Rebuilding and Tuning Ford’s CVH Engine Manual

It would be impossible to mention everyone who has helped with the preparation of this book. This includes large numbers of Ford enthusiasts at rallies and car meets who have talked to us about their experiences and given advice and helpful hints and tips. Numerous people have also gone to a great deal of trouble to provide facilities for taking photographs, to the extent of disrupting their workshops on some occasions.

Ford introduced the CVH (compound valve angle, hemispherical combustion chamber) engine in 1981 with the new-look, front-wheel drive Escort. It was expected to be a replacement for the Kent Crossflow engine but this did not disappear and lives on in various modified forms. The CVH was produced in three capacities for the UK market, the 1.3 litre (1,296cc), 1.4 litre (1,392cc) and 1.6 litre (1,597cc). There was also a fairly short-lived 1.1 litre version sold in overseas markets but this is not dealt with in detail in this book. You are not very likely to find one in the UK and, even if you do, it does not lend itself to tuning for power. Should you come across a car with one of these engines it would be easier and cheaper to fit one of the larger engines and a straight rebuild is the same as for the larger capacity engines.

The CVH was also built in the USA as a 1.8-litre engine, the so-called tall block version, and some engine specialists have imported this block to build ‘big’ CVH engines instead of boring out the 1.6. There is not very much metal between the bores and the water jacket on the 1.6 and it is quite easy to break through when boring out.

Most CVH engines have been fitted to transverse-engined Escorts, Orions and Fiestas, but it was also turned round and used in-line in fairly small numbers of Sierras in 1.8 and 1.6 litre capacities. Both these engines, it is believed, were built in

CONTENTS

• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Rebuilding and tuning at home
• Looking for more power – what do we mean by tuning?
• Is your engine fit for more power?
• Free-flow air filters
• Fitting a better exhaust system
• Fitting a performance camshaft
• Changing the carburettor
• Dealing with fuel injection
• Electronic ignition systems
• Tuning and turbochargers
• Adding a turbo
• Water injection
• Head gaskets
• Can you take the ‘cat’ out?
• Tuning with chips
• Can you run older CVH engines on unleaded fuel?
• Dismantling the engine
• Examining the parts
• Building the block
• Building the head
• Power and clutches
• Technical specifications and data
• Useful names and addresses

Language: English
Format: PDF