Reliable Japanese engines

04.04.2008

The most widespread and by far the most widely repaired Japanese engine is the Toyota 4, 5, 7 A - FE engine. Even a novice mechanic, diagnostician is aware of possible problems with engines of this series.

I will try to highlight (put together) the problems of these engines. There are few of them, but they cause a lot of trouble to their owners.

Date from scanner:

On the scanner, you can see a short but capacious date, consisting of 16 parameters, by which you can realistically evaluate the operation of the main engine sensors.
Sensors:

Oxygen sensor - Lambda probe

Many owners turn to diagnostics due to increased fuel consumption. One of the reasons is a banal break in the heater in the oxygen sensor. The error is recorded by the code control unit number 21.

The heater can be checked with a conventional tester on the sensor contacts (R- 14 Ohm)

Fuel consumption increases due to the lack of correction during warming up. You will not be able to restore the heater - only replacement will help. The cost of a new sensor is high, but it does not make sense to install a used one (the resource of their operating time is large, so this is a lottery). In such a situation, the less reliable NTK universal sensors can be installed as an alternative.

Their service life is short, and the quality is poor, so such a replacement is a temporary measure, and it should be done with caution.

With a decrease in the sensitivity of the sensor, an increase in fuel consumption occurs (by 1-3 liters). The performance of the sensor is checked with an oscilloscope on the diagnostic connector block, or directly on the sensor chip (number of switchings).

temperature sensor

If the sensor does not work properly, the owner will face a lot of problems. In the event of a break in the measuring element of the sensor, the control unit replaces the sensor readings and fixes its value at 80 degrees and fixes error 22. The engine, in case of such a malfunction, will operate in normal mode, but only while the engine is warm. Once the engine has cooled down, it will be problematic to start it without doping, due to the short opening time of the injectors.

It is not uncommon for the resistance of the sensor to change chaotically when the engine is running on H.H. - the revolutions will float.

This defect can be easily fixed on the scanner by observing the temperature reading. On a warm engine, it should be stable and not change randomly from 20 to 100 degrees.

With such a defect in the sensor, "black exhaust" is possible, unstable operation on Х.Х. and, as a consequence, increased consumption, as well as the impossibility of starting "hot". Only after 10 minutes of rest. If there is no complete confidence in the correct operation of the sensor, its readings can be substituted by including a 1 kΩ variable resistor in its circuit, or a constant 300 ohm one, for further verification. By changing the sensor readings, it is easy to control the change in speed at different temperatures.

Throttle position sensor

A lot of cars go through the disassembly assembly procedure. These are the so-called "constructors". When removing the engine in the field and subsequent assembly, the sensors suffer, which are often leaned against the engine. If the TPS sensor breaks, the engine stops throttling normally. The engine chokes when accelerating. The machine switches incorrectly. The control unit fixes error 41. When replacing a new sensor, it must be configured so that the control unit correctly sees the X.X sign when the gas pedal is fully released (throttle valve closed). In the absence of a sign of idling, adequate regulation of the Х.Х will not be carried out. and there will be no forced idling during engine braking, which again will entail increased fuel consumption. On engines 4A, 7A, the sensor does not require adjustment, it is installed without the possibility of rotation.
THROTTLE POSITION …… 0%
IDLE SIGNAL ……………… .ON

MAP absolute pressure sensor

This sensor is the most reliable of all installed on Japanese cars. Its reliability is simply amazing. But it also has a lot of problems, mainly due to improper assembly.

Either the receiving "nipple" is broken, and then any passage of air is sealed with glue, or the tightness of the supply tube is violated.

With such a rupture, fuel consumption increases, the level of CO in the exhaust rises up to 3%. It is very easy to observe the operation of the sensor using a scanner. The line INTAKE MANIFOLD shows the vacuum in the intake manifold, which is measured by the MAP sensor. If the wiring is broken, the ECU registers error 31. At the same time, the opening time of the injectors sharply increases to 3.5-5 ms. During gas re-gases, a black exhaust appears, the candles are planted, there is a shaking on the X.X. and stopping the engine.

