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Renault L7X / PSA ES9 engine swap

Filipe411

New Member
Greetings,

First of all, excuse me for the non-Clio related topic, but since the 'heart' of the project is very similar, I think this is a great possibility for information exchange.

Many years ago I bought a Citroën C5 X7 / C6 / Peugeot 407 3 litre V6 engine, version ES9A, which was the latest equipped on Peugeot / Citroën cars. I don't know to which L7X version it would correspond on the Renault lineup, but it has VVT on both inlet cams (solenoids driven by PWM signal), managed by a Bosch ME7.4.7 ECU, and delivers 211 PS (208 hp) on its stock form.

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Since the standard 2 litre engine of my Citroën C4 Hatchback requires new pistons, instead of making such repair, my idea is to replace it with the V6, along with a Peugeot 407 6-speed manual gearbox. My goal is not a race / track car, but a road car with a clean as possible engine conversion, to the point I'm even studying to keep the standard V6 ME7 ECU, as the C4 electronics are very similar to C5 / 407. Some people think it's BS, but I love the 'OEM+' aspect of a well built road car, as if it was factory built that way.

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I also understand it would be a lot easier, with a better cost x benefit, to turbocharge the standard 2 litre engine, but whoever said engine swaps were supposed to be rational, probably never really dreamed of doing one lol. Speaking of difficulties, the two main issues I've encountered so far are: performance information about the ES9 / L7X engine and finding and bringing the parts to Brazil - expensive shipping, restrictive customs with very high import tax.

[album]20388[/album]

As I write here I'm waiting for the driveshafts and gearbox mount, imported from the UK, to be released by the dreaded Brazilian Customs inspection, which might get delayed by days or even weeks. It seems to me that these driveshafts and gearbox mount, from C4 2.0 HDI, will be straight fit on the V6 gearbox placement, and if it's the case, it will make the engine swap a bit easier.

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Performance-wise, for now I've got an L7X-762 (Ph2) inlet manifold with fuel rails, injectors and throttlebody. I found out that the inlet ports on the ES9A cylinder head are wider than the ones on the Ph2 manifold under body, so it would probably disrupt airflow. It's curious because it's the opposite from what I had thought, maybe the smaller ports on 762 manifold produce greater flow speed?!

[album]20387[/album]

Because of this difference, I'm still figuring out what to do, if I should get my stock heads upgraded on a flow bench by a professional, or if I should seek the Clio V6 Ph2 heads. I wonder if the Ph2 heads have bigger valves than other L7X engines, and if their cams are wilder as well.

I haven't found technical specifications of L7X-762 heads and cams, or even from aftermarket cams, but if someone wants some official data about the PSA ES9 engines, I've compiled a few things here: https://1drv.ms/u/s!AoVuyTOXTvJp2kEqZWy-x9a1jMmG


Regards,

Filipe
 
Good to read interesting projects. I don’t understand much technical stuff, but am always keen of the efforts.

My Vee had Schrick camshafts fitted, a performance re-profile I was told. That’s all I understood, and one of the good alterations that was done on my car, so was told to leave them in there.

The oily rag members will love this topic.
 
Many years ago i had a c4 Loeb as my commuting to work car. The 2 things that let it down were the engine and clutch. Oh and i ditched suspension for eibach. Very underated car, it will be interesting to see outcome, but not sure for us in uk that such a swap would be worth the expense and challenges.
Keep any updates coming and good luck.
 
James":zfpnni3q said:
Good to read interesting projects. I don’t understand much technical stuff, but am always keen of the efforts.

My Vee had Schrick camshafts fitted, a performance re-profile I was told. That’s all I understood, and one of the good alterations that was done on my car, so was told to leave them in there.

The oily rag members will love this topic.

I've read about these Schrick cams around the forum, but I couldn't find their specs, and they're not listed on Schrick website anymore. Have you ever measured your car power at the rolling road?


SJ":zfpnni3q said:
Many years ago i had a c4 Loeb as my commuting to work car. The 2 things that let it down were the engine and clutch. Oh and i ditched suspension for eibach. Very underated car, it will be interesting to see outcome, but not sure for us in uk that such a swap would be worth the expense and challenges.
Keep any updates coming and good luck.

