1.6 and 1.8 Ecotec 16v engine: faults and reliability

• 1.6 16V Ecotec 115 hp (Z16XER/A16XER, 2006-2015)

  2006–2018 · 115 hp · Z16XER, A16XER

  Buy

  The faults documented on this engine (the occasional ignition coil, the odd case of a leak from the thermostat or water pump) are minor and cheap to repair; none of the reliability reports or buyer's guides consulted describes a structural problem or engine failure, and one of them explicitly highlights its reliability.^[1][2][3]

• 1.8 16V Ecotec 140 hp (Z18XER/A18XER, 2005-2014)

  2005–2014 · 140 hp · Z18XER, A18XER

  Buy

  As well as the odd ignition coil, this engine adds documented cases of oil and coolant leaking or mixing via the oil cooler, and of coolant loss through the thermostat; these are faults of moderate cost and there is no pattern of engine failure in the sources consulted, which taken together describe it as a reliable choice.^[1][4][9]

Buy: No known serious faults, or they have already been corrected, in this version. With caution: Worth buying if something specific is verified: history, a replaced part or a completed campaign. Avoid: High risk of a serious fault that is hard to check for or prevent.

1. 1Medium severityOccasionalFrequency: OccasionalCoolingOil and coolant leak or mixing via the oil cooler (1.8)On the 1.8 version of this engine (Z18XER/A18XER), documented on the Astra H, Vectra C and Zafira B, the oil cooler gasket can degrade and let oil mix with the coolant, which shows up as an oily sludge in the expansion tank.
2. 2Medium severityOccasionalFrequency: OccasionalCoolingCoolant loss through the thermostat or water pumpOwners of the Insignia A with the 1.8 of this engine describe thermostat replacements at 30,000 and 65,000 km, and owners of the Astra H with the 1.6 describe water pump problems; in both cases it results in coolant loss that should not be ignored.Appears at around 30,000 km
3. 3Low severityOccasionalFrequency: OccasionalIgnitionIgnition coil failuresOn the Astra H, Zafira B and Insignia A, several owners of this engine (both the 1.6 and the 1.8) describe ignition coil failures, with loss of power and the engine warning light on. It is a cheap repair and there is no sign that it damages the rest of the engine.

Severity colours: low, medium, high, critical. How we rate them

Manufacturer

General Motors

Family

Ecotec (bloque atmosférico de 4 cilindros con doble árbol de levas y distribución por correa; no debe confundirse con el posterior 1.4/1.6 Turbo de bloque «Family 0», ni con el 1.6/1.8 de 8v o el 1.6 Twinport (Z16XEP) que lo precedieron).

Fuel

Petrol

Displacement

—

Cylinders

4

Fuel system

Naturally aspirated

Injection

Indirect injection

Timing

Timing belt (dry)

Power

115–140 hp

Peak torque

175 Nm

Production

2005–2015

Makes

Opel and Vauxhall

Technical data^[5][6][7][8]

1. 2005–2014

   1.8 16V Ecotec 140 hp (Z18XER/A18XER, 2005-2014)

   The 1,796 cc version of the same family, with the same architecture (twin overhead camshafts, timing belt) and around 140 hp (103 kW). Opel began delivering it in the Astra H in December 2005 as a replacement for the earlier, lower-output 1.8, and later extended it to the Vectra C, Zafira B and Insignia A; with Euro 5 homologation it became the A18XER.^[5][6][10]

2. 2006–2018

   1.6 16V Ecotec 115 hp (Z16XER/A16XER, 2006-2015)

   The 1,598 cc version of this naturally aspirated Opel family, with twin overhead camshafts, a timing belt and around 115 hp (85 kW). It was first fitted to the Astra H and later to the Zafira B, Astra J and Insignia A; with Euro 5 homologation (around 2010) it took the code A16XER, with no power changes noted in the sources consulted.^[5][6][7]