Reconditioned Opel Vivaro Gearbox

Vivaro diesel 2001–2019: from the F9Q engine code of the early generations to the R9M of the later phase, each engine code requires a different gearbox

Fourteen engine codes cover the full range of the Vivaro diesel over this period, and it is the code stamped on the engine itself — not the engine capacity shown on the registration document — that determines which gearbox is compatible. The F9Q 750, 760, 762 and 772 correspond to the 1.9 CDTi (2001–2006) and can take either a 5-speed manual or a 6-speed manual gearbox, depending on the power output and the exact year of manufacture of the vehicle. From the 1.9 onwards, both gearbox ratios exist on the same engine block: this is the first identification pitfall.

2.0 CDTi and 2.5 CDTi: the switch to an exclusively 6-speed gearbox

The 2.5 CDTi (codes G9U 630, G9U 632, G9U 650 and G9U 730, 2003–2014) and the 2.0 CDTi (codes M9R 780, M9R 782 and M9R 692, 2006–2014) are exclusively paired with a 6-speed manual gearbox. The higher torque of these engine blocks explains why the 5-speed was dropped: fitting a 5-speed gearbox from a 1.9 to one of these engines is mechanically incompatible.

1.6 CDTi: the R9M codes, a more recent engine block and a specific gearbox

The 1.6 CDTi introduced with the facelifted Vivaro B is based on the codes R9M 408, R9M 450 and R9M 452 (2014–2019). Despite having a smaller engine capacity than the 1.9, it shares no gearbox with the F9Q generations: the bellhousing, gear ratios and references are entirely different. A 2016 Vivaro and a 2004 Vivaro may both show "1.9" or a similar engine capacity on older documents, yet their gearboxes are completely unrelated. Checking the engine code before placing any order remains the only reliable way to avoid a reference error.