Engine VAZ 21126 1.6 16v: characteristics, reliability, service life, breakdowns, practicality and advantages

Four-cylinder internal combustion engines of the 126 series are installed on Lada Priora cars and their modifications produced by the famous AvtoVAZ company. The 126 engine belongs to the category of four-stroke engines, is equipped with a distributed fuel injection system, the camshaft is located in the upper part. The power unit is equipped with a liquid cooling system. Coolant circulates inside a closed system under pressure. The functioning of the 21126 motor lubrication system is based on splashing and supplying fluid under pressure.

Engine Features 126

The development of the 21126 internal combustion engine was carried out in parallel with the VAZ-21124 internal combustion engine. With different working volumes of the models, a large number of coincidences were noted for the incoming systems and nodes. The main task before the creators of the 21126 engine was to obtain the most durable mechanism, characterized by a long service life.

The elements of the connecting rod and piston group were developed by Federal Mogul. The company's engineering team created a design that compares favorably in weight (30% lighter) with a similar kit installed on the 2110 machine.

In terms of external parameters, the engines of variants 124 and 126 are very similar, but there are certain differences between them. What is the difference between a 124 engine and a 126:

1. The pistons of the 126 engine have less mass.
2. The height of the block is 197.1 mm, while the diameter of the cylinders themselves has not changed.
3. The inner walls of the cylinders are processed by honing using high technologies from Federal Mogul, which significantly improves their quality in comparison with analogues.
4. The piston rings and pins are reduced in thickness, which also helps improve the power and speed characteristics of the motor (torque, efficiency, etc.).
5. The cylinder block of the 126 engine is painted in a characteristic gray color, making it easy to distinguish from the 124 model.

In the Priora 126 engine, the ducts of the cylinder cooling jacket run along the entire height of the block. With this arrangement of channels, the degree of deformation of the body part is significantly reduced due to uneven exposure to ultra-high temperatures.

Important: Cars equipped with a 126 engine pick up speed faster. When tuning yourself, it is recommended to install brake system elements (pads, air-vented discs) that have the best quality and greatest efficiency.

Ways to solve the problem

Since the collision of pistons with valves has quite serious negative consequences, many car enthusiasts are interested in whether it is possible to influence this situation.

There are several methods that allow you to convert a valve-bending motor into a “plug-inless” one.

The simplest of them is installing pistons with grooves. By the way, on some VAZ engines this is how the problem with “sticking” is solved.

On the bottom of such pistons there are special recesses for valve plates. Due to this, the latter in the open position do not come into contact with the pistons installed at TDC.

But not all engines can be modernized in this way, for the reason that it is not always possible to find pistons with factory-made grooves to replace the “original” ones.

The second method is to independently make grooves on the piston. This method is suitable for those who have not found replacement “non-stick” pistons. But this method has a significant drawback - it is very difficult to make identical recesses on all pistons. As a result, an imbalance in the weight of the pistons may occur, which will affect the service life of the crankshaft. Also, grooves of different sizes can cause different compression in the cylinders, and this problem cannot be eliminated.

The third method is to increase the height of the combustion chamber. This is done by installing 2-3 gaskets under the head of the block. This method has a negative side - an increase in the volume of the combustion chamber, which entails a drop in compression, and as a result - a decrease in power and an increase in fuel consumption.

Source

Does engine 126 bend valves?

When choosing a new or used car, buyers often have a natural question whether the VAZ 126 engine bends the valve or not. All models equipped with internal combustion engines: Priora, VAZ 21126, 21116, 21127 suffer from a common drawback - when the timing belt breaks, the valves are deformed , and damage to the piston group also occurs.

Interesting: The VAZ 21124 engine is the only model that does not suffer from this problem. The 124th engine was installed on cars of the cheapest standard versions. In the modern version, the Priora 124 power unit has been replaced by the 116th model from Lada Granta.

Reliability, weaknesses, maintainability

Reliability

According to service station mechanics and car owners, the VAZ-21126 engine is a reliable power unit. This is confirmed by the fairly high mileage declared by the manufacturer. It is important to note that in practice, the service life increases with timely and high-quality engine maintenance and reaches 450-500 thousand km.

The components of high reliability of an internal combustion engine are:

1. The use of high-strength cast iron, resistant to overheating, in the manufacture of the cylinder block.
2. In the finalization of the timing drive, which made it possible to eliminate frequent breaks of the drive belt.
3. In improving the electronic injection control system.

These and other innovative solutions made the engine reliable and economical.

Car owners have repeatedly spoken about the reliability of the engine on various forums. For example, Sergey writes: “...the factory timing belt is 120,000 km. ran." Ruslan supports: “... the factory belt complete with rollers and pump was changed at 127,000 km. The belt is in excellent condition. Operating a car in difficult conditions from -46 to +37 degrees.”

Of course, there are also negative reviews. But, apparently, their authors do not particularly bother themselves with engine maintenance issues. Naturally, the engine responds adequately to such car enthusiasts – “riders”.

The conclusion is clear: the VAZ-21126 engine is quite reliable and economical if you treat it accordingly.