Knock sensor

The sensor is installed to register detonation knocks (explosions) and indirectly serves as a "corrector" for the ignition timing. The recording element of the sensor is a piezoplate. In the event of a sensor malfunction, or a break in the wiring, at overgasings of more than 3.5-4 tons. The ECU registers an error 52.

You can check the performance with an oscilloscope, or by measuring the resistance between the sensor terminal and the case (if there is resistance, the sensor needs to be replaced).

Crankshaft sensor

A crankshaft sensor is installed on the 7A series engines. A conventional inductive sensor, similar to the ABC sensor, is practically trouble-free in operation. But embarrassment also happens. With a turn-to-turn closure inside the winding, the generation of pulses is disrupted at certain speeds. This manifests itself as a limitation of engine speed in the range of 3.5-4 t. Revolutions. A kind of cutoff, only at low revs. It is quite difficult to detect an interturn short circuit. The oscilloscope does not show a decrease in the amplitude of pulses or a change in frequency (with acceleration), and it is rather difficult to notice changes in Ohm fractions with a tester. If you experience symptoms of speed limitation at 3-4 thousand, just replace the sensor with a known good one. In addition, a lot of trouble is caused by damage to the driving ring, which is damaged by careless mechanics when they replace the front crankshaft oil seal or timing belt. Having broken the teeth of the crown, and restoring them by welding, they achieve only a visible absence of damage.

At the same time, the crankshaft position sensor ceases to adequately read information, the ignition timing begins to change chaotically, which leads to a loss of power, unstable engine operation and an increase in fuel consumption

Injectors (nozzles)

During many years of operation, the nozzles and needles of the injectors are covered with resins and gasoline dust. All this naturally interferes with the correct spray pattern and reduces the performance of the nozzle. In case of heavy pollution, noticeable shaking of the engine is observed, and fuel consumption increases. It is realistic to determine the clogging by conducting a gas analysis, according to the oxygen readings in the exhaust, it is possible to judge the correctness of the filling. A reading above one percent will indicate the need to flush the injectors (with the correct timing and normal fuel pressure).

Or by installing the injectors on the bench and checking the performance in tests. The nozzles are easy to clean with Laurel, Vince, both in CIP installations and in ultrasound.

Idle valve, IACV

The valve is responsible for the engine speed in all modes (warm-up, idle, load). During operation, the valve petal becomes dirty and the stem wedges. The revolutions freeze on heating or on H.H. (due to a wedge). Tests for changing the speed in scanners during diagnostics for this motor are not provided. You can evaluate the valve's performance by changing the readings of the temperature sensor. Put the engine in "cold" mode. Or, removing the winding from the valve, twist the valve magnet with your hands. Sticking and wedge will be felt immediately. If it is impossible to easily dismantle the valve winding (for example, on the GE series), you can check its operability by connecting to one of the control outputs and measuring the duty cycle of the pulses while simultaneously monitoring the H.X. speed. and changing the load on the engine. On a fully warmed-up engine, the duty cycle is approximately 40%, changing the load (including electrical consumers), it is possible to estimate an adequate increase in speed in response to a change in the duty cycle. With mechanical jamming of the valve, there is a smooth increase in the duty cycle, which does not entail a change in the speed of H.H.

You can restore work by cleaning carbon deposits and dirt with a carburetor cleaner with the winding removed.

Further adjustment of the valve is to set the H.H. speed. On a fully warmed up engine, by rotating the winding on the mounting bolts, tabular revolutions are achieved for this type of car (according to the tag on the hood). By pre-installing jumper E1-TE1 in the diagnostic block. On the "younger" motors 4A, 7A, the valve was changed. Instead of the usual two windings, a microcircuit was installed in the body of the valve winding. Changed the valve power and the color of the winding plastic (black). It is already pointless to measure the resistance of the windings at the terminals on it.

The valve is supplied with power and a square-wave variable duty cycle control signal.

For the impossibility of removing the winding, non-standard fasteners were installed. But the wedge problem remained. Now if you clean it with an ordinary cleaner, the grease is washed out from the bearings (the further result is predictable, the same wedge, but due to the bearing). It is necessary to completely dismantle the valve from the throttle body and then carefully flush the stem with a petal.

Ignition system. Candles.

