Engine Toyota 5A-FE

The 1.5-liter Toyota 5A-FE injection engine was produced by the company from 1988 to 2003 and was installed on many Asian models of the concern, such as Carina, Corona, Sprinter or Corolla. This unit on Lifan cars is known as LF479Q2, and on Geely under the index MR479QA.

This power unit first appeared in 1988 on the Japanese version of the Corolla in the back of the E90 and was a copy of its 1.6-liter counterpart 4A-FE, featuring a smaller piston diameter. It is an injection 4-cylinder engine with a cast-iron block and a 16-valve aluminum cylinder head, where the belt rotates the intake camshaft, and the exhaust shaft is connected to it with a gear. There are no hydraulic lifters here, and therefore, once every 100,000 km, valve clearances must be adjusted.

During production, the motor has been modernized more than once, a throttle position sensor has appeared, the ignition system has been updated to DIS-2, the camshafts and the connecting rod and piston group have changed. But unlike the 4A-FE, there is no clear division into engine generations in appearance.

In 1987-1989 a carburetor version, the 5A-F, was produced only for Japan. It developed 85 PS and was installed on the Corolla and Sprinter AE91 and the Carina and Corona AT170.

A family: 3A-U, 4A-F, 4A-FE, 4A-FHE, 4A-GE, 4A-GZE, 5A-F, 5A-FE, 5A-FHE, 7A-FE, 8A-FE.

Specifications

The engine was installed on:

• Toyota Carina 5 (T170) in 1988 – 1992, Carina 6 (T190) in 1992 – 1998, Carina 7 (T210) in 1996 – 2001;
• Toyota Corolla 6 (E90) in 1988 – 1992, Corolla 7 (E100) in 1991 – 1998, Corolla 8 (E110) in 1995 – 2000;
• Toyota Corolla Ceres E100 in 1992 – 1998;
• Toyota Corona 9 (T170) in 1989 – 1992;
• Toyota Soluna L50 in 1996 – 2003;
• Toyota Sprinter 6 (E90) in 1988 – 1991, Sprinter 7 (E100) in 1992 – 1998, Sprinter E110 in 1995 – 2000;
• Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE91 in 1987 – 1991.

Disadvantages of the 5A-FE engine

• In general, motors of the A series do not have design flaws and all problems are age-related, more often there are complaints about the knock of piston fingers after 100,000 km. But first, check the valve clearance, maybe they are knocking.
• In second place in terms of complaints are electrical failures, sensors often fail. Due to a burned-out lambda probe, fuel consumption can double here, and if the temperature sensor is faulty, the engine often refuses to start at all.
• At high mileage, the owner of a car with this engine often encounters an oil burner. The reason is rather banal: it is the wear of valve stem seals or piston rings.
• Since this engine is already at an advanced age, it regularly worries about trifles: more often than others, the ignition system is famous for failures and the crankshaft oil seal often flows. The nozzles and the throttle become dirty very quickly, which leads to floating engine speeds.

Frequently asked questions about the Toyota 5A-FE