shorty235 
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Registered: 14th Dec 03
 Location: South Shields, Tyne and Wear 
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i saw an engine in a calibra that looked exactly like a red top but had a black strip on the engine cover. im sure ive seen blue ones too. 
wot are these engines?
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miles 
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Registered: 25th Mar 02
 Location: plymouth Drives: Astra Sport 
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ecotec's = 136bhp + not as tunable
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KennyT 
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Registered: 4th Aug 03
 Location: Kirkcaldy,Fife,Scotland 
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maybe an ecotec, they all have the blackish grey plastic cover like the red top does.
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AdamF 
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Registered: 24th Apr 02
 Location: Bexhill, East Sussex 
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or itsd a redtop and they have painted the plug cover a different colour  
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ed 
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
 
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Some of the newst 'red tops' did have a black spark plug cover I think, or so I have heard  
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miles 
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Registered: 25th Mar 02
 Location: plymouth Drives: Astra Sport 
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If its a ' black strip' plug cover then its an ecotec.
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Big Col 
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Registered: 8th Sep 99
 Location: Ayrshire, Scotland   Drives: '00 Astra 2.0 SRi 
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it's the shape of the plug cover that's important. 
 
L shape = C20XE = 150bhp 
straight = X20XEV = ecotec = 136bhp 
 
As mentioned the very last of the C20XE's had a black L shaped plug cover even though they were the 'proper' 150 bhp engine. 
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myke 
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Registered: 7th Feb 01
 Location: High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire 
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and the black covers i'm sure had ecotec written on them, while it was still an XE
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ed 
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
 
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Yea, Myke is right... I saw one in a scrap yard a few weeks ago... It was definately an C20XE, not an Ecotec..
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drunkenfool 
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Registered: 7th Feb 03
 Location: Hereford  Drives: Audi R8 V8 
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is it the one with the costcast (sp) head which is less likely to go pourous?
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Jambo 
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Registered: 8th Sep 01
 Location: Maidenhead, Drives: VXR Arctic 
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Later LETS had black plug covers saying ecotec too   
 
If not it was the NE engine
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Jambo 
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Registered: 8th Sep 01
 Location: Maidenhead, Drives: VXR Arctic 
User status: Offline 
 
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Heres a later spec LET: 
 
 
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ed 
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Registered: 10th Sep 03
 
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quote: Originally posted by drunkenfool 
is it the one with the costcast (sp) head which is less likely to go pourous? 
   
Coscast heads were better made, and cost more to make. They were less likely to go pourus... But cos of budget cuts, GM got a different company to cast the heads, and they were cheaper and lower quality, GM don't even know how many of the lower quality heads went porous...
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Col004 
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Registered: 25th Jun 03
 
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black top xe's were the later xe's in 1994 M reg cav sri's etc, these did'nt have a dizzy and had a coil pack instead, they are not as tunable as the older xe's and some of them do say ecotec on them but they are still 150 bhp unlike the shit new 2.0 16v engines at 136 bhp that are in vauxhalls these days. 1600 ecotec's with mantzal box'es thrash newer 2.0 16v ecotecs 
 
  
 
[Edited on 15-06-2004 by Col004]
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shorty235 
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Registered: 14th Dec 03
 Location: South Shields, Tyne and Wear 
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well yeah its one of them. its got the L shape plug cover and doesnt say ecotech. 
it was in a calibra. not as good as red tops then? 
 
and wot are the blue ones?
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Jambo 
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Registered: 8th Sep 01
 Location: Maidenhead, Drives: VXR Arctic 
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blue ones are either OPC cover or just painted  
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calidus 
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Registered: 27th Oct 02
 Location: Lincoln 
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this is way way way off topic but to fit a LET engine is it same principals as fitting a valver?
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LukeGSi 
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Registered: 9th Dec 03
 
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quote: Originally posted by calidus 
this is way way way off topic but to fit a LET engine is it same principals as fitting a valver? 
   
 
Similar but much more involved  
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Andy 
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Registered: 28th Dec 99
 Location: Cumbria, UK 
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quote: Originally posted by miles 
ecotec's = 136bhp + not as tunable 
   
 
Oh yes they are - you just need a bit of cash lying around...  
 
  
 
Brand new engine; a reliable 240bhp out of the box; £4500 all in
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sigibbons 
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Registered: 10th Feb 04
 
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quote: Originally posted by Col004 
black top xe's were the later xe's in 1994 M reg cav sri's etc, these did'nt have a dizzy and had a coil pack instead, they are not as tunable as the older xe's and some of them do say ecotec on them but they are still 150 bhp unlike the shit new 2.0 16v engines at 136 bhp that are in vauxhalls these days. 1600 ecotec's with mantzal box'es thrash newer 2.0 16v ecotecs 
 
  
 
[Edited on 15-06-2004 by Col004] 
   
 
I know this is digging up an old topic, but why are the xe's with a black L shaped plug cover reading ecotec not as tunable as the red tops? I know its coz of them not having a dizzy but a coil instead but why does this affect it? 
 
Thanks, si
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sigibbons 
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Registered: 10th Feb 04
 
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Also as the black top xe's were newer would it be better getting one of these as it may not have done as many miles? 
How much would the engine be worth without box, loom, ecu shafts or anything?
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sigibbons 
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Registered: 10th Feb 04
 
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ttt
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sigibbons 
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Registered: 10th Feb 04
 
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t t t 
 
[Edited on 28-07-2004 by sigibbons]
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sigibbons 
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Registered: 10th Feb 04
 
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to 
the  
top 
 
Someone reply!
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miles 
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Registered: 25th Mar 02
 Location: plymouth Drives: Astra Sport 
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quote: Originally posted by Andy 
quote: Originally posted by miles 
ecotec's = 136bhp + not as tunable 
   
 
Oh yes they are - you just need a bit of cash lying around...  
 
  
 
Brand new engine; a reliable 240bhp out of the box; £4500 all in 
   
 
I stand by my statement. For the same money and mods the XE would have more power, hence is more tunable.
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