1993 Vauxhall Cavalier SRi - 16v from UK and Ireland - Comments

Split CV boots/Noisy CV.

Boot Leaks slightly.

New Back box.

DIS coil pack.

Sump gasket leaks.

Noisy Tappets.

New Wheel bearings.

Replaced:

New Brembo grooved discs. EBC Green pads. Castrol SRF Brake fluid. S/Steel brake lines.

Yokohama A520 tyres.

Eibach Springs/Monroe Reflex gas dampers.

Oil pressure gauge. (70psi warm oil at 3000rpm).

Cam belt and rollers.

Vaux 10w40 oil. (A3/B3).

Ignition leads/Vx spark plugs.

Redline MT-90 fully synthetic gearbox oil.

Even though it's done 140k I've had it to 140 genuine mph on the continent.

Fantastic engine the red top, a bit noisy when cold, but there's torque everywhere. Party piece put in 4th from a standstill, slip clutch lots (ooops!) and she'll pull all the way to 100mph.

Handling is good, but needs wider (205) tyres as it can drift a bit in the wet, but not dry. Bit of Scuttle shake needs a strut brace really. Brakes crap when I got it, now they bite like rabid cobras.

I think your car has had an engine swap at some point.

The classic C20XE "Red Top" engine was used in the GSI, GSI 4x4 and Turbo models. The SRI models used either the 8 valve 2.0 (the C20SE, which the C20XE was based on) or the newer 2.0 16v "ECOTEC" unit.

I think you might be wrong there, I thought they were only in GSI's, but have recently found out they made an SRI red top from 92 only for a couple of years then switched to the dodgy ecotech, and the SRI is quicker than the GSI, the SRI is 7.5 to 60 and the GSI is 7.9. Because the SRI didn't have the big bumpers etc that the GSI did, less weight more speed, Gotta get 1 soon.

The red top engine did appear in the cav sri, it is also about the same weight as the Astra mk3 gsi, both claim o-60 in 7.5 seconds. Nice car, ditch all the seats and replace with light versions and watch it fly.

The classic C20XE "Red Top" engine was used in the SRI - if you pick one up your be lucky... I have one on a 93 K reg. It is absolutely amazing. However to take full advantage of the power, you need wider tires and a completely drive surface to appreciate the engine.

There was no such engine as a C20SE; the redtop did manifest itself in the GSi range in its 20XEJ configuration, with distributor and no catalytic converter, this itself was borrowed from the Astra MkII GTE 16v where it utterly outclassed the opposition of the period (XR3i, GTi et al). The redtop re-appeared in the Cavalier SRi as the C20XE and differed from its forebear by having distributorless ignition (the DISPack) and a catalytic converter, the latter depriving it of some 6bhp over the 20XEJ.

That said the C20XE was somewhat more refined than the 20XEJ, if you can call something that is only just a road engine and more a track engine refined...

The redtop SRi really thumped everything in its class, it was and still is a beast, regularly underestimated by modern sports hatch pilots even now; it didn't however, stick around long, as new EC directives on emissions sealed its fate - it gave way to the ecotec (X20XEV) in 1994.

As far as I'm aware, any 2.0 head will fit any 2.0 block, so the issue of the 16v being derived from a certain 8v unit is a cloudy one, changing the pistons would alter the compression ratio anyway so it's pretty much academic.

I've posted another comment (recently) on the chronological history of the SRi line, so look in on that one if you've any queries of what came where and when.

The XEJ (early Red Top) was essentially a Cosworth designed and cast 16 valve head bolted onto the existing 1998cc Family 2 block from the Astra GTE, Cavalier and Carlton.

Reputed to be one of the few engines that has near perfect head porting as standard. Later XE's had GM cast heads, lost 6 bhp and the heads went porous.

That sounds like good news, as I have a 2.0 16 valve ecotec, and I think the head is gone, and I have a red top head from a mate, and was hoping it would fit!!! Can anyone else verify this please??? Cheers.

Yes it will fit, in a mechanical sense.

If you're prepared to swap out the ECU (XEVs are Simtec, XEs are Motronic) along with the loom then fine.

There's also the manifold, which isn't interchangeable and you'll need to blank off the EGR function, which will have nowhere to go on the XE head. Incidentally, the swapping of the manifold may cause some routing problems back to the rest of the system, depending on which sump you have.

I'm guessing that the cam belt may well be slightly longer for the XE, as the pulleys are further apart than on the XEV.

So is it better to get an engine with or without the distributor, which 1 is faster? And this cos cast head, are these the better heads than all the others? And what car and year do you find them on? Thanks.

One isn't faster than the other, it's the fact that the distributorless ignition system (DIS pack) versions were installed round about the same time as catalytic converters were being fitted as compulsory emissions equipment; the cat robs the engine of approx 4-6bhp depending on who you talk to.

The DIS pack version (C20XE) does have a reputation of being a little more refined than it's distributor-driven sibling (20XEJ).

The coscast head was reputedly near-perfect porting for a factory-standard head, whether they were better again depends on who you talk to; coscast units have larger intake ports and stronger valve seats, GM units are made from softer metal (hence the porosity issue). Coscasts were hand-made apparently.

I don't think any Cavaliers came with a coscast head but if I'm honest, I'm not entirely sure about that. That's not to say plenty haven't made their way over by way of tuning/engine transplant but unlike factory figures you have no way of knowing how many that would be.

Car most likely to be the donor would be the Astra GTE 16v.

Another thing. If you're thinking of wellying this car for a living, you might want to look at the crankgear; ecotec bottom ends don't have quite the reputation for durability (under prolonged duress) that their redtop cousins have.

Confusingly, the casing is allegedly tougher, but you will need to install the redtop crankgear (crank, rods, crowns et al).