2003 Holden Combo with Z16SE coversion to Z18XE - Clear advice needed please,.o

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Hi All,

No sure if its just me but ive read hours and hours of material on this site regarding combo engine conversions and I either cant find any definitive answers on the subject... or is it me and at the young age of 45 ive aquired dementia and not seeing some thing obvious?

This is my situation. Im a self employed car detailer. starting life over again at 45 after giving my lifes possessions to an ex wife. Business is good but money is tight and to compound my problems im told the existing Z16SE is in need of a rebuild. I managed to buy a 2001 SRI Barina for not very much at all. The ECU was dead. I took a punt, bought the car, got it to my holden dealership and today after handing over $980. I got a fully working, SRI that got a clean bill of health. Wow I had no idea they were that punchy.. I guess what isnt when you drive a SOHC piece of crap Z16se.

Now my question. Ive got the donor car and presumably everything I need. Is this a straight forward conversion? ei rape the SRI for everything its got and transplant it into the combo without any major organ rejection issues thats going to blow out costs etc.

Any real factual info would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers in advance all.

Denis

[Raisin]

Welcome to OpelAus. The SRi's are great little cars with these 1.8s eh?

chris_r should be able to give you some info there or maybe guy 27

[chris_r]

It can be done fairly easy and you pretty much have everything you need to do it with the donor car. I am currently at work this very minute, but I will reply with more details when I get home.

[[email protected]]

Welcome to OpelAus. The SRi's are great little cars with these 1.8s eh?

chris_r should be able to give you some info there or maybe guy 27

Thanks for the quick reply Mate. yup agree SRI's are fun and Im extremely hopefull it will be the perfect donor car. Ive already spent a bunch of time fixing up the Combo, rubbed it all back, fixed all the dents, all primed up and ready for colour. Trying very hard to turn a devastation situation into a major positive. Hence.. keep the car, give it a nice new asthetic makeover and put something under the bonnet that is a please to drive rather than a chore.

thanks Again.

I shall follow the trail till I find the holy grail or die trying :)

bloody hell. Thanks Chris. I should have posted this a couple of weeks ago. Look forward to hearing from you.

(does Irish jig)

bloody hell. Thanks Chris. I should have posted this a couple of weeks ago. Look forward to hearing from you.

(does Irish jig)

[adam_92]

Its going to be quite easy for you having a complete donor car. Basically a case of stripping the van bare, stripping the sri and then transplanting everything into the van. Could potentially be done in a weekend, depending on how mechanically minded you are and how quick you work.

[[email protected]]

Its going to be quite easy for you having a complete donor car. Basically a case of stripping the van bare, stripping the sri and then transplanting everything into the van. Could potentially be done in a weekend, depending on how mechanically minded you are and how quick you work.

Cheers Adam. yeah this job is certainly above my comfort zone. I have 2 choices available to me. One is a good mechanic whom I have have loads of faith the job will be done efficiently.. however he hasnt done this one before and Im wondering how much researching time Ill be gettting billed for I guess is fair enough. The other option is a backyard mechanic friend who is very experienced and will be hell cheaper and time wont matter so much. I think I'll wait to see What Chris has to say before I committ to anything. Thanks for your input. Im feeling like Ive made the right choice and its going to pay off.

[adam_92]

Any competent mechanic should be able to do it. Literally a case of unbolting things and rebolting them onto the van

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Any competent mechanic should be able to do it. Literally a case of unbolting things and rebolting them onto the van

I presume the loom is going to need some mods in places.... differences in length and position of things. Ideally I would have liked to engage a mechanic thats been there done that... knows what to expect. Beggars cant be chooses :)


Any competent mechanic should be able to do it. Literally a case of unbolting things and rebolting them onto the van

I presume the loom is going to need some mods in places.... differences in length and position of things. Ideally I would have liked to engage a mechanic thats been there done that... knows what to expect. that aside Im just grateful for all the input.

[adam_92]

The combo and corsa c are identical in terms of chassis amd engine bay

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Sounding better and better. Are you familiar with the exhaust systems and weather I can use that without modding? the SRI's is quite decent and aftermarket

[chris_r]

Alright. As Adam has said, it's pretty easy having the donor car and it's mostly a case of stripping the SRi and refitting it to the Combo. The engine and gearbox should bolt straight in. The Z16SE will have a Getrag F13 gearbox, where the SRi has a F17 box. Use the SRi box as it'll be stronger than the F13 anyway. Depending on the mileage on the SRi, I'd also take the opportunity to replace the clutch whilst it's out. That will be around $420 for the kit from Australian Clutch Services in Wingfield. Exhaust may need some modifying, but that shouldn't be too hard. Driveshafts should be all compatible between models. Also, if you don't know the service history on the SRi, other thing is to fit a new timing belt kit and water pump.

