In most cases, when choosing a car with mileage, it is necessary to take a not very powerful atmospheric engine with a manual gearbox and then the car will travel for a long time. But with the Opel Astra H, things are a little different.

Mechanical boxes

Mechanical boxes in the Opel Astra H are not particularly reliable, because over time they have some surprises, especially as mechanical boxes are powerful enough motors. In the Astra installed 5-speed boxes F17 and F13, which were installed on the Opel Cadet, produced in the late 90s. The power of the motors began to increase and the load on the box, too, so the bearings began to fail.

On cars Vectra B, you can still put a stronger and more reliable box series F16, F18 and F23, also need to put new hubs and drives. But more reliable boxes in the Astra H do not fit, because it does not allow the steering rack.

So a huge number of Astra H owners repair the box or change it to a used box. If the bearings of the secondary shaft are affected, this leads to the destruction of the gearbox housing, after which metal chips appear, which then damage all other elements. In general, it is necessary to make the overhaul of the box, but it is not cheap. A new manual box costs about 200,000 rubles, so many take second-hand, but there is a risk that this whole situation will happen again soon.

Solution to the problem

But not everything is as sad as it may seem, you can solve this problem. It is possible to move the attachment points of the motor. If you move the motor a few centimeters, you can install a more reliable box - F23. You can also put a mechanical box from Chevrolet, it is the same as in Opel, it becomes clear, and no need to redo the design.

Before buying, determine that a gearbox with problems is not difficult - You just need to lift the car, start the engine and start turning the wheels. Include 4th or 5th gear, then you need to turn off the engine and listen carefully. If the bearings are damaged, the characteristic sound will be heard very well. Repair the box in the early stages will cost approximately 70,000 rubles. Repairing a standard box is a waste of time and money.

To make the box last longer, you need to monitor the oil level, and you can also change it periodically. Pouring ATF DEXTRON II oil into a box is better than oil recommended by dealers. Particularly high is the probability that the manual will fail precisely on vehicles with a 1.8 engine and a diesel 1.3.

More than 1/3 of the cars with these engines already at 60,000 mileage were repaired or the manual transmission was changed. On cars with a 1.6-liter engine, the risk that the box will fail a little less, since the engine is not so powerful and the box can work better with it.

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But if you suddenly get under way from a traffic light, turn on a lower gear when overtaking, then the box will also have to be repaired. There is a complete set with a turbocharged engine 2.0, it comes to the manual box M32, it breaks down just like the others. But not so often breaks down, because there is a more durable differential, and there are not so many cars in this configuration.

Owners of the Omele two-mass flywheel are not happy, it does not serve for a long time, but costs quite expensive. The box has a more or less reliable cable drive, but over time, the rocker wears out, so the first and second gears turn on worse. To remedy this situation, you just need to change the link or install new ball bearing bushings.

Automatic boxes

On cars with a small engine size, instead of the automatic box, the EasyTronic robot box was installed. She has the same problems as in mechanical boxes F17 - M20, plus there is also an automatic clutch.

If you go quietly, do not specifically kill the box, then she travels for a while. But if you often drive in traffic jams, then this will quickly fail the clutch actuators. In general, the clutch in these cars is about 60,000 km. And the price of new parts is quite high. In general, when buying a car, it is better to refuse pickings from the EasyTronic robotic box.

This reliable automatic box is installed in the configuration with a more powerful engine: 1.8 or 2.2 petrol. These engines are 4-speed automatic transmission Aisin. This is a Japanese box with a robust design. Serves for a long time, does not break and does not cause any problems to its owner, especially if you change the oil, as indicated in the instructions.

If you do not specifically kill the box, it will last at least 300,000 km. And the repair of the automatic box is not very expensive - it is enough just to clean it, replace the rubber bands and worn clutches. Everything else can still serve. Check for serviceability of the automatic transmission is necessary with the help of "glycolic dough" ATF, or check the box for emulsion.

