Nissan SR16VE 1.6 engine

Characteristics of the SR16VE engine

The SR16 engine was produced at the Yokohama factory from 1997 to 2000. This four-cylinder inline engine has an aluminum cylinder block with four valves per cylinder.

The engine’s displacement is an impressive 1,596 cubic centimeters, with compression ratios ranging from 11.0 to 11.7 for the N1 version. Power output ranges from 175 to 200 horsepower depending on the version, and peak torque reaches from 161 to 181 Nm.

Fuel with an octane rating of 98 is recommended for this engine, and it meets Euro 3 environmental standards.

Oil consumption can reach up to 500 grams per 1000 km. For SR16 engine it is recommended to use oils with viscosity 5W-30, 5W-40, 10W-30 and 10W-40, and the volume of oil in the engine is 4.2 liters. It is recommended to change the oil every 15000 km, although it is better to do it every 7500 km to increase the longevity of the engine.

The SR16 engine resource is not specified on the factory data, but in practice it can be estimated at more than 200 thousand kilometers. SR16 engine was installed on Nissan Pulsar VZ-R, Nissan Lucino VZ-R and Nissan Sunny VZ-R.

Faults and repair of the SR16VE engine

Based on the SR20VE engine, a 1.6 liter sport motor called SR16VE was created. This engine used the same cylinder block as the SR20VE, but with a shorter crankshaft stroke of 68.7 mm. It also used modified connecting rods and larger displacement pistons, and the compression ratio was increased to 11. The cylinder head remained the same as the SR20VE, with variable valve timing and valve lift. The intake camshafts were phased 200-280 and lifted 7.1-11.1 mm, while the exhaust camshafts were phased 244-280 and lifted 7.95-11.1 mm. This resulted in 175 hp at 7,800 rpm and 161 Nm of torque at 7,200 rpm.

A limited edition of the most powerful version, the SR16VE N1, was produced. This engine featured an intake manifold, throttle plate (70 mm), pistons and block head (revised and milled by 1 mm), and a compression ratio raised to 11.7. This engine used intake camshafts with 220-288 phase and 8.4-12.0 mm lift, and exhaust camshafts with 244-288 phase and 7.95-11.9 mm lift, as well as special springs.

These changes extracted 200 hp at 7,800 rpm and 181 Nm of torque at 7,600 rpm from the 1.6-liter motor.

Along with the SR16VE, the SR18DE and naturally aspirated SR20DE/DET/VE engines were produced.

In 2000, production of the SR16VE motor was discontinued.

Problems and disadvantages of Nissan SR16VE engines

• Owners of this unit are highly recommended to watch the quality of fuel
• Cheap oils can quickly disable the complex phase-regulation system
• If the revs are floating, first look at the idle speed regulator or DMV
• The sources of leaks are usually the crankshaft oil seal and oil pressure sensor
• After 200,000 kilometers of mileage it is not uncommon for the timing chain to pull out and start rattling

Nissan SR16VE engine tuning

Atmospheric

There are two main tuning options: convert to N1 or convert to SR20VE. Converting to SR16VE N1 is quite difficult, as it would require replacing a significant portion of the motor for the sake of adding just 25 hp. A much better option is to install the crankshaft from the SR20VE, along with connecting rods and pistons. This will achieve around 200hp. Then do an exhaust tune on a 63mm pipe, install a 4-1 manifold, lightweight flywheel, tune and get about 200-210hp.

If you already have an SR16VE N1, all the processes are similar, but the compression ratio will increase to 12.5 due to a higher performance cylinder head, resulting in more power (210+ hp). It should be remembered that using standard N1 pistons on 98 gasoline is not acceptable as it will result in a compression ratio of 14.5. However, if you use methanol or VP Import gasoline, there will be no problem.

MOTOR RATING: 5.