Escort Engine Swap

I have a 1993 Ford Escort LX Hatchback with the 1.9L engine, (which seems to be indestructable, as is the rest of the car) I was wondering how easy it would be to do an engine swap for the 1.8L Twincam GT engine, because the current engine goes power less after about 5000 RPM and if I'm correct the GT pulls hard up to like 6500 or 7000 (what is the redline?) But thankyou, any information would be much appricated :)

Its nice to see people are still modding the escort, everyone seem s to have Hondas now.

well I like the car, and I found one that is in mint condition, no rust and no body damage, and it has the alloy wheels, so I thought if I could drop in a GT enging it would be an awesome sleeper especally if I could put a Turbo on it! somthing else (one of my wild highly unlikely ideas) was what does the Euro motor put out? I,ver herd from 276hp to 450hp, where could I get my hands on one of those motors? what would the cost be? what is the ease of installation? But back to the origonal idea any help with this would be appricated, and, does anyone know where I could find a LSD for this car?? Thanks

would be an awesome sleeper especally if I could put a Turbo on it!
Putting a Turbo on a 1.9 is posible. Me and my buddy, 450HPviper, installed a Garrett Turbo Charger on his 93 scort pony last week.


somthing else (one of my wild highly unlikely ideas)
450HPviper and you would get along just fine. :) I think you should keep the 1.9, its not all that bad of a motor, I don't know how many times Steve aka 450HPviper has reved the shit out of it and it still runs great. By adding a magnaflow muffler and putting a cold air intake on; you will notice alot of a power change. The Turbo on the other hand works about half. I think that we will get to making it work right another day. For now, we are focusing on things that will not involve alot of work. The cold air induction tube and addaptor to his cone filer should come in any day.

well the reason I want a GT engine is because it has better engine breathing at high rpm and because it is an DOHC engine I can get cams and cam gears to better utilize the turbo charger, and the 1.9 sorta dies out at 5000 rpm which dosent help with the accel times
and the 450 hp motor I was talking about was the Cosworth in Europe, not a Viper engine and I've herd that they come with upto 450 stock

oooo sorry I see what you ment 450 hp viper is another person lol, sorry about the confusion

It's me, It's me, It's DDP...................Sorry I had to do it.

Hey, if you really want info for moding your escort, go to escortracing.com and post on their forum.

450HPviper has found alot on that site. All the people seem very nice and are willing to help out.

They are just escorts, most of which are 2nd gens. (91-95)

a GT 1.8 BP swap wouldnt be worth it..if you want more power and a different engine then get a 97 Escort SPI motor..it will bolt right up, or if u wanna go further u could get a Mazda GTX 1.8 Turbo motor from corksport which will also bolt up...but will need some wiring, the spi is simple and would only take u around a weekend if u want more info lemme know!

well the more I look at it i have decided that I'm not gonna go all out with this car, i will do a few (keeping the stock engine) to help breathing in the top end (short ram intake header and cat back exhaust and a clutch (cauze it needs one as it is) and I am ging to save up for a Probe GTS hard to find, but nice, very nice

hello mr.tw (and all others)
I run a "95" tracer/ escort w/ N/A 1.9L cvh sefi ,I'm getting a dynoed 189 hp @5700rpm w/ 198 flbs tourque I run .. blackdiamond racing UDP ,9mm fordracing plugwires,I have shaved all accesorys(AC ,power steerring),homemade intake(the whole thing ,including injector bosses for 8 injectors) ,65 mm throttlebody,ECT mod,MAFS mod,ford racing 19#injectors, ported head,reground cam,NOS adjustable fuel press and a 50hp wetshot of nitrous,relocated my battery (for conveniance not weight transfer),a strut tower bar designed for a mazda 323,paceshitter 4-2-1 header,blowing down 2 3/4" pipe to a ractive can, fuel pump out of a new mustang(good for about 60 psi)
stock exterior apperance(just clean)stock spoiler(big ones just slow you down),ohh yeah ,the interior is stripped in the back ,carpet removed (I removed 322 lbs of crap! from the interior) and interior painted (color matched to the exterior)no radio ,no speakers,no airbags, maybee one day I'll get a roll bar ,but for now I have only a piece of chrome molly pipe welded behind each seat for the five point harness attachments
a turbo /intercooler is in the near future

all in all ,I have only spent about $3000 including machine shop and new rubber, I beat civics and preludes all day ,so ,please, mod your escort, dont ever buy a honda
pictures will be posted here soon ,please dont ask for them

rice is for eating not driving
racetracer
:smoker:

