[SamsSri]

Hi all, new here..

It's been nearly 15 years since i last played about with engine swaps on vauxhalls so bare with me!

I have recently acquired a 1.4 Sri Corsa c. Don't want to throw tons of money at it and had in mind a 1.8 rather than a 2l turbo.

Two questions though....

Is the 1.8 pretty straight forward with regards to the wiring?
Also, will the f13 gearbox/clutch handle the power increase of the 1.8?

I used to fit the old 2l 8v cavvy engines into Corsa B's using an f15 gearbox and they always coped quite well. Only when you moved up to a red top the clutch just woukdnt handle it!

Cheers

 

[ozsubrosa]

This comes up in past threads and the predictable (can be rather annoying if you're set on it) response is "don't bother, get a 1.8 car, cheaper insurance, less faff" but, recently, a 1.8SRi is getting expensive as the C is not so common now and a high spec 1.8 in good fettle costs quite a bit.

I'm barely capable in practice of changing a window wiper stalk but Corsaz22se will have some good info and NathanD, Mr Drew (who look in less often than z22se) also. Having an SRi already might be an advantage on suspension (iirc) and the 16" wheels already.

I'll leave it to the above to give you meaningful words, but good luck if you do go ahead and think about putting it into a progress thread - I do like to read that stuff even though I'm useless with a spanner.

 

[corsaz22se]

If you buy a complete 1.8 engine package it is all plug and play and will take around 1 day to complete.
You will need, the engine, f17 gearbox, mounts, ECU set (including ECU, BCM, dials, transponder, key chip and fob) engine loom, engine bay loom, exhaust front section and subframe.
This usually sells for around the £500-1000 mark depending on condition of the engine.

I still stand by the reason not to bother with this swap as it increases your insurance just as much as if you were fitting a 2.0L+ engine and you can still find Corsa 1.8's for the same kind of money then you add in the money back for the 1.4 Corsa plus the saving on the insurance it works out a lot cheaper in the long term to buy a 1.8 sri. In standard form they are still pretty slow cars anyway so if a power gain is what you are after you may be disappointed and then spend another £1500+ on power upgrades on the 1.8 which then puts you in big engine swap money.
As an example my 1.8 costs me £168/year to insure in a very high risk area but with full no claims. The 2.2 supercharged only costs me £286/year for insurance. It only cost me around £3000 to fit the bigger engine, supercharge it and add all the supporting mods.

What I am trying to get at is to check with your insurance before you start as the cost increase may come as a shock.

There are many Tigra B's being scrapped all the time so finding an engine set shouldn't be to hard. Finding a decent one can be hard as they are all 13+ years old now and many have not been looked after at all well.

 

[SamsSri]

Ok... I get what your saying guys lol.. So, insurance is irrelevant to me, i have business insurance and pay a yearly premium, i can have any car providing it's not classed as a super car or Armoured vehicle.

All i wanted to know was is the 1.8 compatible with the 1.4 Sri gearbox and will the clutch hold up? Also, is the wiring as easy as a 2L turbo or is it a pain in the rear end like a 2L NA?

Bare in Mind, this is a toy and it owes me 400 quid.. 😁

Just to add... Not a chance I'm hell I'd buy a package, that's daylight robbery haha..

 

[Mr drew]

All i wanted to know was is the 1.8 compatible with the 1.4 Sri gearbox and will the clutch hold up?

Yes it will bolt up, Clutch should hold up fine.

 

[corsaz22se]

You will need a complete engine bay loom and a full ECU set which is why I said to buy a complete engine package, its the cheapest way to get all the parts you need. With out the bay loom you will still need an ECU plug then swap around 36 wires about in it as the ECU pin outs and plugs are different between the 2 engines. Without the bay loom the wiring will be as hard or harder than doing a 2.0L+ engine swap.
You will struggle to find all the parts you need and a half decent engine for under £500.
I didn't say in the last post but all the coolant hoses and rad will be different if you have the z14xep engine. They are the same on the z14xe though as this is the same engine group as the z18xe.

