The AA Blog: The Vauxhall CDTI engine

Categories:a20dth engine, vauxhall

The A20DTH engine is a 2.0CDTi 158hp 118KW 4 cylinder diesel engine first used in 2008 and was placed inside the bonnet of the Vauxhall Insignia. The engine was used until 2013.

A20DTH is actually a solid, strong engine if looked after. With 158 horsepower (bhp) and after remapped could potentially produce over 200 horsepower (bhp).

The engine really does benefit from frequent oil changes, typically well before 10,000 miles. If you love your car and have it mapped or are thinking about getting it remapped (making sure the below is checked and replaced if needed), getting your oil changed every 3,000 miles is a good start.

A20DTH Oil Seal.

It’s most commonly known in the Vauxhall world for being unreliable due to a weak bottom end. But is the bottom end weak because of a manufacturer design or is it a problem with owners using the wrong oil.

What we need to understand is that was this engine accidentally designed with a problem or was it a lack of owners not following the manufacturer’s oil grade specifications from early on.

We have worked on hundreds of Insignia CDTI A20DTH engines over the years and many of these have been strong, with extremely good service history using the right grade of oil. We’ve also seen many that were shot, some beyond repair and also some we saved.

What oil do I use in the A20DTH Engine?

The oil you should be using in this engine is very important, its called Dexos 2.

Any oil with Dexos 2 approved is what you should be using.

A20DTH Bottom end failure.

The A20DTH is known commonly for “bottom end failure” but what happens, we know a little bit about why it fails but what actually happens to the engine…

The seal at the bottom where the oil pickup is starts to harden and then lets the oil drain back into the sump causing oil starvation and in the end, a goosed engine.

The seal goes hard, air is then sucked in which then causes oil starvation.

The first noticeable thing you’ll see is an “Oil Pressure Low – Stop Engine” error message every morning or when the car has been sat.

The Fix.

If you have an Insignia CDTI A20DTH engine and you’ve just seen the error message above for the first time. You should contact us at Alderley Autos Northampton (call now). You should do it right away in order to save yourself a new engine or the cost of a new car.

What’s also been reported is that you might not even get the error message/warning message. So if you’ve just brought an Insignia with the A20DTH engine you need to get this sorted ASAP. Also if you’re thinking about buying an Insignia with this engine, do your homework, ask lots of questions, ask to see the service history, ask the owner if they know about this problem.

Insignia A20DTH P2282-52 Code.

Is your car is going into limp mode? Continue reading.

If you have the P2282-52, not to be confused with the P2282-51 – This code is very common and points towards the split intercooler hose that tons of Insignias have problems with.