The ZIL-4331 was the truck family that replaced the ZIL-130 at ZiL. Developed from the 1970s as the ZIL-169, it brought a new cab and a diesel engine, but production began in 1987 with the old petrol V8 because of financial problems.
ZIL-4331 at a glance
| Maker | ZiL, Moscow |
|---|---|
| Development name | ZIL-169 |
| Prototypes | 1976 |
| Production | 1987–2014 |
| Class | medium-duty 4×2 truck |
| Diesel engine | ZIL-645 V8, 8,740 cc, 185 hp |
| Petrol engine | ZIL-508.10 V8, 150 hp |
| Payload | 6,000–7,000 kg |
| Gearbox | five-speed, nine-speed with diesel |
| Last ZiL truck | ZIL-43276T, September 2016 |
Neither English nor Russian Wikipedia has a separate article in English; the page is based on the Russian article with the Italian one for cross-checking.
History of the ZIL-4331
The ZIL-169 project
The model was developed at ZiL in the 1970s under the designation ZIL-169 as the start of a new diesel truck range. The first prototypes were ready in 1976 and were shown to Leonid Brezhnev during his visit to the plant that year. The plan was to use a naturally aspirated ZIL-645 diesel of 185 hp with volume-film mixture formation, matched to a synchronised nine-speed manual gearbox. The wings, bonnet and radiator grille formed one large unit that tilted forward. In the first cab design the headlamps were mounted on the tilting bonnet, but trials showed that the bonnet moved on rough roads and the light beam wandered; the lamps were moved to the steel bumper.
Production with the old engine
In the 1980s the truck received the new index ZIL-4331 under the branch standard ON 025 270-66 and was refined until 1985. Financial difficulties delayed series production, and in 1987 the truck had to go on the line with the outdated V8 petrol ZIL-508.10 of 150 hp and a five-speed gearbox; this version was the ZIL-433110. The diesel ZIL-433100 with the ZIL-645 followed later the same year. Both were built until 2003. The 433100 had a 4,500 mm wheelbase, weighed 5,500 kg and carried up to 7,000 kg; it used 18.4 litres per 100 km at 60 km/h and reached 95 km/h.
The mass-produced versions
In 1993 came the ZIL-433360, a further development of the ZIL-431410 with the new 4331 cab and the petrol ZIL-508.10, followed by the ZIL-432900 with the MMZ D-245.20 turbo diesel of 108 hp of tractor origin. These were the most numerous cars in the ZIL-4331 line. From 2003 they received petrol and diesel engines meeting Euro 2 and later Euro 3, as the ZIL-433362 and ZIL-432932, and production continued until 2014. The family also included the short-wheelbase ZIL-432900 and 432930, the ZIL-432920 with the ZIL-0550 diesel, the long-wheelbase ZIL-43314B with a sleeper cab and the ZIL-433180 with the MMZ D-260 and an 8,000 kg payload.
The last ZiL
In September 2016 the ZiL plant built its last truck, the ZIL-43276T, a modified ZIL-4331 chassis with an MMZ D-245.9E4 Euro 4 diesel, a 3,800 mm wheelbase and a 6,000 kg payload. It closed a line that had begun in 1987 and, through the ZIL-4331 cab, had also served the later ZIL-133 versions.
Design and features
- New cab: a modern alligator bonnet unit and a cab that later served the ZIL-133G40 and ZIL-6309.
- Diesel option: the ZIL-645 V8 of 185 hp with a nine-speed gearbox, alongside the old petrol V8.
- Euro generations: evolved from Euro 0 to Euro 4 between 1987 and 2016.
- Long life: built for 27 years and the basis of the very last truck made by ZiL.
ZIL-4331 versions
- ZIL-433110 (1987): petrol ZIL-508.10 version, the first on the line.
- ZIL-433100 (1987–2003): diesel ZIL-645 version with a nine-speed gearbox.
- ZIL-433360 (1993): new cab on ZIL-431410 mechanicals, petrol engine.
- ZIL-432900 / 432930: short-wheelbase versions with MMZ diesels.
- ZIL-433180: 8,000 kg payload with the MMZ D-260 engine.
- ZIL-43276T (2015–2016): the last ZiL truck, Euro 4.
The ZIL-4331 replaced the ZIL-130, and its cab was used on the later ZIL-133. More trucks are in the ZiL collection.
Sources
- ЗИЛ-4331, Russian Wikipedia: development, engines, production, modifications
- ZIL-4331, Italian Wikipedia: production period, payloads, end of production
