Ford Motor CompanyFord Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
used the
Zetec name on a variety of
Inline-4-cylinderThe inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft....
automobileAn automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
engines. It was coined to replace "Zeta" on a range of 1.6 L to 2.0 L
multi-valveIn automotive engineering a multi-valve or multivalve engine is one where each cylinder has more than two valves. A multi-valve engine has better breathing and can operate at higher revolutions per minute than a two-valve engine, delivering more power.- Multi-valve rationale :A multi-valve design...
engines introduced in 1991. The company used the name widely in European advertising and later introduced it to the North American market with the
ContourThe Ford Contour, and its rebadged variant, the Mercury Mystique, were compact 4-door sedans marketed from model years 1995-2000 by Ford Motor Company in North America...
.
The Zetec name was so recognized that Ford decided to apply it to other high-tech four-cylinder engines. It is used across many engine types in Europe today even though the original Zeta design ended production in 2004. Ford also confusingly used the "Zetec" name for a trim level designation in certain markets.
A
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
engine produced for Ford by
CosworthCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
was also badged as a
Ford Zetec, although this was technologically unrelated. This engine (a 3.5 litre V8) was used by the
Benetton teamBenetton Formula Ltd., commonly referred to simply as Benetton, was a Formula One constructor that participated from to . The team was owned by the Benetton family who run a worldwide chain of clothing stores of the same name. In 2000 the team was purchased by Renault, but competed as Benetton for...
in 1994, and powered
Michael SchumacherMichael Schumacher is a German Formula One racing driver for the Mercedes GP team. Famous for his eleven-year spell with Ferrari, Schumacher is a seven-time World Champion and is widely regarded as the greatest F1 driver of all time...
to his first
World Championship title.
Engine reference
The Zetec name has been used on many different engines:
| Name |
Family |
Displacements |
Year |
Features |
| Zetec/Zetec-E |
Zeta Developed in the late 1980s by the Ford Motor Company, the Ford Zeta engine was a straight-4, double overhead cam internal combustion engine with which Ford had intended to replace the analogous Pinto and CVH models....
|
1.6 L (1597 cc)
1.8 L (1796 cc)
2.0 L (1988 cc) |
1992–2004 |
DOHC |
| Zetec-R |
Zeta Developed in the late 1980s by the Ford Motor Company, the Ford Zeta engine was a straight-4, double overhead cam internal combustion engine with which Ford had intended to replace the analogous Pinto and CVH models....
|
1.6 L (1597 cc)
1.8 L (1796 cc)
2.0 L (1988 cc) |
1998–2004 |
DOHC |
| Zetec-SE |
Sigma The Ford Sigma is a small straight-4 automobile engine sold by Ford Motor Company. First evolution of engines were sold as the "Zetec-SE" . After the upgrade Ford renamed Sigma to Duratec. Last upgrade of engine is named Duratec Ti-VCT...
|
1.25 L (1242 cc)
1.4 L (1388 cc)
1.6 L (1596 cc)
1.7 L (1679 cc) |
1995–present |
DOHC |
| Zetec-Rocam |
Kent The Ford Kent is an internal combustion engine from Ford of Europe. Originally developed in 1959 for the Ford Anglia, it is an in-line four-cylinder engine with a cast-iron cylinder head and block.-Pre-Crossflow:...
|
1.0 L (999 cc)
1.3 L (1297 cc)
1.6 L (1597 cc) |
2000–present |
SOHC |
| Zetec TDCi |
Duratorq The Ford Duratorq engine, commonly referred to as Duratorq, is the marketing name of a range of Ford diesel engines first introduced in 2000 for the Ford Mondeo range of cars....
|
1.4 L (1399 cc)
1.6 L (1560 cc)
1.8 L (1753 cc)
2.0 L (1998 cc)
2.2 L (2198 cc)
2.4 L (2402 cc) |
2000–present |
Diesel A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
|
Zeta
The first Zetec-branded engine was the
Zeta family, introduced for the 1992
model yearThe model year of a product is a number used worldwide, but with a high level of prominence in North America, to describe approximately when a product was produced, and indicates the coinciding base specification of that product....
powering the fifth generation of the European Ford Escort, the third generation
OrionThe Ford Orion is a saloon car built by the automaker Ford for the European market from 22 July 1983 until 19 September 1993. A total of 3,534,239 Orions were sold throughout the car's 10-year life....
and the Mk.3
Ford FiestaThe Ford Fiesta is a front wheel drive supermini/subcompact manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India, Thailand and South Africa...