I run a "95" tracer/ escort w/ N/A 1.9L cvh sefi ,I'm getting a dynoed 189 hp @5700rpm w/ 198 flbs tourque I run .. blackdiamond racing UDP ,9mm fordracing plugwires,I have shaved all accesorys(AC ,power steerring),homemade intake(the whole thing ,including injector bosses for 8 injectors) ,65 mm throttlebody,ECT mod,MAFS mod,ford racing 19#injectors, ported head,reground cam,NOS adjustable fuel press and a 50hp wetshot of nitrous,relocated my battery (for conveniance not weight transfer),a strut tower bar designed for a mazda 323,paceshitter 4-2-1 header,blowing down 2 3/4" pipe to a ractive can, fuel pump out of a new mustang(good for about 60 psi)

Just made my day.:D

So what times do you run?
Are you a member of escortracing.com?

mostly 13.80's in the 90's my best , last weekend was 13.63 @91 actual,this weekend I will up the nitrous to a .040 jet(70hp shot)
Ill let you know what the difference is in times

later
racetracer

Originally posted by Scott 02

Putting a Turbo on a 1.9 is posible. Me and my buddy, 450HPviper, installed a Garrett Turbo Charger on his 93 scort pony last week.

You need to tell me every think you know about the turbo project you did.
What is this "Garrett Turbo Charger" from? did you make your own manifold?
How much boost is it running and what did you use for fuel/ignition managment?
I have almost every thing to start, I have a EXP turbo/mani/down pipe, Intercooler, FMU, BOV, 24# injectors, A-FPR......

ok ,throw away,....well, sell the exp parts on ebay, except the computer and injectors and map sensor and respective wiring
find a manifold from a european ( uk) escort rs ,they use garrett t-3 turbo,.....a very popular turbo /with plenty ov aftermarket support .the usa scorts and exps had IHI turbos (short life junk with no adaptability to your performance level)
I found a couple on ebay I am personaly bidding on two of them right now, shipping will be sick but I realy want at least one of them
the same seller has three on right now

hope this helps
racetracer

OK..Maybe I should of said that I have a second generation Escort, the EXP computer, MAP and injectors will not work on my car.
I know that the EXP Turbo in NOT water cooled, there fore it has a shorter life than a water cooled one, Thats ok with me because I dont exspect the motor or car to last that long any ways.
And I know that the EXP turbo is smaller (spools really fast) and can only efficitly make around 10 psi maybe more before it just blows a bunch of hot air, that ok with me also because I only exspect to run about 7 psi because I'am turboing a stock motor, it will still add 60-70 hp, thats all I need.
If I do need more boost I can bolt up a 2.3 TC Turbo, it will make more boost and is water cooled for a longer life, this turbo can make 300 hp on a escort.
I'am still gonna stick with my original plans.
But I'am allways open to idea's.

hey I went to escort racing a bunch of times and could not get to the forum section ,everything else works but no forums ????
any info ???

also jeff
you have a "96 " you are tryin to turbo according to your profile it's a hybrid SPI I can see now why your EXP injectors wont fit the spi uses the high impedance /high pressure type ....(skinny ones)
well you could make them fit....if you have the fuel rail from a sefi engine it will bolt down to the spi intake with little brackets you can make yourself if you have a pair of pliers and a drill

