What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
Ford escort - Ford Zetec Engine piston dish - Tommk4

I dont suppose anyone can tell me, or point me in the direction of how to find out the exact CC of the dish in the top of the pistons in later Zetec engines?

Ford escort - Ford Zetec Engine piston dish - Peter.N.

If you can see the top of the piston through the plug hole, run some liquid into it with the car level until it reaches the top of the piston and measure the ammount it takes - be sure to suck it out before you start the engine!

Ford escort - Ford Zetec Engine piston dish - Collos25

Unusual request if its so important have a look at a new one and take what measurments you require.

Ford escort - Ford Zetec Engine piston dish - skidpan

It depends on the engine size and type. There is the "Yamaha" Zetec in 1.25, 1.4,1.6 and 1.7 sizes and the Mondeo/Focus Zetec in 1.6,1.8 and 2.0 flavours.

All I can say for certain is the 2.0 ones are flat top.

But to measure the capacity you need to have a piston on the bench or the head off the engine.

Ford escort - Ford Zetec Engine piston dish - Tommk4

Sorry I forgot to mention it is a 2 litre. And the later 2.0's do have a dish, earlier ones were flat.

I know how to measure it, I also know that I dont have the specialist tools to do it accurately. But I'm sure that someone somewhere will know the answer!

Ford escort - Ford Zetec Engine piston dish - bathtub tom

I'm sure many of us are intrigued as to why you want to know?

Ford escort - Ford Zetec Engine piston dish - Collos25

I thought that, it cannot be for anything serious or he would have all the relevent tools in fact if he were serious he would not be asking he would be doing.

Ford escort - Ford Zetec Engine piston dish - skidpan

Tommk4

In the title you say "Ford escort - Ford Zetec Engine piston dish"!.

Then later you say its a later 2 litre.

Sorry to tell you but the 2 litre Zetec was never fitted to Escorts by Ford. They had 1.6 and 1.8's Silvertops.

Ford escort - Ford Zetec Engine piston dish - mfarrow

I would have thought that the easiest way to do this would be either with some oil and a syringe (if you can get the piston flat), or putty and some accurate weighing scales.

Ford escort - Ford Zetec Engine piston dish - Tommk4

Right, since you asked.

Its a zetec bottom end with a CVH turbo top end, a common modification on old 1980's escorts.

The reason I need to know is because I need the data for the formula to work out the compression ratio and therefore the thickness of the custom made head gasket.

If you dont know the answer there's no need to be rude (Collos). It's easy, just don't respond, find a better way to spend your time.

To those who have genuinley tried to help, thanks.

Ford escort - Ford Zetec Engine piston dish - Tommk4

And to pre-empt the next unnecessarily pedantic statement.

It would not be accurate enough to fill a syringe with a fluid and check how much it takes to fill the dish, there are too many variable factors, surface tension etc. I know what tools are needed to do it, I don’t have them, and the correct data will be available somewhere so I would rather find that and be 100% sure i have the right numbers, otherwise I risk blowing a rather expensive head gasket.

Ford escort - Ford Zetec Engine piston dish - skidpan

Since you haven't got a head gasket its clear to me the head is off the car so no need to talk about putting oil down a plug hole.

When I have had the need to check combustion chamber volumes in the past I made a simple piece of perspex with 2 holes in it, on to put the thin oil in and one to let any air out. You could no doubt do exactly the same on top of a piston, no surface tension to worry about then.

With regards to pistons in ZVH engines I was always led to believe you had to buy specials to get the compression ratio correct. Or are you trying to do an economy build using a special head gasket instead. If this is the case are you sure you have sufficient valve to piston clearance.

Ford escort - Ford Zetec Engine piston dish - Collos25

Right, since you asked.

Its a zetec bottom end with a CVH turbo top end, a common modification on old 1980's escorts.

The reason I need to know is because I need the data for the formula to work out the compression ratio and therefore the thickness of the custom made head gasket.

If you dont know the answer there's no need to be rude (Collos). It's easy, just don't respond, find a better way to spend your time.

To those who have genuinley tried to help, thanks.

Nobody is being rude you do not give all the relevent information as it happens you appear to have more than we do you have the piston already judging by your mail if you cannot work out the compression ratio with all the parts in front of you then I would leave the work to somebody who can..