Engine Toyota 5E-FE

The 1.5-liter 16-valve Toyota 5E-FE engine was produced by the company from 1990 to 2003 and was installed on many popular models such as Tercel, Cynos, Corolla and Caldina. The sports version of the engine with evil camshafts and the ACIS system had a different index 5E-FHE.

This motor was introduced in 1990 and immediately began to be installed on many compact cars. The design was classic for its time: a 4-cylinder in-line cast-iron block and a 16-valve aluminum cylinder head without hydraulic lifters, the timing was driven by a belt. The engine developed power from 90 to 105 hp, depending on the specific Toyota model.

In 1995, this unit was seriously updated: a modern DIS-2 ignition system appeared, new pistons and connecting rods, and the OBD-type diagnostic system gave way to the newer OBD-2. Thanks to the use of a 0.5 mm gasket instead of 1.0 mm, the compression ratio increased from 9.4 to 9.8.

The E 1.5 L family includes engines: 3E, 3E‑E, 3E‑TE, 5E‑FE, 5E‑FHE.

The engine was installed on:

• Toyota Caldina 1 (T190) in 1992 – 1997;
• Toyota Corolla 7 (E100) in 1991 – 1998;
• Toyota Cynos L40 in 1991 – 1995; Cynos L50 in 1995 – 1999;
• Toyota Raum 1 (XZ10) in 1997 – 2003;
• Toyota Sera 1 (XY10) in 1990 – 1995;
• Toyota Tercel 4 (L40) in 1990 – 1994; Tercel 5 (L50) in 1994 – 1999.

Specifications

Disadvantages of the Toyota 5E-FE engine

• The most common engine failure is a cylinder head gasket breakdown due to overheating. For the same reason, oil seals tan and flow, so keep an eye on the cooling system.
• In second place is the oil burner, which starts after 150,000 km. The culprit for this is usually the wear of the piston rings and valve stem seals.
• This unit does not like low-quality gasoline, fuel injectors quickly become clogged from it, the throttle is covered with soot, the idle speed controller channel and the engine starts to work unstably.
• The timing belt, according to the regulations, serves 100 thousand km, but often stretches much earlier. It’s good that when it breaks and jumps, the valves in the motor almost never bend.
• Small but frequent breakdowns include malfunctions in the operation of the components of the ignition system, oil leaks, not the highest resource of some sensors and, above all, the lambda probe. Also, there are no hydraulic lifters, valve clearances need to be adjusted periodically.