Did you change your fuel pump when you changed your engine?
if not ...you may want to .The spi fuel pump is a much higher pressure@delivery then the sefi ,(60-70 psi,not to mention it is a non return system(fuel that goes to the engine ,stays at the engine untill it is burned). You may be losing throttle response and a little HP with the 40 -50 lb pump that came in your 96.
all said, if you want to try to use the EXP inj. then you will need to keep the return system
also a cheap (well sortof) turbo friendly fuel upgrade,buy a used haltech 5th inj. controller(about $250,and a new ford racing low imp. 46# injector $65 mount the injector at the input tube of the intercooler(a bonus for this location is colder intake temps), possibly higher boost levels could be run,..
Now the ranting.........
Its been my experiance when adding HP to your car ,...some is good ,for a little while ,sooner or later ,more is better,and more and more and more and more, well, you get my point. it's addictive

I work at a ford dealer(in parts) ,if you blow-it up ,I always make a special discount for turbo-scorts
I'm working on a relativly "bolt on" kit that will allow sefi or spi owners to put a 2.0l zetech head on their 1.9L/2.0L 8 valve bangers, so far ,about 70% finnished and the cost including ported ford racing head is under $3k ,but only $1600 if you already have a zetech head

the only major issues I have encountered so far....I had to change the water pump ,well actualy I removed it completly ....circulation will be provided by an electric pump ...supplyed with the kit, a block off/water neck plate is also provided
and oil return passages in the block ,there are 8 drainbacks in the ze engine and only 4 in the cvh engines,ammazing but everything else lines up , but oil will lay in the exaust side of the head ,it drains, but it has to run to the intake side of the head to get to the drains,I dont think it will cause trouble ,but if your valve stem seals give up, then it's gonna smoke like a M F er

ok, I'm done jabbering,any questions will be answered with long and pointless rants ,you have been warned .
later
Racetracer:smoker:

Originally posted by RACETRACER
hey I went to escort racing a bunch of times and could not get to the forum section ,everything else works but no forums ????
any info ???

also jeff
you have a "96 " you are tryin to turbo according to your profile it's a hybrid SPI I can see now why your EXP injectors wont fit the spi uses the high impedance /high pressure type ....(skinny ones)
well you could make them fit....if you have the fuel rail from a sefi engine it will bolt down to the spi intake with little brackets you can make yourself if you have a pair of pliers and a drill

Did you change your fuel pump when you changed your engine?
if not ...you may want to .The spi fuel pump is a much higher pressure@delivery then the sefi ,(60-70 psi,not to mention it is a non return system(fuel that goes to the engine ,stays at the engine untill it is burned). You may be losing throttle response and a little HP with the 40 -50 lb pump that came in your 96.
all said, if you want to try to use the EXP inj. then you will need to keep the return system
also a cheap (well sortof) turbo friendly fuel upgrade,buy a used haltech 5th inj. controller(about $250,and a new ford racing low imp. 46# injector $65 mount the injector at the input tube of the intercooler(a bonus for this location is colder intake temps), possibly higher boost levels could be run,..
Now the ranting.........
Its been my experiance when adding HP to your car ,...some is good ,for a little while ,sooner or later ,more is better,and more and more and more and more, well, you get my point. it's addictive

I work at a ford dealer(in parts) ,if you blow-it up ,I always make a special discount for turbo-scorts
I'm working on a relativly "bolt on" kit that will allow sefi or spi owners to put a 2.0l zetech head on their 1.9L/2.0L 8 valve bangers, so far ,about 70% finnished and the cost including ported ford racing head is under $3k ,but only $1600 if you already have a zetech head

the only major issues I have encountered so far....I had to change the water pump ,well actualy I removed it completly ....circulation will be provided by an electric pump ...supplyed with the kit, a block off/water neck plate is also provided
and oil return passages in the block ,there are 8 drainbacks in the ze engine and only 4 in the cvh engines,ammazing but everything else lines up , but oil will lay in the exaust side of the head ,it drains, but it has to run to the intake side of the head to get to the drains,I dont think it will cause trouble ,but if your valve stem seals give up, then it's gonna smoke like a M F er

ok, I'm done jabbering,any questions will be answered with long and pointless rants ,you have been warned .
later
Racetracer:smoker:
ERDT is down again, its been very unstable lately.
I have a 97 SPI, that is the only year that the 2.0 SPI had a normal return fuel line system, so my 96 pump is compatible with the 97 injecors, FPR and rail. Its the 98 and up Escorts and Focus's that are non-return line, "psi changing pump's".
Every thing runs great, I'm pretty sure that my throttle responce is good because I can breake the wheel's loose at will in first gear with out haveing to dump the clutch.
I ran a 16.3 1/4 with stock "bald" 175/65 14's. :D

The forum is down again:( The turbo was just taken off and I'm ready to put a turbo that actually works in it. Wish me luck.

