[SpeedMafia]

Good morning,

I am hoping to gain some insight into my current project. I am working on a 1.6L turbo engine and ECU and would like to replace it with something newer and more tunable. I am not overly familiar with this type of car, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am not looking to install an LS1 engine ha ha ha.

Thank you for your help.

Best regards,

 

[marclar]

megasquirt is probably the best bet these days.

 

[Scotman2]

There was a good reason why the 1.6 EFI was a short lived offering. The Turbocharged version was barely a production engine. Really it was more of a limited production offering through a contract with Roush engineering that probably should never have been done in the first place.
I was a Ford dealership technician in 1984 and 1985. The non turbo 1.6 EFI engine was very fragile. We were replacing cylinder heads under warranty quite regularly and it didn’t really fix the problem.
I would be looking at doing a modern 1.6 Ecoboost instead of messing with the old 1.6.
The basic mid eighties Escort GT would be a rocket with an Ecoboost power train, even if you left it completely stock.

 

[SpeedMafia]

There was a good reason why the 1.6 EFI was a short lived offering. The Turbocharged version was barely a production engine. Really it was more of a limited production offering through a contract with Roush engineering that probably should never have been done in the first place.
I was a Ford dealership technician in 1984 and 1985. The non turbo 1.6 EFI engine was very fragile. We were replacing cylinder heads under warranty quite regularly and it didn’t really fix the problem.
I would be looking at doing a modern 1.6 Ecoboost instead of messing with the old 1.6.
The basic mid eighties Escort GT would be a rocket with an Ecoboost power train, even if you left it completely stock.

Wait what! Hold the phone! You were a tech at the time for these escorts! My lord you have answered my prayers! I have so many questions! Lol

Can I send the car to you to fix the engine codes lol... I have it tuned pretty good but damn I wish I had HP Tuners! I have looked high and low for someone that knows these cars. I need to swap out the heater core but have no clue how to get to it? If I can get it running super clean and idle nicely I would be in love.

Back to the response... yes that is the goal...either leave it totally stock and drive it around as a daily and little car shows... or make it a rocket ship with a cage.

Thank you so much for the response you made my day!

 

[SpeedMafia]

There was a good reason why the 1.6 EFI was a short lived offering. The Turbocharged version was barely a production engine. Really it was more of a limited production offering through a contract with Roush engineering that probably should never have been done in the first place.
I was a Ford dealership technician in 1984 and 1985. The non turbo 1.6 EFI engine was very fragile. We were replacing cylinder heads under warranty quite regularly and it didn’t really fix the problem.
I would be looking at doing a modern 1.6 Ecoboost instead of messing with the old 1.6.
The basic mid eighties Escort GT would be a rocket with an Ecoboost power train, even if you left it completely stock.

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[Scotman2]

Going to a salvage yard would be the best way to go. Then you can get the full engine harness and controller along with the cluster as well as the transmission, drive axles, shifter and all the other ancillary parts including the fuel lines and tank assembly. junk yards are the original concept for one stop shopping. eBay is the last place to buy from.
The new 1.6 has an hydraulic clutch and a fuel system that has a pump driver module instead of a fuel return line. The throttle is by wire. So the cable pull type throttle is history.
you will need the instrument cluster and harness too because all the speed,temperature oil pressure etc are canbus. It would be a great project.

 

[SpeedMafia]

Going to a salvage yard would be the best way to go. Then you can get the full engine harness and controller along with the cluster as well as the transmission, drive axles, shifter and all the other ancillary parts including the fuel lines and tank assembly. junk yards are the original concept for one stop shopping. eBay is the last place to buy from.
The new 1.6 has an hydraulic clutch and a fuel system that has a pump driver module instead of a fuel return line. The throttle is by wire. So the cable pull type throttle is history.
you will need the instrument cluster and harness too because all the speed,temperature oil pressure etc are canbus. It would be a great project.

My lord yiu are opening my eyes! I think this is my game plan for now. With all this information I think I'll get the car 100% back to 1985... paint, seats etc... then while I'm doing that buy a wrecked salvaged car and take my time taking it apart and when everything is laid out try to the swap all at one time and modify accordingly.

