GM Family I Engine

The GM Family I is a straight-four piston engine that was developed by Opel, a former subsidiary of General Motors and now a subsidiary of PSA Group, to replace the Vauxhall OHV, Opel OHV and the smaller capacity Opel CIH engines for use on small to mid-range cars from Opel/Vauxhall. The engine first appeared in the Opel Kadett D in 1979, and shortly afterwards in its Vauxhall badged sister – the Vauxhall Astra Mk.1 in 1980. Despite this, the previous Opel OHV engine continued to be sold in entry level versions of the Opel Kadett/Astra and Corsa throughout the 1980s.

The Family I is informally known as the "small block", since it shares its basic design and architecture with the larger Family II unit (correspondingly known as the "large block"), which covers the mid range and higher engine capacities up to 2400cc.

Originally produced at the Aspern engine plant, production was moved to the Szentgotthárd engine plant in Hungary with the introduction of the DOHC version. GM do Brasil at São José dos Campos, GMDAT at Bupyeong and GM North America at Toluca also build these engines. The Family II units, by contrast were manufactured by Holden in Australia.

Design

The Family 1 engines are inline-four cylinder engines with belt-driven single or double overhead camshafts in an aluminum cylinder head with a cast iron engine block. GM do Brasil versions were also capable of running on ethanol. These engines share their basic design with the larger Family II engine – for this reason some consider the Family I and Family II to be the same series and instead use the terms 'small block' and 'large block' to distinguish between the two. Over the years there has been overlap between the two types as the smallest capacities of the Family II have also been manufactured with larger capacity versions of the Family I block.

Early build versions of the engine gained a notorious reputation for camshaft and follower failure – this was largely due to a special lubricant being used in the engine during the running in period, which would be changed for conventional oil at the first service. Many owners (familiar with the servicing requirements of the older overhead valve units that the Family I/II replaced) would often exacerbate the problem by changing the oil themselves within the running in period. Opel solved the problem by improving the metallurgy of the camshaft and followers, and changing the lubrication specification. Another issue (also common to the Family II), revolved around the water pump, which sits in an eccentric shaped housing and doubles as the timing belt tensioner. If poor quality antifreeze (or if no antifreeze was used), corrosion would jam the water pump in its housing making it impossible to tension the belt. Later versions of the engine incorporate a separate tensioning/jockey pulley for tensioning the belt.

GM do Brasil specializes in SOHC, petrol-powered and ''FlexPower'' (powered with ethanol and/or petrol, mixed in any percentage) engines. GM Brasil also made 16-valve versions of the 1.0 engine. The 1.0 L 16v was available in the Corsa line-up from 1999 to 2001.

SOHC

the first versions of the Family I appeared in the Opel Kadett D in 1979, and the corresponding Vauxhall Astra Mk.1 in the spring of 1980.

1.0

The version has a bore and a stroke.

1.2

There are two iterations of the 1.2-liter Family 1 engine. As originally introduced it was called the 12ST (also A12ST and S12ST in versions for the Austrian, Swiss, and Swedish markets), it used a bore and a stroke to produce a displacement of . This version, only carburetted, was used in the Opel Corsa. In around 1990 a new, version with bore and stroke, a narrower bore version of the existing 1.3-litre version, displacing , replaced the original design. This was also available with single-point fuel injection and with catalytic converters.

1.3

The version has a bore and a stroke.

1.4

The version has a bore and a stroke.

1.6

The version has a bore and an stroke.

1.8

The version has an bore and an stroke.

Applications:
* Chevrolet Corsa
* Chevrolet Montana
* Opel Meriva
* Fiat Palio
* Fiat Siena
* Fiat Strada
* Fiat Idea
* Fiat Punto
* Fiat Stilo

SPE / 4

The SPE / 4 or (''Smart Performance Economy 4 cylinders'') engines are an evolution of the Econo.Flex engines that were made in Brazil at the ''Joinville'' plant. There are two available displacements: 1.0 L and 1.4 L. They feature an SOHC head with 2-valves per cylinder, and is fed by a multi-point fuel injection system, which allows it to run on either E100 (pure ethanol) or E25 gasoline (standard in Brazil). Major differences between previous engines include reduced friction, lowered weight, individual coil-near-plug ignition, and a new cylinder head design.

DOHC

Pre-Ecotec

This was the first engine in this family, featuring a Lotus-developed 16-valve cylinder head and a cast-iron cylinder block which was essentially the same as in Opel's 8-valve engines. C16XE was available only in Corsa GSi, model years 1993 and 1994. C16XE was not yet badged Ecotec, and for later model Corsas and Opel Tigras it was replaced with X16XE Ecotec engine. The main difference between C16XE and X16XE Ecotec is emission control, C16XE lacks EGR and AIR-system, although the cylinder head is designed to enable these features. Other differences between C16XE and later versions of the engine include intake manifold, C16XE has a plastic upper intake manifold, which was replaced with a cast aluminium manifold, and fuel injection system, C16XE uses Multec fuel injection with MAF sensor and later models used Multec fuel injection with MAP sensor. Also, while C16XE had its own exhaust front section design, for X16XE it was replaced with a front section used also in Opel Astra, probably as a cost-saving measure.

