Ford Zetec engine: Encyclopedia II - Ford Zetec engine - Zeta

Ford Zetec engine - Zeta

The first Zetec-branded engine was the Zeta family, introduced for the 1992 model year powering the fourth generation of the European Ford Escort and Orion. The "Zeta" name was dropped in favor of "Zetec" when Italian car maker Lancia threatened to sue Ford for trademark infringement.

Early versions of the engine (prior to mid 1998) came complete with self-adjusting hydraulic valve lifters. This helped prevent the notorious valve tapping (on the CVH) but caused the valves to stick unless a special Ford formulation of oil was used. For this reason, conventional tappets with shims were introduced in 1998.

Later versions of the engine are known as the Zetec-E. The main difference is a two-piece crankcase which helps damp out noise and vibration.

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 Mazda 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.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Zeta", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki