Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Classic Morgans (pre-CX) Zetec, Sigma, Duratec - what is what ?

Hi all,

I'd like to spark a new discussion about the 4-cylinder Ford engines used in the current trad-models. Having almost pinned the Aero-Sports brochure to my bedroom-wall, I can't help thinking of engine modification although I haven't even driven my new Morgan yet.

There is such a vast variety of stuff available to make them go faster from the UK, almost causing a feeling of dizziness.

First of all: what kind of eninges are (precisely) installed to the 4/4 and the +4?
Ford doesn't help to clarify on the matter, as all engines now being called "Duratec". Some of them appear to be of Mazda origin - (From previous experience I'd appreciate this).
From what I learned from Wikipedia, the 2 Liter seems to be rather dated already. For how long you think this powerplant will remain in production?

Just looking at the figures, the 1.6 is almost as quick - is this due to the reduced weight of the 4/4 Sports, or is the engine just so much more "free-revving"?

To bring the +4 somewhat near 200HP, what kind of modification is needed?
- Cams
- Exhaust / Headers / Cat
- Induction / Throttle body
- Chip
Will that do or does the engine have to come apart?

Thanks for clarifying my confusion.

Cheers,
Marian

Marian,
Very briefly:
First Zetec engine began life as the Zeta but after Lancia threatened litigation for infringement it became the Zetec ( no letter)
This then became the Zetec E ( also known as the silvertop)
The last generation of the Zetec was the Zetec R ( also known as the Blacktop) Unlike the E this engine has solid lifters whereas the E had hydraulic.
Again, in very general terms, the R was the Focus Engine- but you can't be absolutely definite about which engine a 4/4 will have just by when it left the factory. I have a December 2000 4/4 which all the dates say should have a blacktop engine- in fact I have a silvertop.

It also gets confusing because some of the later Zetecs were badged as Duratecs.

The current 4/4- the Sport- uses the Sigma engine. This is the one which people often talk about as having had input from Yamaha and /or Mazda
The current +4 uses the Duratec

We've had quite a bit about this issue on various threads but reasonably good sources of information about what can be done to the various Ford engines can be found at:
http://www.raceline.co.uk/
http://www.burtonpower.com/technical_1/duratec_he.aspx
http://www.minister-power.com/minister_power_pages/new_eng_sigma_160.html

This isn't a comprehensive list- If you Google under the various engine types you will find a lot of stuff

Since the Caterham uses the same engine basis for some models any site concerning those will also give information but remember, there may well be 'packaging' issues when it comes to doing some of the same mods in a Morgan

You can get some info which will relate specifically to Morgans on sites such as MogSport ( Chas Windridge) or Techniques

Last but not least, you might want to take a look at:
http://www.guy-croft.com/
http://www.pumaracing.co.uk/
In terms of power upgrade, my own approach would be first to make sure that anything you do add can be put down on the road:

So first question is, do you want to upgrade brakes ( probably no need given the current set up but a must on older cars with the two-pot front calipers)

Next, what about shockers- is it worth thnking about adjustables such as AVOs or similar

You may get a slight brake performance upgrade by fitting braided hoses and upgraded pads such as EBC Greens are worth considering

As to power increase, obviously, it depends how far you want to go but obvious starting issues are:
better exhaust; better induction, smaller, less dense cat ( certainly an issue on a 4/4)

At a certain point, this then moves on to going down the throttle body route but again there are issues involved here such as what to do about the ECU which may well need remapping or more

Certain tuners ( eg Specialised Engines) offer reworked heads, fast road cams and a bigger E 30 throttle body

Again depending on the power you are looking for, at some stage the issue of strengthening the bottom end of the engine is going to arise eg forged / dowelled crank, better pistons and rods, better ( lightened, balanced) flywheel etc.


Hope this helps as a start and sorry it is a bit long. I'm sure you'll get far more specialist and knowledgeable comments from some of the other guys on here
regards,
G

PS When comparing the 4/4 and the +4, my own feeling is that it is also very necessary to look at the torque figures as well as BHP. I'm very happy with the power output I now have on my 4/4 but I would dearly love more mid- range torque

Thanks for the prompt and in-dept information regarding the 4/4's Zetec.
I'll take a look at all thes specialists websites - a very good source of information. Certainly I'd also upgrade brakes and suspension at some stage and of course I'll first have to recover from the initial spendings for the purchase of the car.

Your reply leads me to further thinking that the Zetec is the more tunable engine. I went for the +4 mainly because of the choice of options - including the better hood - and the more relaxed cruising it allows because of the increased torque.
Especially in the Alps I don't always want to rev the hell out of it.

Already thinking of tuning might be a little bit counteracting my initial plans, but you know how boys are...
I used to drive an AMG C36 untill recently and I'm seeking the same potential when it comes to overtaking. The Merc was something in the region of 6.3 sec from 0 - 96 and with 180 - 200HP in the lighter Morgan I'll surely match these figures.

Hence I'd like to know which route to follow to get there.
I'll start with exhaust and cat and will see where this will lead to.

I have reserved a monthly budget of GBP 400 for upgrades. With steering wheel + boss, two-eared spinners, column stalks and other minor things still on my wish-list, it is apparent I can't do it all at once.

Marian

I don't think that is always the case. Perhaps my post concentrated on the Zetec because that engine is very much my 'current project' I know it is a very extreme example but in the Caterham CSR there is a 2.3 litre Cosworth Duratec with a Max Power of 200bhp @ 7000 rpm and Max Torque (lbs ft/rpm) of 165lbs/ft @ 5750 rpm In more Morgan-specific terms, Chas Windridge at Mogsport advertises a throttle body conversion on a standard 2.0L Duratec which he states will produce 190BHP and 160lbs/ft torque, so the Duratec does lend itself very well to being tuned!

There are a fair number of companies involved in tuning and producing parts for the Duratec engine. For example, SBD, Raceline and Dunnell all sell kits and complete engines. The costs appear to be quite high but you are paying for quality at the end of the day, so the state of the build is once again down to the size of your wallet!

The Zetec engines do deliver a useful power output but it is very much at the upper end of the rev range and for me at least, that is not something I'm always happy with because I do like mid-range torque and the +4 is going to give more of that than a Zetec-engined 4/4 ( In fact, I'm even looking at moving the length of the induction side runner to see if I can alter mine)

I'm very happy with my 4/4 - especially after all the upgrading I've done to it but I've always got that fact at the back of my mind and if I get a mad five minutes, I think either a Plus 8 ( if there are still any out there which are good examples and not priced in funny money) or a Roadster might be occupying one of the other spaces in my garage
Regards,
G