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Known fault

1.6 SIDI Turbo (A16XHT / A16SHT): timing chain

Typically between 90,000 and 160,000 km. It does not show up on every car.

critical

severity

between 90,000 and 160,000 km

mileage

3

sources

3 sources next to the write-up.

The fault

How you spot it

The Insignia and Astra 1.6 litre direct injection turbo petrol engines (A16XHT, A16SHT, later B16SHT / D16SHT) run a chain driven valvetrain unlike the belt driven A16LET 1.6 Turbo.

On some versions the chain can stretch at around 100,000 km. It rattles metallically on a cold start until the hydraulic tensioner builds pressure, and it can log a crankshaft to camshaft correlation fault code of the P0016 kind. If the rattle is left alone, the chain can jump and the engine is badly damaged inside.

Do not confuse it with the A16LET, which has a timing belt, or the A14NET 1.4 Turbo, which also has a chain but is a different engine family.

Which model

Who it affects

The card opens the generation, the engine or the transmission.

Engines and transmissions

Checklist

1.6 SIDI Turbo (A16XHT / A16SHT): timing chain

What you would check for this fault. Take it to the car.

Before you buy

Checklist

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vinkodex.com · Before you buy it, see what can go wrong.

Sources

How we know

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