Uprating x-flow
Discussion
I am currently in the middle of rebuilding the 1.6 x flow that was in Geoffrey when we bought him.
After having the bores rehoned due to the rings shattering one other thing I wanted to do was up the torque output so was advised to fit an uprated cam shaft (will need to check the pack to say what version it is).
This cam will increase the engines output by 8 HP and give the extra torque we are after.
I know that the paperwork that came with it indicates it is the most upgraded cam that can be fitted without having to do any other work on the engine.
So if yours is similar then the answer is yes the cam shaft on its own can improve the engines power.
After having the bores rehoned due to the rings shattering one other thing I wanted to do was up the torque output so was advised to fit an uprated cam shaft (will need to check the pack to say what version it is).
This cam will increase the engines output by 8 HP and give the extra torque we are after.
I know that the paperwork that came with it indicates it is the most upgraded cam that can be fitted without having to do any other work on the engine.
So if yours is similar then the answer is yes the cam shaft on its own can improve the engines power.
Just swapping the cam (and followers of course) will provide more power on its own but it will be so unpleasant to drive, you'll wish you hadn't bothered. At very least you will have to rejet the carb. That will make it run smoothly. However, if you don't have a free flowing exhaust, which means a 4 branch from a GT or Mexico, and a suitably modded distributor, you'll be wasting about half the potential of the cam. You'll also be using a LOT more petrol. Did I mention the gasflowed head with larger inlet valves...
Been there, done it- a long time ago. All tuning routes lead to a comprehensive package of modified parts if the result is to be worthwhile. Just look at all of the things Ford did to the 1600 to make it into a GT- just the same: head/valves, twinchoke carb/manifold, exhaust and distributor. Oh, and a heavier clutch and different gear ratios, bigger brakes and bodywork badges.
Good luck !!!
Been there, done it- a long time ago. All tuning routes lead to a comprehensive package of modified parts if the result is to be worthwhile. Just look at all of the things Ford did to the 1600 to make it into a GT- just the same: head/valves, twinchoke carb/manifold, exhaust and distributor. Oh, and a heavier clutch and different gear ratios, bigger brakes and bodywork badges.
Good luck !!!
A hot cam in a crossflow will work wonders but dont be too ambitious as it could spoil the overall driving experience if you want to use your geep regularly around town.
I dont know the spec of the cam in my 1.7 engine but I do know it can be a real pain to drive slowly in traffic as it has a very lumpy tickover.
Once rolling it whips round the rev counter like there is no tomorrow which is great fun but similarly when you start slowing down you need to change down and keep the revs up slightly or you risk doing a great impression of a learner on their first ever lesson!
I dont know the spec of the cam in my 1.7 engine but I do know it can be a real pain to drive slowly in traffic as it has a very lumpy tickover.
Once rolling it whips round the rev counter like there is no tomorrow which is great fun but similarly when you start slowing down you need to change down and keep the revs up slightly or you risk doing a great impression of a learner on their first ever lesson!
first x flow i ever built had every mistake there is - big valves gas flowed head stage 3 cam twin 40 dcoe carbs free flow manifold and matching janspeed system hepolite high compression pistons and anythin else i thought would make it go faster - and it did go very fast hated going slow stalled unless it was revving over 2500 revs ha no torque till over 3000 revs would keep up with 3.0 capris [in a mk2 cortina] but would drop as low as 8mpg [yes 8] sounded great and was monsterous fun to be a hooligan teenager in but nowadays something more relaxed and less fussy is far more pleasurable to drive and practical as far as mpg is concerned i'd recomend gt spec cam single twinchoke down draught webber freeflow manifold with a bit more open exhaust depending on how loud you want to be and maybe a k&n filter if you can get a gt head thats good too which makes a nice driveable motor a bit faster than standard but with the progressive twinchoke carb when running on the first barrel probably more economical than a single barrel carb there appears to be a manifold and webber in the boot of the samuri which will prolly find their way onto it at some point otherwise keep it as it is with the addage if it aint broke dont fix it just enjoy driving it!!
Why not go for the ZVH , Zetec head on a CVH bottom end seems to be a popular conversion in RS Turbo Escorts and the like.
Never been a really big fan of the CVH (even though I own an XR3!) especially the 1.8 something went wrong when they turned it north/south but if I was going to the trouble of fitting anything it would be a Zetec or 16v Vauxhall.
