RS2000 Engine Conversion Into Mk3

CVH and Zetec tuning, suspension and braking mods.

RS2000 Engine Conversion Into Mk3

Postby ginger9860 on Sun Sep 14, 2014 10:50 am

I thought i would make a post explaining what i have done to correctly fit an rs2000 engine into a mk3 fiesta. I know the Zetec is the most popular choice alongside the rs turbo lump however , i just wanted to be different and i took this as a challenge. Although slightly heavier than the others its 150bhp from the box with a torque output of 190nm so not a bad alternative.

What engine / Gearbox

So i started off by Sourcing an engine , loom and ECU. I honestly think a doner car is alot easier for rs2000 parts because its difficult to find a mk5 wiring loom (non Pats) and other various parts. Ever since joining the rs2000 16v forum its been a lot smoother finding parts. Various parts are also still offered by Ford however this comes at a price. Transmission wise you can use the xr2i , rs turbo , mk3 gearbox. I used the xr2i (same thing) with a 1.8 flywheel and clutch. Very important to use these as the rs2000 flywheel/clutch is too big for the transmission.

If planning to use the RS2000 gearbox then i can imagine alot of fabrication will be in order.

Mounting the engine:

I contacted Andrew at ALD (http://www.aldevelopments.com/) and he asked me to send him an original drivers side engine mount. I purchased one brand new and sent it to him. He made the relevant modifications and even painted it. It came back like a manufactured engine mount. It fit straight on the RSK lump and was perfect !

Being that this has been made it now means all the original gearbox mountings on the cradle (recommend changing whilst your there) can remain in the same position enabling no modifications or replacement of drive shafts and hubs. To put it simply there are 2 mounts on the gearbox and 1 on the engine and its fitted !!

Wiring:

Everyone fears this bit but dont sweat it. If you check out the relevant main engine plug that contains IIRC constant live , earth, fuel pump, etc you will see what colour (car side going into engine bay) is for what. Mk3s may vary so i cannot confirm for all but its not rocket science. Then get the same information for the RS2000 bay loom and mix and match by soldering the wires to match correctly - ie Fuel pump brown on xr2i - solder to fuel pump on rs2000 (may not share the same colour)

You will find this is fairly easy however i have a feeling the XR2i does not require any modification or wiring changes and simply plugs in but this is not confirmed.

Important additional info for this conversion to work:

Alternator - I used the RS2000 alternator/powersteering mount , cut off the Psteering mounting point to enable the alternator to swing lower. I used the XR2i alternator with the rs2000 pulley if i remember correctly. You also have to make your own tension bracket as there is no space anywhere else but to hang low with the alternator , running it above means you cannot fit the rad !

Radiator -I used a MK2 fiesta radiator - the MK3 piping inlet and return are opposite positions to the mk2 and there is no way you be able to get piping for it. Not even flexible piping will do. The MK2 rad is very very close yet is the most suitable position in comparison to MK3 rad to the water pump housing so short pipe needed (scrappy is good for this). Alongside this keep the same MK3 fan.

Gearbox Cradle (under car) - you will need 20mm spacer plates to go between cradle and car frame. This lowers the right hand side of the engine perfectly meaning you can use your bonnet with no mods needed ! These are easy to make ! Ive heard the MK2 fiesta cradles already have spacers so may save you doing this.

Throttle body - This fowls on the brake servo mounting point, all you need to do is cut a small triangle from this. DO NOT damage or cut the servo itself , only slightly modify the mounting arm. IF YOU DO NOT DO THIS YOU WILL LEARN THE HARD WAY WHEN THE THROTTLE REMAINS STUCK !

Aux belt - i will get the code off mine but i basically walked into Jayar car parts with an rs2000 aux belt that i cut down to what would be ideal. They matched this with one on the shelf. It was a toyota belt but i will get the code.

Brakes - I'm using rs2000 front calipers - just for your info , they are a direct fitment on a mk3 however , you will need larger wheels to use these.

Timing chain kit - I paid around £150 for this from Jayar car parts , it was really worth doing an so so easy to do especially before putting the engine into the car.

So a quick reference on what you need:

RS2000 engine
Coil pack loom
Engine ECU wiring loom
RS2000 ECU
Modified engine mount
Modified custom alternator tensioner bracket
Rs2000 starter motor
Zetec 1.8 flywheel and clutch
MK3 Transmission (others may be fine but cannot confirm)

All additional fluids and tools etc.

I will add pictures later on.

Thanks for your attention.
ginger9860
Poster
Poster
 
Posts: 114
Joined: Sun Oct 23, 2011 5:03 pm
Your car: Fiesta XR2I

RS2000 Engine Conversion Into Mk3

Postby Wackyyy on Mon Nov 03, 2014 1:55 am

Would look forward to seeing some pictures as i have just bought a mk 3 1.8 diesil and I'm planning on doin a 1.6 rs turbo conversion I'm wonderin of this post will help me in any way
Wackyyy
Newbie Poster
Newbie Poster
 
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Nov 02, 2014 12:12 am
Your car: Mk3 fiesta

Re: RS2000 Engine Conversion Into Mk3

Postby mk3fiestaxr2i on Fri May 05, 2017 9:15 pm

Hi could u send some pictures of your engine conversion
mk3fiestaxr2i
Newbie Poster
Newbie Poster
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Oct 10, 2014 7:21 pm
Your car: ford fiesta mk3 xr2i


Twitter

The second 20th Anniversary article, a dive into the history of how the site came about is available here: https://t.co/kbCfZ4sf0R

17:44, 4th December 2021 Twitter Web App

To celebrate https://t.co/wXVkvJipaS being 20 years old this year, I've written a series of articles detailing the… https://t.co/B0vE0Y3KvP

17:42, 4th December 2021 Twitter Web App

Follow fiestaturbo.com on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/fiestaturbo/

RSS Feeds

Subscribe to the RSS feed

What is RSS?

RSS is a technology that lets you use special applications or modern browsers to notify you you when a site is updated. You can then read the updated content in that application or your browser.

To subscribe to these RSS feeds you need to copy the links above. For instructions on how to add it to the feeds you keep track of, consult the documentation of your RSS reader.