A very large percentage of cars come to service with problems in the ignition system. When operating on low-quality gasoline, spark plugs are the first to suffer. They are covered with a red coating (ferrosis). There will be no high-quality sparking with such candles. The engine will run intermittently, with gaps, fuel consumption increases, the level of CO in the exhaust rises. Sandblasting cannot clean such candles. Only chemistry (silite for a couple of hours) or replacement will help. Another problem is the increase in clearance (simple wear).

Drying of the rubber tips of high-voltage wires, water that got in during the washing of the motor, which all provoke the formation of a conductive track on the rubber tips.

Because of them, sparking will not be inside the cylinder, but outside it.
With smooth throttling, the engine runs stably, and with sharp throttling, it “crushes”.

In this position, it is necessary to replace both candles and wires at the same time. But sometimes (in the field), if replacement is impossible, you can solve the problem with an ordinary knife and a piece of emery stone (fine fraction). With a knife we cut off the conductive path in the wire, and with a stone we remove the strip from the ceramic of the candle.

It should be noted that it is impossible to remove the rubber band from the wire, this will lead to the complete inoperability of the cylinder.

Another problem is related to the incorrect procedure for replacing the plugs. The wires are forcibly pulled out of the wells, tearing off the metal tip of the rein.

With such a wire, misfiring and floating revolutions are observed. When diagnosing the ignition system, always check the performance of the ignition coil on the high-voltage arrester. The simplest check is to look at the spark on the spark gap while the engine is running.

If the spark disappears or becomes threadlike, this indicates an interturn short circuit in the coil or a problem in the high-voltage wires. Wire breakage is checked with a resistance tester. Small wire 2-3kom, further to increase the long 10-12kom.

The resistance of a closed coil can also be checked with a tester. The secondary resistance of the broken coil will be less than 12kΩ.
The next generation coils do not suffer from such ailments (4A.7A), their failure is minimal. Proper cooling and wire thickness eliminated this problem.
Another problem is the leaking oil seal in the distributor. Oil on the sensors corrodes the insulation. And when exposed to high voltage, the slider is oxidized (covered with a green coating). The coal turns sour. All this leads to the disruption of sparking.

In motion, chaotic lumbago is observed (into the intake manifold, into the muffler) and crushing.

" Thin " malfunctions Toyota engine

On modern Toyota 4A, 7A engines, the Japanese changed the firmware of the control unit (apparently for faster engine warm-up). The change lies in the fact that the engine reaches H.H. rpm only at a temperature of 85 degrees. The design of the engine cooling system has also been changed. Now the small cooling circle passes intensively through the block head (not through the branch pipe behind the engine, as it was before). Of course, the cooling of the head has become more efficient, and the engine as a whole has become more efficient. But in winter, with such cooling when driving, the engine temperature reaches a temperature of 75-80 degrees. And as a result, constant warming up revolutions (1100-1300), increased fuel consumption and anxiety of the owners. You can deal with this problem either by insulating the engine more strongly, or by changing the resistance of the temperature sensor (by deceiving the ECU).

Butter

Owners pour oil into the engine indiscriminately, without thinking about the consequences. Few people understand that different types of oils are not compatible and, when mixed, form an insoluble slurry (coke), which leads to the complete destruction of the engine.

All this plasticine cannot be washed off with chemistry, it can only be cleaned mechanically. It should be understood that if you do not know what type of old oil, then you should use flushing before changing. And more advice to the owners. Pay attention to the color of the dipstick handle. It is yellow in color. If the color of the oil in your engine is darker than the color of the handle, then it's time to make a change, and not wait for the virtual mileage recommended by the engine oil manufacturer.

Air filter

The most inexpensive and readily available element is the air filter. Owners very often forget about replacing it, without thinking about the likely increase in fuel consumption. Often, due to a clogged filter, the combustion chamber is very heavily contaminated with burned oil deposits, valves and candles are heavily contaminated.

When diagnosing, it can be mistakenly assumed that the wear of the valve stem seals is to blame, but the root cause is a clogged air filter, which increases the vacuum in the intake manifold when contaminated. Of course, in this case, the caps will also have to be changed.

Some owners do not even notice about garage rodents living in the air filter housing. Which speaks of their utter disregard for the car.