Applications:

* 1993–1994 Opel Corsa GSi

Ecotec

The first generation Ecotec engines are belt-driven 16-valve DOHC engines, with cast-iron cylinder blocks and aluminum cross-flow cylinder heads. They feature sodium-filled exhaust valves, a cast steel crankshaft, and a spheroidal graphite flywheel. They also feature exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), secondary air injection, and ''Multec M'' engine control with sequential multiport fuel injection. The 1.6 L version was also exported for use in the Brazilian Corsa GSi.

Applications:
* 1994–2000 Opel Corsa
* 1994–2000 Opel Tigra
* 1999–2005 Opel Zafira using Siemens Simtec ECU
* Opel Astra
* Opel Vectra
* 2004–2008 Chevrolet Viva
* Fiat Stilo
* Chevrolet Corsa GSi/GLS
* Buick Excelle

Electronic throttle

Updated version introduced from 2000, with lighter cast-iron cylinder block and camshaft driven by toothed belt. Features EGR valve and electronic throttle for reduced emissions.

Ecotec TwinPort Family 1 engine (Z16XEP) is used in:
* Opel Zafira 2005–2007
* Opel Meriva 2005–2010
* Opel Astra 2003–2004 2004–2007
* Opel Vectra 2006–2008

E-TEC

Daewoo Motors independently produced a variant of the ''Family 1'' engine. These engines were built exclusively at Bupyeong engine plant and marketed as ''E-TEC''. Like all ''Family 1'' engines they feature a toothed belt driven valvetrain, a cast-iron engine block and an aluminum cylinder head. Most models feature Euro III-compliancy, and the 1.4 L (1399 cc) and 1.6 L (1598cc) versions employ variable intake geometry. With the release of Chevrolet Cruze, the factory has been converted to produce the Ecotec Family 1 ''Gen III'' block.

SOHC

Applications:
* Daewoo Lanos
* Daewoo Racer/Pointer *Only in Chile
* Daewoo LeMans
* Daewoo Espero
* Daewoo Nexia
* Chevrolet Lacetti
* Chevrolet Nubira
* Chevrolet Aveo

DOHC

The ''E-TEC II 16V'' is an updated version of the ''E-TEC'' engines with DOHC.

Applications:
* Chevrolet Aveo
* Daewoo Lacetti
* Daewoo Lanos
* Daewoo Espero
* Daewoo Nexia
* Daewoo Tacuma

Generation III

The new ''Generation III'' or Gen III engine entered production in Spring 2005. These engines replaced both the previous generation ''Ecotec'' engines as well as Daewoo's ''E-TEC 16V'' engines. These engines are manufactured at Szentgotthárd, Hungary, Bupyeoung, Korea, Toluca, Mexico and Yantai, PRC (SGM).

In contrast to their predecessors, the ''Gen III'' engines feature lighter cast-iron blocks, as well as higher compression ratios. These engines also implement DCVCP (Double Continuous Variable Cam Phasing technology, a variant of VVT), piston cooling by oil jets, and an integrated catalytic converter. Non-turbocharged variants feature the ''TwinPort'' (Variable-length intake manifold) technology.
Reliability improvements include a wider camshaft drive belt, and a water pump no longer driven by it.

The LDE engine meets Euro VI and KULEV emission standards. With the addition of secondary air injection to the LUW engine, the LWE achieves PZEV status.

These engines, like their DOHC predecessors, feature bucket tappets in contrast to the roller finger followers found on GM's other 4-cylinder engines.

Applications:
* 2005–2008 Opel Vectra (Z18XER)
* 2007–2008 Opel Signum (Z18XER)
* 2005–2019 Opel Zafira
* 2005–2012 Opel Astra
* 2008–2016 Chevrolet Cruze (1.8L LUW/2H0/LDE/LWE)
* 2009–2017 Opel Insignia
* 2009–2014 Chevrolet Aveo (1.6L in Europe, 1.6L LXV)
* 2012–2018 Chevrolet Sonic (1.8L LUW/LWE in North America)
* 2011–2015 Chevrolet Orlando (1.8L 2H0)
* 2007–2009 Holden Astra (AH)
* 2012–2013 Baojun 630
* Alfa Romeo 159
* 2005–2011 Fiat Croma
* 2012–2018 Opel Mokka

Turbocharged ''Gen III'' engines are used in:
* 2006–2009 Opel Meriva (OPC Model)
* 2007–2018 Opel Corsa (GSi and OPC Models)
* 2008–2012 Opel Insignia
* 2010–2015 Buick Excelle GT
* 2010–2015 Buick Excelle XT
* 2011–2012 Saab 9-5
* 2007–2012 Opel Astra
* 2012–2017 Buick Verano (1.6 Turbo)
* 2012–2020 Chevrolet Sonic (LT, LTZ Models)
* 2011–2020 Chevrolet Cruze (China, North America) and Holden Cruze (Australasia)
* 2016–present Chevrolet Malibu

References

External links

* http://www.gmpowertrain.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gm Family 1 Engine
Family 1
Gasoline engines by model
Straight-four engines