Sucks so bad I don't know the little things on setting up the timing on this and low voltage on bank 1? It has error codes I have no clue how to fix lol

 

[Scotman2]

My lord yiu are opening my eyes! I think this is my game plan for now. With all this information I think I'll get the car 100% back to 1985... paint, seats etc... then while I'm doing that buy a wrecked salvaged car and take my time taking it apart and when everything is laid out try to the swap all at one time and modify accordingly.

Sucks so bad I don't know the little things on setting up the timing on this and low voltage on bank 1? It has error codes I have no clue how to fix lol

Those cars were a nightmare when they were only a couple of years old. Ford was just dropping new cylinder head assemblies on them to get them out of the warranty period.
I really liked how they drove and the way they were trimmed and Finnished, but not one ford mechanic was surprised that they stopped building the Escort GT until 1986.

 

[SpeedMafia]

Right! I'm 49 years old and it was my first car and I have the original sales receipt lol... nice car for a 16 yr old... lets put it this way... about 2 gallons of gas in it and I would run or even beat 1985-6 irocs... it could corner awesome with those michelin trx tires.. damn now I need to work on it! If you k ow any mechanics in colorado lmk lol

 

[Scotman2]

YOU! You are the mechanic. The problem that was/ is killing the EFI 1.6 cvh is an inherently weak casting of the cylinder head.
It’s not something that can be avoided by installing a more efficient radiator or cutting vents into the hood.
The dealership I was working at took the failed head to our very early build 84 EGT demonstrator to a very good welding shop that routinely did work on hi performance marine engines and motorcycles.
Once we got the head stripped down and tanked we Zyglowed the combustion chambers and found a tiny crack between the intake and exhaust valve pockets on the number three cylinder.
Welding any metal casting introduces stresses into the piece that alters the expansion and contraction of it as it’s heated and cooled.

This shop had the capability of pre heating a component to a given temperature just prior to welding the defect area. This process is supposed to lessen the stress on the repair areas.
The crack was welded up and then we took the head to a nearby automotive machine shop to be checked again for warpage and have the chamber machined to accept the valves.
That very carefully made repair lasted about two months before the coolant was weeping into the number three cylinder yet again.
The service manager was very experienced with building racing engines and mechanical
issues in general. He had concluded that the design of the cylinder head had insufficient coolant flow to that area of the head and it developed what he described as a “hot spot “.
A good fix would have required Ford to design a new version of the casting. I think that a fix could be better done today if the head was welded as I described and then after machine work was done it would have to be sent out for a process that applies a ceramic coating on the chambers and valve faces that will reflect heat. The piston faces should also have the same material process done to them. That might work out. The big question today is what effect will almost forty years of time have on the cylinder head that was weak to start with?
I don’t think I would want to find out.
All this shit I just described making a swap to either a 1.9 H.O. or something else seem less intimidating?
I like the basic early Escort body shell. It’s not heavy and it has fully independent suspension and rack and pinion steering.

 

[SpeedMafia]

I like the idea of the swap I think that's my goal! I do like the GM motor with the ecotec 2.0 turbo or supercharger.

 

[Scotman2]

I understand. I have worked on several 1.5 and 2.0 Ecotec. No manual transmission versions yet. They are both good from a practical standpoint of service ease and power. I think that they might be a bit better than the Ecoboost from a design perspective!
the 1.5 Ecotec has a more compatible layout with the exhaust and intakes being oriented in the same way that Ford did the 1.6 and 1.9 HO in our old escorts. I haven’t had the opportunity to measure how the manual transmission version of the 1.5 Ecotec output shaft is located compared to our mtx transmission. Sometimes it’s not located at a do able orientation to allow the axles to go to the hubs without having to move the whole power train either too far forward or back to get the package to fit within the stock engine bay space. The mounts are not really a huge problem. But, the transmission output shaft location sure is.

 

[Joey_Twowagons]

You could simply use a 1.9 HO head, although the combustion chamber volume and thus compression ratio might be altered. This would give you the advantage of roller lifters, if the late HO head were used.