Apart from the physical fitting of the engine, you need to use the ECU, injection loom (the engine's own wiring loom), key chips and transponder ring module from the SRi. As well as this, you need to remove the engine bay loom from the SRi and place it in the Combo. This loom pretty much goes all over the engine bay, including the fusebox and to the body control module (BCM) case, where the loom enters the car. It's not all that hard to swap the looms over (I just did it recently in my SRi, as I needed a different loom for the Z20LET engine). I'd probably swap the BCM module over too, along with the dash cluster. The only thing I can see that might be an issue, is the ABS. SRi has it, Combo doesn't. I wouldn't bother swapping it over, but I believe I can switch it off in the ECU using an OP-COM scan tool, seeing as you're also in Adelaide (I'm out in the Northern Suburbs, where teeth and shoes are optional).

There was another user on here, goes by the username Chris R (not to be confused with myself, I didn't even know the guy existed when I signed up), he did the same with his Combo, I know he was working on getting the cruise control working and what not, but if that's not an issue, I think everything else should be reasonably straightforward.

Where I used to work, we had two Z14XEP (DOHC "Twinport" 1.4L) equipped XC Combo vans. Indeed, they were pretty gutless and I think they should've been a 1.8 straight out of the box. I actually have a SB Combo with a SOHC C14SE engine at the moment, but the C14SE is seized up and hence, this beast will copping the Z18XE I pulled from my SRi. Sure, the SRi in standard form is pretty zippy, it just didn't have enough killawasps for my liking, so I've put a Z20LET Astra Turbo engine in it instead.

The biggest problem with the Z16SE is the fact that here in Australia, they only ever came out in the early XC Combo vans. No other vehicle sold by Holden here was fitted with that turd of an engine. Unless your name is adam_92 and you have an imported Vauxhall Astravan.

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Alright. As Adam has said, it's pretty easy having the donor car and it's mostly a case of stripping the SRi and refitting it to the Combo. The engine and gearbox should bolt straight in. The Z16SE will have a Getrag F13 gearbox, where the SRi has a F17 box. Use the SRi box as it'll be stronger than the F13 anyway. Depending on the mileage on the SRi, I'd also take the opportunity to replace the clutch whilst it's out. That will be around $420 for the kit from Australian Clutch Services in Wingfield. Exhaust may need some modifying, but that shouldn't be too hard. Driveshafts should be all compatible between models. Also, if you don't know the service history on the SRi, other thing is to fit a new timing belt kit and water pump.

Yup, my mechanic has already suggested timing belt, water pump but not the Clutch. Its an added expense Im willing to take on board so thats for the mention. The SRI has done 140k, ive sighted receipts for most sensors etc, brakes are good. new discs etc.

Apart from the physical fitting of the engine, you need to use the ECU, injection loom (the engine's own wiring loom), key chips and transponder ring module from the SRi. As well as this, you need to remove the engine bay loom from the SRi and place it in the Combo. This loom pretty much goes all over the engine bay, including the fusebox and to the body control module (BCM) case, where the loom enters the car. It's not all that hard to swap the looms over (I just did it recently in my SRi, as I needed a different loom for the Z20LET engine). I'd probably swap the BCM module over too, along with the dash cluster. The only thing I can see that might be an issue, is the ABS. SRi has it, Combo doesn't. I wouldn't bother swapping it over, but I believe I can switch it off in the ECU using an OP-COM scan tool, seeing as you're also in Adelaide (I'm out in the Northern Suburbs, where teeth and shoes are optional).

Yeah Im with you on the ABS... Would you take the back discs while on offer or not bother with those either?
My combo was pretty miss treated when I got it... the door cards, dash.. anything plastic basically looks like 2 tasmanian devills has a fight to the death in the cabin. So with that I was going to just move the whole thing over. Including the carpet, just cut it off where the cabin ends and the van starts. I dont suppose I can make use of the side skirts and bumper of the SRI?

