Out with the Essex V6, Duratec V6 is the future

[Dave Price]

The Jag S Type 'box arrived today.  It must be half the weight of the Essex V6 4 speed, I could lift the Jag 'box with one hand (just about).  It is a lot more compact than the Ford Essex 'box.  Also it is 5 speed (hopefully if it works).  Until this arrived I was still unsure which way to jump, stay will the Essex or go Jag AJ V6 (Duratec).  This 'box is so compact and light, it has to be the future.  I know this will be a challenge as I know nothing about engine management, but it is time I moved to the 21st century.  Now just need to check out the 'box fully, currently can't find reverse (it has no lever with it), then find and engine.  I know this is complete madness and you don't need that much power in a Phaeton, but it would be good cheap fun.

[Pete Clayton]

"Don't talk to me about bikes - I dropped mine for the first time today :-( " ah you've got it out the way now, everyone drops it once!

[James Doulton]

Don't talk to me about bikes - I dropped mine for the first time today :-(

[James Doulton]

Sorry got two http's in the link. Try this instead www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1236625151

[James Doulton]

I found this link OmegaOwnersForum the guy reckons that the Vauxhall engine is much lighter than the Ford and so is the gearbox too. A 3.0 V6 Vauxhall is about 209 bhp before tuning up. That should be enough to spin the wheels all the way to 60mph in around 4 seconds. You might have to go a different rear end or a LSD to avoid just spinning one wheel. I don't think there is much point going for more power than that for a road car. You'd be able to embarass just about any car you'll ever meet at the lights. You might lose to an Aston Martin Vantage but you'd still enjoy the look on his face.

[Pete Clayton]

I would have thought it would be quicker than that if you could put the power down James. Dunno if you can do it with the 2.6 but with the 2.5 to get a bit more power you fitted the 3.0 cams which is what MSD did to the Vectra GSI's.

[James Doulton]

I have a 2.6 V6 Omega estate. It is a nice car and it goes pretty well, especially at motorway speeds, but it weighs 1.6 tons and is a bit slow off the mark (0-60 is 9.5sec). It would be nice to put the engine in my Melos which would probably still be less than half the weight and it would go like stink. With 188bhp and less than a ton, that sounds like 0-60 in around 5 seconds.

I'll not do it though as I am not brave enough.

[Big Vern]

Watch out for timing chain issues with the vauxhall engine marc.

[Big Vern]

He may have hated it but truth is truth, the jag V6 is a mondeo estate with the badly built american version of the duratec and at £2000 plus for a replacement engine, hence why there are so many dead ones for sale at scrapyard prices

Grab the jag gearbox, flywheel and starter motor then go and get a mondeo V6 engine for the sake of reliability!

[James Doulton]

I had a colleague with a Jag - he hated it if anyone suggested that it was a Ford engine because he said it was very different, but he wasn't very smart. The Jag version has variable valve timing which makes it more flexible and more powerful but also more complex. I don't know how the valve timing was adjusted but it might well have been controlled by the engine management... here be dragons!

It might be madness but it sounds great fun!

[Big Vern]

Jag AJ V6 is the American Duratec, better of witrh the european Duratec fror reliability