All the conversion bits are readily available for mark 1 & 2 Escorts so you know it would fit the only problem being you would probably have to junk the injection and go to carbs/throttle bodies with a mapable ECU which brings you full circle with the temptation of a hot cam twin 40's etc etc..... maybe spending a few quid on a X-Flow aint a bad idea at least it is simple and as the endura it lives on in the Ka and Fiesta so parts supply should never be a problem.
Heres irony for you , less than a year ago I sold a complete running mark 2 Escort via ebay , a chap from York bought it as a donor for a locost he was bulding , a friend originally bought it to banger race but changed his mind I gave him a drink on it and thought about 1/4 bumpers lowering blocks etc as I had just sold my Mark 2 Granada limo and wanted a fun car if only I had kept it for spares.....Dammit
Never been a really big fan of the CVH (even though I own an XR3!) especially the 1.8 something went wrong when they turned it north/south but if I was going to the trouble of fitting anything it would be a Zetec or 16v Vauxhall.
All the conversion bits are readily available for mark 1 & 2 Escorts so you know it would fit the only problem being you would probably have to junk the injection and go to carbs/throttle bodies with a mapable ECU which brings you full circle with the temptation of a hot cam twin 40's etc etc..... maybe spending a few quid on a X-Flow aint a bad idea at least it is simple and as the endura it lives on in the Ka and Fiesta so parts supply should never be a problem.
Heres irony for you , less than a year ago I sold a complete running mark 2 Escort via ebay , a chap from York bought it as a donor for a locost he was bulding , a friend originally bought it to banger race but changed his mind I gave him a drink on it and thought about 1/4 bumpers lowering blocks etc as I had just sold my Mark 2 Granada limo and wanted a fun car if only I had kept it for spares.....Dammit
in an ideal world if money was no object i would go for a turbo'd cosworth 2.9 v6 or even zetec turbo.
But thats never going to happen!!
The point i was making though was that for the price to modify a x-flow with hot cam etc you could simply put a carbed pinto in for a lot less money and similar gains
just an idea
keith
But thats never going to happen!!
The point i was making though was that for the price to modify a x-flow with hot cam etc you could simply put a carbed pinto in for a lot less money and similar gains
just an idea
keith
Don't fit a stage 3 cam for road use, You will, as stated by other members, end up with an awfull driving experience. The stage 3 cam from kent is generally a rally or race spec unit. Stage 1 would be fine if uprating to GT spec on your engine (4 branch with exhaust, twin choke carb, K & N, gas flowed head).
Knowing some peoples' enthusiasm for such products (Yes you Chris!!!) I'm surprised no-one has mentioned any of the low-friction additives for oil that are available.
My only experience has been with Slick50 in an old BMW 2002 but I have to say that the improvement was almost instant (well 30 seconds) and very noticeable. I would say that the effect felt like a 5% increase in power. Not bad for £15 or so. It was like that performance gain Ford engines get on damp days when the mixture richens slightly and the thing feels zippier.
My only experience has been with Slick50 in an old BMW 2002 but I have to say that the improvement was almost instant (well 30 seconds) and very noticeable. I would say that the effect felt like a 5% increase in power. Not bad for £15 or so. It was like that performance gain Ford engines get on damp days when the mixture richens slightly and the thing feels zippier.
Thanks Chris, I couldn't remember the name of your favourite brew. However I do remember the demonstration rig that they take to the shows, the one where you can seize a spinning roller by leaning on a steel bar with just oil between the two. Then the oil is replaced by Activ8 and it just keeps turning under any load you can put on it. That is very impressive. Even if you don't use the engine's increased performance, you must get better mpg. Is there any downside at all- like being unable to rebore the engine or re-grind the crank bearing faces??? Can't see why there would be but there must be a reason we're not all using it.
>> Edited by IanA on Thursday 2nd December 16:30
>> Edited by IanA on Thursday 2nd December 16:30
Hi Ian
I think quite a few people think it is pricey (which I suppose it aint the cheapest thing around) but when you think what it can do regards better mpg and reduction in wear etc it is worth it.
Geoffreys 1600 has been rebored/honed (must get round to finishing the rebuild) with no problems.
It has certainly got us out of a few possible engine wrecking situations in the past but at the end of the day I suppose it is down to individual choice.
The main thing to remember is an engine or any other mechanical item you intend to use it on has to be run/bedded in before the Activ8 is used otherwise in theory the engine etc will not bed in.
