After the Dissolution of the Soviet Union and the associated increase of fuel prices, petrol-powered engines ZIL-375, originally intended for the military all-wheel-drive truck, Ural-375, became obsolete. The bus operators began to customize the engines with gas systems or installed diesel engines, like the YAMZ-236 from the MAZ trucks. Compare to the original ZIL engine, the YAMZ-236 is half a tone heavier and, without a turbocharger, has nearly the same power of 195hp. Nevertheless, the diesel engine has much better traction characteristic, like a higher torque of 716 Nm (ZIL-375: 475 Nm), which is reached at a much lower speed of 1400 rpm. The fuel consumption of a LAZ with such an engine, decreased from 40 to 27 litres of cheaper diesel fuel. However, replacing the engine required also the installation of a suitable gearbox.