and exhaust cam timing and duration on the 1.8 "130" is the same as the 2.0, I know because I checked with piper cams when I installed a black top 2 litre focus engine into an rs1800 last year and they supplied me with all the cam data as i wanted to be sure it would run on the RS1800 management. Therefore the point of spark is the same.

The only difference is the extra 1mm of lift on each cam when compared to the "130" 1.8 cams.

[sailorbob]

The fact that the 2.0l cams have extra lift means the cylinder filling characteristics of each engine will be different, this results in a different spark advance being required.

PS I've looked at the ecu code too

[jimmyesh]

Fair one, but I wasn't saying that the 1.8 ecu was the same as the 2.0 ecu!! Anyway it ran fine and all I was trying to say was that the rs18 ecu is fine for a budget standard 2.0 transplant that's all as you would have it tuned on a rolling road anyway.