MikeK

I peeled mine off, but not carefuly. It took the paint with it. MikeK

I had a lot of problems with this too. Could never get the belt to stay on with my home made bracket, no matter how carefully I shimmed it to get the alignment right. Ended up buying a Dunnel alternator mounting kit, which fixed the problem (at a price). MikeK

I ran my 165bhp 1.8L Zetec on 32, 34 and 36mm chokes (all set up on rolling roads). 36mm chokes made a (bit) more power at the expense of a big hole in the mid-range. I found 34mm chokes were the best compromise for me. MikeK

I am in Derby (ish), and have a Zetec. They are not in the East Midlands, but I make the effort and take my car to Aldon Automotive in Dudley. Have always done a better job than anyone else (local) I have used. MikeK

They are regularly for sale secondhand on ebay too. MikeK

Indeed. I was sitting next to Dobuy when it happened- I hope my weight was not a contributory factor 😳 As I said, thanks very much Dobuy for meeting up with me, the chats and the hot laps- great fun , but obviously a shame regarding the aftermath ☹️. Hopefully will catch up next Sat for the Golf racing. Let me know if I can be of any assistance with either. MikeK

Mine did this when hot. I finally concluded my old-style Ford starter motor was not man enough for the job and I upgraded to a Brise. I occassionaly get a hesitancy when starting, but it now always spins. What happens if you press the accelerator slightly when starting to ease the work the starter has to do? MikeK

Thanks Norman- got it now after several attempts 😳. MikeK

I have posted threads previously about 1.8 Zetec, cams, carb choke sizes and tuning. In case it might be of interest, I have posted on webshots here some pictures that show/compare BHP and torque curves for my 1.8 Zetec as follows: -Standard cam, lightly ported head, 32mm chokes, Dellorto 40 carbs (Aldon R/R). -FZ2002 cam, fully ported head, 32mm chokes, Dellorto 40 carbs (Aldon R/R). -FZ2002 cam, fully ported head, 36mm chokes, Dellorto 40 carbs (NMS R/R). MikeK Edited by - MikeK on 28 Oct 2006 13:36:33 Edited by - MikeK on 28 Oct 2006 13:37:17 Edited by - mikek on 28 Oct 2006 13:39:42

Is your engine standard spec? My Zetec has a fast road cam and Ammo porting- no idea whether this exacerbates the effects of different choke sizes!? It would certainly be interesting to compare results. MikeK

The fuel consumption certainly dropped when I had the 36mm chokes fitted (for the same road speed on average). Taking on-board Oily's comments (thanks Oily), I think I am going to downgrade(?) and refit the 32mm chokes. So they're not for sale I'm afraid. Apologies for the hi-jack but thanks for the thread; it has been useful for me. MikeK

Hmm. 32mm chokes. I still have my 32mm chokes. I have been in half a mind whether to get them re-fitted as opposed to fitting 34mm chokes, which was the compromise solution I was aiming at (I have missed the low/mid-range torque since the 32mm chokes were replaced). In case your interested, by dyno plots are here. MikeK

Didn't they do a 2.2 as some sort of run-out special? MikeK

I went from 32mm to 36mm chokes and got a big hole in the mid-range (a lot more than I expected). Good top end power though. It is going into Aldon for 34mm chokes to be fitted next week with re-jet to suit. I can let you know what is fitted if required. MikeK PS- Mt car runs on Dellortos. Not sure if this matters.

I wish this had been for sale when before I bought my first Seven. Great performance, reliability and value! Mine now has a similar spec to yours, but it cost me a lot of money to get there. Good luck with sale. MikeK

Brent- I'm going injection over the winter and am somewhat interested. Would the loom work on a Zetec? Is the £928 incl vat based on Raceline prices? Dobuy- I've heard about Raceline doing some good deals at the moment, but couldn't see anything on their website MikeK

Thanks all for the info . I think I will stay with silver tops unless needs dictate otherwise. MikeK

My Zetec has what I think is a rover expansion tank. The existing cap is black with an internal white/cream moulding with a single hole in for the overflow facility (i suppose). The new Rover one I bought is yellow, a different shape and has a black internal moulding with a couple of valve/holes in. It fits OK. Are these likely to be interchangeable without an adverse impact on cooling system operation? Ta. MikeK

😬

Is a Zetec black top a direct replacement for a silver top in a Seven? Thanks, MikeK

Steve- Didn't know that. You've described a problem I had- 1.8 Zetec, skimmed head, Dunnel cut/shut sump, raceline lightweight flywheel and hot starting problems with the old "crossflow" starter motor. As stated, I've now fitted the Brise 'Axial' starter part no. 892910AX. Quite a nice bit of kit. When its hot, I can the feel that the starter motor struggles very momentarily to get turning, but it always has done so far (thank goodness as it was flipping expensive!). MikeK

I recently bought a Brise axial motor for my Zetec. The following is an extract from an email exchange with Brise: "your starter motor must have come from a crossflow engine fitted with a Pinto ring gear. Crossflows had an inertia starter with a 9 tooth /29mm dia. pinion, the Pinto engine had a pre-engaged starter with a 10 tooth /25.4 mm dia. pinion. Our 'Axial' starter part no. 892910AX will be a direct fit replacement and should give you improved hot performance." The starter motor that was replaced was marked Lucas 25331D 8M90. MikeK

You could look at mine too. If the head gasket hadn't failed ☹️. A year after a rebuild for a scored bore due to a gudgeon pin problem ☹️. MikeK

If you blatmail me your email address, I can send you the wiring diagram for how I think I did mine. But in words: The threaded stud is the main load/battery feed (I call this terminal B). The terminal at the top of the T connector goes to the ignition switch side of the battery charging warning lamp (I call this terminal R). The "vertical" terminal of the T connector goes to the goes to the alternator side of the battery charging lamp (I call this terminal L). On my old wiring there was: Thin brown/yellow from alternator to battery charging lamp (call this BY) Thick brown wire from alterntor to the 'main' load side of ignition switch (call this BR1) Thick brown wire from alternator to the battery (call this BR2). BR1 and BR2 were shorted togther within my old alternator. What I did was: a) Connect BR2 wire to stud B on new alternator. b) Also connect BR1 wire to stud B on new alernator. c) Connect BY wire to terminal L on new alternator. d) Run new wire from terminal R of alternator to old green wire that feeds the battery charging warning light. I think that's right! MikeK PS: I ended up with a QBR5875 (5 groove 875mm) alternator belt. I think I might have had to adjust the tension arm a bit to make it fit. Getting the right belt seemed to be the hardest bit. Edited by - MikeK on 25 Aug 2006 20:01:07 Edited by - MikeK on 25 Aug 2006 20:02:56