Vauxhall Slant-4 engine
| Vauxhall Slant-4 engine | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Vauxhall Motors |
| Production | 1966-1988 |
| Combustion chamber | |
| Configuration | Straight-4 |
| Displacement |
|
| Cylinder block alloy | Cast iron |
| Cylinder head alloy | Cast iron |
| Valvetrain | SOHC |
| Combustion | |
| Oil system | Wet sump |
| Cooling system | Water-cooled |
| Chronology | |
| Successor | Opel CIH engine |
The Slant Four is a type of car engine manufactured by Vauxhall Motors and, in modified form, by Lotus Cars. Unveiled in 1966, it was one of the first production overhead camshaft designs to use a rubber toothed belt to drive the camshaft from the crankshaft a method developed in 1956 by Bill Devin.
The engine features four inline cylinders inclined at an angle of approximately 45 degrees (hence the name), and this is because Vauxhall had originally planned to develop a whole family of engines all built on the same production line. There was to be slant four and V8 versions in both petrol and diesel versions, designed under the guidance of Vauxhall's then chief engineer, John Alden. Although several diesel 4-cylinder and a V8 petrol engine prototypes were built only the 4-cylinder petrol made it to series production. There is a single overhead camshaft operating two valves per cylinder. An ingenious valve train design incorporating an inclined socket head cap screw, allowed valve clearances to be adjusted with a feeler gauge and an Allen key. The block and crossflow head are both of cast iron. The layout makes good use of the cylinder inclination to lower the overall height of the engine, which allowed for more aerodynamic designs of cars to be achieved by lowering the bonnet line. It also means most of the engine is very easy to access for maintenance, with the exception of the exhaust manifold and spark plugs, which are "underneath" the slanted cylinders.
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