..and built by Mercury Marine

 

The Ecotec name was adopted in 2000 for the new generation of Family II engines. The name was already used for the Opel Family 1 and Family 0 ranges. GM intends this new Ecotec to become its global 4-cylinder.

The Ecotec Family II is a modern chain-driven DOHC 4-valve design with an aluminum block and head (L850), designed for displacements from 1.8 to 2.4 L. It was developed 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 Trollhättan, Sweden. Much of the development work on this project was carried out by Lotus Engineering, Hethel, United Kingdom. The engine uses aluminum pistons and cast iron cylinder liners. Vibration is reduced with twin balance shafts.

The current Ecotec line is manufactured in Tonawanda, New York, Kaiserslautern, Germany, and (for Saturn) in Spring Hill, Tennessee.

 

Well, considering that I own 2 of them (HHR & ION 2, both 2.2 w/auto), that's really good news.

Yves

 

I like my Ecotec and love the HHR. I've been an American car loyalist sice before I could drive.
Heck I went the Saturn route too,2001 300L Wagon I bought the Kool Aid , their umbrella of car car etc. To bad they shut down the Saturn dealer I bought it at. Then NEVER opened the Saturn dealer near my home like they had promised. The sign is still up saying "Coming Soon in 2002, Saturn"

Then they shut down the nearest Saturn dealer to me and it retreated to its parent store an hour away. The other closest Saturn dealer is another hour in a different direction.

Then our Saturn had simple but stupid problems with rear electrical and the oxygen sensor. The tail lights and brake lights kept shutting off because the dash dimmer switch touched off avalanche of shorts. All dealer only repairs. The O2 sensor is the same as many other GM ones but no other GM dealer would touch the car. Proprietary harness for diagnostics and such. So eveytime I had to get a repair it was an hour's drive and a prayer.

Nice car except for the lack of dealerships and them closing the dealerships. The electrical issue became a recall and I'm still waiting for my $800.00 that I paid for the repair to be paid back to us. It has been three years. Bad dealer network and support.
So as I like to say, despite GM putting a billion dollars into Saturn, DIE SATURN , DIE!

So I'll stick with our HHR and a Chevy dealer on every block. A much better equation if you ask me.!
I still have two 35-40 year old Corvairs and I tend to fix them my self. Though they are no longer daily drivers that would strand my wife and child as the Saturn did three times.

Now I did stray to the dark side and buy a Honda Odyssey, but I was forced by the powers that be to go this way, so it is not my fault!

Ford dropped the minivan. Chrysler makes 'em, but the Chrysler I had went through six trannies and three engines. So, no thank you for a while on Chryslers.
The Honda actually holds more weight compared to the current Chrysler too. The next gen Chrysler looks good. A ground up redesign with a new six speed tranny and three engine choices. But, I still would wait a couple of years for the bugs to work out and my Chrysler wounds to heal.

I had a nice GMC Safari AWD. Wore it out ( only went through two tranniies ) and went to get another one. Guess what, GM dropped the format! No more rugged workhorse minivans from GM.
The Uplander/Montanna/Terazza/Satrun ones are just to small for my needs and the seat storage is rotten.
My HHR dealer has only seen three Uplanders sell at his dealership, so I figured the support rug is gonna be pulled soon.
GM canceled my Buick Rainier as well, effectively killing the resale value. But I still liked the Rainier.

SO I went foreign for the first time.
The Honda is made in Alabama by real rednecks. I suppose I supported more US citizens buying a Honda than I did buying the Mexican HHR?
I am no longer caring. I just want a tool that works. The divisions between foreign and domestic are more like veils now days.

So, while I find the folks who want to crucify foreign car buyers a little whacked these days, I always find irritation with the fools who say all sorts of stupid things about domestic cars while religiously buying Civic ( A Horrible riding noisy primitive car BTW ).

Folks should stop getting in corners over this stuff. The country is divided enough. "Can't we all just get along?"

Carrs are just tools and we elevate them into status symbols at our own risk. That's where the problem lies!
Now if you'll pardon me, I gotta go ad some Chrome to my HHR!


