General information (Opel Insignia A)

The high-performance V6-Turbo RPO LBW engine has two intake and two exhaust valves per cylinder. Individual camshafts for intake and exhaust valves (DOHC) with phase shifters are installed in each cylinder head. The cylinder diameter is 89 mm, and the piston stroke is 74.8 mm. The cylinders are arranged in two rows with a 60° angle. The right row includes cylinders 1-3-5, and the left - 2-4-6.

Crankcase

The cylinder block is made of aluminum alloy by precision sand casting and has cast iron cylinder liners. Each of the main bearing caps, made of a composite copper-steel composition, has six bolts for fastening to the cylinder block. In addition to two outer and two inner bolts, two side bolts are used. To prevent foaming, oil is returned from the valve mechanism and cylinder head through channels remote from rotating and reciprocating components, built into the walls of the cylinder block and the cylinder head. Piston oil injectors are installed between two opposite cylinders. The knock sensor is located on both sides of the outside of the cylinder block.

Crankshaft

The crankshaft with four bearing journals is made of forged steel. The axial play of the crankshaft is adjusted by means of bearings of the third main journal. The pulse disk of the crankshaft position sensor is pressed onto the rear part of the crankshaft in front of the rear main journal. The crankshaft is balanced. The front part of the crankshaft houses the oil pump drive, built in front of the front main journal.

Pistons and connecting rods

The connecting rods are made of forged steel and have fully floating piston pins. The piston pins are freely installed in bronze bushings of the upper connecting rod heads. Wire retaining rings are used to fix the piston pin in the piston. The aluminum alloy pistons have a polymer skirt coating to reduce friction. The pistons use two compression piston rings with reduced expansion properties, as well as one composite oil scraper ring. The upper compression ring has a plasma spraying. The second compression ring is made of cast iron "napier". The oil scraper piston ring consists of a steel expansion ring and two chromed oil scraper discs.

[Material taken from an internet portal opelbook]

Timing drive

The timing drive has a primary drive chain driven from the crankshaft sprocket. The primary chain drives two intermediate sprockets. Each of these sprockets, located on pressure-lubricated axles, drives two separate secondary drive chains. The secondary chains serve to drive the intake and exhaust phase shifters of the camshafts of each cylinder bank. The primary chain drive uses two stationary dampers and a hydraulic tensioner built into the guide shoe. The tensioner minimizes chain drive noise and ensures accurate valve timing by eliminating drive chain sag due to natural wear. The tensioner includes a plunger with a minimum amount of play, which eliminates chain sag. The tensioner is equipped with an oil nozzle for spraying oil onto the timing drive components during engine operation. The secondary chain drives use one fixed damper and one movable guide shoe. The guide shoe provides tension to the secondary chain under the action of a hydraulic tensioner. All tensioners are sealed at the connection to the cylinder block or cylinder head by means of a steel gasket with a rubber coating. The gasket catchers have a sufficient supply of oil to ensure quiet engine starting.

Camshaft phase shifters

The engine is equipped with phase shifters for each intake and exhaust camshaft. The phases of the intake and exhaust camshafts can be varied within a range of 25° depending on changes in engine operating conditions. Variable valve timing optimizes performance, fuel economy and emissions without compromising overall engine performance. Variable valve timing also helps reduce exhaust emissions by optimizing the overlap of the intake and exhaust valves.

The camshaft phase shifters are hydraulic, vane-type. They change the position of the cams relative to the camshaft drive sprocket. Engine oil is supplied to the corresponding ports of the phase shifter through an electromagnetic valve. The oil, acting on the phase shifter blades, rotates the camshaft relative to the sprocket. At idle, both camshafts are in the initial or "home" position. In this case, the exhaust camshaft is in the maximum advance position, and the intake camshaft is in the maximum retard position, to ensure minimal valve overlap for stable rotation at idle speed. The internal locking pin locks the inner rotor relative to the outer casing of the phase shifter at idle speed and during engine start-up. In other engine operating modes, the camshaft phase shifters are controlled by the engine's electronic control unit to ensure optimal intake and exhaust phases, and, as a result, increased engine performance and fuel efficiency.

The camshaft phase shifter includes a built-in pulse disk of the camshaft position sensor installed in the front cover and necessary for determining the phases of each of the camshafts. Each phase shifter has a specific mark corresponding to the right or left bank of cylinders. The internal design of the exhaust camshaft phase shifter differs from the design of the intake phase shifter, since the intake phases change in the opposite direction relative to the exhaust phases.



The oil control valves (OCVs) of the phase shifters direct oil from a passage in the cylinder head to the corresponding port in the phase shifter. There is one check valve for each phase shifter. The OCVs are sealed on the front cover of the engine. The inlet portion of the valve is inserted into the cylinder head with a sliding fit. A strainer protects each port of the OCV from contaminants that may be present in the incoming oil. The front journal of the camshaft has several oil holes to provide a supply of control oil from the cylinder head to the phase shifter. The hole in the center bolt of the camshaft is bored so that oil flows around the bolt and is directed to the phase shifter. Oil in this passage is supplied to move the phase shifter to the initial or "home" position. Four oil passages radiate outward from the center of the journal. Oil is supplied to this group of holes to move the phase shifter from its initial position to a specific position set by the electronic engine control unit. O-rings are used at the front and rear of the front journal of the camshaft to prevent oil leaks from the phase shifter system. The seal is made of plastic, which is highly resistant to wear, and has a diagonal gap to improve sealing. The phase shifter is installed on the front of the camshaft, while the groove on the camshaft aligns with the installation pin in the phase shifter to ensure proper mutual arrangement.

Cylinder heads

The cylinder heads are made of aluminium alloy by casting in semi-permanent moulds. They have inserted guide bushings and valve seats made of metal-ceramic. Two 35 mm intake and two 30 mm exhaust valves are driven by means of roller rocker arms fixed on stationary hydraulic compensators. Separate camshafts for intake and exhaust are mounted on four main bearings in the cylinder block. The front camshaft bearing cover is also used as a thrust surface for the entire camshaft. All spark plugs are shielded by tubes pressed into the cylinder head. The ignition coils are also mounted on these tubes. The coolant temperature sensor is screwed into the left cylinder head.



The right and left cylinder heads are designated on the sides of the engine when viewed from the rear.

Turbocharger

The turbocharger consists of a turbine and compressor mounted on a common shaft. The shaft bearings are designed for high rotation speeds and are lubricated with engine oil.

The turbocharger is water-cooled to increase the durability of the unit.

The turbine wheel is driven by the exhaust gas flow. The compressor wheel compresses the intake air, forcing it into the combustion chambers. The bypass valve (Wastegate) regulates the boost pressure to create high pressure even at low speed. At a certain boost pressure, it provides a path for exhaust gases to bypass the turbine wheel. The bypass valve is controlled by pneumatic and electric drives depending on the pressure in the intake manifold. The exhaust gas flow pressure is reduced by opening the bypass valve, thus reducing the intake pressure.