I believe most C4 By Loeb have the 1.6 16v N/A engine, which is a bit weak for the size of the car. Special versions weren't sold here in Brazil (our car market is quite boring). I see engine swaps more of a passionate act as a rational one lol. But yeah, in Europe you can get the Clio V6 itself (not available here), so no point doing this, unless you really love the C4 (as I do).

Regards,

Filipe
 
Despite the fact that the goal of my engine swap is to build a street car, not a race / track car, I really want some more power than the standard 208 hp of my ES9A engine. As I have wrote before, I have a 762 / Ph2 inlet manifold, but I've noticed that it won't match perfectly my cylinder head ports. So, if I want to benefit from the Ph2 inlet, I'd have to rework head flow.

It's hard to decide what is best option: rework standard ES9A heads to match the L7X-762 manifold, keep standard cams for now; or replace them with L7X-762 heads, complete with cams.

If I'd go with the Ph2 heads option, one thing that worries me is the VVT functionality. I've seen that my ES9A engine VVT is driven by PWM, and that the variable pulleys are 'sealed'. The L7X-762, on the other hand, seems to use the same ON/OFF VVT system as PSA ES9J4S engine (one generation before ES9A), where the variable pulleys are composed by a separated gear and a hub (and is ran by a different injection ECU, ME7.4.6 (ES9A uses ME7.4.7).

[album]20390[/album]
[album]20391[/album]
[album]20392[/album]
[album]20393[/album]

If somebody knows the answers to the questions below, it would be of a great help :)

1) Which injection ECU does Clio V6 Ph2 use? Bosch ME7.4.6, ME7.4.7 or some other?

2) Is there any Renault Sport technical document about the VVT on the Clio?

3) About Ph2 cylinder heads, are the valves bigger than Ph1? The specific diameters would be good for a comparison as I know that both PSA versions ES9J4S and ES9A have 35 mm inlet valves and 30,5 mm exhaust valves.

4) Anywhere where I can find standard Ph2 cams data? Lift, durations, etc.


Regards,


Filipe
 
James":3t6zlv92 said:

Indeed it is!!! Thank you, James!

So far:

1) Which injection ECU does Clio V6 Ph2 use? Bosch ME7.4.6, ME7.4.7 or some other?

Answer: the Clio V6 Ph2 does use Bosch ME7.4.6 engine ECU, which is a good information, because this ECU is used on PSA vehicles with ES9J4S engine, such as Peugeot 406 Ph2, 607 Ph2, Citroën C5 II... BUT, it takes me to a new question: PSA vehicles with ME7.4.6 use cable throttlebody, whereas the Clio V6 Ph2 uses electronic (drive by wire) throttle. There must be some inside parameter on ME7.4.6 that allows to switch between the two operational modes - luckly, I think my tuner has the Damos / A2L file (parameter list) of ME7.4.6.


2) Is there any Renault Sport technical document about the VVT on the Clio?

Answer: seems to be the same ON/OFF type of PSA ES9J4S engine, and not PWM driven as ES9A.


3) About Ph2 cylinder heads, are the valves bigger than Ph1? The specific diameters would be good for a comparison as I know that both PSA versions ES9J4S and ES9A have 35 mm inlet valves and 30,5 mm exhaust valves.

This is an information I still haven't found. Would be great to know.


4) Anywhere where I can find standard Ph2 cams data? Lift, durations, etc.

Answer: partially solved. According to the Technical Note 3681A, posted by James, the cams on front cylinder head are identified by a markings 'A865' (inlet) and 'E389' (exhaust) and on rear head are 'A866' (inlet) and 'E388' (exhaust). Well, I compared these to PSA spec sheets, and surprisingly, it seems that L7X-762, ES9J4S and ES9A use the same exhaust cams, since PSA also lists exhaust cams with 'E388' and 'E389' markings. Now I wonder what are the differences on the inlet cams, which have different markings on PSA ('A959' and 'A962' on my ES9A engine).


Regards,

Filipe
 
Save yourself a whole heap of time and cash. Install the later Renault Espace v6. It’s the shared transverse Renault/Nissan VQ35 engine. Instantly more powerful than the L7X with shed loads of aftermarket parts. It shares the exact same mounting points as the L7X too if that bothers you.
Great work so far though,
 
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