. The engine was originally available in 1.6 and 1.8 litre versions with a 2.0 litre version appearing in 1993 in the all-new Mondeo. The "Zeta" name was dropped in favour of "Zetec" when Italian car maker
LanciaLancia Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian automobile manufacturer founded in 1906 by Vincenzo Lancia and which became part of the Fiat Group in 1969. The company has a long history of producing distinctive cars and also has a strong rally heritage. Some modern Lancias are seen as presenting a more...
threatened to sue Ford for trademark infringement.
The codename 'Zeta' was originally used for the design of the cylinder head. A number of different systems were evaluated, each one had a different codename using the Greek alphabet. The Zeta concept was the winner and the 4-valve-per-cylinder, DOHC design was used for the head of the replacement for the CVH in Europe and the US.
The original manufacturing plan involved replacing the Dearborn manufactured CVH with Zeta. This resulted in the need to retain much of the architecture of the US CVH block. However, later in the development process, the plan was changed and the Chihuahua engine plant in Mexico was rebuilt to allow manufacture of the US engines. For Europe the decision was taken to build Zetas in Bridgend (Replacing CVH) and in Cologne.
The US (2.0L) and European base engines were almost identical. However, crucially, the US management insisted that the US engines had to be 'freewheeling'. The fuel economy penalty with the freewheeling system (around 1-2%) was considered to be too great for European engines. The result was that the engines used different pistons. Another difference was that the US engines featured sinter forged connecting rods versus conventional cast rods in Europe.
Early versions of the engine had a problem with sticking valves - far more evident in the UK (and in cold climates), where a driving style with earlier gear changes is more common than on the Continent - unless a special Ford formulation of oil was used. After small changes in 1995 to fix this problem the engine was known as the Zetec-E. This engine received a plastic inlet manifold and EGR derived from the Mondeo.
The Zetec had another redesign in 1998. This version, the Zetec-R, had a two-piece crankcase which helped damp out noise and vibration, conventional tappets with shims rather than hydraulic ones, and longer connecting rods with a lower piston compression height. This engine was used in turbocharged form in the Focus RS and had 212 bhp (dubbed Duratec RS). It was also used in the Focus ST170 with a cylinder head modified by
CosworthCosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
with Variable Valve Timing on the inlet cam and had 170 bhp.
The Zetec can be identified by having a silver cam cover with DOHC16v on the bottom left, the Zetec-E has ZETEC16v on the bottom left, and the Zetec-R has a black plastic cam cover.
Production of the Zeta family lasted from September 1991 through December 2004. Displacement ranged from 1.6 L to 2.0 L. It was replaced in most applications by the
Mazdais a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
MZR-based
Duratec 20, though some
Zetec-SE engines were used as replacements on the lower end. Ford Power Products sells the Zeta in 1.8 L and 2.0 L versions as the
MVH.
The 2.0L Zetec engine has seen some issues. Although the block and cylinder head are thermally stable, the coolant outlet housing for the thermostat is not. The housing used in the 2000-2004 model year US Ford Focus and 2001-2004 model year Ford Escape with 16-Valve DOHC engine is made from a black plastic material. It is bolted to the surface of the cylinder head on the right (driver) side of the engine with three bolts. The mating surface seals to the cylinder head with a rubber O-ring style gasket. The O-ring is held in place by a lip on the housing which is prone to cracking. The immediate inner portion of the housing will exhibit pitting and bubbling. Over time, pieces of the lip will break off; releasing plastic fragments into the cooling system. These fragments have not been known to cause any severe damage to the cooling system but the damaged lip on the housing will cause the O-ring seal to rupture. This allows coolant to leak out and trail down to the upper transmission bell housing.
