C16SE

C16SE is an automobile engine developed by Opel in the early 1990's for its Astra model.

General features

The motor uses a 4 cylinder inline design with a displacement of 1598 cc, a single overhead camshaft and a multi-point fuel injection system. It is mounted transversely at the front of the car, and the transmission box is on the left-hand end. [http://www.opellove.com/etc/Meeting/images/a5 5.jpg]

The engine is controlled by a computer based ECU (engine control unit) which makes use of a range of sensors and actuators to operate the engine. The ECU controls all aspects of the engine performance with the exception of the cable operated 'butterfly' throttle which is operated via the accelerator pedal. The ECU makes use of the following sensors:Throttle position sensor This is a rotary angle position sensor fitted to the throttle butterfly shaft.Manifold air pressure sensor This sensor is connected to the inlet manifold by a piece of flexible tubing and measures the absolute pressure in the inlet manifold. (Inlet manifold pressure is at its lowest when the throttle is closed and engine revs are high.)Inlet air temperature sensor Installed in the inlet manifold, this sensor reports the temperature of air entering the engine. Some engines where fitted with Air Mass Sensors instead of the Inlet Air Temperature/Manifold Absolute Pressure sensors.Engine temperature sensor installed in the vehicle radiator (or the on the head near the camshaft), this sensor reports the temperature of the engine coolant.Crank shaft position sensor This sensor is used to determine the angle of the crankshaft and engine speed. The crankshaft pulley includes a series of signal 'teeth' and one indexing 'toothless' region which is read by an inductive pulse pickup.Lambda sensor This sensor, installed in the exhaust pipe, measures the oxygen content of the exhaust gases.Road speed sensor The car speedometer (driven by a cable from the gearbox) also includes an output which informs the ECU of the car's road speed.Fuel octane plug The ECU must be informed of the octane rating of the fuel used. A selector plug is provided that is adjusted by the car user, some of the newer models don't feature this plug and instead use a Engine Knock Sensor to determine advance and back off timing in the event of knock (The rate at which knock occurs differ between fuel types).Air conditioning switch The ECU takes an input from the cabin air conditioning (AC) system to know when the AC system is active (Air conditioned models only).

Based on the inputs from the above sensors the ECU controls the following actuators and systems:Ignition The ECU controls the timing of the ignition spark provided to each cylinder. On some models a direct ignition system (DIS) is used (on a wasted spark configuration) in place of a single ignition coil and distributor.Fuel injection Each cylinder has its own fuel injector which is opened for a short time to introduce petrol into the intake manifold.Idle air control When the engine is idling (accelerator not depressed) the throttle butterfly is fully closed. To control the engine idle, a Idle Control Motor OR Idle Control Valve (newer models) in the throttle body is used to pass air into the engine effectively by-passing the throttle butterfly.Air conditioning override In cases where the engine is expected to deliver near maximum power the ECU can switch off the air conditioning clutch to remove the load the AC system places on the engine.Check engine light Situated in the instrument panel the orange 'check engine' lamp is illuminated when the engine is not running. It will also illuminate whilst the engine is running if an engine engine error (such as a malfunctioning sensor) occurs.

Emission System

In order to comply with the Euro 1 emission regulation, a catalytic converter is present in the exhaust system. This is the source of the letter C in the engine code name.

Lubrication system

The lubrication oil pump is driven by a gear from the crankshaft.

Performance specs

*Power: 74 kW or 101 HP @ 5800 rpm
*Torque: Auto Nm|137|0 @ 3400 rpm
*Compression ratio: 9.8:1
*Bore × Stroke: 79.0 mm × 81.5 mm
*Multec M Injection Full System
*Delco OR Bosch Motronic ECU

Applications

*Opel/ Vauxhall Astra F/Corsa (official)
*Opel Corsa B 1.6 (South Africa)

References

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