The Douvrin family was an all-aluminum

inline-four A straight-four engine (also called an inline-four) is a four-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft. The vast majority of automotive four-cylinder engines use a straight-four layout (with the e ...

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded ...

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

designed in the early 1970s and produced from 1977 to 1996 by ''Compagnie Française de Mécanique'', a

joint-venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...

between

PSA PSA, PsA, Psa, or psa may refer to: Biology and medicine * Posterior spinal artery * Primary systemic amyloidosis, a disease caused by the accumulation of abnormal proteins * Prostate-specific antigen, an enzyme used as a blood tracer for pros ...

and

Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...

located in the town of

Douvrin Douvrin (; vls, Doverin) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Douvrin is an ex- coalmining town some east of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D165, the D163 a ...

in northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. This engine is designed by the engineer Jean-Jacques His (father of

Formula 1 Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

engines from Renault and

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988) in 1939 from the Alfa Romeo racing division as ''Auto Avio Costruzioni'', the company built its first car in ...

). It was produced in the same factory as the ''PRV'' V6, which also is sometimes known outside France as the "Douvrin" V6. The Douvrin engine is also referred to as the ZDJ/ZEJ engine by

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French brand of automobiles owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was founded in 1810, with a steel foundry that soon started making hand tools and kitchen equipment, and then ...

, and as the J-type engine by Renault.

Construction

This engine had an aluminium alloy block with cast iron liners, and an aluminium alloy head with one overhead camshaft driven by belt. Its displacement varied from 1995 to 2165 cc. This engine should not be confused with the

PSA-Renault X-Type engine The PSA X engine is a family of internal combustion engines used in Citroën, Peugeot, Talbot and Renault automobiles. The X family was mainly used in superminis and the entry level models of midsize vehicles. It was designed and manufactured by ...

whose displacement varied from 954 to 1360 cc and had a gearbox integrated to the block. The Douvrin engine on the contrary, had a conventional (external) gearbox setup, and was longitudinally or transversely mounted depending on car model.

2.0

The was an

oversquare In a reciprocating piston engine, the stroke ratio, defined by either bore/stroke ratio or stroke/bore ratio, is a term to describe the ratio between cylinder bore diameter and piston stroke length. This can be used for either an internal co ...

design with a single

belt drive A belt is a loop of flexible material used to link two or more rotating shafts mechanically, most often parallel. Belts may be used as a source of motion, to transmit power efficiently or to track relative movement. Belts are looped over pulle ...

overhead camshaft An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

, an bore and

stroke A stroke is a disease, medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemorr ...

. Though somewhat dull (with only a 6000 rpm

redline Redline refers to the maximum engine speed at which an internal combustion engine or traction motor and its components are designed to operate without causing damage to the components themselves or other parts of the engine. The redline of an en ...

) and slow in throttle response, the normally aspirated 8-valve versions proved extremely reliable. Mileages of over without major repairs are not uncommon. The 12-valvers are much livelier and also boast above-average reliability. The turbocharged versions have only average reliability.

Applications

PSA

Renault

It was produced in a variety of configurations for Renault: * naturally aspirated 8-valve, single-barrel

carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...

, , from 1978 to 1993 * naturally aspirated 8-valve, double-barrel carburetor, , from 1977 to 1992 * naturally aspirated 8-valve, multipoint, Bosch L(U/E) Jetronic fuel injection, ( with

catalytic converter A catalytic converter is an exhaust emission control device that converts toxic gases and pollutants in exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine into less-toxic pollutants by catalyzing a redox reaction. Catalytic converters are usual ...

), from 1984 to 1989 (Catalytic converters required in North American market only.) * naturally aspirated 8-valve, multipoint, BENDIX ECU-driven, fuel injection, ( with

), from 1989 to 1996 * naturally aspirated 12-valve, multipoint fuel injection, , ( with catalytic converter), from 1989 to 1996 *

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pr ...

8-valve, multipoint fuel injection, ( with catalytic converter), from 1987 to 1993 (Catalytic converters fitted IAW EC directive in MY '89; now referred to as EURO III). * Renault 18 *

Renault 20 The Renault 20 ''(R20)'' and Renault 30 ''(R30)'' are two executive cars produced by the French automaker Renault between 1975 and 1984. The most upmarket and expensive Renaults of their time, the two cars were almost identical with regard to shee ...

Renault 21 The Renault 21 is a large family car produced by French automaker Renault between 1986 and 1994. It was also sold in North America initially through American Motors dealers as the Renault Medallion and later through Jeep-Eagle dealers as the Ea ...

