Im currently in the process of fitting a vaux engine to my mini, ive got an engine sat in the shed waiting to go in when my new subframe arrives. i kinda rushed into buying the engine tbh as i thought i had picked up bargain of a donor car with a c16se (nova GSI engine), but it turns out ive actually got a x16szr (same i think just with Single point injection) and only ~75bhp
Ive got the wiring and ecu that came out of the donor and m planning on just chopping out the mini engine wiring and basically powering up the standard vaux ecu and loom so if i change engines im going to need the whole lot again
now i dont mind fitting this to start with to get it up and running but i think i will get bored with such little power
a friend of mine is pretty up on his vauxhalls told me i want a x18xe1 from an early vectra etc. as it is the model before they added all the silly imobilisers but looking on the bay the ecu's are silly money and say they need to be programmed to your key etc.
what do you need to get the car running? someone suggested buying an suitable donor, doing the same as i have with the 1.6 and just taping the key to the barrel so the transponder for the imobiliser is always active, but which bit receives the transponder signal? dont tell me i need to swap the barrel aswell?

sooo many questions lol.
cheers all.

 

You could just tape the key as said will work fine, it's detected by a sensor around or on the barrel, not inside the barrel.
Why not convert your engine to multipoint ie C16SE, use a C14SE head though as much bigger valves than a 16, they are very good engines next step up would be LET etc.
You could easily get a reliable 140bhp from a decently tuned C16SE.
tabetha

 

I have the wiring diagram for a v6 with the immobilizer which is cock on if its of any use (chip may be able to tell you if the looms plug pins are the same/similar across all models), I taped the key into the transponder as tabetha suggests

 

you can get free running ecu's for them, i have a z18xe engine for sale if your interedted

 

first of all, the z18xe1 came in late vectras and will have an immob. The reason you want one is its an 1800 smallblock, not the orginal X18xe big block.

The spi engine you have wont be the same as the c16se, it will have a shit cylinder head.

Anything without an immob you need 9 wires. Anything with one, you need to make sure you get the transponder from round the ignition barrel and the chip in the key from the donor car.