Opel B14XER 1.4 engine

In 1996, Opel launched serial production of small displacement gasoline engines, which received the general designation Family 0. The first were engines with cylinder capacities of 1.0 and 1.2 liters, and in 2002, the Z14XER unit with an increased volume of 1.4 liters was added to them.

The entire engine family is characterized by the presence of a cast iron block, timing chain, installation of an oil pump on the engine cover and the presence of hydrocompensators.

In 2008, Opel launched the A14XER engine with a pair of phasoregulators, a little later appeared the B14XER motor, which has a completely identical design, but its electronics firmware is designed to meet the Euro-6 environmental standard. In production, it lasted until 2019. The last version appeared was the D14XEL, adapted to the Euro-6d standard with even stricter norms of harmful emissions.

Technical specifications

Use in cars

Initially, these engines were created for the compact Opel Corsa, but later they appeared on other cars of the German brand. The first owner of the engine was Corsa D, and later it was transferred to Opel Corsa E. Another such engine can be found on Opel Astra J, but against the background of a similar in volume turbocharged engine, it received a much smaller distribution. The atmospheric engine B14XER was installed on Chevrolet cars – Aveo and Cruze. On the basis of this 1.4-liter engine, engineers developed a hybrid power plant for the first Chevrolet Bolt and its closest relatives Opel Ampera and Cadillac ELR. To meet the latter today is almost unreal.

Faults and Reliability

Adsorber purge valve

Quite common for the motor is an error indicating low enrichment of the fuel mixture, and the engine during operation emits a characteristic rattle. The reason is a malfunction of the adsorber purge valve, which passes fuel vapors from the tank into the intake system. In the original, such a valve will cost $ 60, and a similar quality analog is twice as cheap.

Crankshaft front oil seal

Once in a while, when the engine is running, you can hear a howl from under the hood. If you pull out the oil level dipstick, it disappears. The reasons for the extraneous sound are in the air let in by the front crankshaft oil seal. In this case, we can talk about excessive discharge in the engine crankcase due to the rupture of the VKG valve diaphragm.

The wear of the crankshaft oil seals on this Opel engine comes after about 100 thousand kilometers. The appearance of leaks is possible even earlier than this time due to the failure of the above-mentioned VKG valve.

Inlet manifold

Equipping the 1.4-liter unit with phasoregulators led to the abandonment of the TwinPort system, but only on some versions, for example, on the Meriva B model the motor is deprived of it, and on the power units of the Corsa and Astra models it is preserved.

This system provides for the presence of flaps inside the intake manifold, capable of completely closing half of the channels in the closed position. When the engine speed is low, the air enters through a single valve with the formation of swirls, which according to the engine developers contribute to a better fuel-air mixture.

It should be recognized that there are no problems with TwinPort, the system works reliably even on cars with high mileage. Physical wear of the linkage joints is possible, which can be replaced.

Valve cover

The ECG valve is built into the valve cover. It is actually a diaphragm with a spring-loaded base, responsible for controlling the volume of exhaust gases fed into the intake system. When the diaphragm ruptures, air begins to flow into the manifold in large quantities, causing the quality of the fuel mixture to drop dramatically.

In cases when the diaphragm does not provide a tight fit to the channel inside the crankcase is formed a rarefied space

Buy separately valve VKG is not possible, it is sold in a set with a cover and a price tag of about 200 dollars for the original. In the market you can find analogs, reconditioned caps, and in some cases you can find non-original diaphragms for the valve.

Ignition Coil

All ignition coils in the engine are assembled in a single module, this is the “chip” of most power units of Opel development. The most common problem here is the tip of the last cylinder plug.

Under the influence of temperature, the insulation of the plug begins to melt and deform. Over time, moisture penetrates inside, causing the conductive tip with spring to corrode. The degree of damage is such that the tip falls apart, and the spark penetrates the insulation, which has lost the effectiveness of protection. As a result, ignition misses occur, and there is twitching in the operation of the power unit, especially during periods of driving with a load.

The situation is so serious that problems begin to arise after 30-80 thousand kilometers of mileage. It is recommended to annually check the condition of the last candle, if the insulation is damaged, it is worth replacing it together with the tip, they are sold separately.

Jets

Injectors with direct injection, the maximum simplicity of their design ensures high reliability and unpretentiousness. In addition, their replacement, if necessary, will not require significant financial costs, and in case of a high degree of contamination, they can be brought back to life by ultrasonic cleaning.