Originally posted by jeffescortlx


You need to tell me every think you know about the turbo project you did.
What is this "Garrett Turbo Charger" from? did you make your own manifold?
How much boost is it running and what did you use for fuel/ignition managment?
I have almost every thing to start, I have a EXP turbo/mani/down pipe, Intercooler, FMU, BOV, 24# injectors, A-FPR......


did you get the answer you where looking for?

Originally posted by RACETRACER



did you get the answer you where looking for?
I was hopeing you had more info on second gen motors.
Like how much boost a stock 91-96 1.9 or 2.0 SPI can take (when done correctly)?
Do you know if a 2.0 head can fit on a 1.9 block and what the C/R would be?

ok,..... 91-95 escorts or tracers never had a 2.0L spi ,....
I know quite a bit about the 1.9L SEFI ,and I know the key measurements ,like
head bolt patern ,bore spacing ,oil feed and many others ,are the same on both engines.
The only major diferences are the intake and piston diameter.
ford calls for the same head gasket ,crankshaft ,camshaft,(long list)for both engines.
it makes sense that a 2.0L head would work on a 1.9L block

If you wana try ,I have a SPI engine for sale, throttle body to oil pan complete $200 +frieght(probably about $200) only 14,000miles,I wont be needing it ,corksport located my GTX engine yesterday,after two months ,I will have it in a month or so. $2400 total including shipping,fair price to pay for the ability to whip mustangs and a sleu or other ,so called, fast cars
(gloat,gloat,gloat)grinn:flash:

boost,psi = I say- 12# others say 7# some have said 14# but it realy boils down to, how long you want to keep it running and what else you are willing to do to the engine. An escort clutch will not hold more than 170 hp ,it wont grip,so upgrade is required when boosting over 7#
you are gonna realy want a crane or MSD ignition (dis w/ boost retard)
ford's e-dis system will make to much advance at high rpm, cracked pistons and bent valves live here!!! ,
the ford fuel control system can be lied to enough,that with bigger injectors, a little MAFS tweaking and a boost referencing fuel pressure regulator ,it seems to work fine.

remember,I work at a dealer, what ever I dont know .I can find out

Hope this helps
racetracer

Originally posted by RACETRACER
ok,..... 91-95 escorts or tracers never had a 2.0L spi ,....
An escort clutch will not hold more than 170 hp ,it wont grip,so upgrade is required when boosting over 7#


My second gen 96 has a 2.0 SPI :D I swapped one in about 1 year ago.
It was only 300 bucks at a yard, with 40,000 mi.
Did you know that you can use a SPI flywheel/pressure plate on a 1.9 or 2.0 with a 90-99 Eclipse turbo clutch disc (same spline count and diaº) on a second gen lx tranny? That would make tons of holding power for little money (I got mine lightend for free, and the cluth disc was only 50 buck new).
Can you find out if I would need a different timing belt if I put a 2.0 head on a 1.9 block, is all the dementions the same?
Take a look and some of my pics http://www.intergate.com/~ttool/swap.html

hi i have a ford escort lx 95 it was my brothers car and he passed so its now mine i was wondering what is the flange size on the intake so that way i can narrow down the turbo that i want to get im in the process right now of getting it off a ford probe gt 94. but if the flange size is T3 then i shall go with the eclispe turbo that my friend has. Also for engine swapin one of my friends told me to go with a newish ford focus but i was thinkin about taking the engine,tranny, driveshaft,and rear axle and replacing them with a audi A4 engine and turn it into four wheel drive but its just been a thought. If you have any thoughts email me at [email protected].
thank you