The
Zetec-SE Engine
Introduction
The Zetec-SE is an excellent
engine and it was co-designed with Yamaha.
It is a lightweight double overhead camshaft, sixteen valve design. The Zetec-SE was renamed the Duratec-16v with
the introduction of the mark five Fiesta.
Variants
Until the launch of the new Focus
in 2005, there were four versions of the Zetec-SE - the 1·25, 1·4 (available
in two levels of tune), the 1·6 and the 1·7. The 1·25 and 1·7 are arguably the pick of the
range, but for two different reasons.
The 1·25 has been used in the mark four Fiesta, Fusion and the Ka,
although Ford produced a prototype superlight Mondeo equipped with a modified 1·25 litre engine. The standard item produces around 75 PS and
110 Nm of torque. It is an excellent
engine for zipping up and down the ratios and punches beyond what one would
reasonably expect from a naturally aspirated engine of this capacity once the
tacho needle is over 3,500 rpm. Under
3,500 rpm, it feels relatively sluggish, but it is economical. However, no matter what the engine speed, the
1·25 is smooth and refined. When the
1·25 was introduced in 1995, Ford had an engine that was genuinely ahead of the
curve.
The 1·4 is the roughest of the
range, although compared to the other Zetec-SE engines I’m nit picking. In the mark four Fiesta and Puma
the 1·4 produced 90 PS and approximately 125 Nm of torque, but this engine was
soon phased out. More important than the
headline figures is that the 1·4 doesn’t feel as top heavy in the nature of the
power delivery as the 1·25. The engine
was de-tuned for the Focus, Fusion and
the mark five Fiesta and produces less power, between
75 and 80 PS depending on the application.
The lower tune engine has quite a different character and is not as rev
happy.
The 1·6 is only let down by the
brilliance of the 1·7. It may not be
especially powerful for a 1·6, delivering just over 100 PS (depending on the
application, it’s been used in the mark four Fiesta, the Puma,
the Focus, the Fusion and the mark five Fiesta) and around 135 Nm of torque, but
it is smooth, refined, torquey at low engine speeds but smooth all the way to
the limiter. This engine is notable
because it does not require a torque limiter if it is to be used with Ford’s
IB5 transmission. Whilst it is difficult
to compare the 1·6 Zetec-SE with the 1·6 Duratec 8v on a like for like basis, the Zetec-SE would
probably offer superior performance on the track but on the road, there would
be very little in it.
Although Ford used the 1·7 in a
prototype five door Ka, it has only seen service in the Puma and was discontinued in 2002. It was the first Ford production engine in
the
Mechanical Reliability
Some early mark four Fiestas with
the 1·25 litre engine had reliability issues, but these were resolved early
on. Otherwise, it has proved to be a
reliable and surprisingly tough engine.
Tuning
Both the 1·6 and 1·7 may be
turbocharged, and a “low blow” turbocharger means that you won’t have to mess
around too much with the rest of the engine.
The 1·7 can also benefit from the Racing Puma ECU, camshafts and
manifold to liberate an extra 30 PS or so.
Most modern Fords can benefit from a Bluefin ECU recoding, indeed many Puma owners have commented that their 1·7 becomes
noticeably more economical after the Bluefin operation.