2.0 16v ecotec engines

[Asa-James]

I know it's probably been covered in depth, but what are the pros and cons of These engines? I fancy a bit more oomPh in my cav bit dont want to be rebuilding a 20 year old engine that's covered unknown miles, and probably thrashed for most of them.

So, views?

[puss puss]

ecotec engines arent very good. really :(

what engine is in your cav at the moment a c20xe?

if so i would prefer to rebuild that.

[General Baxter]

im sorry but id ditch my 20xe for a x20xev anyday lol

[Asa-James]

1.8 spaiiiii...

And why arnt they any good?

[craig green]

Theyt are good engines that have been in the shadow of the original XE. They pull well, have a great spread of torque & are readily available.

The early ones were a bit troublesome for sensors etc, but 15 years on should be OK tbh. Because of the popularity of the old XE, tuning parts are so readily available & cheap whih also makes the ecotec seem like a bad idea in comparison. I would have one anyday.

[General Baxter]

the eco is better for every day driving, the torque range is nice and smooth :)

[puss puss]

but its just not r3dt0p y0!!! :(

[General Baxter]

paint the cover red if your that bothered lol

[craig green]

but its just not r3dt0p y0!!! :(

You are GAY! lol

[muzzy]

I would have an Ecotec 2.0 16v over an XE for the simple reason that they are cheaper, you are more likely to know some history or known mileage with it. I've had a few Ecotec engine's and have never had any problems with sensors breaking every 5 minutes. People are too quick to slag off these engine's, I couldn't give away a 2.0 Ecotec engine a year or so ago!

[Will F]

Hugely underrated - very strong and once you whip off the injection etc, there is hardly aqnything in it tbh...

Have a look on the SBD site....

[General Baxter]

its really like a c16xe and x16xe debate lol

[nova_saloon]

for everday got for ecotech for powah and easy tuning go for a C20XE. why people still calling it R3Dt0P wickedy bo!

[puss puss]

You are GAY! lol

yes am happy :thumb: lol


ecotec engines are ok just in shadow of the old faithful really

[Adam]

Ive had my mk4 6month and it aint gone wrong once. Ok the HG went just after i bought it, but meh, that can happen on any motor.

It seems to55 compared to my xe, but i just put that down to the weight difference of the cars. ECO just feels lathergic and flat compared to my xe.

I guess the extra like 500kg of the car has a big effect though.... lol

Reliability tho, spot on... And probably feel quite nippy compared to a SP AYE!!!!!

[kent14sr]

There was a big issue with them going through cambelts and bending valves etc as a result. I think this always created a cloud over them.

This was due to the original tensioners being poor and the design changed from nylon to metal iirc.

There are lots about with history/low mileage at very reasonable prices and I would have one any day.

[craig green]

The XE head is superior due to the valve angle IMO. You can see the width of the head is slimmer on the eco.

edit, do all n/a eco have blancer shaft assemblies like the Zlet does?

[Nova_Tek]

Agree with what's been said. The Ecotec is slagged off too often with people who haven't even used them just jumping on the bandwagon.

My bro uses a Ecotec SRi Cav, it shifts. Good power all the way through the rev range, feels very quick in the Cav.

Yes we've had a sensor fault on it but most of the time it's the actual wiring to the sensor that's naffed. If I were to get an Ecotec, I'd change/clean the ICV and make sure the camshaft sensor wiring mod has been done. This'll almost guarantee that it'll work fine for a good few years as these are the main culprits (ICV for cutting out at idle and cam sensor and wiring for the EM light).

It very much is in the shadow of the XE but the Eco was designed with new stricter euro emissions. Remove those restrictions like manifold and inlet and it should see better performance. Plus you do see a lot of mod bits for them.

As they are younger engines and less prone to being put in smaller Vaux's, you'll have a better choice of finding a solid one that hasn't been thrashed and probably cheaper than an XE.

Put it this way, if I had a spare Ecotec sitting there, I'd happily stick it in the Nova.

[Jackroadkill]

Have had three X20XEV's and the HG has gone on all of them soon after I've had them. They are VERY sensitive to the antifreeze percentage in the coolant and can be tempramental. Have to say I'm not a fan.

[Nova_Tek]

Never heard about HG issues. The main problems your hear is the ICV and camshaft and/or crank sensor fault.

My uncle had the Cav before we got it and he had it for absolute years. He drives it how it should be driven and he only ever had the usual camshaft sensor issues with it.

[calibra-keith]

i cant fault them i never had one problem at all in 18 month i had mine.

[Jackroadkill]

The main problems your hear is the ICV and camshaft and/or crank sensor fault.

The ICV / throttle body vacuum blockage gremlins get them all, but it's easily sorted, as are the sensors. I don't know whether it's coincidence but I have three friends who've all lost headgaskets as well.

[Nova_Tek]

Odd. Maybe just a coincidence

[AlexW]

Unless the head gasket is being done on a regular basis (Which i VERY highly doubt) then thats normal for any car, Most cars have them done at around 100k.

For the price you pick up a complete vectra 2.0 to the price of just a complete C20XE, id happly (And am planning to) chose a X20XEV over a C20XE.

[Sloth]

i've done two corsa b's with c18xe engines (1.8 ecotec without an immobiliser.) both were a piece of wee to fit, and go amazingly well. id be after an f16cr for em as it transforms it, the std f18wr is pants. markd89 on here has one, and will vouch for this. i'm also helping someone fit a x20xev from an astra gsi to a mk2 escort. reason being, if it pops a new motor is £50 from any breakers. try that with an xe. and if you ditch the soft std cams and get the ecu remapped and fit a 4 into 1, numerous people have seen 160 bhp. c18xe's regularly hit 145bhp. :thumb:

[draper]

my vectra hasa 143k ecowreck in it and once its above 3.5rpm it still shifts, its sluggish low down but that due to wear and tear imo.


although i will probably end up putting a 'redtop' in it if/when i swap the engine as i prefer them

[BIGS]

The X20XEV is a good engine. they are newer and more then likey not been ragged like the c20xe. and with the c20xe being a old engine is more then likey got less bhp then the X20XEV any how. and you can pick them up on ebay for like £50 were 20xe's go for atleast £300 because its a "redtop" :roll:

[Sloth]

/\ jesus someone agrees with my post....

[blue_peg_16v]

buy 2 asa 1 for the nova to lol