Weak spots

Unfortunately, not a single engine can do without weak points. They did not bypass the VAZ-21126 either.

The most unpleasant moment is the bending of the valves when the timing belt breaks (applies to engines manufactured before 2018). Despite the service life set by the manufacturer, it is recommended to replace the belt after 50 thousand km. To increase reliability and completely eliminate valve bending, it is advisable to replace the original pistons with modernized ones (without plugs).

Possibility of motor overheating. Eliminated by replacing the thermostat.

As always, the quality of the engine electrician does not shine. Various sensors and high-voltage coils fail (especially on the third and fourth cylinders). As a result, the engine speed begins to fluctuate until the engine stops completely. But such a problem can also arise due to the fault of the idle air regulator or throttle valve. Engine diagnostics at a car service center will help identify the problem.

Hydraulic compensators often remind us of themselves. The reason for the knocking sound lies in the poor quality of the oil being poured or its untimely replacement. Following the manufacturer's recommendations for servicing the engine lubrication system allows the car owner to forget about the existence of hydraulic compensators in the engine.

Timely detection and elimination of any malfunctions will allow the engine to operate for a long time and without failure.

Maintainability

The motor is structurally simple, so it can be repaired even in a garage. The only difficulty in this case is the restoration of the CPG. The fact is that when replacing the piston group, the cylinder block has to be bored. Of course, it would be easier to replace the sleeves to the required repair size, but they are not installed in the block. Hence, boring, grinding, honing will cause not exactly budgetary costs.

There are no problems with finding and purchasing spare parts for making repairs. They are easy to purchase at any specialized or online store. When choosing, you need to show maximum attention, since in this case, without the proper experience, it is easy to run into a fake. The market is literally flooded with counterfeit products, and not only those made in China.

Therefore, before making a major overhaul of the internal combustion engine, it is necessary to carefully calculate the possible costs and consider the option of purchasing a contract or even a new engine. Sometimes this option is almost equal in cost to carrying out a complete overhaul.

The general conclusion about the VAZ-21126 engine is clear - the unit is reliable, easy to operate and repair, has a good mileage and a safety margin for tuning.

Differences between engines 126 and 127 models

AvtoVAZ Corporation periodically introduces innovations into the design of its vehicles. Some models began to be equipped with a modern VAZ 21127 engine. Its design is based on the previous version 21126.

The main differences of the new engine:

1. The presence of a so-called resonance chamber in the intake system.
2. Engine power is 106 hp. s., maximum torque – 148 N.m
3. Instead of the usual MAF oxygen sensor, the design includes sensors that reflect air temperature and absolute pressure.
4. Thanks to the operation of new devices, the engine does not suffer from floating speed at idle.
5. The timing mechanism drive is equipped with a special device that ensures belt tension automatically.

Specifications

*toxicity standards vary depending on the model of the installed collector (for Euro 4 model 11194-1203008-00(01)); ** without loss of resource up to 120 l. With

Malfunctions, causes, elimination

Since the 21126 engine is a 16-valve front-wheel drive design with an overhead camshaft position, it is prone to characteristic breakdowns:

If you follow the requirements of the operating instructions and maintenance regulations, these troubles can be avoided.

Work resource

The manufacturer states that the 126 by 16 valve engine can operate stably for 200 thousand kilometers. After this limit, the power plant requires major overhaul. But do not forget that AvtoVAZ is a real lottery; for some Priora owners, the engine caught a wedge at 2 thousand. But if you take care of your Lada car, regularly perform maintenance and replace damaged components, then you can safely count on a service life of 150-200 thousand km.

The resource of the power plant is influenced by many factors, here are some of them:

• Overheating . Running the engine on a Priora at elevated temperatures significantly reduces its service life. The operating temperature, which we will talk about in the next section, must be maintained at the same level.
• Fuel . The instruction manual indicates what kind of gasoline should be poured into engine number 126 with 16 valves. It is also recommended to visit only trusted gas stations that will not fill you with diluted fuel.
• Engine oil . Everything is simple here - change the lubricant in a timely manner and buy high-quality oils, then the service life will be 150-200 thousand km. For the 16 valve unit 126, semi-synthetics (Lada recommendation) and synthetics are suitable. The oil needs to be changed once a year or every 15 thousand kilometers; as you can see, the fluid does not have a long service life.

Modifications

The base of the power unit served as the basis for the creation of two popular and fairly well-known modifications. The first was the Sport version Sport 21126-77. One of the most important differences was the increase in power to 120 horsepower and torque to 154 Nm. At the same time, manufacturers managed to raise environmental standards to comply with the Euro 5 standard. The modification was put into production in 2013, and was placed under the hood of Lada Kalina Sport and Lada Granta Sport cars.

NFR 21126-81 is the second, even more powerful modification, which has a power of 136 horsepower and a torque of 148 Nm. To obtain such indicators, manufacturers had to rework the intake manifold and also use camshafts with new cams. In addition, the exhaust system was also redesigned, installing a catalytic collector there. The motor in this version powers the Lada Kalina Sport model.