ZIL-131

ZIL-131 at a glance

The ZIL-131 is a military and general-purpose 6×6 truck from the Likhachev Plant (ZIL), rated for 3.5 tonnes off road and 5 tonnes on paved roads. It took over from the older ZIL-157 6×6 and sat between the light GAZ-66 and the heavier Ural-375 in the Soviet Army's truck range.

Its closest relative is the ZIL-130 4×2 truck. The two were developed in parallel, share the cab and the V8 engine family, and a 1968 Soviet technical article, translated by the US Army in 1969, put the share of ZIL-130 parts and assemblies usable on the ZIL-131 at up to 60 percent. This page covers what is specific to the 131.

Development and production history

The ZIL-131 was designed from the mid-1950s but took more than ten years to reach series production. The project first ran under the name ZIS-131 and became the ZIL-131 when the plant itself was renamed. A first prototype is usually dated to 1956, and testing is reported to have been completed by 1959.

Series production was planned for 1961 or 1962 but was delayed. The ZIL-130, which supplied the cab and the engine, itself entered series production only in October 1964. The ZIL-131 was introduced in 1966, and series production began in 1967.

In December 1986 ZIL started production of the modernised ZIL-131N with the new ZIL-5081 engine. From 1987 the 131N was also built at UAMZ (the Ural Automotive Engine Plant). ZIL itself ended ZIL-131 production in 1990. By then 998,429 trucks had been built according to German sources, around 48,000 of them in 1989 alone.

At UAMZ the truck stayed in production with few changes until 2002, when the plant was renamed AMUR and the design became the AMUR-531340. AMUR later became insolvent; sources date the last trucks to 2010–2012. That is why reference works quote end dates from 1990 to 2012: each is correct for a different plant.

Production timeline

Design and engineering

The ZIL-131 is a conventional bonneted truck with a ladder frame, three driven axles and a rear tandem bogie, all on solid axles with leaf springs. Drive goes through a single-plate dry clutch and a five-speed manual gearbox to a two-speed transfer case with a low range, which gives the driver ten forward ratios for steep or soft ground.

Two features set it apart from the ZIL-130 beyond the extra axles:

• Central tyre-pressure system. The driver can lower tyre pressure on sand, snow or mud and raise it again for the road without leaving the cab. The standard tyre size is 12.00-20.
• Clearance and wading. Ground clearance is 330 mm (13.0 in), and the wading depth is about 1.4 m (55 in); the contemporary 1968 article gives 1.5 m (59 in). German sources quote a maximum gradient of 58 percent.

The all-metal, three-seat cab is shared with the ZIL-130. Many trucks had a winch, hence two lengths in reference works: 7,040 mm (277.2 in) with it and 6,900 mm (271.7 in) without. Brakes are drums with pneumatic actuation, and the electrical system runs at 12 V. On the standard truck the electrics were shielded and sealed, which helped when wading; the ZIL-131A of 1971 dropped the shielding and was limited to a wading depth of 90 cm (35 in).

Engine and drivetrain

The ZIL-131 engine is a water-cooled, carburetted petrol V8 of about 6.0 litres, rated at 110 kW (150 PS) at 3,200 rpm. It belongs to the ZIL-130 engine family. German sources give the exact displacement as 5,969 cc (364 cu in), with a bore and stroke of 100 × 95 mm (3.94 × 3.74 in), a compression ratio of 6.5:1 and peak torque of 402 Nm (296 lb-ft) at 1,800–2,000 rpm.

Some English-language pages print the displacement as 6.96 litres. That figure does not match the bore and stroke and is a typing error; the ZIL-131 was never a 7-litre truck. The low compression ratio let it run on low-octane petrol, at the cost of fuel consumption.

ZIL-131N and the diesel versions

The modernised ZIL-131N of December 1986 received the ZIL-5081 engine, a revised petrol V8. No reliable power or torque figures for it appear in English or German sources, so none are given here. The 131N was rated for a higher payload, usually quoted as 3,750 kg (8,267 lb).

Diesel engines arrived only at the very end of the truck's life. The ZIL-131N1 used a D-245.20 diesel of 77 kW (105 PS) and the ZIL-131N2 a ZIL-0550 diesel of 97 kW (132 PS). They explain why some catalogues list the ZIL-131 as a diesel; for the 1967–1986 trucks, petrol is correct.

ZIL-131 specifications

The table gives the base ZIL-131 built from 1967 to 1986, with a winch.

Some figures vary: one German source gives 88 km/h (55 mph), and the wheelbase also appears as 3,300 + 1,400 mm. The table uses the values confirmed by two or more sources or by the most detailed one.

Variants and derivatives

The ZIL-131 family covers cargo trucks, a tractor unit, climate-specific versions, the modernised N series and a range of civil and utility bodies built on the chassis. Military special-equipment carriers are left out here.

Fire services fitted tanker appliances such as the AC-3.0-40(131), and the DE-210 snow blower, with its own six-cylinder diesel, was mounted on the ZIL-131 chassis for snow clearing.

The ZIL-137 is the oddest member of the family. It paired a ZIL-131-based tractor with a semi-trailer whose axles were also driven, giving a 10×10 combination.

In service: operation, reliability and legacy

The ZIL-131 was the standard 3.5-tonne all-wheel-drive truck of the Soviet Army and of Warsaw Pact forces, and it also worked for civilian operators. In the German Democratic Republic it served with the National People's Army, and civilian trucks, including tractor units, were imported for the economy. Fuel use was the truck's main weakness. Consumption is usually quoted at around 40 L/100 km (7.1 mpg UK) on the road and 50–100 L/100 km (5.6–2.8 mpg UK) across country. The owner of a converted civilian truck reports about 65 L/100 km (4.3 mpg UK) in practice. Two 170-litre tanks were the factory's answer.

On reliability, the sources give design facts rather than survey data. The truck combined a low-stressed, low-compression V8, simple leaf-spring axles, drum brakes and a shielded, sealed electrical system, and it shared many of its parts with the ZIL-130.

The legacy is mostly one of numbers and longevity. Around one million trucks were built, and serial production, counting the UAMZ and AMUR years, is usually given as 43 years. For the wider story of the plant, see the history of ZIL, and for other heavy-duty models, the overview of trucks.

Preservation and collecting today

The ZIL-131 is now a classic-vehicle subject as well as a working truck, and one visible civilian use is as a base for expedition campers. A 1986 ZIL-131, for example, was imported to England in 2020 and converted into a camper.

There is no reliable price or valuation data for the ZIL-131 in English or German sources, so this page does not quote values. Before buying one, a few checks are worth the time:

• Identify the version. The badge or papers will show 131, 131A, 131V, 131N, NS or a diesel N1 or N2. A petrol 131N with the ZIL-5081 engine is a late truck, and a diesel is a late factory version.
• Frame and cab. Look for corrosion and cracks on the ladder frame, the cab floor and the mounting points of the winch and body.
• Tyre-pressure system. Check that the central inflation system builds and holds pressure on every wheel.
• Fuel budget. Plan for consumption well above 40 L/100 km in real use.

Parts commonality with the ZIL-130 helps, because many engine, cab and chassis components are shared. For related trucks from the same factory, browse all ZIL models, or see more Soviet classic cars and classic cars of the 1960s.