The Fiat Pratola Serra modular engines (also known as family B engines for the 4 cylinder units, and family C engines for the 5 cylinder units) are a family of engines produced by the

Fiat Group Stellantis Europe S.p.A. (formerly Fiat Group Automobiles S.p.A. and FCA Italy S.p.A.), is the Italian subsidiary of the multinational automaker Stellantis, dedicated to the production and selling of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles ...

since 1994 and used in

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian carmaker known for its sports-oriented vehicles, strong auto racing heritage, and iconic design. Headquartered in Turin, Italy, it is a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe and one of 14 brands of mu ...

Lancia Lancia Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis Europe, which is the European subsidiary of Stellantis. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganise ...

and

Jeep Jeep is an American automobile brand, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with other assets, from its previous owner, American Motors Co ...

vehicles. They are named after the Pratola Serra municipality in which they're being produced.

Overview

This new engine family debuted with the Lancia Kappa, and were designed to allow the production of different units, both diesel and petrol, in various displacements and configurations while decreasing development and production costs thanks to the modular architecture. Five cylinder launch versions: These engines are produced in the FGA's FMA (Fabbrica Motori Automobilistici) factory in Pratola Serra. It's an advanced factory, with a production capacity of 600,000 engines/year and producing both petrol and Diesel engines. Started in 1993, it was developed to produce multiple engines with a single production line, sharing components between them. In 2010 the Chinese

GAC Group Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (GAC Group) is a Chinese state-owned automobile manufacturer headquartered in Guangzhou, Guangdong. , it was the fifth largest automobile manufacturer in China, with 2.144 million sales in 2021. The com ...

started production of 1.8 and 2.0 Alfa Romeo Twin Spark 16V configurations of the Pratola Serra modular engine branded as "VTML" in China. These engines constitute however unique configurations, mating the single spark plug cylinder head from the 1.8 16V VFD to the 1747 and 1970 Twin Spark engine blocks, the latter with balance shafts, while retaining the power levels of the Twin Spark 16V. While these engines have been phased out in the European market in favor of the 1.4 MultiAir Turbo gasoline engine, part of the smaller Fiat

FIRE Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

series, they have later been updated with dual variable valve timing (branded "DCVVT") and turbochargers, and are as of 2016 used in

Trumpchi GAC Trumpchi () is an automotive brand established by Chinese automaker GAC Group in 2010. The Trumpchi name is used within the domestic Chinese market, while vehicles are marketed internationally under the GAC Motor brand. Name The brand's West ...

automobiles.

Engine specifications

Engine blocks are produced in four- and five-cylinder versions with similar specs, usually made from cast iron, with five

main bearing A main bearing is a bearing in a piston engine which holds the crankshaft in place and allows it to rotate within the engine block. The number of main bearings per engine varies between engines, often in accordance with the forces produced b ...

s for the four cylinder versions and six main bearings for the five cylinder versions. Exceptions are the later version of the petrol and the diesel four-cylinder blocks, made from aluminum. They are developed to withstand turbocharging. Some versions have counter-rotating

balance shaft Balance shafts are used in piston engines to reduce vibration by cancelling out unbalanced dynamic forces. The counter balance shafts have eccentric weights and rotate in the opposite direction to each other, which generates a net vertical force ...

s to reduce vibrations. The aluminium pistons have graphite skirts to reduce internal engine friction. Cylinder heads are made in aluminum alloy. Petrol versions have an integrated coolant pump and pentroof combustion chambers with an angle of 47° between valves. The turbodiesels have a different, flat

combustion chamber A combustion chamber is part of an internal combustion engine in which the air–fuel ratio, fuel/air mix is burned. For steam engines, the term has also been used for an extension of the Firebox (steam engine), firebox which is used to allow a mo ...

design. They usually have a

DOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combus ...

valvetrain configuration with

hydraulic tappet A hydraulic tappet, also known as a hydraulic valve lifter or hydraulic lash adjuster, is a device for maintaining zero valve clearance in an internal combustion engine. Conventional solid valve lifters require regular adjusting to maintain a ...

s, driving four valves per cylinder. Exceptions are the 1.4 12V unit, also with hydraulic tappets but a SOHC valvetrain, driving three valves per cylinder, and the 1.9 8V and 2.4 10V turbodiesels, with a

SOHC An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine in which the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combus ...

valvetrain with mechanical tappets, driving two valves per cylinder. The 1750 TBi gasoline and 16V Multijet diesel engines feature hydraulic tappets with roller

rocker arm A rocker arm is a valvetrain component that typically transfers the motion of a pushrod in an overhead valve engine, overhead valve internal combustion engine to the corresponding intake/exhaust poppet valve, valve. Rocker arms in automobiles are ...

s. Some versions feature variable valve timing (VVT). The camshafts are belt-driven. In addition to VVT, some versions also feature variable-length intake manifold (VIS). Earlier Alfa Romeo versions use the

Twin Spark Alfa Romeo Twin Spark (TS) technology was used for the first time in the Alfa Romeo Grand Prix car in 1914. In the early 1960s it was used in their race cars ( GTA, TZ) to enable it to achieve a higher power output from its engines. And in the e ...

ignition system. There is also a version of the four cylinder block using direct injection, used only in Alfa Romeo's vehicles, dubbed as JTS. In Brazil, the 5-cylinder petrol engines equipped the Marea sedan and station wagon (Marea Weekend) lines between 1998 and 2006, including a 2.0 20V with deactivated VVT (125 PS) for lower taxation, 2.0 20V VVT (140 PS), 2.4 20V with VVT and VIS (157 PS) and a turbocharged 2.0 20V (180 PS) — detuned from the 220 PS version from Fiat Coupé. A slightly updated version of the 2.4 20V was also used on the Stilo Abarth with 165 PS.

Engine blocks

Current production

Fiat applications

Lancia applications

Alfa Romeo applications

Jeep applications

Applications in other brands

{, class=wikitable !Petrol units !Type !Vehicles , - , , , 1.6 16V DCVVT, , Trumpchi GA3/GA3S,

Trumpchi GA5 The Trumpchi GA5, or originally the Guangzhou Auto Trumpchi is a mid-size sedan produced by Guangzhou Automobile under the Trumpchi brand. It debuted at the 2010 Guangzhou Auto Show. Overview In 2009, Alfa Romeo had sold its 166/Kappa platform ...

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, Trumpchi GS5 Super , - !Diesel units !Type !Vehicles , - , , , 1.6 Common Rail, , Opel Combo D , - , , , 1.9 Common Rail, ,

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