 

[ozsubrosa]

It's a bit of a shame on the timing. When z22se mentioned the Tigra, I thought "oh, yeah" because, 2-3 yrs ago, I saw a vehicle (I take an interest in LHD) but with a really unsuitable 1.2 for my purposes. Tatty but sound 1.8 Tigras for <£500 were quite easy to find but I just don't see whole cars <£900 nowadays. A donor car makes things so much less of a PITA with mid-2000s and onwards cars. The ECU, the squib ring, the key transponder... my 2005 Modus is an even bigger PITA with injectors, fuse box and EPS all coded to the vehicle. Even on a C, it's not as straightforward as engine transplants on 90s cars.

 

[Ian_Balsdon]

It's a bit of a shame on the timing. When z22se mentioned the Tigra, I thought "oh, yeah" because, 2-3 yrs ago, I saw a vehicle (I take an interest in LHD) but with a really unsuitable 1.2 for my purposes. Tatty but sound 1.8 Tigras for <£500 were quite easy to find but I just don't see whole cars <£900 nowadays. A donor car makes things so much less of a PITA with mid-2000s and onwards cars. The ECU, the squib ring, the key transponder... my 2005 Modus is an even bigger PITA with injectors, fuse box and EPS all coded to the vehicle. Even on a C, it's not as straightforward as engine transplants on 90s cars.

I am just starting this journey.
So far I have sourced ECU, BCM, immobiliser , Key fob from donor Tigra.
The tigra uses same ABS system as my Combo Van.
Not sure if I should get ABS controller from donor car or not? .Same part number.
There are 28 ECU pins on the Car side of ECU to repin and it appears to be colour for colour.
Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[corsaz22se]

I am just starting this journey.
So far I have sourced ECU, BCM, immobiliser , Key fob from donor Tigra.
The tigra uses same ABS system as my Combo Van.
Not sure if I should get ABS controller from donor car or not? .Same part number.
There are 28 ECU pins on the Car side of ECU to repin and it appears to be colour for colour.
Good luck and keep us posted.

If you have the chance to get the ABS pump/controller for low money then get it. They are getting expensive should you need a spare unit in the future.

 

[Ian_Balsdon]

Thanks mate Most stuff from combos is still cheap here in Australia .
I picked up a brand new Z18XE complete with everything for 2000 dollars
It has clutch, starter motor , ECU (virgin) engine harness.
I am very happy .This is for my work van . I may build another with Z20LET for fun haha
Cheers

 

[ozsubrosa]

Good luck and keep us posted.

I've got my LHD Combo Tour pretty much as I want it, now. The previous owner already transferred a fresher 1.7 Di (I bolted on IC bits to effectively make it a DTi) and some tart-ups from a donor, so I mainly just added more tart ups. I can't help looking at other LHDs but not so much these days. Mrs Oz barely lets me have a light on in the khazi with the way bills are going and, if she allowed me any fettling, it would be to keep the extractor fan running (necessity) without needing to put the light on (luxury).

Very interested in your updates as you get along, though.

 

[Ian_Balsdon]

I've got my LHD Combo Tour pretty much as I want it, now. The previous owner already transferred a fresher 1.7 Di (I bolted on IC bits to effectively make it a DTi) and some tart-ups from a donor, so I mainly just added more tart ups. I can't help looking at other LHDs but not so much these days. Mrs Oz barely lets me have a light on in the khazi with the way bills are going and, if she allowed me any fettling, it would be to keep the extractor fan running (necessity) without needing to put the light on (luxury).

Very interested in your updates as you get along, though.

Wont be the LET lol I just found out that it is unreachable for me . At the moment I have a Z18XE crate motor sitting here and my old van that i bought back from insurance company after a prang that wasnt my fault .My friend is old school panelbeater .We are pulling front rails to fix my baby and I have been given the task of doing a lot of measurements tomorrow to see what will be done .The combo that we drive for work is good also .Fun times and learning.

 

[ozsubrosa]

Whatever you end up doing, always worth a progress thread. I read them with interest, and others here are more able to chip in with advice etc.

 

[Ian_Balsdon]

Will do mate .Just started pulling drivers side rail back to where it was pre accident .Went well.
Next the collapsed inner guard concertina shaped section to deal with

 

[BarinaB]

What a great discussion. Any chance of posting photos of the project?