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Engine code

Z14XEP engine faults.

Listed as: 1.4 16V Twinport, 1.4 Twinport, 1.4 LPG ecoFLEX, 1.4 16V TWINPORT ECOTEC, 1.4. The faults belong to this engine code. They do not apply to every car with that name.

petrol

fuel

1364 cc

displacement

66 kW (90 HP)

power

1 fault write-ups. Important.

Before you buy

Known faults

1 important faults

1.4 Twinport (Z14XEL / Z14XEP): timing chain

expensive

The 1.4 naturally aspirated petrol engines of the Astra H (Z14XEL, Z14XEP) run a chain driven valvetrain unlike the 1.6 Twinport/XER family, which is belt driven.

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The maker describes the chain as maintenance free, but it can rattle metallically on a cold start, it can log a timing deviation fault code, and with neglected oil changes the chain and the tensioner wear. The replacement is at the front of the engine, and the gearbox does not have to come out. If the chain jumps, the engine is badly damaged inside.

Do not confuse it with the 1.6: there the question is the timing belt interval, here it is chain noise.

between 120,000 and 220,000 km

What to check

  • On a cold start stand at the front of the engine: a metallic rattle in the first seconds is suspect
  • Ask for a fault code read: camshaft position and timing deviation codes
  • Check the service book: with neglected oil changes the chain and the tensioner wear
1 more steps in the write-up

Engine code

Factory data

Factory data

Engine family
—
Fuel
petrol
Displacement
1364 cc
Power
66 kW (90 HP)
Production
—

Generations

Which models it is fitted to

4 generations.

Information, not an expert opinion

We write the descriptions, and we put the source next to them. A person reviews them before they go out. They are still information, not a technical expert opinion.

  • A fault on the list does not mean the car you are looking at has it.
  • A fault missing from the list does not mean the model is fault-free. Write-ups are made model by model. Not all of them are done.
  • You decide whether to buy. This is no substitute for an inspection. That needs a workshop and a history check.
Details in the terms