Astra 8v or 16v?

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
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Fri 6 Sep 2002 13:06
Astra 8v or 16v? - prm
I'm thinking of getting a new shape Astra 1.6. I know the 8 valve has less power, but do they have the same cambelt problems as the 16 valve, and if they do go bang is it new valves etc. Also are they more or less reliable. Thanks in advance.
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Sat 7 Sep 2002 20:36
Astra 8v or 16v? - RogerL
When the cambelt lets go, the 8v and 16v have similar problems in that the head needs to be removed to inspect the damage.

The 16v will certainly bend, fatally, several valves but this will also, probably, damage the cylinder head. Although a non-Vauxhall reconditioned head is £300, a genuine Vauxhall unit is well into 4 figures.

On the 8v, the valves may survive but the cylinder head may still be damaged and need replacement.

Vauxhall now recommend cambelt replacement at 40,000 for ALL models, regardless or original recommendation when new. However, it is the idler pulleys which cause the problem and some garages don't inspect or replace them when changing the cambelt or repairing a belt failure; thus repeating the cambelt failure just after the 3 month warranty has expired.

To choose between Astra 1.6, 8v and 16v, choose the engine which suits your needs and then change cambelt every 40,000 miles together with any pulleys which are suspect.

Ironically, all newly developed 16v engines from GM/Vauxhall/Opel/Saab are fitted with chain-drive camshafts as the cheapest way to eliminate these cambelt problems, and no, cambelted engines cannot be converted to chain-drive!
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