The 2.0L version in the North American
Ford Contour/Mercury MystiqueThe Ford Contour, and its rebadged variant, the Mercury Mystique, were compact 4-door sedans marketed from model years 1995-2000 by Ford Motor Company in North America...
was a closely related replacement for the previous CVH engine used in the Ford Escort.
A 2.0 L Crate Zetec has a shipping weight of 370 lb (168 kg).
Sigma
The advanced
Zetec-SE (sometimes badged as Zetec-S) was developed in collaboration of Yamaha and Mazda, under the
Sigma codename. It ranges in size from 1.25 L (1249 cc) to 1.7 L (1679 cc). It is very different from the
Zeta engine - the intake and exhaust are even on opposite sides. It was the first engine to use a plastic intake manifold.
This engine is sold under the Sigma name in some regions, while
Mazdais a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
uses the
MZI name. It is also sold as a
crate engineAn automobile engine replacement is an engine or a major part of one that is sold individually without any other parts required to make a functional car...
by Ford Power Products as the
ZSG. This engine was named "Duratec" for use in the Mk I Ford Focus ST170. Rather confusingly, the engine was renamed 'Duratec' in the 1.4 L and 1.6 L versions. This incarnation also spawned a 1.6 L derivative with
variable valve timingIn internal combustion engines, variable valve timing , also known as Variable valve actuation , is a generalized term used to describe any mechanism or method that can alter the shape or timing of a valve lift event within an internal combustion engine...
, known by Ford as
Ti-VCT (Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing).
This engine was replaced by the Mazda MZR engine, named the 'Duratec-HE' on the 2005-on Focus.
Zetec Rocam (duratec 8v)
In 2000,
FordFord Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
of
BrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
developed a cheaper version of zetec-s engine. Single cam,8 valves driven by a chain. As a result, this engine exhibits rougher behaviour, producing more vibration and noise. On the other hand, it has a superb torque output thanks to the addition of the Rocam (rollerfinger camshaft) feature.
In 2003, the Zetec-Rocam engine was introduced in Europe, but labeled as Duratec 8v, for the SportKa and StreetKa models. Later a 1.3 L version was also released as an option for the standard model, but the European versions of the engine are produced in the South Africa plant.
In October/2004 a newer bi-fuel version was introduced labeled "1.6 L Flex", capable of running on both petrol and ethanol, even mixed at any proportion. This version also featured "Compound High Turbulence" chambers, as used on the
CHT engineThe letters CHT denote a particular type of 4-cylinder internal combustion engine produced by the Ford Motor Company in Brazil during the 1980s. It is a completely different engine from the CVH engine and should not be mistaken with it...
.
Versions of this engine in Brazil:
1.0L 65 PS, 1.0L supercharged 95 PS, 1.6L 96 PS, 1.6L flexfuel 105 PS . It is/was used in many models, including Ka, Fiesta MK V, South American Fiesta Mk VI, Focus,
EcoSportThe Ford EcoSport is a mini SUV designed by the Ford-US Truck Vehicle Center and built in Brazil by Ford. The EcoSport is one of Ford's best-seller models in Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Mexico...
,
Ford Courier- North America :This was a commercial model based on Ford's full-size stationwagon line. Its model code was designated 78A.From 1952 to 1956 access to the rear storage area was through a unique door hinged on the side. For 1957 and 1958, the rear access door was a combination of the lift gate and...
.
Versions of this engine in Europe:
1.3L 70 PS, 1.6L 95 PS
In Mexico the 1.6L is used in the Ikon, named Fiesta for this market.
In South Africa the 1.3L & 1.6L versions are/were used in Fiesta Mk V, Ikon,
BantamThe Ford Bantam is a "bakkie" sold by the Ford Motor Company in South Africa. It is based on the Ford Fiesta, and is a South African design as well as being produced in South Africa for the local market. The original Ford Bantam launched in 1983 was based on the Ford Escort Mk III...
.
In India the 1.3L & 1.6L versions are/were used in the Ikon.
In Russia, the 1.6L version was used in the original Ford Focus.
The Zetec S Engine was developed by Yamaha and designed based on the popular Superbike, the R1.