There was another user on here, goes by the username Chris R (not to be confused with myself, I didn't even know the guy existed when I signed up), he did the same with his Combo, I know he was working on getting the cruise control working and what not, but if that's not an issue, I think everything else should be reasonably straightforward.

Yeah I followed that thread, Cruise control is not necessary and happy to ditch it. I'd take you up on your offer to reprogram if youre serious. Happy to give your z20LET the detail of its life when ever you like in return for the your help here.

Where I used to work, we had two Z14XEP (DOHC "Twinport" 1.4L) equipped XC Combo vans. Indeed, they were pretty gutless and I think they should've been a 1.8 straight out of the box. I actually have a SB Combo with a SOHC C14SE engine at the moment, but the C14SE is seized up and hence, this beast will copping the Z18XE I pulled from my SRi. Sure, the SRi in standard form is pretty zippy, it just didn't have enough killawasps for my liking, so I've put a Z20LET Astra Turbo engine in it instead.

I just sold my SB Combo before the shit hit the fan with my XC. 112K's on the clock but it struggled to get me up the freeway every wednesday with my permanent booking in Mt Barker. I Decided to sell it before I killed it etc.


The biggest problem with the Z16SE is the fact that here in Australia, they only ever came out in the early XC Combo vans. No other vehicle sold by Holden here was fitted with that turd of an engine. Unless your name is adam_92 and you have an imported Vauxhall Astravan.

i feel for anyone with Z16se that needs work or replacing. Just a terrible option IMO.

Im heading back in the shed now to keep working on the pretty stuff. I hope this thing looks alright when its done.. Ive gone for ford Focus electric orange and its going to be loud. Fits in with my corporate logo etc.

Thanks a heap Chris. Youve taken away my fear of the unknown and replaced it with inspiration and enthusiasm. Im in Allenby Gardens btw.

[adam_92]

:D haha, although that z16 is getting the chop too. Its actually ready to drop if I can get hold of an engine crane :P

I actually didnt realize you were in adelaide Denis. Depending on how soon you want to do the conversion, im sure a few of the boys could get together and help you out. A few of us in adelaide have experience in engine swaps with opels.

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:D haha, although that z16 is getting the chop too. Its actually ready to drop if I can get hold of an engine crane :P

I actually didnt realize you were in adelaide Denis. Depending on how soon you want to do the conversion, im sure a few of the boys could get together and help you out. A few of us in adelaide have experience in engine swaps with opels.

You know what, I'd be happy to split the money im paying out between you guys if youre serious. The time factor is my biggest issue. It peak time for me and once I start the conversion Im without a vehicle till its done and so that means some time expensive time off no income. The fact I got the SRI so cheap and the fact It was less than a grand to get up to scratch was something devine I can tell you.

[chris_r]

You know what, I'd be happy to split the money im paying out between you guys if youre serious. The time factor is my biggest issue. It peak time for me and once I start the conversion Im without a vehicle till its done and so that means some time expensive time off no income. The fact I got the SRI so cheap and the fact It was less than a grand to get up to scratch was something devine I can tell you.

My biggest problem is time at the moment. I've got my SRi to finish, a Vectra wagon to sort (believe me, I'm on the verge of torching it at the moment), a BMW E30 to sell and this Combo to swap the engine in. What doesn't help is in the next few weeks, I will probably be moving house. The Vectra and the Combo are both at my parents' place, so they're not going anywhere soon. The E30 and the SRi are here, so I plan to sell the E30 rather than move it. Having said that, we've had a couple of tool days where we gather around to work on each other's cars, although both have seen my car being worked on the most, lol. Maybe if Aaron faneca might sort one out again. I have an engine crane here too.

As for being in Allenby Gardens, it's kinda within my afternoon working area (Anywhere between Beverley/Woodville to Wingfield to Gepps Cross and down through Prospect). I'm a courier with StarTrack Courier, based out of Export Park at the airport. So, chances are if you see a 2014 Ford Transit Custom flying down Grange Road around 4pm, it'd be me more than likely. Well, no one else at my work has one of these vans decked out in the signage yet. You'd also be around the corner from where Aaron works too.

