Ford CVH Engine

Ford CVH Engine

The letters CVH denote a particular type of 4-cylinder internal combustion engine produced by the Ford Motor Company during the 1980s and 1990s.

This engine was labeled with a couple different names throughout its production. From 1991-1996 in the Ford Escort, it was "1.9L SEFI", and from 1997-2002, it was "Split Port Induction 2000". From 2000-2004 in the Ford Focus, it was "Split Port".

The CVH (Compound Valve angle Hemispherical combustion chamber) engine was introduced by Ford in 1980 in the third generation European Ford Escort and for the 1981 North American Escort. It was later used in the Ford Sierra as well as the second generation Ford Fiesta and from 1983 it was used in the Ford Orion. Engines were built in the Dearborn Engine Plant for the North American market, and in Ford's then-new engine plant in Bridgend in Wales for the European market.

The engine was originally conceived in 1974 and had a single overhead cam. Its valves were mounted at a compound angle in hemispherical combustion chambers, although some versions altered the combustion chamber shape to increase swirl. It also featured hydraulic valve lifters, a first for a European Ford engine.

Despite its considerable shortcomings in terms of Noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) and its intolerance of poor or neglected servicing, the CVH was regarded as being a very easy engine to tune, with many of its key components being considerably over-engineered. It wasn't long before the engine started receiving attention from the aftermarket tuning industry, and the 1.6 L version quickly became a stalwart of the tuning scene in the 1980s and 1990s with some phenomenal power outputs (over 200 bhp (150 kW)) being extracted from the turbocharged variants. The naturally aspirated 1.6 L was a popular choice for the kit car industry, where it could be relatively easily and cheaply tweaked to around 130 bhp (97 kW).

The CVH was produced in many different capacities from 1.1 to 2.0 L, the smaller versions being exclusively for the European market.