Know anything about the old ford 1.3 motor?

[StevenRB45]

I know should probably do this on a ford forum but can't be bothered to go through the whole sign up e.t.c. to ask a couple of questions, Friend of mine recently got a 59bhp 1.3 Ka and wants to know if its a non-interference engine, also wants to know if it can be tuned to beat my punto but tbf first one is the more important question.

 

[arc]

noah used that engine to power his desk fan on the ark.

its rubbish.. i mean, come on, 59bhp from a 1.3? My cinqs origonal engine was 54bhp from a 1.1.

will it beat a 1242 16v punto? no. well, maybe at oil consumption, or tappet noise!!

 

[oilrag]

The 1.3 was a pushrod cast iron engine without a cambelt.

 

[Ffoxy]

:yeahthat: !

Not much poke but usually kept going for ever. Good old fashioned chain driven cam mounted halfway-ish down the engine operating valves via pushrods about 10 inches long! They are quite tuneable actually, plenty parts about to make them quite quick! Hi lift cam, webber carbs, free-flow ported, hi-compression head, electronic ignition, fit an electric fan, racing zorst. But then the suspension and brakes need uprating too dont forget! Not cheap!

 

[J333EVO]

Long lasting engines that have a decent spread of torque, but not that quick.

Funny how folk think chain driven is old fashioned because most modern engines now are being designed with chains again as they are more reliable and last longer and car manufacturers get many many complaints about the cost of changing belts which can in fact effect the resale value of cars.

The engine in my Ignis Sport is bang up to date only being used for first time about 3 years back 1490cc 16V VVT and has a chain, therefore servicing costs are never more than oil and filter change & then brake fluid and coolant @36 & 72K with the chain not needing anything other than a visual check until past 100K miles.

The Japs are good at this because they sell lots of cars in developing countries where servicing is neglected or when it is done has to be very easy to access everything and not need anything other than basic tools to service the vehicle.

The Yanks (and cars sold in US) are also good at this because cars sold there must be able to go 110K without anything other than very basic servicing i.e. oil and plugs.

 

[Ffoxy]

Its the chain drive linked to pushrods and side mounted cam thats an old idea.

Works though, and as you correctly say, less maintenance reliant, although good oils is essential, even the old K11 Micra needs oilchanges at 6k miles.

And remember, a torquey 1.3 tuned pushrod in a car not weighed down with NCAP re-inforcing metalwork and all the gizmo's and gadgets modern cars have can and do deliver a fun drive!

 

[jug]

when you said old i thought you mean the crossflow. the 1.3 HCS (high compression swirl) is still a new engine by my standards

the 1.3 HCS (or endura/ endura-e if you prefer) is a great engine if you want a reliable run about.

if the timing chain snaps the valves will hit the pistons. the chances of that happening are bascially zero unless the engine has done 200k, and even then its bloody slim. basically you never have to worry about it. ford do not recommend changing the chain ever, nor the tensioner.

you need to adjust the tappets regularly (takes 5 mins with a feeler gauge and ring spanner, change rocker gasket at same time, costs £2 for a new cork gasket)

keep an eye on the oil because they tend to burn it a lot. poor oil circulation can lead to camshaft lobe wear but that is only really an issue on badly serviced engines or if you dont keep an eye on the oil.

i abused a 1.3HCS escort from 70k to 125k and it never let me down once, it had a few boyracer owners prior to me. definately a more reliable and strong engine than anything else i've ever owned. crap power and torque, and not very fuel efficient, but that wasnt an issue at the time (just got license back after a ban).

tuning the 1.3HCS is a waste of time. the valves are tiny, you cant fit the 1.4 or 1.6 head, the only way to get it moving is to rip the fuel injection off and stick a carb on (from an earlier 1.4 CVH). it made mine a bit faster, but it still wasnt fast, it didnt like winters, and it cant pass an MOT like that. changing cams is pointless on the 1.3 HCS.

if you have the money, you can ask these guys to do miracles
http://www.specialisedengines.co.uk/hcs/
but as they told me at the time, its better to buy a faster car.

 

[StevenRB45]

Cheers people thats what I needed to know, tbf i was trying to get her to get a Sei sporting and she wanted one but her parents refused cos apparently they are death traps.....oh well

 

[maddogmorg]

i
f the timing chain snaps the valves will hit the pistons. the chances of that happening are bascially zero unless the engine has done 200k, and even then its bloody slim. basically you never have to worry about it. ford do not recommend changing the chain ever, nor the tensioner.

i think that happened to my friends fiesta though saying that the engine would still run. he got a new engine which was a waste of money as he's had to spend a fair bit on it to pass each MoT. it was the slowest car out of all the cars our group of friends had at sixth form. although the brakes were good. not a big fan of the interiors either.

 

[faster4_tec]

its old, they make orrible clunking and tappetty noises pretty much from 1kmiles after new

but yeah, good bit of torque, but never quick. yes they can be tuned, as with most ford engines there WILL be a huge following and pages of turning parts for them, at a price, thats probably higher than buying something worthwhile in the first place. but then 90% of us choose to ignore that anyways sooo...