Motors

Motors Опель по традиции сделаны качественно, служат долго, расходуют мало топлива и особо неприхотливые. Астры Н до рестайлинга комплектовались моторами с объемами в 1,6 и 1,8 литров, их конструкция такая же, как и в более старых моторах, установленных в Кадетах и Асконах. Sometimes there are 1.4-liter engines. They have 16 valves, the design is simple, they can easily serve more than 250,000 km. Among the disadvantages of this motor is a slightly weak control unit, it can overheat, there are also cases that cracks appear in the soldering places.

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The throttle and ignition have a long service life, it is enough to clean these components periodically, then there will be no problems. The engines use an EGR system, the valve of which becomes dirty over time and does not close. Adjustable intake manifold also does not tolerate an abundance of dust and dirt on the roads, it is covered with soot with oil, so it’s advisable to keep an eye on these things.

But still, the engine has a large margin of safety, if you change the timing belt and oil in time, then this engine will last a long time. 250,000 km guaranteed to serve, there are instances with 400,000 mileage, except that there is a small oil consumption in the region of 200 grams per 1000 km. run Even if the engine breaks down, its overhaul will be inexpensive, as the cost of spare parts for this car is not high.

More modern motors of the Z16XEP and Z16XER series with a volume of 1.6, as well as a 1.8-liter Z18XER with a volume of 1.8 liters are also reliable, but they already use the new cylinder head, phase shifter in the timing system. All these innovations increase the torque at low revs, as the engine power has become more. For those times, for the 1.8 engine power 140 liters. with. - This is a good indicator.

There are no hydraulic compensators in these engines, so the valve will have to be adjusted every 60,000 km., Although according to the passport, this must be done every 150,000 km. Therefore, if there is extraneous noise in the motor, then it is time to adjust the gaps. Among the innovations - controlled thermostat, oil heat exchanger, increased operating temperature of the motor, changed the oil filter.

The motor is still reliable if MOT is done on time. True complaints are due to phase shifters and their valves, after a while there are knocks and floating turns. But now there is no EGR system, so the intake path is not polluted. For those who start abruptly, not warming up the car, the heat exchangers can flow over time.

You can meet the Opel Astra H with the A16XER and A18XER engines, in fact, these are the same engines, only they are differently tuned and a little dull. According to the European regulations, oil change should be done at fairly long intervals, this has a bad effect on the engine, so the state of motors from Europe is often worse than from Russia. Regardless of what is written in the regulations, the oil should be changed the more often the better. But no less than once every 10,000 km. For these engines, there is an oil with a SAE 40 viscosity. And there is no need to add any additives, because they lead to coking of the rings.

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There are also more powerful motors of the Z20LEH / Z20LER / Z20LEL series. Their volume is 2 liters, the resource is quite high - 300,000 km. will serve easily. It is not difficult to repair them, and the price of parts is not high. The disadvantages of 2-liter engines is that they are quite rare, and the wiring is not particularly successful.

Diesel engines

In most cases, diesel engines in Astra Z13DTH series, they are quite economical, at the same time, the power is large, the torque is good. But over time, there are problems with fuel cells, and there is corrosion on the cylinder head, the turbine often fails, the EGR system strains, the catalyst becomes clogged, the inlet becomes leaky, and the diesel particulate filter clogs.

But instead of a timing belt, there is a chain here, on the one hand, this is an advantage, but on the other hand, there is a disadvantage, because the resource also varies from 70,000 to 200,000 km. run Therefore, we must be alert and listen carefully as the motor works. Everything is as usual here, the service life of the engine depends on the oil change intervals and driving style. The motor saves fuel really well, but you have to spend money on the maintenance of this motor, especially on used cars. And if the oil gets into the turbine, then the nozzles and pistons will start to burn out.

There are other diesel engines with a volume of 1.7 and 1.9 liters, but they are quite rare, they have more consumption, but they are more reliable. They were also installed in the Opel Zafira.

What equipment to choose?

In general, the Astra H is a fairly reliable car that continued to be produced for a long time with the new generation Astra J, because the H generation is cheaper and more practical, but it is inferior to the new generation in modernity and beauty.

When buying an Astra H with mileage, you need to choose a car with a whole body, then it will last a long time so that it will not be in an accident, this is understandable. Motor is better than 1.8 petrol with automatic transmission. If such a machine is not specifically kill, then it will travel at least 300,000 km.