Also known as: d4f, d7f, 1.2 16v, 1.2 8v, d-type renault, twingo engine, d4ft
Renault's 1.2-litre four — the D-family, in 8-valve D7F and 16-valve D4F forms, and the entry engine of the Clio, Twingo, Modus and Sandero for two decades.
Simple, belt-driven and port-injected. The D4F 16-valve is worth knowing for one specific weakness: the cylinder head and its valve seats are sensitive to overheating, and a head that has been run hot frequently develops valve-seat and gasket problems that recur after a conventional repair. On a car with a history of cooling trouble, that history is the diagnosis.
Otherwise the profile is that of any small ageing engine — ignition coils, the crankshaft sensor, a worn idle actuator, and vacuum leaks producing lean codes. The timing belt is the item that ends them, and at this age it is almost always unknown. The turbocharged TCe versions of the same block are a different proposition and are covered by their own entry.
Cars fitted with this engine
6 generations, across 2 makes. From the authored catalogue — an absent car means the catalogue has not reached it, not that the engine was never fitted.
Information, not instruction
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Have anything you intend to act on checked by a trained person against the manufacturer's own procedure for your vehicle. Nothing here replaces that procedure.
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