Renault 25 The Renault 25 is an executive car produced by the France, French automotive industry, automaker Renault from 1983 to 1992. The 25 was Renault's Flagship#Automotive, flagship, the most expensive, prestigious, and the largest vehicle in the co ...

Renault Espace The Renault Espace is a five-door car manufactured by the French carmaker Renault since 1984 for five generations. It is classified as a large MPV/ minivan within the M-segment. The first three generations of the Espace were amongst the first ...

* Renault Fuego *

Renault Safrane The Renault Safrane is an executive car (E-segment in Europe) designed and built by the French manufacturer Renault from 1992 until 2000. Throughout its production it remained the most expensive and most luxurious Renault available, although i ...

Renault Trafic The Renault Trafic (pronounced as "traffic") is a light commercial van produced by the French automaker Renault since 1980. It is also marketed as the Fiat Talento, the Nissan NV300, the Nissan Primastar, the Mitsubishi Express and, until the ...

Others

* SIMI Cournil SCE15/25 * Auverland SC 11/200/250

2.2

The version was derived from the by a

extension from , making it an undersquare design. Most parts, including the

cylinder head In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head (often abbreviated to simply "head") sits above the cylinders and forms the roof of the combustion chamber. In sidevalve engines, the head is a simple sheet of metal; whereas in more modern o ...

, were identical to the those of the 2-liter unit. This engine proved as reliable as its 2.0-liter counterpart. It is often confused with the somewhat similar 2.2 litre

Simca Type 180 The Type 180 is an automobile straight-4 engine produced in the 1970s. It was an OHC design. 1.6/1.8 These engines (1,639/1,812 cc) were used in the Chrysler 180, Chrysler 160/180, a car also sold under a multiplicity of other names. Appli ...

engine, which displaced

Applications

PSA

Renault

It was produced in fewer configurations than the smaller version for Renault: * normally aspirated 8-valve, double-barrel carburetor, , from 1977 to 1992 * normally aspirated 8-valve, multipoint fuel injection, ( with catalytic converter), from 1983 to 1996 * normally aspirated 12-valve, multipoint fuel injection, , from 1989 to 1996 *

* Renault Fuego * Renault 18 *

Renault Master The Renault Master is a large van produced by the French manufacturer Renault since 1980, now in its third generation. It replaced the earlier Renault Super Goélette light trucks. Opel has sold versions of the second and third series vans as ...

Renault Medallion A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

Others

* 1987-1989 Eagle Medallion * 1983-1992

Winnebago LeSharo The Winnebago LeSharo (also marketed as Itasca Phasar, with different color schemes and some equipment changes) is a Class C (low-profile) recreational vehicle that was assembled by Winnebago Industries in Forest City, Iowa. While using a cutaw ...

(built on Trafic chassis and cab) * 1983-1992 Itasca Phasar (built on Trafic chassis and cab)

2.1 Diesel

The Diesel version was derived from the petrol version by a bore reduction from and a stroke extension from . Cast-iron

cylinder liner In a reciprocating engine, the cylinder is the space in which a piston travels. The inner surface of the cylinder is formed from either a thin metallic liner (also called "sleeve") or a surface coating applied to the engine block. A piston is se ...

s were used to withstand the higher compression ratio of Diesel combustion. The cylinder head was of course specific and was a Ricardo-type pre-chamber design fed by a mechanically controlled fuel pump. This engine was only used by

in three versions: * normally aspirated 8-valve, , from 1979 to 1992 * turbocharged 8-valve, , from 1982 to 1992 - 1),2) * turbocharged 8-valve with variable-nozzle, , from 1990 to 1996 :- Garrett T2 turbocharged 8-valve version was fitted by AMC-Renault in the 1984-1987 Jeep Wagoneer, Cherokee and Comanche models :- Garrett T3 turbocharged 8-valve version was fitted by AMC-Renault in the 1983-1986 Winnebago Lesharo/Itasca Phasar, based on the

I 'P'latform chassis, albeit only in FWD, LWB designs. * Renault 18 *

* Renault 30 * Renault Fuego * 1992–1996

* 1983–1986

(built on Trafic chassis and cab) * 1983–1986 Itasca Phasar (built on Trafic chassis and cab) *

Jeep Cherokee (XJ) The Jeep Cherokee (XJ) is a sport utility vehicle manufactured and marketed across a single generation by Jeep in the United States from 1983 through 2001 — and globally through 2014. It was available in two- or four-door, five-passenger, fro ...

* Jeep Comanche

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:J engine Française de Mécanique engines Renault engines Peugeot engines Straight-four engines

Construction

2.0

Applications

PSA

Renault

Others

2.2

Applications

PSA

Renault

Others

2.1 Diesel

See also

References