Kent (Crossflow) Engine numbers
Adam S-J
 

Due to the recent change in SVA regulations (April 2001) which mean that you have to be able to show the date of manufacture of your engine in order to escape the catalyst emissions test, users of crossflow engines in particular need a way of dating the engine they are using. A short article appeared in the February 2001 Newsletter, reprinted from www.onelist.com (Locost mail group) suggesting that you can't date crossflow engines.

I have been corresponding with Myke Pocock, who was trying to trace the origins of a crossflow with a peculiar casting number, and with Ford Technical Information Centre in Walsall (PO Box 300, Walsall, WS5 4QH). We all seem to agree on the fact that you can date crossflow engines by their engine number.

The story goes pretty much like this, at least as far as Escort engines are concerned: the VIN of a MK2 Escort has 6 letters followed by 5 digits. (According to Ford - though mine has either 7 letters and 5 digits or else 6 letters and 6 digits, which they say is impossible) Mine was GCAFAK044900. This means: G= made in Germany (B for Britain); C=made at Saarlouis (B=Halewood); A=Escort; F=4 door saloon (T=2 door saloon, D=estate), AK is the year and month (1980 June) of manufacture of the car and engine, and 044900 is the engine number (although Ford insist that only 5 digit engine numbers were used and that zero or the letter O are not valid, despite which the number is stamped on the VIN plate and printed in the first registration document). In other words, the car and its original engine share the same identity.

The year letters (the A and K in this case, i.e. the last two letters before the 5 figure number) are the year and month of manufacture. Ford supplied me with the following table, which suggests that they use the same date codes for all cars since it goes up to 1990:
The engine in my car was numbered UB75708, which puts it as a 1978 engine and not the original one. The change had never been documented in the car's logbook. Incidentally, for £5 you can get photocopies of all the logbooks back to first registration of your car by writing to the DVLA.

If you need documented proof of the above, you can get in touch with Ford. The engine number of your crossflow will be on the projecting lug at the top of the crankcase above the alternator.
  Footnote re Valencia engines (basically the same as the Kent engine but for transverse fitting, used in Escort Mk3 and Fiesta versions up to 1300cc)

From Myke Pocock:
Adam: Thanks for your message ref. 781M code being a Valencia prefix. I have a book, Rebuilding and Tuning Ford X-Flow and Pinto Engines (ISBN 1 899814 21 3) which refers to converting a X-Flow to Bosch electronic ignition by using the distributor and coil from a Mk4 1300 Escort fitted with the Valencia engine which is of course transverse engined. I don't know when the Mk4 came in but presume that the Fiesta was also fitted with the same engine. If this is the case then it is good news for crossflow engine users if some Valencia engines from transverse engined cars can be used in-line as mine appears to be as they will not be quite as old and the supply situation will be a little better than with Mk2 Escorts. Could also be of interest to racers if they are allowed to use them. I have a feeling that the engine mounting castings for inline application were deleted at some stage as I went to look at a Fiesta engine once having been told that it would fit and they were missing from the block. However some further research needs to be done to exactly identify years and cars. Hope this is of further use. It may be worth putting this on the site to get any comments, (or not as the case may be) Regards Myke.