Thermostat

The thermostat on the engine is fixed directly on the pump housing, it is controlled electronically, and it opens at a temperature of 103 degrees. Mechanically it is very reliable, but the thermostat housing is plastic and over the years begins to dry out, as a result, after a dozen years it can fall apart. The cost of a new thermostat is about 80 dollars for analogs, and the original will cost twice as much.

Some Opel owners carry out ECU re-flashing to reduce the thermostat triggering temperature. You can use the element from Opel Ampera, it is set to open at a temperature of 80 degrees, there are on the market and analogs with a similar temperature range of opening. On the originals to achieve the desired effect can be achieved by increasing the length of the thermostat stem.

Plastic is also the distribution flange at the outlet of the cylinder head, by the end of a decade of operation, it begins to leak. Inside the thermostat is located sensor to monitor the temperature of antifreeze in the system. Another sensor is installed in the radiator.

Pompa

Quite a reliable element, even the gasket under it has good durability and costs pennies (about 5 dollars). The pump itself, if it needs to be replaced, will cost the buyer about 60 dollars.

Front Cover Gasket

Leaks on the gasket, if they appear, then not earlier than after a mileage of 150 thousand kilometers. It is worth noting that the process of its replacement is very labor-intensive, requiring the protection of the pallet from the risk of getting into it various debris after dismantling the cover.

Oil pump

The pump is integrated into the front cover, and its rotor is of the gate type, as in power steering pumps. In general, reviews about it are positive, cases of failure or some defects have not been identified, although there are occasional rumors about the possibility of its premature wear, after which it loses the ability to maintain the necessary pressure in the system. Nevertheless, the unit is reliable, and if its contamination and occurs more intensively than usual, it is solely due to untimely oil changes or the use of low-grade fluids.

The timing chain

The timing chain in the engine is of the roller and bushing type. Its guaranteed service life is not less than 200 thousand kilometers, and in practice the rustling begins to appear closer to 300 thousand. By its design, the chain does not differ from those that were installed on 1.4-liter Opel motors of previous versions and the turbocharged version of the 1.4 Turbo motor. Identical are the guides with a tensioner, which, if necessary, greatly simplifies the search for spare parts.

In the process of changing the camshaft chains require fixation by means of a special stopper, while for the crankshaft you can use any suitable limiter. It is installed in a special hole with a plug located below the alternator.

Phase shifters

Phase shifters (there are two of them) are the same not only among themselves, but also with other Family 0 engines. In the original, their cost varies between 180-250 dollars.

The phase shifter control valves are inside the shifter and are in alignment with the camshaft. In fact, it is a regular bolt with a spool valve installed inside. The valve is controlled via solenoids in the front cover. The valve is directly acted upon by the solenoid core inside the solenoid coil.

All elements can be disassembled for cleaning and repair. The most reliable in this bundle are the solenoids, they can only break the winding, but it happens very rarely. Bolts of camshafts have miniature mesh filters, which periodically clog and require cleaning.

Phasoregulators in the process of operation also suffer from contamination with fragments of burned oil, which becomes the cause of wear of sealing lamellae made of fluoroplastic. There are no spare parts, so the entire phasoregulator will have to be replaced. Signs of problems in the operation of phasoregulators are the appearance of rumbling immediately after starting the engine cold, as well as the occurrence of errors in the adjustment of gas distribution phases.

Cylinder Head and Cylinder Block

In the vast majority of cases there are no problems with the cylinder head. The service life of oil caps is about 250 thousand kilometers, due to the high temperature regime of the engine. In the process of replacement, it is worth checking the guides of the valve sleeves for wear. Its presence leads to the occurrence of backlash.

The block itself is cast iron, its cooling jacket is of the open type. It is reliable and unpretentious, if the owner ignores the most elementary rules of operation on the cylinders may appear scoring. The engine is high-temperature, and cooling problems, for example, as a result of a clogged radiator, become the cause of accelerated oil wear.

When repairing the elements of the piston group, use a remcompakt of the same size, and it is 0.5 mm larger. Pistons and piston rings on sale are represented not only by originals, but also analogs from various manufacturers.

When repairing the crankshaft is allowed to restore its journals, and there are repair sizes +0.25 mm and +0.5 mm. You can also choose between original and non-original.

Oil injectors are not available for this Opel engine.