General Motors 54° V6 engine

54° V6
Overview
Manufacturer	General Motors
Also called	Ellesmere V6
Production	1994-2004
Combustion chamber
Configuration	54° V6
Cylinder block alloy	Cast iron
Cylinder head alloy	Aluminium
Valvetrain	Dual overhead cam
Combustion
Fuel system	Sequential multi-port fuel injection
Fuel type	Gasoline
Oil system	Wet sump
Cooling system	Water-cooled
Chronology
Predecessor	Opel CIH
Successor	High Feature V6

General Motors' Opel subsidiary in Europe designed a compact V6 engine with an unusual 54° vee angle. It was an iron block/aluminum head DOHC design with 4 valves per cylinder. All 54° engines were assembled at Ellesmere Port in England.

History

In the early 1990s, Opel identified the need for a modern, lightweight and compact power plant to replace its ageing straight-6 engine range. These engines have a cast iron engine block with cast aluminium alloy cylinder heads. The cylinder heads contain 4 valves per cylinder actuated by dual overhead camshafts which are driven by a timing belt. These engines however, differed from many modern V6 engines in that it has a 54 degree cylinder bank angle; as opposed to the more conventional 60 degree setup. This added to the engines' compactness which was needed to allow its use in front-wheel drive applications, as well as rear-wheel drive cars. Other features of these engines include: an oil to water heat exchanger is mounted within the V of the engine block, Bosch Motronic engine management system with full sequential fuel injection, knock control on each bank, distributorless ignition system (DIS), and closed loop lambda control.

Minor changes were made to the unit during its production, including an uprated oil pump around mid-1997, with the addition of larger oilways in the head machining (T-Vents), and modified valve lifters to reduce top-end valve noise, at which point the cam belt arrangement also changed with the lower idler moving. Around 1998, the spin-on metal canister oil filter was changed to a disposable paper element.

Revision

The engine was reworked substantially in 2000 in order to meet increasing emission requirements; with the 2.5 and 3.0 being replaced by lower compression 2.6 and 3.2 units. While displacement was changed the bore centers and deck height were retained. These later power plants had a revised engine management system setup, which utilised quad lambda sensor control, coil per plug ignition system and drive by wire throttles. The 3.2 also received a stronger steel crankshaft. As a result of these changes the EGR and secondary air injection system were removed.

Recalls

In its 3.0 L form, this engine was notable for recalls of all units installed in Cadillac Cateras due to timing belt tensioner bearing failures, which could cause catastrophic damage to the engine because of its interference design.

2.5

The C25XE or B258I has an 81.6 mm (3.213 in) bore with a 79.6 mm (3.134 in) stroke and displaces 2,498 cc (152.4 cu in). It produces a Deutsches Institut für Normung (DIN) rated output of 125 kW (170 PS; 168 bhp), and generates 227 N·m (167 lbf·ft) of torque. It was introduced in the Opel Vectra/Vauxhall Cavalier (both codenamed "Vectra-A") and Opel/Vauxhall Calibra. It features Bosch Motronic 2.8 engine management.

For 1994, in order to meet more stringent emission requirements, a secondary air injection system, and an EGR valve were added to the C25XE and became the X25XE.

The breakdown of the engine name^[1] is as follows:

X - Exhaust Emissions Level: 94/12/EC, stage 2
25 - 2.5 Litre displacement
X - Compression Ratio - 10.0-11.5:1
E - Mixture System - Injection

Applications:

• Holden VS Commodore (export only)
• 1993-1997 Opel Calibra
• 1994-2000 Opel Omega B^[2]
• 1993-1995 Opel Vectra A
• 1995-2000 Opel Vectra B
• 1993-1998 Saab 900
• 1993-1995 Vauxhall Cavalier

MSD version

A special edition of the X25XE was worked by Motor Sports Developments (MSD); which includes reprofiled camshafts, giving the engine a boost of 24 bhp (18 kW). This engine appeared in two special edition Vauxhall Vectras, first the Vectra ST200 (Not the normal SuperTouring), and then the Vectra 2.5 GSi V6.^[3]

Applications:

• Vauxhall Vectra ST200
• Vauxhall Vectra 2.5 GSi

3.0

The X30XE, L81, or B308I has a 86 mm (3.386 in) bore with a 85 mm (3.346 in) stroke and displaces 2,962 cc (180.8 cu in) with a compression ratio between 10.0:1 and 10.8:1 . The engine produces, between 170 hp (127 kW) and 178 hp (133 kW) with 184 lb·ft (249 N·m) to 199 lb·ft (270 N·m). The B308I is a slightly modified X30XE used in the SAAB 9000.

X - Exhaust Emissions Level: 94/12/EC, stage 2
30 - 3.0 Litre displacement
X - Compression Ratio - 10.0-11.5:1
E - Mixture System - Injection

Applications:

• 1997–2001 Cadillac Catera
• 1996–2000 Opel Sintra
• 1995–2000 Opel Omega
• 1995–1997 Saab 9000
• 2000–2005 Saturn L-Series
• 2002–2003 Saturn Vue

B308

For 1997, Saab introduced a turbocharged version called the B308 for their 9-5 model. The engine produced 200 hp (149 kW) at 5000 rpm and 229 lb·ft (310 N·m) of torque at 2500-4000 rpm. The engine was unique in that it used asymmetrical turbocharging; with the turbocharger driven by the exhaust gases from only one bank of cylinders. A charge pressure of 3.6 PSI (0.25 bar) was produced using a Garrett GT15 turbo. The engine was equipped with a special version of Saab Direct Ignition and utilized the Trionic T7 engine management system.

Applications:

• 1997–2003 Saab 9-5

2.6

This engine was used in:

• Opel Omega B
• Opel Vectra B
• Cadillac CTS (Europe)

3.2

The 3.2 L LA3 or Y32SE is a complete redesign of the L81 for the Cadillac CTS and Opel Omega B. It had with fixed (non-variable) valve timing, and a variable length intake manifold. The engine has a 87.5 mm (3.445 in) bore and a 88 mm (3.465 in) stroke with a 10.0:1 compression ratio. This was a 3,175 cc (193.8 cu in) engine and produced 220 hp (164 kW) at 6000 rpm and 220 lb·ft (298 N·m) at 3400 rpm. Production started in July 2001, but the engine was replaced by the new GM High Feature engine starting in 2004.

This engine was used in:

• 2003–2004 Cadillac CTS
• Opel Omega B
• Opel Vectra C
• Opel Signum

References

See also

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