18XE engines?

[Dod]

Ok, I've been thinking about this, long winded but the Family Zafira/Work horse has ECU issues and for the fun is going to have a 2.6 fitted which leaves me with a 1.8 Astra Bertone engine, 126bhp iirc? So, as the current engine in my car is a 1.6 16 , and the 1.8 is also small block, I'm thinking of throwing it in and using either the 1600 ECU and the 1800 injector set up or running carbs.

Has anyone got any experience with these engines or anything to contribute?

[burgo]

Have a looky through peesters thread he has one fitted

[Mieran]

The Z18XE is a good engine imo.

[therealnovaboy]

seem to get good power out them if done right considering its an under square engine. I beleive the week point is the collet groove on the valves. the head flow/design is better than one from 16xe/14xe. z18xe is fly by wire and x18xe1 is cable TB. think the XELs have the worst rods but 16xes/se are the best rods.

[peester]

I have no experience with these engines using standard GM management/ECU/Throttle body.. Mr Warren Greenland (WG Motorworks or Motorworx) is your man. He's fitted a number of 1.8 small blocks into various Vauxhalls using the O.E management. It's much higher torque than the usual 1.4, 1.6 16v small blocks - makes it impossible, for me, to ignore. Especially with its current supply, age and therefore cost to buy. But I don't think you can (or would want to) run it off the 1.6 16v ECU.
To run a 1.8 small block in a nova the only issues are with sump and many exhaust manifolds fitment; could foul o.e external gear linkage and lack of ground clearance for lowered suspension.

[tom reid]

Here's one I did in a Corsa B.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LdwkSYBbKA&list=UUlESf1Al45oRKcZqnR73bmg

[scott.parker]

Z18xe1 is what is in my mk4 Astra, it's an awesome engine imo.

[nova_niek]

You might want to have a word with Lee303 (he's on MIG mostly). He runs a 1.8 16v smallblock on throttle bodies and has a wealth of experience with this particular engine. His build thread on MIG is over 400 (!) pages.

[nova_stee]

Who mad the inlet on the corsa?

[Dod]

Cheers guys, Peester I had a quick look at your WIP but haven't come on the engine side of it yet, you got a link mate?

[Dod]

Following on from this i now have 2x 1.8 engines from an 03 Vectra and an 02 Zafira, aside from the fly by wide throttle, how do these differ from the Mk3 Astra GSi engine? I always thought it was a big block engine where as the Zafira and realistically the Vectra have small block?

[Mieran]

The Mk3 engine is c18xe which is big block, the z18xe is small block

[Dod]

So extremely undesirable......

[Mieran]

Ime the only **** small blocks are x14xe/x16xe/c16xe/x16xel

There are few z18xe engines turboed running standard everything internally over 250bhp with no issues, thats a 100% power increase!

[jimbob-mcgrew]

i was thinking about this transplant myself too, for a possible future plan.

the x18xe1 seems like the easiest to swap, with its throttle cable design.
but, with a bit of imagination and fabrication work, a throttle pedal from a newer car could be mounted in, for the later z18xe fly-by function to work.

the only bit im unsure about is the wiring, as theres next to no info online about it.

from what i can tell, the ecu side of it can be wired in, similar to the x14/x16 engines. the wires are apparently different colours, but its works on the same principle.
the vss side is the bit thats confusing, as it runs through hub sensors, which i think are linked to the traction control ?

im not 100% about any of it tho, as no one seems to have dished out any real *working* information.

ive seen alot of bike carb transplants, but alot of the electronics get ditched/bypassed doing it this way, and again no standard oem ecu info.

if anyone knows, or gets any info, please share :thumb:

[meritlover]

Strip it all back to a tall engine and fit aftermarket management. Simples.

[jimbob-mcgrew]

that would probably cost more than the engine :(

[totalnova]

i was thinking about this transplant myself too, for a possible future plan.

the x18xe1 seems like the easiest to swap, with its throttle cable design.
but, with a bit of imagination and fabrication work, a throttle pedal from a newer car could be mounted in, for the later z18xe fly-by function to work.

the only bit im unsure about is the wiring, as theres next to no info online about it.

from what i can tell, the ecu side of it can be wired in, similar to the x14/x16 engines. the wires are apparently different colours, but its works on the same principle.
the vss side is the bit thats confusing, as it runs through hub sensors, which i think are linked to the traction control ?

im not 100% about any of it tho, as no one seems to have dished out any real *working* information.

ive seen alot of bike carb transplants, but alot of the electronics get ditched/bypassed doing it this way, and again no standard oem ecu info.

if anyone knows, or gets any info, please share :thumb:

Once I get mine finished I'll put up at much useful information as I can.

[jimbob-mcgrew]

Once I get mine finished I'll put up at much useful information as I can.

^ top man ... im sure that would help a bunch of us :thumb:

[brucer]

Fly by wire throttle pedal in a nova

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z24/bachilds1988/DSCN9815_zps7f03df6f.jpg (http://s193.photobucket.com/user/bachilds1988/media/DSCN9815_zps7f03df6f.jpg.html)

[brucer]

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z24/bachilds1988/DSCN9818_zps0c79dc36.jpg (http://s193.photobucket.com/user/bachilds1988/media/DSCN9818_zps0c79dc36.jpg.html)

[Dod]

Top lad. What engine you running in there?

The nice thing about the fly by wire throttle is that you can adjust the height, length, position etc etc etc. Just the wiring is a little uncharted but i do think these could be a very usable conversion, decent standard power, ease of fitment and widely available.

[brucer]

Its a c20let fitted with z20let management. Still a work in progress at the mo

[peester]

Cheers guys, Peester I had a quick look at your WIP but haven't come on the engine side of it yet, you got a link mate?
Mr Dod, sorry I didn't see your reply until now.. my project thread won't be much help if you are using O.E GM management. I merely plugged in a ready made loom for an aftermarket MBE ecu.
But it starts from around page 40..
http://www.pngclub.com/forum/showthread.php?82994-Peesters-Little-Project-My-return-to-novaism-(Lots-of-pics)/page40

This thread would be more use to you than mine, using O.E management here..
http://www.corsasport.co.uk/board/vi...=458623&page=1 (http://www.corsasport.co.uk/board/viewthread.php?tid=458623&page=1)

But again, in my opinion best trying Warren if you can, he's done many - provides it as a service..
https://www.facebook.com/wgmotorworks

[Dod]

Fantastic links Mr Peester as is your build thread. You mention upgrading the cams soon, have you found performance items or have your own reprofiled?

[peester]

I haven't bothered in the end with cams. The standard set up gives great initial low end grunt. It drops right off after 5K but I actually like it, prefer it I think, for the road at least.