Renault revises 12-litre engine
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• Renault's 12-litre truck engine, used in its AE and Major R ranges, has been given a mid-life update. The revised ACE unit, (Advanced Combustion Engine), takes over from the current version of the 12-litre diesel and goes on sale immediately in the UK.
Inevitably the ACE has been prepared with future emissions regs in mind, but Renault also claims improved performance and a reduction in fuel consumption by up to 5%. The charge-cooled MIDR 06.35.40 Lil is rated at 283kW (380hp) at 2,000rpm, with 1,700Nm (1,2541bft) of torque at 1,200rpm, equating to increases of some 3% over the old engine.
To reflect this change, Renault is re-badging the Major R380 and the AE380 as the R385ti and AE385ti respectively. As before the AE is sold in the UK as a 4x2 or 6x4 while the Major comes in 4x2, twinsteer and tag-axle forms.
The 283kW version is expected to be joined soon by a more powerful version — it is rumoured that an AE420 boasting some 310kW (416hp) will break cover at either the Hanover or Paris Shows later this year.
However buyers will have to wait for a low-emission version of the ACE motor, for Renault has taken the unusual decision to delay the Eurol spec until the end of 1992.
Although the new engine has the same bore and stroke as its predecessor, Renault stresses that its revised straight-six is 80% new, with nearly all major components including the block seeing some change. As the ACE tag suggests, the combustion and injection system have been extensively reworked, including repositioned six-hole injectors working at a higher pressure. This has helped reduce the minimum specific fuel consumption to 197g/kWh.
Changes to the structure of the engine and its main components allow Renault to claim a 30% increase in service life.