I would like to find out more about the F engines family. Are they equally/more/less durable than famous "Cleon" series? Juha has already proven that it's possbile to do > 400 K kms on the C1J, how about F engines?
I'm pretty worried about it's dry cylinder liners, which would possibly harden some kind of general repair / refurbishing. The reason for asking this question is that i'll be buying a R19 soon, and want to know if the F engine with > 150.000 kms on the counter is worth my euros or not.
Anyway considering my brother's-in-law megane troubles I won't go for Megane, still prefer 19s.
Also a "virgin" R9/11 would be really a nice finding, but almost impossible in Poland

Yours

artur

Hi Artur- Group, People---- I do like the F3N and the F3R motors, namely the 1.7, and 2.0 that were available here in USA from 1985- thru 1987 BUT-- and this is a BIG BUT-- I REALLY HATE THAT RUBBER TIMING BELT-- Which has killed many an engine...

I have had only 1 engine 'FAIL' (F3R-2.0) my local emmissions test, at 110,000 miles, that engine is tired and smoky, but all the others, and all my 1.7 and other 2.0 Motors with 150,000 Miles or more on them all run good, and are sound for the enviroment!!!!

The 1.4 motor is just too small for running in traffic here on the highways, the 1.7,2.0 will keep speeds of 60-70 MPH easily,,,, and power when you need to pass on small roads...
I really HATE that timing belt problem, perhaps is there a chain drive to adapt to that camshaft that will not snap and destroy the valves and pistons ????
Or I can machine the pistons from smashing into the valves (in the future)
BTW-- Gas mileage is good for the 1.7, 2.0 expect an average per gallon of fule to take you about 22 miles,, but much better on the highway!!!!

Joe in USA

First of all I must say I have no personal experience about the 1.7/1.8L F-series, but from what I've heard from people there shouldn't be any major structural problems with the construction. Some ignition or carburation related quirks can be expected, but they're usually not caused by any engine internal fault.

A friend of mine has a 1990 R19 TXE with a 1721 cm³ fuel-injected and catted F that's done over 220k km and the engine runs fine, so signs of fatigue. If you have a choice, though, go for the latest 1794 cm³ / 110 bhp version with multipoint EFI, as the 1721 of the TXE feels slightly poor on torque.

I don't quite understand the bad reputation the timing belt has in the USA, in my opinion it is reliable AS LONG AS IT'S RENEWED AS RECOMMENDED. What shouldn't be overlooked is that even if the specified mileage hasn't been reached, the age of the belt is just as crucial; Let's assume the engine's done only 10k km in five years, the belt must still be renewed 'cause it's reached the five year limit and become potentially brittle with age.
Changing the belt can be done by a home mechanic, there's nothing mysterious about it. And even having it changed is a routine task nowadays for garages and shouldn't cost too much, after all it must be renewed relativly seldomly. It's very recommandable to renew the tensioning roller(s) and possibly water pump at the same time while you're at it.

These dry cylinder liner engines can be bored oversize and oversize pistons fitted. Of course the boring must be done by a competent machinist, in that sense of course the wet liner C is easier/cheaper for a home mechanic to rebuild without external help. I've heard rumours that there weren't oversized pistons available for some versions of the F and that a new block should be purchased, but I doubt if that is true. It's probably been some official Renault dealer claiming this in an effort to cash in on the customer...


As far as I understand, most of the 1.7/1.8 R19s have power-assisted steering. When inspecting a promising canditate, make sure there are no leaks in the system as they can be expensive to put right. If there's a leaking axle seal in the steering rack, you need a new rack, the sealing can't be replaced separately! A new rack costs from roughly 500 euros up...

My own personal experience is that the F engine is a reliable engine if the timing belt is changed every 3 years or 60,000 km with a aftermarket belt.

I also recomend for a factory belt every 4 years or 80,000 km.

doing that, and correctly tensioning the belt, and making sure your idler and tensioner are fine make for a very reliable belt drive system. My F3N 1.7 tbi has now over 400,000 km on it and the head has never been off the car. it now has piston rap though as a result of the age/milage. The car is basicly orginal except for the brakes and exhaust, yet it's got 400,000 km on it and it still gets me to work and back (110 km round trip) every day on the 401 (120 km/h or more speeds)

I'd buy another F3N engine in a flash, it actually can outlive the dreaded Honda engine without alot of serious maintenance (hell i've never even did a valve adjustment (due to lack of suitable shims))

anyways thats my two cents. go for it Artur!!!

I agree with the others, the F-engine is a reliable engine. As Juha stated, the timing belt ist the point of difference. When I bought mine, the timing belt had never been changed, so it worked 14 years at 108000 kms (!). Nevertheless, I´ve got it changed, and it runs fine. Also, the play of the inlet and outlet valves is harder to adjust (there aren´t any screws, you have to insert or remove some kind of special washers), this has to be done when the timing belt is removed. The rest is like the C-engines - engine oil leaks, and sometimes thermic problems, but nothing serious at all.
Regards,
Andy

didnt the F engines find their way into a few volvo 340s aswell? I know that ive canabalised a few parts from a volvo 340 for my renault.

Yes, they did. And also all Volvo 440/460/480 used the Renault F.