Euro Ecotec 1.8 VVT Factory Fill = ?

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Opel engine in the Astra, potentially sitting on the lot for 2 years. 200 miles on it now means it got driven a few times and fresh gas was added.

The oil condition itself is not really a concern, other than a point of curiousity. The filler cap says 5w-30, and I assume there is a Euro 5w-30 in there. Any idea who holds the Opel oil contract? If I thought it was plain dino oil in there, I'd change it out. Anyone have any thoughts on that? Since draining the gas tank is not an option, I plan on adding some FI cleaner to the existing gas, driving it home, refilling with fresh gas plus more FI cleaner.

It's a detuned 10.5:1 compression ratio engine, but calls for 87 which I don't think they even sell in Europe. I assume there will be a benefit of premium gas going forward.
 
If it was built for the NA market, it would NOT have a Euro-spec oil in it. I guarantee it has regular old bulk Mobil Clean 5W-30 in it, just like every other regular GM vehicle.
 
AJ: Nice car,good luck with it. I do remember reading that the 1.8 Ecotec is different than the 2.2. I think it has manually adjusted valves rather than hydraulic. I hope you got a good deal being that it's an orphan.
PS: I'd run that oil to 1 or 1.5K and then change it.
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
If it was built for the NA market, it would NOT have a Euro-spec oil in it. I guarantee it has regular old bulk Mobil Clean 5W-30 in it, just like every other regular GM vehicle.



...but it came out of the Belgian engine factory. Do you think they have seperate drum of American oil? These engine come off the line and go into a wharehouse, do you think Opel would hobble themselves by excluding a portion of their engine inventory because of the oil fill?
 
Originally Posted By: pbm
I hope you got a good deal being that it's an orphan.


$11k with the clunker.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1561447#Post1561447

XR-35.jpg
 
I repeat: a vehicle destined for the NA market would NOT have a more expensive, non-GF-4, Euro oil in it.

If that was the case, Saturn/GM dealers would have to stock separate 'Euro' oil for ths one ECONOMY model. Trust, me, it ain't happening!

I don't know where the engine is filled, but it would have a cheap SM/GF-4 oil in it. If I'm wrong, I'd love to see it.....
 
Is the 1.8 ecotec truly a 1.8L engine? In saabs, we have the 2.0t (low inertia turbo), the 2.0T (high pressure turbo), and then the 1.8t (low pressure turbo) and a 1.8i NA engine.

The engines are ALL 2.0L, even the ones labeled as 1.8...

They are all also filled with syn oil from the factory. In the case of mine, most likely Elf Excellium 0w-30.

If the castings and metalurgy is the same in your engine, I'd go for M1 0w-40. I am NOT liking GC in my 2.0t.
 
Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie

It's a detuned 10.5:1 compression ratio engine, but calls for 87 which I don't think they even sell in Europe. I assume there will be a benefit of premium gas going forward.


FWIW my Civic's engine is also 1.8 liters, 10.5:1 compression, 140 hp, and runs just fine on 87 octane. I've been meaning to try running 89 or 91 in it at some point to see if it makes any noticeable difference. I'll be interested if you do any experimentation with this (even though it's not the same engine).
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
I repeat: a vehicle destined for the NA market would NOT have a more expensive, non-GF-4, Euro oil in it.

If that was the case, Saturn/GM dealers would have to stock separate 'Euro' oil for ths one ECONOMY model. Trust, me, it ain't happening!

I don't know where the engine is filled, but it would have a cheap SM/GF-4 oil in it. If I'm wrong, I'd love to see it.....



I appreciate you participating in my thread, but what exactly makes you "shure" Opel needs to fill these specific engine with a "special" NA oil? Why too, would Saturn have to carry it?

Like I said, these engines come off an assy line in Belgium and could be installed into ANY of the cars they produce. Why would an oem constrin themselves into designating certian engines exclusively for certian export platforms, just because of $5 worth of oil?

Better to ask, what oil is known to come in this engine "normally"?
 
Not trying to pick a fight with you, AJ, and the truth is, I don't know if I'm right.

My reasoning is this: The NA vehicle market is obsessed about CAFE requirements. Almost all vehicles produced here, even high-performance ones, use an oil that is certified to both the latest API spec, and to ILSAC GF economy requirements. Even the Corvette's M1 fill meets both of these requirements. 'Euro' spec oils are somewhat hard to get in NA - they aren't that common, and can be hard to find.

Whenever a car is made for this market, I'm sure this plays into the equation - ie., can the vehicle use these oils, and if they can, that's what gets spec'd for them. Also, b/c of tuning requirements, the engines for NA cars would be built on a separate line than one designed for the Euro market.

