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Z7X —
the 3.0 litre

The Z7X is the 2,963 / 2,975 cc of Renault's nomenclature: bore × stroke 93 × 73 mm, steel crankshaft with offset crankpins. From 150 bhp on the Eagle Premier, Medallion and Dodge Monaco to 268 bhp on the Safrane Biturbo, by way of the Safrane and Laguna's 167–170 bhp and the Alpine A610's 250 turbocharged bhp.

2 975
CC
150–268
BHP
5
CODES
Third generation

The 3.0 litre, from Michigan to Dieppe

Third generation of the PRV: the 3.0 litre takes up the solution that makes the 90° V6 smooth — the offset-crankpin crankshaft — and pushes it on the A610 with a Fenix 3B ECU that guards against knock with two simultaneous actions, retarding the ignition and lowering boost pressure. On the Safrane, oil pressure is checked with a multimeter rather than a gauge: the only engine in the Library for which that is so.

Beware of the trap: only the phase 1 Laguna 3.0 V6 12-valve (Z7X, 167 bhp) is a PRV. From 1997 — April 1999 on the Safrane — a 60° “PR” V6, L7X at Renault and ES9 at Peugeot, takes over on the Laguna, Espace, 605 and XM. That engine is not a PRV, and it is not here. PSA's 24-valve, for its part, is the ZPJ4.

Z7X
DOUVRIN CODE · 2,963 / 2,975 CC · INJECTION · 12 VALVES
2975
CC
250
BHP · A610
12
VALVES
Identity

What makes a Z7X a Z7X

Figures read in the constructor's documents held in our Library — repair manuals, Pub et Trade data sheets, period bulletins. Nothing here comes from a web fact sheet.

Z7X 2,963 / 2,975 cc · 12 valves · third generation PRV Z7X-744 brochure →
93 × 73
Bore × stroke 93 × 73 mm; 2,975 cc on the A610's Z7X-744, 2,963 cc on the others — the Z-engines manual's table.
Z7X-744
Compression ratio 7.6; 184 kW EEC — 250 bhp DIN at 5,750 rpm; 350 Nm EEC — 35.7 m-kg DIN — at 2,900 rpm, and 330 to 350 Nm from 1,800 to 5,000 rpm. 177 kg bare: on the A610 the engine hangs behind the rear axle, hence the aluminium block.
Équilibrage
Balancing masses on the cylinder head, to cancel the engine's seismic movements and improve the noise level — the Douvrin PRV brochure, with photographs.
Culasse
1.46 mm head gasket; cylinder-head height 110.83 mm for a 49.85 cc chamber.
Sodium
The exhaust valves of the Z7X 726 and 744 contain sodium, which ignites on contact with water: the manual requires it to be neutralised before disposal.
Huile
Minimum pressure at 80 °C: 2.2 bar at idle and 4.4 bar at 4,000 rpm per the Z-engines manual — 2 bar at 900 and 3.5 bar at 3,000 on the A610's sheet. On the Safrane the sender is electric and is read with a multimeter.
Known variants

From 150 to 268 bhp

Five documented factory variants, naturally aspirated, turbo and twin-turbo — the full code table is on the Engines page.

Z7X 5 variants Every known code →
Z7X167–170 bhp
Injection12-valve
Renault Safrane (Z7X-722/723) · phase 1 Laguna (Z7X-760) — 167 to 170 bhp.
Z7X 711150 bhp
Injection12-valveUS market
Eagle Premier · Eagle / Renault Medallion — 150 bhp.
Z7X 715150 bhp
Injection12-valveUS market
Dodge Monaco — 150 bhp.
Z7X 744250 bhp
TurboFenix 3B12-valve
Alpine A610 — 250 bhp, 2,975 cc.
Z7X 726268 bhp
Twin-turbo12-valve
Renault Safrane Biturbo — 268 bhp, the most powerful production PRV.
On the road

The cars of the Z7X

Renault Safrane → · Safrane Biturbo →

167 bhp Safrane V6 (Z7X-722/723) and 268 bhp Safrane Biturbo (Z7X 726), with its two M.R.302 in the Library.

Renault Laguna →

Phase 1 Laguna 3.0 V6, Z7X-760, 167 bhp — the only PRV-engined Laguna.

Alpine A610 →

The Z7X 744: 250 turbocharged bhp, Fenix 3B, 177 kg — the Douvrin brochure and the two M.R.297 are in the Library.

Eagle Premier → · Eagle Medallion → · Dodge Monaco →

The American 3.0: Z7X 711 and 715, 150 bhp, under bodies designed for Renault and Chrysler.

In the workshop

What the documents say about the Z7X

Answers taken from our FAQ, each one read in the Library. The full FAQ holds several hundred more, engine code by engine code.

The Z7X, in the documents The full FAQ →
A610
What are the Z7X-744's announced specifications?
The brochure's box gives them in one go: 6 cylinders in a 90° V, 2975 cm³, bore × stroke 93 × 73 mm, compression ratio 7.6, maximum power 184 kW EEC — 250 hp DIN at 5750 rpm, maximum torque 350 Nm EEC — 35.7 m-kg DIN at 2900 rpm, Fenix 3B injection-ignition (Pressure-Speed system), one camshaft per head, sodium-cooled exhaust valves, aluminium rockers with bonded pads, a Garrett T3 turbo — the brochure spells it “Garett” then “Garret”, two typos for the same turbocharger — with a boost pressure of 766 mbar. PRV Z7X-744 brochure, page 2. Library →
177 kg
How much does the Z7X-744 weigh, and why did it matter so much?
177 kg bare. The brochure explains why the figure mattered: in the Alpine A610 the engine sits in rear overhang — its centre of gravity lies behind the rear axle. Hence aluminium for the crankcase, the heads and various covers. PRV Z7X-744 brochure, page 2. Library →
Sodium
Why must you not simply scrap the exhaust valves of a Z7X 726 or 744?
Because they contain sodium, which ignites on contact with water. The manual requires neutralising it before scrapping: saw the stems at the tulip, in a dry room, away from water and never on a wet grinder, wearing eye protection; drop the cut valves straight into a container of water placed outdoors — about 10 litres for four valves —, away from any ignition source and with no smoking. Sodium forms caustic soda and releases hydrogen: destruction is complete when the bubbling stops. Z engines manual, folio 10-28. Library →
Laguna
Is the Renault Laguna V6 a PRV?
Only the phase 1 Laguna 3.0 V6 12-valve (Z7X, 167 bhp) is a PRV. From 1997 — and only in April 1999 on the Safrane — a 60° “PR” V6 — L7X at Renault, ES9 at Peugeot — replaced the PRV on the Laguna, Espace, 605 and XM. That engine is not a PRV. Safrane · Laguna · Espace file →

In the Library

The 3.0 litre's documents — ten of them, searchable page by page: Pub et Trade sheet Z7X-722/723 — Safrane · Pub et Trade sheet Z7X-760 — Laguna · Pub et Trade sheet Z7X-744 — A610 · PRV brochure of the 3L Turbo V6 · M.R.297 A610 — engine · M.R.297 A610 — ignition and cooling · M.R.302 Safrane — engine · M.R.302 Safrane — ignition and cooling · Safrane Biturbo M.R. · Z-engines repair manual

The rest of the family

Architecture, generations and every known engine code of the PRV V6 — on the main Engines page.

Z7U — the 2.5 turbo →ZPJ4 — PSA's 24-valve → All PRV engines →