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This article is from the Lotus Cars FAQ, by esprit@netcom.com (Alan F. Perry) with numerous contributions by others.

D14.What Renault engines can be used in a Europa-Renault (S1/S2)?

A 1470cc and a 1565cc version of the Renault R16 were originally
used in the Europa-Renault.

As described below, there are other options as well.

Mark Reichert (markr@eye.com) writes:
John O'Connor (joconnor@eicmfg.enet.dec.com) writes:
>Other alternative, get the Renault 16 TS engine and gearbox. (You have
>to reverse the diff of course.) This gives you a crossflow head for
>which you can get all manner of tuning parts (via the Gordini sources)
>and a 5 speed box. The block has the same mounts as the original
>engine and if you want to keep it simple will mate to your current
>transmission. However, it is worth doing the work to put the 5 speed
>box in.

Or, you could use the engine out of an R17. These come in a few
varieties. There's the 807, which is a hemi/crossflow head version of
the 821. I think that this might be the same engine used in the R16TS.
The block is the same. The pistons are different (to account for the
changed head). Then there's the 843, which a 1647cc version of the 807.
Parts are more available for the 843, as Renault used them in the R17,
R18, and some Fuegos. [I've also seen reference to the 844, which seemed
to be *the* hot setup, but I've been unable to locate one of these
engines.]

Used 843's can be had in the $300 price range. 807's seem to cost a
little more. They are rarer, and rumor has it that they can be tuned
better. I don't know that I believe that rumor.

Both of these engines used Bosch fuel injection at some point, so it's
available if you want it (like I do). I think the 807's used D-Jet. The
843's used L-Jet (L-Jet+Lambda in the R18 & Fuego). If you want fuel
injection, it's best to get the intake plenum off of an R17, as the later
cars went to longer intake runners which probably won't fit in the S2
engine bay.

An 843 will bolt up to your S2's 336 gearbox, but *some* 843 blocks have
their motor mount points moved, so new brackets need to be fab'd.

There are also some issues with belts, pulleys, and exhaust on the 843
that I'd be glad to discuss with anyone whose considering this upgrade.

I've put an 843 in the S2 that I'm restoring.

Here's some info on differences among the renault engines:

				    Stock   Europa  Stock  Stock
				     821     821     807    843 
				    -----   ------  -----  -----
    Valve Timing
    ------------
    Inlet opens    deg BTDC           10      35      21     24  
    Inlet closes   deg ABDC           42      65      59     68  
    Exhaust opens  deg BBDC           46      65      59     68  
    Exhaust closes deg ATDC           10      35      21     24  
  
    Valve Size (mm)
    ---------------
    Inlet                             35     37.5     40     42* 
    Exhaust                           31      31     35.35  35.35
  
    Compression Ratio                 8.6    10.25  7.6,8.6  9.6 
 
    Static Advance (deg)               0       4       0      4  

* = The Haynes manual lists this as 40mm, the one in *my* 843 was 42mm.

[Sources: Haynes R16 manual, europa workshop manual]

Note that the stock 843 has 25% more area for the intake valves, and
30% more area for the exhaust valves.

The Haynes R17 manual gives info for 843 valve timing that conflicts with
what the R16 manual says. I don't remember the exact numbers, but the net
effect was a duration a few degrees greater than the Europa 821 cam. Also,
the 844 cam was reported to give an extra 10 degrees duration beyond that
of the 843.

 

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