Yes, the Saturn Astra is an Opel Model in Saturn drag, but significant quantities of them ARE built for this market. These cars are built to be driven and serviced over here. So they take into account that most Saturn/GM models will be serviced at GM dealerships, and all other GM models use SM/GF-4 oil, so that is what will get put in this car. GM dealerships are not going to have a separate tank of A3 30-weight oil just for the Astra.

Also, the Astra is an economy car, sold at the 'lower end' of the NA market. They will not use a more expensive A3 oil in it - no, it's designed to operate as an economy car, and over here, that means be cheap to service. Part of that is using common, cheap, bulk SM/GF-4 oil.

As I said, I could be totally wrong. This just seems to make sense to me.....
 
addyguy, I think you're mixing two different things: what oil is spec'd for the car and what oil is put in at the factory. Those may be two completely separate/unrelated oils. The factory may be using the same factory fill for cars destined for Europe and USA since it's easier to have one container of bulk factory fill oil. Since it's only used for the first few thousand miles as break-in oil, it doesn't really matter if it meets the specs that would be printed in the owner's manual.
 
iirc, the Opel-spec LL-025-A 0w-30 A5 Saab oil was determined to be Elf Excellium. I wish I still had a few jugs.

Well, there is one possibility Elf, or the newer 5w-30 version of it.
 
Originally Posted By: addyguy
Not trying to pick a fight with you, AJ, and the truth is, I don't know if I'm right.





You're "sure", yet don't know if you're right.

You should run for Congress!
 
Let me be clear, I was trying to avert any notion of being patently contradictory. I just don't know any other way to say it rather than, "how do you know"?
 
Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
Originally Posted By: addyguy
Not trying to pick a fight with you, AJ, and the truth is, I don't know if I'm right.





You're "sure", yet don't know if you're right.

You should run for Congress!


Sigh....you just don't like me very much, do ya, Drew?

I was just trying to participate in a discussion on this topic. I just though I had good reasons for the ideas I had....
 
Addyguy: I understand your reasoning and it is logical.
My guess is that the factory fill is the same as what goes into 1.8 Ecotecs in Europe.

Does anybody know about the necessity of valve adjustments in this engine?

PS: I rented a small Opel in Europe a few years ago and it handled extremely well. At the time I had wished that GM imported them here. It's a shame that GM had this technology and was selling Cavaliers, Grand Ams etc..here.
 
"Max. service interval 20,000 miles or 1 years"


18ECOVECTRA.jpg


Engine Specification
Engine, location Front, transverse in front of axle, 7° 50' forward inclined
Cooling system Liquid, sealed circuit
Cylinders, number 4
Bore (mm) 80.5
Stroke (mm) 88.2
Displacement (cc) 1796
Compression ratio 10.5 : 1
Engine, type In line; 5 main bearings
Cylinder block/ head material Cast iron/ aluminium
Camshaft(s), location 2 overhead (DOHC), driven by toothed belt
Valve train Bucket tappets
Valve, arrangement V; 4 per cylinder, variable valve timing
Valve, adjustment Mechanical
Fuel system Sequential multi point fuel injection
Ignition system Electronic ignition map, EST & knock sensor
Fuel pump Electric, in tank
Emission control system Cat. conv. with 2 oxygen sensors
Output (kW/hp CEE at 1/min) 103 / 140 at 6300
Specific power (kW/l; hp/l) 57.4; 78.0
Max. torque (Nm at 1/min) 175 at 3800
Specific torque (Nm/litre) 97
Mean effective pressure at max. power/ max. torque (Nm/litre) 1092/ 1225
Average piston speed (m/s) 18.5
Engine oil, capacity (l) 4.5
Cooling capacity (l) 6.9
Battery 12V, capacity (Ah) 44
Alternator 14.2V, capacity (W) tba
Max. service interval 20,000 miles or 1 years
Emission compliance Euro 4

18vvtgraph.jpg




http://www.gmpartsworld.com/product_details.php?category_id=1&item_id=40
 
Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
iirc, the Opel-spec LL-025-A 0w-30 A5 Saab oil was determined to be Elf Excellium. I wish I still had a few jugs.

Well, there is one possibility Elf, or the newer 5w-30 version of it.


I have a racing buddy who has a VW/Audi indy shop that stocks elf excellium. It is Theil's Auto Service in Canadaigua, NY. Even has a elf poster of Fernando Alonso's Renault F1 car in the shop.
 
Oh, thanks. I have a LOT of oil stashed here already. PP should be acceptable LL025A substitute. I suppose the GM OLM is calibrated to dino oil, hence the interesting nature of my inquiry.

I think the belief there is Euro oil in the Euro engine is sound.
 
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