Back before we came across Activ8 we had used Slick 50 in some stuff but it was not as good as this stuff.
I think quite a few people think it is pricey (which I suppose it aint the cheapest thing around) but when you think what it can do regards better mpg and reduction in wear etc it is worth it.
Geoffreys 1600 has been rebored/honed (must get round to finishing the rebuild) with no problems.
It has certainly got us out of a few possible engine wrecking situations in the past but at the end of the day I suppose it is down to individual choice.
The main thing to remember is an engine or any other mechanical item you intend to use it on has to be run/bedded in before the Activ8 is used otherwise in theory the engine etc will not bed in.
Back before we came across Activ8 we had used Slick 50 in some stuff but it was not as good as this stuff.
activ8 is ace stuff - stopped the geeps 1600 pinto big ends knocking and made it run better to boot use it in anything thats done over 30 000 miles used it on loads of cars and slick50 too they all work but engine recon guys hate it - not sure why though i get activ8 off the addit rep our shop dont sell it as the rep sells to garages at same price as to us addit also do the best radiator sealant and their injector cleaners are also the best the car will actually run on the spray on stuff and their top add to the tank injector cleaner raised the octane rating too [i also dont work for or receive commission off these companies]
One from the Sylva list- this is a very informative and entertaining website devoted to modifying internal combustion engines. It is about 60% devoted to Ford- xflow, CVH and Pinto and well worth reading. The guy doesn't have much good to say about the UK cam regrinding industry but gives a lot of advice about choosing and setting up cams.
www.pumaracing.co.uk/mainmenu.htm
www.pumaracing.co.uk/mainmenu.htm
When I first bought the Geep the owner said he had always run it on LRP which he bought only 2 miles away at a Texaco station , he last filled it up 2 months before that day and sure enough they no longer sold it , so on my way home I called at Asda where I bought LRP only 3 weeks before for my XR3 but all the pumps were padlocked , is this a national trend to stop selling LRP ?
As panic set in I went to Sainsburys and bless em they have 6 LRP pumps.... wicked, until 2 days ago , " No LRP until further notice" - all pumps locked up guess it means no more ..... the alternative now is 89.9 per litre for LRP at my in-laws local filling station , however just down the road from them they still sell genuine FULL FAT Leaded 4-star (one of only 2 filling stations in South Yorkshire).
Ok so its 1.05 per litre and I have to travel 7 miles to get it but I went today for a tenners worth to give it a quick whirl before going the additive route and on the way home its smoother , strangely quieter , more responsive ,less of a pig at low revs and even runs cooler pretty much the same as my friend said it would after he started using it in his Viva and Scimitar .
I still cant believe how a simple change of fuel can have such a dramatic and immediate effect and as my other 2 cars both have cats I aint even gonna feel the slightest bit guilty!!!!!
As panic set in I went to Sainsburys and bless em they have 6 LRP pumps.... wicked, until 2 days ago , " No LRP until further notice" - all pumps locked up guess it means no more ..... the alternative now is 89.9 per litre for LRP at my in-laws local filling station , however just down the road from them they still sell genuine FULL FAT Leaded 4-star (one of only 2 filling stations in South Yorkshire).
Ok so its 1.05 per litre and I have to travel 7 miles to get it but I went today for a tenners worth to give it a quick whirl before going the additive route and on the way home its smoother , strangely quieter , more responsive ,less of a pig at low revs and even runs cooler pretty much the same as my friend said it would after he started using it in his Viva and Scimitar .
I still cant believe how a simple change of fuel can have such a dramatic and immediate effect and as my other 2 cars both have cats I aint even gonna feel the slightest bit guilty!!!!!
we were running lrp on our 1.6 pinto geep if poss even though its got an unleaded head but we found some full leaded on way to scotland WOW it loved it performance wise and mpg was 10 - 15 % better i believe theres a website that tells you where you can get leaded dunno where though - anyone seen it??
Hi,
I think you are referring to www.leadedpetrol.co.uk
you can download a list of all stations selling leaded stuff or search by the firs 2 leters of the postcode. Some parts of the site don't seem to work any more
We have a garage 4 miles from us that sells it.
I think you are referring to www.leadedpetrol.co.uk
you can download a list of all stations selling leaded stuff or search by the firs 2 leters of the postcode. Some parts of the site don't seem to work any more
We have a garage 4 miles from us that sells it.
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