GM Ecotec engine
It is manufactured in multiple locations, to include Spring Hill Manufacturing, in Spring Hill, Tennessee, with engine blocks and cylinder heads cast at Saginaw Metal Casting Operations in Saginaw, Michigan.
The Ecotec engine is a DOHC 4-valve design with a lost foam cast aluminium block and head (L850 for 86 mm bore applications, and L880 for 88 mm bore[citation needed]), designed for displacements from 1.8 to 2.4 L. Development began in 1994, by an international team of engineers and technicians from Opel's International Technical Development Center in Rüsselsheim, Germany, GM Powertrain in Pontiac, Michigan, and Saab in Södertälje, Sweden.
[2] Much of the development work on this project was carried out by Lotus Engineering, Hethel, United Kingdom.
LK9 is a turbocharged 2.0 L (1,998 cc) version of the L850 (86 mm bore) series Ecotec utilizing an all-new reinforced sand cast aluminium cylinder head and upgraded internal components.
With the end of the Chevy Cobalt S/C SS and Saturn Ion Red Line, the LSJ was discontinued after 2007.
In late 2005 Brammo Motorsports struck a deal with GM for the Supercharged 2.0 L Ecotec for their Ariel Atom.
Dual in-block balance shafts were integral to the design, the power-steering pump was mounted directly to the cylinder head and driven by the intake camshaft, the water-pump housing was cast into the block, and the A/C compressor and alternator were mounted directly on the block without brackets.
The oil filter housing was cast into the block with a removable cover and replaceable paper element.
The 2004–2008 Chevrolet Malibu uses a version with electronic throttle control and a special unitized exhaust manifold and catalytic converter.
The L61 was used in the following cars: This engine also powered the Japanese-market Subaru Traviq, a badge-engineered Opel Zafira A.
A turbocharged direct-injected (redubbed Spark Ignition Direct Injection) Ecotec was introduced in the 2007 Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Red Line.
In December 2008, GM released a Turbo Upgrade Kit for the LNF engine which increases horsepower to 290 hp (220 kW) and torque to up to 340 lb⋅ft (460 N⋅m), depending on the model.
The kit retailed for $650 and includes remapped engine calibration and upgraded 3 MAP sensors.
An updated variant of the LNF (also with 9.2:1 compression ratio) was released in 2008, meeting the Euro 5 emission standard.
The L61 was used in the following cars: The LAP is a 2.2 L (2,198 cc) version of the Ecotec, based on the Gen II block with cylinder head improvements, new camshaft design, E37 engine control module, 58X crankshaft reluctor ring, dual variable valve timing, digital crank and cam sensors, individual coil-on-plug ignition, vented starter solenoid, new MAP sensor, new intake manifold seals, new oil filter element, a 32-bit computer, and improved emissions performance.
The LE5 is also used in the following overseas models: The LE5 or a close variant is also used in the Polaris Slingshot (announced July 27, 2014), coupled with a 5-speed manual transmission and a final belt drive.
This includes an 11.2:1 compression ratio that helps build power, slightly dished pistons that increase combustion efficiency and injectors with an application-specific flow rate.
A 2.0 L (1,998 cc) turbocharged direct-injection version of the Gen III Ecotec was available in the 2013 Cadillac ATS and Chevrolet Malibu.
The engine uses a twin-scroll turbocharger with electronically-controlled wastegate/bypass valve, air-to-air intercooler, stainless-steel dual-scroll (1–4, 2–3) exhaust manifold designed to withstand 980 °C (1,800 °F) turbine temperature, and a rotacast aluminium-alloy (A356T6) cylinder head with sodium-filled exhaust valves.
First appearing in the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu and 2013 Cadillac ATS, the 2.5 L Gen III block has been reworked to reduce engine noise and vibrations, while improving fuel economy and low-end torque.
The engine features dual overhead camshafts with continuously variable valve timing and increased-authority cam phasing (increased phase rotation angle), a high-pressure returnless direct-injection fuel system with camshaft-driven fuel pump delivering 750 psi (52 bar) at idle and 2,250 psi (155 bar) at full load, higher-flowing intake and exhaust ports in the cylinder head, electronic throttle control and pistons with jet-spray oil cooling.
The two-piece steel-aluminium oil pan features in-pan integrated oil-pump assembly driven by the balance shaft with a shorter inverted-tooth chain.
Other improvements include inverted-tooth chain driving the camshaft, forged steel crankshaft, cast aluminium bedplate with main bearing cap inserts made of iron, high-pressure fuel rail with rubber-isolated assembly, acoustically shielded plastic cover for the intake manifold, and structurally enhanced aluminium camshaft cover and front cover.
Direct injection reduces emissions by 25%, while continuous cam phasing eliminates the need for an EGR system.
Continuously commanded by the engine control unit, the valve rocker arm switches between high-lift and low-lift profiles on the camshaft, actuated by an oil control valve through a two-feed stationary hydraulic lash adjuster, allowing for either 4.0 or 10.5 mm lift.
At Tech Show Torino 2008, GM Powertrain Europe announced the ignition-less HCCI (Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition) mode of the direct injection version of 2.2 L engine.
[27] The HCCI version is equipped with two-step adjustable valve lift with variable cam phasing and advanced ECU with cylinder pressure sensors, uses a lean-burn cycle similar to that of a diesel engine, and is claimed to further reduce fuel consumption by 15%.
