- GM 54-Degree V6 engine
Infobox Automobile engine
name=54° V6
aka=Ellesmere V6
manufacturer=General Motors
production=1994–2004
predecessor=Opel Straight-6
successor=High Feature V6
class=DOHC 54° 24-valve V6
similar=Chrysler LH V6Mazda K engine Nissan VQ engine Nissan VE engine Suzuki H engine Toyota VZ engine
General Motors'Opel division in Europe designed a compactV6 engine with an odd 54° vee angle. It was an iron block/aluminum headDOHC design with 4 valves per cylinder. All 54° engines are assembled atEllesmere Port inEngland .This engine was used in the American versions of these models as well. The engine was reworked substantially between the 3.0 L L81 and 3.2 L LA3, but the bore centers and deck height were retained. In its 3.0 L form, this engine has a notable history for recalls of all units installed in U.S. Cadillac Cateras due to problems with timing belt tensioner bearing failures, which could cause catatrophic damage to the engine with its interference design.
L81 3.0
The L81 was used longitudinally in the
Opel Omega ,Cadillac Catera and transversely in theSaturn L-Series ,Saturn Vue andSaab 9000 . Bore and stroke were 86 mm (3.38 in) × 85 mm (3.35 in), for 2962 cc (180.75 in³) displacement. with 10,8:1 compression, the engine produced between Convert|182|hp|kW|0|abbr=on and Convert|208|hp|kW|0|abbr=on with auto ftlbf|190 to auto ftlbf|199.Saab's turbocharged version for
Saab 9-5 (the X30) produced Convert|200|hp|kW|0|abbr=on at 5000 rpm and auto ftlbf|229 at 2500-4000 rpm. Saab equipped the engine with special version ofSaab Direct Ignition .This engine was used in:
* 1994Opel Omega
* 1996-1999Opel Sintra
* 1997-2001Cadillac Catera
* 2000-05Saturn L-Series
* 2002-03Saturn Vue
*Saab 9-5
*Saab 9000 2.5
Saab used a 2.5 L version of this engine in the
Saab 900 (NG) from 1994 andOpel used it in many different models. It produced Convert|170|hp|kW|0|abbr=on and auto ftlbf|167.This engine was used in:
* Opel Vectra A
* Opel Vectra B
* Opel Calibra
* Opel Omega B
* Saab 900 NG2.6
This engine was used in:
* Opel Omega B
* Opel Vectra BLA3 3.2
The 3.2 L LA3 is a complete redesign of the L81 for the
Cadillac CTS andOpel Omega B. It had an iron block and used aluminumDOHC heads with fixed (non-variable) valve timing, and a variable intake. The bore was 87.5 mm and it had an Auto mm|88|1 stroke. This was a 3175cc (194 in³) engine and produced Convert|220|hp|kW|0|abbr=on and auto ftlbf|218. Production started in July 2001, but the engine was replaced by the newGM High Feature engine starting in 2004.This engine was used in:
* 2003-2004Cadillac CTS
* Opel Omega B
* Opel Vectra C
* Opel SignumSee also
X25XE/X30XE - detailed information about 2.5 and 3.0 motors
References
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