Can anyone tell me about this engine

[Clarby]

Ok so all I know is it's a Vauxhall engine around 200 bhp that I was going to fit in my caterham ( which I unfortunatly had to sell). I payed £1800 for the engine and am now trying to sell it but don't know much about it.

[DuraAce]

1.6/1.8 weren't they? 200bhp sounds a bit high to me, they weren't much over 100 standard if I recall.

Did you get dyno print outs, evidence of what was done to it? If not, you didn't really pay £1800 did you?!

[Clarby]

I did but I lost everything due to my children

[andyiley]

At the risk of stating the obvious, without what you have lost proving its worth is virtually impossible, so you either need to find it, or wave its value goodbye.

[Clarby]

Haha thanks anyway

[DVandrews]

If it is a J series, it is just about possible to squeeze 200BHP, but it is an unloved engine In the tuning fraternity since 16v versions are freely available are far more capable.

The version used in the Caterham rarely made more than 140bhp.


Dave

[Pumaracing]

It's an old Astra/Cavalier 8 valve engine from the 80s or early 90s. The engine code on the block should tell you if it's a 1.8 or a 2 litre, hopefully at least the latter. Hardly anyone used to modify those as the cam and follower arrangement was a bit prone to wear and the 16 valve XE engine from 1988 onwards would drop straight in instead with 150 bhp as standard and up to 250 tuned.

Chances of anywhere even close to 200 bhp from that are vanishingly slim and even if does have a full race cam and really well ported head it'll be horrible to drive with no power low down at all. If it really was a pukka race engine from a good tuner I'd at least expect a bit of nice paint on the outside. It looks pretty old and tired.

Trouble is no one is going to want to buy it anyway. There aren't many cars left it even fits into or parts available to rebuild it with and 16 valve engines like the Ford Zetec or Duratech are ten a penny these days and give a much better starting point. You could have a look in the cam cover and see if there's a known make and part number stamp on the cam but chances are if it's had a bit of use it'll need a rebuild and be essentially valueless.

[geeks]

Looks like a C20NE to me, 2.0 and about 115bhp on a good day so 200 is unlikely as other have said.

[geeks]

Also look at the block where it meets the head the engine will be stamped with the code there to identify it.

[BritishRacinGrin]

That's doesn't look very much like a Caterham supplied engine to me I'm afraid, the giveaways being the coil pack and rear engine mount, and less importantly the 'Caterham' badge stuck over the 'injection' lettering. Caterham had a C16 NZ2 engine which in standard 1598cc trim made around 100bhp through twin 40 DCOEs, and an 1800cc upgrade was available which made approx 15-20bhp more power and more torque. These engines change hands for four to six hundred quid without carbs. What you have there looks a lot like it has come out of a Cavalier etc.
Clutch assembly isn't Caterham and nor is the inlet manifold. I'm afraid you've basically been had.



Here was mine. Note carbs, manifold, distributor, mounts, 'Caterham' badge... it was in fine fettle and made 98 horsepower at the flywheel.

Edited by BritishRacinGrin on Tuesday 11th November 11:53

[BritishRacinGrin]

P.S. If it is a C16 NZ2 it has a value for Caterhams, I'd be interested in buying it in fact... However the last one I bought was four hundred quid.

[PaulKemp]

What is interesting and points to an engine with serious horsepower is the 7" multiplate clutch and light flywheel (looks thin so I assume light)
You just would not put that on a low powered car

[Megaflow]

PaulKemp said:

What is interesting and points to an engine with serious horsepower is the 7" multiplate clutch and light flywheel (looks thin so I assume light)
You just would not put that on a low powered car

This, plus somebody has gone to the trouble of converting to dizzy less ignition, points to something potentially interesting going on inside.

[Snake the Sniper]

Megaflow said:

This, plus somebody has gone to the trouble of converting to dizzy less ignition, points to something potentially interesting going on inside.

And there in lies the problem. A nice clutch only points to something, other than an old engine that's not been used in ages.