General information about SOHC engine repair (Opel Vectra B)

The engine has four cylinders and is mounted transversely at the front of the car. The clutch and gearbox are located on the left side of the engine.

The cylinder block is made of aluminum alloy. The crankshaft rests on 5 main bearings. Thrust half rings are installed on the third main bearing.

The lower heads of the connecting rod have liners. The pistons are attached to the connecting rods with piston pins. The pistons are made of aluminum alloy and have three piston rings, two sealing rings and one oil scraper ring.

The camshaft, located at the top of the cylinder head, drives a toothed belt and operates the valves through hydraulic tappets located under the camshaft lobes.

The engine is lubricated under pressure by an oil pump. Oil is sucked in through a mesh filter located in the oil receiver and then through an externally installed filter into the cylinder block channels. From there, the oil is supplied to the crankshaft and camshaft. The lower connecting rod head bearings are supplied with oil through an internal bore in the crankshaft. Oil is also supplied to the camshaft bearings under pressure. The camshaft and valve cams are lubricated with sprayed oil, as are all other moving parts of the engine.

Repair operations that can be performed on an engine installed in a vehicle

The following operations can be performed without removing the engine from the vehicle:

• removing and installing the cylinder head;
• removing and installing the toothed drive belt and pulleys;
• replacing the camshaft oil seal;
• removing and installing the camshaft housing and camshaft;
• removing and installing the oil pan;
• removal and installation of pistons and connecting rods;
• removing and installing the oil pump;
• replacement of powertrain mounts;
• removing and installing the flywheel.