I say replace the clutch for peace of mind. Nothing worse than putting everything back together and then finding you need to pull it apart again. If you've already got the engine out, it's easier to do (you'll also need to machine the flywheel, which may take up valuable time). Z16SE Combo discs are the same size as the regular Barina XCs and SRis, so there's no need to swap them over. If you want bigger brakes, find a later XC Combo with the Z14XEP engine and pinch the front and rear brakes from that, as they're 280mm front and 264mm rear versus 260mm front and 240mm rears that you have now. Front SRi bumper you can use without issue, wiring the foglights, I'm not sure if it'll work through the factory wiring, but you can always rig that up to a separate switch later on. Side skirts can probably be made to fit if you are or you know someone handy with fibreglassing. I'd probably swap the SRi front seats in too, but you can also make Astra Turbo leather seats fit too.

Your old SB Combo didn't happen to have a fancy kinda brown-flecked paint job with some big rims on it, did it? The Combo I have at present was used by my brother with his confectionery business. So the weight of it made it a slug uphill, although not as bad as a Kia Pregio that I lent to my brother. Doing 40km/h top speed up Willunga Hill isn't fun, especially when you see a Barina Spark pass you as if you were just about to roll backwards down the hill.

Per Adam's comment about us guys and engine swapping Opels, I dare say I've done my fair share and helped with a couple of others. I haven't done the Z18 into the XC Combo yet, but given that it's still a XC Barina, and this Z20LET swap I'm doing has given me far more knowledge about this model in particular.

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My biggest problem is time at the moment. I've got my SRi to finish, a Vectra wagon to sort (believe me, I'm on the verge of torching it at the moment), a BMW E30 to sell and this Combo to swap the engine in. What doesn't help is in the next few weeks, I will probably be moving house. The Vectra and the Combo are both at my parents' place, so they're not going anywhere soon. The E30 and the SRi are here, so I plan to sell the E30 rather than move it. Having said that, we've had a couple of tool days where we gather around to work on each other's cars, although both have seen my car being worked on the most, lol. Maybe if Aaron faneca might sort one out again. I have an engine crane here too.

As for being in Allenby Gardens, it's kinda within my afternoon working area (Anywhere between Beverley/Woodville to Wingfield to Gepps Cross and down through Prospect). I'm a courier with StarTrack Courier, based out of Export Park at the airport. So, chances are if you see a 2014 Ford Transit Custom flying down Grange Road around 4pm, it'd be me more than likely. Well, no one else at my work has one of these vans decked out in the signage yet. You'd also be around the corner from where Aaron works too.

I say replace the clutch for peace of mind. Nothing worse than putting everything back together and then finding you need to pull it apart again. If you've already got the engine out, it's easier to do (you'll also need to machine the flywheel, which may take up valuable time). Z16SE Combo discs are the same size as the regular Barina XCs and SRis, so there's no need to swap them over. If you want bigger brakes, find a later XC Combo with the Z14XEP engine and pinch the front and rear brakes from that, as they're 280mm front and 264mm rear versus 260mm front and 240mm rears that you have now. Front SRi bumper you can use without issue, wiring the foglights, I'm not sure if it'll work through the factory wiring, but you can always rig that up to a separate switch later on. Side skirts can probably be made to fit if you are or you know someone handy with fibreglassing. I'd probably swap the SRi front seats in too, but you can also make Astra Turbo leather seats fit too.

Your old SB Combo didn't happen to have a fancy kinda brown-flecked paint job with some big rims on it, did it? The Combo I have at present was used by my brother with his confectionery business. So the weight of it made it a slug uphill, although not as bad as a Kia Pregio that I lent to my brother. Doing 40km/h top speed up Willunga Hill isn't fun, especially when you see a Barina Spark pass you as if you were just about to roll backwards down the hill.

Per Adam's comment about us guys and engine swapping Opels, I dare say I've done my fair share and helped with a couple of others. I haven't done the Z18 into the XC Combo yet, but given that it's still a XC Barina, and this Z20LET swap I'm doing has given me far more knowledge about this model in particular.

yeah no problemo. I fully appreciate where you're coming from. Ive pulled a few all nighters to get as far as I have, Not as young as I used to be so its a tough gig to back it up with a full day workin. Heres some picks of what ive got and where im up to. Incidently, If you know anyone thats after any of the good bits on the motor, Id be happy to do some good deals. Ive replaced most senors recently. new EGR Valve, New Radiator, Ive got a timing belt and water pump kit brand new... never got to use. Coil pack... the list goes on... its not like I didnt try to get nice to it :P566656675668566956705671 and the dreaded Z16 5672