Duratec
The Zetec was superseded by the
DuratecThe Duratec is a range of four, five, and six-cylinder gasoline engines produced by the Ford Motor Company, used in Ford, Mazda, Volvo, Caterham, Morgan, Tiger, Ginetta cars and by specialist engine tuner Cosworth....
series of engines, originally called
RoFlow Zetec. These are virtually identical variants of the
Mazdais a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
MZRMZR is the brand name of a generation of Straight-4 engines engineered and built by the Mazda Motor Corporation between 2001 and 2011. The MZR generation includes gasoline and diesel powered engines ranging in displacements from 1.3L to 2.5L. All gasoline-powered MZRs feature an all-aluminum block...
engines.
Zetec name as a trim level
In 1998,
Ford of BritainFord of Britain is a British wholly owned subsidiary of Ford of Europe, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. Its business started in 1909 and has its registered office in Brentwood, Essex...
applied the Zetec name to a trim level in the
FiestaThe Ford Fiesta is a front wheel drive supermini/subcompact manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India, Thailand and South Africa...
range, replacing the Si. Petrol variants of the
FiestaThe Ford Fiesta is a front wheel drive supermini/subcompact manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India, Thailand and South Africa...
LX were also renamed 'Zetec LX,' although this ceased within months.
Since then, the Zetec name has become a key staple of the Ford trim level hierarchy, serving as the sports-styled variant in most ranges. In October 1998, the then-newly launched Focus also used the name; and the
MondeoThe Mondeo was launched on 8 January 1993, and sales began on 22 March 1993. Available as a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback, and a five-door estate, all models for the European market were produced at Ford's plant in the Belgian city of Genk...
and
GalaxyThe first Galaxy was designed as a joint venture product between Ford and the Volkswagen Group. Produced at the joint-venture AutoEuropa plant in Palmela, Portugal, the vehicle was badge-engineered to create three vehicles: the Ford Galaxy; by Volkswagen Passenger Cars as the Volkswagen Sharan;...
ranges also adopted the name before the decade was out.
Ford's 'niche' models, such as the
KaThe Ford Ka is a city car from the Ford Motor Company marketed in Europe and elsewhere.The current European version is produced by Fiat Auto in Tychy, Poland, while the model sold in Latin America is built in Brazil and Argentina....
and Fusion did not initially adopt the name, although even these models now include Zetec-badged variants.
Nowadays, the Zetec name is used exclusively in a trim level capacity, with no engines called as such. Zetec models are often seen as the staple of Ford's ranges, with Ford often creating 'spin-offs' of Zetec models and running promotions on Zetec models in the range. Every passenger vehicle in the
Ford of BritainFord of Britain is a British wholly owned subsidiary of Ford of Europe, a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company. Its business started in 1909 and has its registered office in Brentwood, Essex...
range - bar the Ford Focus Coupé-Cabriolet - now includes a Zetec badged model; the same cannot be said of any other Ford trim level.
Such aforementioned 'spin-offs' of the core Zetec model include the Zetec S (Fiesta, Focus and the 2000-2007 Mondeo), Zetec S 30th Anniversary Edition (2005-2008 Fiesta), Zetec S Celebration Edition (2005-2008 Fiesta), Zetec S Red (2005-2008 Fiesta), Zetec Nav (2000-2007 Mondeo), Zetec LX (1995-1999 Fiesta), Zetec Blue (Fiesta) and a key version, the Zetec Climate (1996-2009 Ka, 2002-2008 Fiesta, Fusion and the 2005-2008 Focus).
Sources
See also
- Ford Duratec engine
The Duratec is a range of four, five, and six-cylinder gasoline engines produced by the Ford Motor Company, used in Ford, Mazda, Volvo, Caterham, Morgan, Tiger, Ginetta cars and by specialist engine tuner Cosworth....
- Ford Sigma engine
The Ford Sigma is a small straight-4 automobile engine sold by Ford Motor Company. First evolution of engines were sold as the "Zetec-SE" . After the upgrade Ford renamed Sigma to Duratec. Last upgrade of engine is named Duratec Ti-VCT...
- Ford Zeta engine
Developed in the late 1980s by the Ford Motor Company, the Ford Zeta engine was a straight-4, double overhead cam internal combustion engine with which Ford had intended to replace the analogous Pinto and CVH models....
- List of Ford engines