X16xel ports matching up with x16xe inlet??

[SR-Rally]

My current x16xe engine has been worked hard over the last 8months and it's time for a replacement. I've managed to pick up a 1600 16v x16xel engine but with no inlet manifold etc. just wondering will my x16xe inlet work on the triangle ports? Has anyone tried it before.
Cheers

[maddogdaz666]

The head ports are the same but the two inlets are different. I have a pic somewhere as I've just done the same

[maddogdaz666]

http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af11/maddogdaz666/A91B063C-F6F0-40CD-9A5B-911368BBAEE1-2702-0000044D75A47C1F.jpg

I didn't get a pic of the ports to the head but they are identical, but you'll need to swap the whole wiring loom and the whole inlet manifold, and engine mount with tensioner for your original one.
I've just put a x16xe into a mk3 astra that was a x16xel.

[maddogdaz666]

Left xe right xel

[SR-Rally]

I've got the 2heads side by side at home and the new engine ports are deffinatly different. The new engine has straight triangle ports where as the old one has a rounded triangle ports if that makes sense? Il get some photos sorted when I get home :)

[maddogdaz666]

It may have been ported? The Astra that I've just done didn't come with the original head so I can't say tbh. But both the inlet to head ports were the same on the xel and the xe.

[burgo]

Afraid you wrong maddog they are different. There's hundreds of these engines in the scrappy though just get another or an inlet

[dstevenson]

Hi,
You can "port" the xe manifold to match the triangle ported xel. If you hold a xel gasket to the xe inlet you will see where to remove the metal - pretty simple job. The xel head is actually a better head anyway - see the SBD motorsport website on head mods and you will see this is the one they recommend as it flows better due to internal shape.

I have recently changed to the xel head on my rally engine and used a "ported" SBD xe inlet manifold (used with DCOE pattern throttle bodies) and it works really well.

Remember to also get the xel rocker cover as they are not interchangeable between the xe/xel. Coil pack and plug leads from the xe can be used with xel head/cover. The xel actually uses a single coil-on-plug arrangement but you would need to change wiring loom/plug to an xel to use one if your loom is xe.

David

[SR-Rally]

Thanks for your help guys. As its the bottom end that had gone on my original engine I'm going to swap that cylinder head onto my new bottom end. Haven't got much time as next round of my championship is next weekend. I will keep the xel head and look to using it in the future if you reckon it's a better head though