Ford 2.3 turbo questions.

IMO a zetec would be a better swap for a cortina.

I agree with everyone that says it's a good motor for cars that already had a 2.3/lima/derivative/2.5 under the hood, for anything else I'd look at other options.

I think the high points of the 2.3 are COST (cheap to get ahold of, and cracked heads seem to be more of a region specific issue, think circle track racers), SIMPLICITY (I can't stress this one enough, it's a moron proof motor, non-interference, distributor TFI ignition that can be converted to EDIS relativley easily, external coolant lines, etc), and RELIABILITY (lots of forged bits from the factory and the stock block and head can accept copious amounts of boost if given enough fuel to work with and proper engine management, I'm boosting 30 PSI off a Holset on mine on stock block and head that had 160k miles on it before it was converted to a track beater and almost killed off before we resurrected it, and it doesn't burn a drop of oil, good oil pressure, burst at least 2 HGs that we know of, but never missed a beat), HOT-RODDED (because the engine is so old and was used for a long time in circle track and by enthusiasts it's been modded in just about every way imaginable, and most of it's documented, though not all solutions are cost-effective or very reliable).

I think the low points of the 2.3 as have been mentiond are WEIGHT (iron block, iron head, closed deck design, plus a cast iron exhaust manifold and a big old turbo make it one heavy setup), OLD (not ancient old, but old enough that you have to look for parts and be comfortable custom making parts or else waiting days/weeks to get appropriate parts), SOHC (so making it breathe better is a big job including porting the 2 piece intake or custom, porting the head w/oversized valves (alot of cracked heads are from this, or head scarcity is due to people screwing up a home port job as they learn, getting a bigger cam, porting cast iron exhaust manifolds or buying an expensive SS piece, etc), HOT-RODDED (I listed this twice to make a point, because there are so many options it's easy to get lost in trying to figure out what 'the best' mods to make are...)

Dan... I think what we are saying is that we truly like the 2.3T engine but would prefer to see a later DOHC or cool inline six in your car.

914Driver wrote: Where would one find a KA24 or KA25DE engine, they growing on trees?

They practically do. Drifters throw them away when they do SR20 swaps in their 240s.

< yelling> Duratec! < /yelling> (Sorry, I just like it... ) Just look when mazda uses a turbo on it, its called a mazdaspeed3/6

2002maniac wrote:

914Driver wrote: Where would one find a KA24 or KA25DE engine, they growing on trees?

They practically do. Drifters throw them away when they do SR20 swaps in their 240s.

very region specific though.

I literally GAVE away a ka (and have received several free ones over the years) here in WV. There's no 240's here.

In houston I sold a KA24DE drivetrain with cracked head for $350.

I like the 2.3 turbo.

My brother has one with a huge turbo thats gotta be making over 300 hp. anything you want you can buy. Lots of aftermarket support.

Makes his overweight T bird feel awfully fast.

Anyone want to swap a 2.3 for an E-30?

well actually ... I have a 1987 Merkur XR4Ti with a 2.3T that I bought as a donor for a Locost project that hasn't gotten off the ground. I would say call me but getting it across the border probably isn't worth the effort.

Thomas

If you're serious about playing with a Ford 2.3, you need to talk to Esslinger....

http://www.esslingeracing.com/home.htm

karlt_10 wrote: If you're serious about playing with a Ford 2.3, you need to talk to Esslinger.... http://www.esslingeracing.com/home.htm

Actually I'd start with Bo: http://www.bo-port.com/ and then I'd talk to Huber: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhR_IiTIiLI&feature=related

there is a forum called "turbo ford" I believe that is all about the 2.3

Turboford.org

The 290 - 300 RWHP range is do able and it will last

Good Luck

2002maniac wrote:

914Driver wrote: Where would one find a KA24 or KA25DE engine, they growing on trees?

They practically do. Drifters throw them away when they do SR20 swaps in their 240s.

I wouldn't put one in by choice though. I helped a buddy swap 7 in one summer. Fresh (free) KADE before every event, rod knocking on the way home from every event. They just don't like high rev's. I think the stroke is too long.

xci_ed6 wrote: I wouldn't put one in by choice though. I helped a buddy swap 7 in one summer. Fresh (free) KADE before every event, rod knocking on the way home from every event. They just don't like high rev's. I think the stroke is too long.

yeah but the free ones don't tend to be in the best shape. I know plenty of people that took care of theirs, revved the snot out of them on a daily basis, and still got 160k or more out of their stock engines.

There isn't much point revving the ka24de past 5k though. Its already made its power and moved on. Its fun, and its loud, but its not necessarily fast.

Dude just find a b230FT engine from a '90 plus volvo 740 or 940 turbo. Similar engine, beefy internals, easy to work on. Quite similar to the ford 2.3 turbo. Large intercoolers, etc. Ford guys pull the heads from these cars to use, why not use the whole engine, IMO. The volvo engines are sturdier, easier YET than the ford to work on, and plenty of these cars are still around, I know from experience

I mean, shiza, I am easily putting 250 whp at 17psi with the old girl, it is so easy to work on. The automatics can still hold a lot of power especially with the shimmed accumulator mod, and are cheap. The cars aren't the hottest thing to look at, but the interior and exterior are still more tolerable than the t-bird, and way more sleeper. Add 13mm connecting rods, forged pistons stock, and why not go with the volvo

B230FT do some looking around, end of story

After doing some research for my Capri, I realized that Pinto/Kent/Xflow engines (not to be confused with the Lima 2.3 NA/turbo) share a bellhousing pattern with the Zetec.

I have a Supercharged 3.8 now.

i believe volvo is the original designer of this engine. was used in volvos since 1978 or something. Ford guys just work harder at making stuff fast. Taking someone else's ideas and making it work better is what the US is best at.

In reply to mark_850t:

If it's the Volvo motor, it started out as an overhead valve motor, then got the SOHC head when they went from the 14x series box to the 24x series box. I even read somewhere that Volvo got the design from Triumph! If you look hard enough you might even find a DOHC version that was put in the 74x series, although it was never turbo'd.

What's with the engine in the Cortina, is it missing or dead or what? If it's the 1.6 Kent, that's the same engine used in Formula Fords, I believe. Someone else here is sure to know more.

If you don't want to keep that, a Zetec or Duratec might be a great swap. There's also the SR20DE and variants to look into. I'm wondering if Capri crossmembers will easily bolt in, giving you access to engines like the 2.8 and it's family members, or the 2.3 out of the Mk2 Capri. At that point you're really close to having a "factory fit" 2.3 turbo setup.

You're really going to want to take a hard look at the radiator & fan setup if you go this route, I don't think these cars have a ton of cooling capacity.

I have an 85 Thunderbird turbo coupe and I'm searching for a head for the 2.3 turbo

Finding a "turbo head" that you can use is going to be tough.  There are other versions of the 2.3L head that you could use in a turbo setup but yes the turbo head is thought to be the better head.  It has a larger combustion chamber that lowers the C:R and a better shaped chamber too.  That being said you could still use the non-turbo head with the proper mods. It's been 14+ years since I played with the turbo version of this engine. I have worked on a carbed one for Lemons racing that ran well once it was prepped.

In reply to Carrtoon :

Go onto the TurboFord Facebook group and post your request.  You should be able to find one there.

This thread is almost as old as the internet.