T

 

Almost any "early" GM multi-valve and/or multi-cam engine (ala Olds Quad 4)had Lotus Engineerings fingerprint. GM purchased Lotus Engineering in 1986 for those skills. Later sold it in 1993 after they THOUGHT they absorbed and acquired all the necessary technology . However, GM maintains a strong independent relationship with Lotus, who continues to provide their technological expertise, for a price.

 

I remember my 215 aluminum block V8 in my 1962 Buick.
Great engine if you got a nonporous one.
From Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_V8_engine


"The Buick 215's very high power to weight ratio made it immediately interesting for automotive and marine racing. Mickey Thompson entered a stock-block Buick 215-powered car in the 1962 Indianapolis_500. From 1946 to 1962 there hadn't been a single stock-block car in this famous race. In 1962 the Buick 215 was the only non-Offenhauser powered entry in the field of 33 cars. Rookie driver Dan_Gurney qualified eighth and raced well for 92 laps before retiring with transmission problems.

Surplus engine blocks of the Oldsmobile (6 bolt per cylinder) version of this engine formed the basis of the Formula One Repco V8 used by Brabham to win the 1966 and 1967 Formula One championship. No other American stock-block engine has won a Formula One championship.

Buick 215s have been engine swapped into countless sports cars including especially Chevrolet Vegas and MG sports cars. The engine remains well supported by enthusiast clubs, specialist parts suppliers, and by shops that specialize in these conversions.

The Buick 215 was used in a small sports car known as the Apollo from 1962 to 1963, and also in the Asardo 3500 GM-S show car.

Although dropped by GM in 1963, in January 1965 the tooling for the aluminum engine was sold to Britain's Rover Group to become the Rover V8 engine, which would remain in use for more than 35 years. GM tried to buy it back later on, but Rover declined, instead offering to sell engines back to GM. GM refused this offer."

GM sold the tooling and British Leyland made the engine for another 35 years! We could have used that engine in the early '70's gas crunch. I remember it going into the famous TR8 wedge car.
GM should have kept the tooling and refined it. Sure they had problems initially with porous engine block, but the British found a way to QC them. GM could have too.

 

All of the new Saturns are basically rebadges. They can be serviced by any GM dealer. The ION/Astra is the same thing as an HHR and the Aura is the same as a Malibu/G6/9.3. Saturn has replaced Oldsmobile as GM's mid-level premium brand and will probably wind up replacing Pontiac as well.

About the Odyssey and HHR:

HHR is assembled in Mexico from parts that were manufactured mostly in the US. The Odyssey is assembled in Alabama from parts that were manufactured in Asia. Even the steel they used to build the plant in Alabama came from Japan! Now, if you don't have a problem with all the people that have been put out of work in this country because of the import brands, that's all on you. If you ever go to Japan and South Korea, you'll find that people over there are fiercely patriotic and would never drive a car that's been made by a non-Japanese or non-Korean manufacturer. I only wish that people in our country cared about our businesses and workers as much as they care about theirs.

 

Althought not often, you do see it. I remember my first time in Korea seeing a Korean Man that owned a Taurus and thinking to myself he was drivng an import.....

Another reason you don't see it often is the additional tax placed on import vehicles overseas. Most just can't afford it or don't want to pay for it.

Another reason is the size of the roads, most American cars/trucks are just too big for the roads.

 

Harpozep...if I may quote you:"SO I went foreign for the first time.
The Honda is made in Alabama by real rednecks. I suppose I supported more US citizens buying a Honda than I did buying the Mexican HHR?" Rednecks? I resemble that remark! Anyhow,here in the mighty industrial state of Alabama(sarcasm intended) along with Honda engines,we also make Mercedes SUVs,and Hyundai Sonatas.This is mainly because of the tax breaks and low labor costs.We also have a Michelin tire plant down the road from me.Wish the tires were cheaper here but they ain't.

 

I think GM is making world class vehicles. I can't get over it: 365,000 miles on an Ecotec. I hope the 4T45E (MN5) automatic transmission is as durable.

Wife's car is an '05 Volkswagen TDI (diesel). If we hold on to both vehicles long enough, it will be a contest to see who's engine goes the most miles.