Picture of my trusty gutless but shiny SB 5673. the last couple of weeks I had it I would actually remove the air filter for my trip up the freeway. instead of 70 k's in some spots, I easily was pushing speeds of 72 at times. I used to just wave at the traffic passing me

[chris_r]

Damn, that SRi is pretty clean. It'd almost be a shame to tear it apart. What I could suggest is, that if you wanted to keep a car running on the road whilst you put another motor into the Combo, is I still have the Z18 engine bay loom, ECU and transponder set from my SRi. Go down to Black Diamonds at Royal Park or somewhere like that and pick up another Z18XE motor and gearbox. Can be from a TS Astra too. Motors usually go for around $500, if you get the gearbox too maybe another $100-150 on top of that. What you can do afterwards is either sell the SRi or keep it for a runabout. You picked it up cheap enough, so I can imagine you might be able to make some money on it too.

Oh, I also have my original pre-facelifted SRi bumper too. Has a cracked splitter, but with some fibreglassing and repainting, it'll come up a treat.

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Yeah its Chris. If not for the fact im taking the carpet. Complete dash, door cards door actuators, wheels etc i probably would. It would beva good cheap rolling shell for a z20let down the track :)

[chris_r]

Door cards won't fit and if it's one with power windows, they won't fit either. 3 door hatch has longer doors than the Combo, which I believe use the same door cards as the five door XCs. Window regulators may be different too, as the Combo has taller windows than the 3 or 5 door hatches.

[Raisin]

I can tell you are a detailer! :ihih:

I wish my cars came up looking that good after I spend a weekend detailing them.

[chris_r]

I can also see why your SB was so slow. Judging by that front bumper, you had wonderful 1.4 single point injected lump also known as the C14NZ. Haha, 40kW of raw power! The facelifted 97-98 model had a 60kW C14SE with multipoint injection and was a bit better. In my old SB GSi I went from the 80kW C16XE to the 92kW Z18XE. You'd be forgiven for thinking 12kW isn't that much of difference, but the range of torque from the Z18XE made it quite the machine. Given the way the 1.8 is built, it's not to be underestimated. Particularly, when there's one guy running one with around 700hp. Hell, that's more than a lot of Z20LETs even make.

[faneca]

Tools day can be organized for sure! Been meaning to do one actually. I need to find my boost leak.

I work between Welland, Findon and st Clair bakers delights, so if you ever see a blue VXR driving around give me a wave

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Thanks Raisin. Yeah i really do love detailing.

700hp.. serious. I didnt realise there was a great deal of mods available for the z18. Funny thing about my sb combo was that i sold my ve clubby to set myself up in business detailing after my divorce. 317kw to 40kw overnight. Could have slashed my wrists the first few days hehe

[chris_r]

700hp.. serious. I didnt realise there was a great deal of mods available for the z18. Funny thing about my sb combo was that i sold my ve clubby to set myself up in business detailing after my divorce. 317kw to 40kw overnight. Could have slashed my wrists the first few days hehe

Well, yes. The guy who owns the car is very elusive and the mods he's done, he's kept very secret. However, it's only in the last few years that the poms have really been into turbocharging the Z18. In these cases, most of them will yield up to 160-190kw at the flywheel on the stock bottom end. Mods aren't readily available as most people like myself would like, hence why I'm doing an engine swap. Even tuning the Z18XE ECU is proving a difficult exercise, as to get a stage 1 or 2 tune put on it, you've got it send the ECU across the other side of the globe and back.

[Cutlet27]

Hi all,

I realise this is an old thread, however I thought I'd throw my 2c in anyway, in case someone needs the info in future.

I have a 2010 Combo which I converted from Z14XEP (a real turd of an engine) to Z18XE. (I'm also an experienced Holden Tech). Much of the conversion process has been successfully outlined by others on here, however I thought I would add my knowledge about the ABS wiring situation.

My Combo, being a 2010 model has ABS fitted as standard, which I discovered was slightly different to the ABS on an SRi Barina (Barina = ABS with traction, whereas Combo = regular/ basic ABS). However when I looked at a Tigra, I found they have exactly the same type of ABS as a Combo. So if you can get your hands on a Tigra engine bay harness it requires absolutely no modification whatsoever to go in a Combo (at least a 2010 or later model with factory ABS).

The only thing with my conversion which needed a bit of cut & shut was the exhaust (because there's no such thing as a Z18XE in a Combo body, as we all know).

Cheers,