13 replies to this topic

[bacchus]

Just considering this at the moment. It is a 2003, but I mainly want to do it for the learning experience really. I’m reasonably comfortable doing it with the ol Haynes bible. I don’t have an engine hoist so was going to strip the engine in the car and leave the block in. I’ve done this before with my uncle and it worked out ok. Any advice apart from don’t do it lol. Cheers.

[mondy zetecs]

Go for it,might be more difficult but you will learn do's and don'ts as you go along. 

[PURPLE_2L_LX]

Depends what you need to rebuild, costs soon add up and sometimes its cheaper

to get a good used engine. Accident damaged car thats still running.

 

Just make sure you get the engine hot, even better if you can drive it.

[Communist]

If it runs and isn't burning oil, leave it alone.

Officially, these engines weren't designed with internal servicablity in mind. The clearances are really tight and parts chosen in the factory by laser measurements. The tappet buckets are made from an alloy designed with low wear so they should last the lifetime of the engine without going excessively out of spec. The block is held together by the cradle holding the main bearings, and if you undo them without bracing the block correctly, you can distort it.

The haynes manual is of no help at all, it just says that no servicing is possible on the short block assembly, for the reasons above. If the car had something like a rod bearing fail under warranty, ford would have replaced the whole engine. You can't even order internal parts from them, not in the usual manner anyway.

However, that doesn't mean it's impossible. People do build these engines up and they've had extensive motorsport use with a large catalogue of parts from various manifacturers. So if you're really set on doing something, it can be done, just realise that it's not quite as straightforward as throwing a new set of bearings at a pinto.

The bearings and stuff in these cars last forever anyway. What kills them are the piston rings. If yours doesn't burn oil, then leave it alone. If it starts smoking like a victorian train, then sure, have a go at replacing the rings. If the timing chain rattles a bit or you've got oil leaks everywhere, that could be another thing you can do.

An easier, and worthwhile job is removing the inlet manifold tumble flaps. Can do that in an afternoon really.

Edited by Communist, 21 February 2021 - 11:20 PM.

[PURPLE_2L_LX]

My old 2001 2L Petrol had over 150k on the clock when I sold it in 2009.

 

Seems it fell 7k short of reaching 200k miles though. Think its last MOT

expired 08/2019 so it didn't do badly.

 

 

200k for a petrol engine was something only well kept Mercedes and Volvo's

did before they too started building them down to a cost.

[bacchus]

Cheers for good advice again communist. On my last MOT the bloke said it was smoking a bit and only just passed the emissions test. He said it could be due to rings as I mentioned it was chewing a bit of oil. So changing the rings is the main reason to do it.

[ST56]

Hi

 

You could possibly first check what replacement parts are actually available. You could disassemble engine then get stumped on rebuilding by finding some small items are not available.

 

Peter 

[Bleky]

I've done it last september. Full engine rebuild including clutch/flywheel, the whole 9 yards, in my father in laws garage   Ask me anything. 1 thing for sure, you won't be able to do the full rebuild from the Haynes book since for the bottom end, you only have a generic section that is not specific to the car. And there are no torque values either which are critical.

You need the Duratec HE factory assembly procedure manual.

 

 

 

https://i.imgur.com/35V0qvb.jpg[/img]

 

ttps://imgur.com/35V0qvb

[Bleky]

So just to add a little more info. I done the rebuild cause it used a little oil, about 1dl/1000km and I just simply wanted to do a rebuild as a hobby.

Did it in 5 days, working alone from 8:00am to 22:00 every day. I didn't want to bother with gaping rings, so i just bought a set of factory piston set with full ring set that was taken out from a brand new crate-engine off ebay.

 

Both main bearings and conrod bearings are standard original Kolbenschmidt although the factory ones are from Mahle, I just deciced to get all bearings and the piston from the same manufacturer.Full Elring gasket/seal set.

 

My engine, even though having almost half a million kms in it, was in extremely good condition, probably due to frequent and good quality oil changes (every summer or 10.000 kms, Mobil Super 3000 X1 Formula FE) and 70+% highway trips. The bearings showed no wear and the factory honing could be seen very well, so i just rehoned myself and did not need and boring. Originally i thought the reason was the valve stem seals being old and rigid, but in the end it seemed it was stuck oil rings. Could barely get them off the ring even though there was almost no cabon/gunk buildup.

I've done 7.000 kms since then and the oil used is absolutely 0 the level is on the exact same spot since then, just 1mm below max.   

Anyhooo, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Edited by Bleky, 22 February 2021 - 06:22 PM.

[Communist]

https://www.burtonpo...duratec-he.html

Here is burton power's catalogue. I've never used them myself but I know they are legit. They sell both aftermarket and some genuine ford stuff that can be hard to find elsewhere. Even if you don't use them, shows what's out there.

You're in luck having the 2l, it's a lot easier to get parts for than the 1.8. My engine being a 1.8, if it croaks, will be replaced with a built up 2l, with upgraded rods, pistons, cams... Why not

To replace the rings, you'll need to take the head, timing cover and sump off, so you're looking at new timing chain kit, head gasket, rings, valve stem seals, exhaust manifold gasket, so on. Don't use cheapy parts on the timing chain kit, get a genuine ford or mazda one.

Can be done without removing the engine from the car since it's not like you need to pull the crank out, which you should avoid doing if you can anyway.

As for oil burning, if you can't work on the engine, experement with different oils. I've noticed my car will burn some oils at a considerable rate, while other oils it's hardly noticable. All are the correct specs, just different brands. Mobil 3000 gets burnt really easily. I've had to top up a whole litre of that before. I'm finding the Fuchs stuff seems to be holding up well, it's not budged on the dipstick, but I'm doing less miles now.

Edited by Communist, 22 February 2021 - 06:47 PM.