This thread is very useful when studying early cylinder heads:

The Guide to (U.S.) 1st Gen cylinder heads.

The guide to first generation (U.S.) Escort/Exp, Lynx/Ln7 cylinder heads: Intro: Hello everyone, my name is Sean. Before I begin, let me start off this write-up with a guarantee, and a disclaimer. First off I guarantee that the information in this guide is to the best of my knowledge 100%...

www.feoa.net

 

[SpeedMafia]

I'll read it and thank you, I have tuned many of cards from Speed density obd1 and obd2... so compression is no big deal at a mile high, proper tuning and timing/fuel trim. So head swap, stand alone with proper iat temps I can manage. I have an extra block from a gt turbo. Now you got me thinking 🤔... pull it all apart, forged pistons and then get that head with the stand alone all ready to go.

I still like the idea of new technology but found Cobb tuning g has tuning for a 2016 Fiesta st? But keeping as stock as possible is my goal.

Ford wants the car when done to be on the show room floor since we bought it from them back in 1985 lol 😆

This might be a better option?

Either way thanks guys yiu are all awesome 👌 👏 👍🏿

 

[Scotman2]

You could simply use a 1.9 HO head, although the combustion chamber volume and thus compression ratio might be altered. This would give you the advantage of roller lifters, if the late HO head were used.

This thread is very useful when studying early cylinder heads:

The Guide to (U.S.) 1st Gen cylinder heads.

The guide to first generation (U.S.) Escort/Exp, Lynx/Ln7 cylinder heads: Intro: Hello everyone, my name is Sean. Before I begin, let me start off this write-up with a guarantee, and a disclaimer. First off I guarantee that the information in this guide is to the best of my knowledge 100%...

www.feoa.net

It’s a much better solution to just convert it to the 86 to 90 1.9 HO setup. A low compression 1.6 would only be desirable if you were going to do a turbocharger install. But then you would be doing different engine controls as well.
The 1.9 HO is as good as it gets for the gen one Escort. And that isn’t at all bad. It has good drivability, starts easily in very hot or very cold weather and is simple enough for the average person to be able to maintain it as well as troubleshoot any issues. I have enjoyed every one of them I ever had.

 

[SpeedMafia]

It’s a much better solution to just convert it to the 86 to 90 1.9 HO setup. A low compression 1.6 would only be desirable if you were going to do a turbocharger install. But then you would be doing different engine controls as well.
The 1.9 HO is as good as it gets for the gen one Escort. And that isn’t at all bad. It has good drivability, starts easily in very hot or very cold weather and is simple enough for the average person to be able to maintain it as well as troubleshoot any issues. I have enjoyed every one of them I ever had.

This is perfect since mine came stock with a turbo

 

[SpeedMafia]

@scortser @Scotman2 @Joey_Twowagons

What head would you recommend for my 1985 Escort GT Turbo that has the 1.6L? a part number would be great. i did read that article in some detail but i might of missed something. Ill keep looking thought the forum for an answer but at this moment i am not sure what i should be looking for or purchase? Thanks Kevin

 

[Scotman2]

There are no “good or best” cylinder heads for a 1.6 EFI engine that could be pulled out of a box and dropped onto the block. If you could find a new old stock head and then send it out for the ceramic coating process on the chambers and valves, that might, maybe, survive.
You should re read what I said about the issue! It’s real and it was never resolved. The only thing you could do that might make the problem go away is a heat management coating that was only just being used in the aerospace industry and the military when your Escort was a new car.

 

[SpeedMafia]

There are no “good or best” cylinder heads for a 1.6 EFI engine that could be pulled out of a box and dropped onto the block. If you could find a new old stock head and then send it out for the ceramic coating process on the chambers and valves, that might, maybe, survive.
You should re read what I said about the issue! It’s real and it was never resolved. The only thing you could do that might make the problem go away is a heat management coating that was only just being used in the aerospace industry and the military when your Escort was a new car.

yeah i will upgrade the head ffrom the 1.9L

 

[SpeedMafia]

i believe this head should work.... will have to confirm everything