SOHC engines

General information

The engine is of a four-cylinder, in-line, single overhead camshaft type, mounted at the front of the vehicle and available in 1.3, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 litre versions.

The crankshaft incorporates five main bearings. Thrustwashers are fitted to the centre main bearing in order to control crankshaft endfloat.

The camshaft is driven by a toothed belt and operates the slightly angled valves via cam followers which pivot on ball-pins.

The auxiliary shaft which is also driven by the toothed belt, drives the distributor, oil pump and fuel pump.

The cylinder head is of crossflow design with the inlet manifold mounted on the lefthand side and the exhaust manifold mounted on the right-hand side.

Lubrication is by means of a bi-rotor pump which draws oil through a strainer located inside the sump, and forces it through a fullflow filter into the engine oil galleries where it is distributed to the crankshaft, camshaft and auxiliary shaft. The big-end bearings are supplied with oil via internal drillings in the crankshaft. The undersides of the pistons are supplied with oil from drillings in the big-ends.

The distributor shaft is intermittently supplied with oil from the drilled auxiliary shaft. The camshaft followers are supplied with oil via a drilled spray tube from the centre camshaft bearing.

A semi-closed crankcase ventilation system is employed whereby piston blow-by gases are drawn into the inlet manifold via an oil separator and control valve.

Engine oil and filter - renewal

Refer to Chapter 1, Section 8.

Valve clearances - checking and adjustment

Refer to Chapter 1, Section 23.

Crankcase ventilation system - inspection and maintenance

Refer to Chapter 1, Section 35.

See also:

Front and rear brake pad/shoe check (Every 6000 miles (10 000 km) or 6 months)
1 Firmly apply the handbrake, then jack up the front and rear of the car and support it securely on axle stands (see “Jacking and vehicle support”). 2 For a quick check, the front brake disc pads ...

Condenser (contact breaker system) - testing, removal and refitting
Note: Refer to the precautions given in Section 1 before proceeding. Testing 1 The purpose of the condenser is to prevent excessive arcing of the contact breaker points, and to ensure that a rapi ...

Battery - testing and charging
Testing Standard and low maintenance battery 1 If the vehicle covers a small annual mileage it is worthwhile checking the specific gravity of the electrolyte every three months to determine the s ...

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