Fuel filteralso deserves attention. If it is not replaced in time (15-20 thousand mileage), the pump starts to work with overload, the pressure drops, and as a result, it becomes necessary to replace the pump.

The plastic parts of the pump impeller and non-return valve wear out prematurely.

Pressure drops

It should be noted that the operation of the motor is possible at a pressure of up to 1.5 kg (with a standard 2.4-2.7 kg). At reduced pressure, there are constant lumbago in the intake manifold, the start is problematic (after). Draft is noticeably reduced. Check pressure correctly with a pressure gauge. (access to the filter is not difficult). In the field, you can use the "return filling test". If, when the engine is running, less than one liter flows out of the gas return hose in 30 seconds, it is possible to judge the reduced pressure. You can use an ammeter to indirectly determine the pump's performance. If the current consumed by the pump is less than 4 amperes, then the pressure is sagged.

You can measure the current on the diagnostic block.

When using a modern tool, the process of replacing the filter takes no more than half an hour. Previously, it took a lot of time. Mechanics always hoped in case that they were lucky and the lower fitting did not rust. But it often did.

I had to puzzle for a long time with which gas wrench to hook the rolled nut of the lower union. And sometimes the process of replacing the filter turned into a "movie show" with the removal of the tube leading to the filter.

Today, no one is afraid to make this replacement.

Control block

Before 1998 release, the control units did not have enough serious problems during operation.

The blocks had to be repaired only for a reason" hard polarity reversal" ... It is important to note that all outputs of the control unit are signed. It is easy to find on the board the required sensor lead to check, or wire rings. Parts are reliable and stable at low temperatures.
In conclusion, I would like to dwell a little on gas distribution. Many owners "with hands" perform the belt replacement procedure on their own (although this is not correct, they cannot properly tighten the crankshaft pulley). Mechanics make a quality replacement within two hours (maximum). If the belt breaks, the valves do not meet the piston and the engine does not fatally break down. Everything is calculated to the smallest detail.

We tried to tell you about the most common problems on Toyota A series engines. The engine is very simple and reliable, and subject to very tough operation on "water-iron gasoline" and dusty roads of our great and mighty Motherland and the "awkward" mentality of the owners. Having endured all the bullying, it continues to delight to this day with its reliable and stable work, having won the status of the best Japanese engine.

All the early identification of problems and easy repair of the Toyota 4, 5, 7 A - FE engine!

Vladimir Bekrenev, Khabarovsk
Andrey Fedorov, Novosibirsk
© Legion-Avtodata

UNION OF AUTOMOTIVE DIAGNOSTS

You will find information on car maintenance and repair in the book (s):

Toyota 7A-FE 1.8 liter engine.

Toyota 7A engine specifications

Production	Kamigo Plant Shimoyama plant Deeside Engine Plant North plant Tianjin FAW Toyota Engine's Plant No. 1
Engine brand	Toyota 7A
Years of release	1990-2002
Cylinder block material	cast iron
Supply system	injector
Type of	inline
Number of cylinders	4
Valves per cylinder	4
Piston stroke, mm	85.5
Cylinder diameter, mm	81
Compression ratio	9.5
Engine displacement, cubic cm	1762
Engine power, hp / rpm	105/5200 110/5600 115/5600 120/6000
Torque, Nm / rpm	159/2800 156/2800 149/2800 157/4400
Fuel	92
Environmental standards	—
Engine weight, kg	—
Fuel consumption, l / 100 km (for Corona T210) - town - track - mixed.	7.2 4.2 5.3
Oil consumption, gr. / 1000 km	up to 1000
Engine oil	5W-30 10W-30 15W-40 20W-50
How much oil is in the engine	3.7
Oil change is being carried out, km	10000 (better than 5000)
Engine operating temperature, deg.	—
Engine resource, thousand km - according to the plant - on practice	n.d. 300+
Tuning - potential - without loss of resource	n.d. n.d.
The engine was installed	Toyota Corolla Spacio Toyota Sprinter Carib Geo prizm

Faults and engine repair 7A-FE

The Toyota 7A engine is another variation based on the main 4A engine, in which the short-stroke crankshaft (77 mm) was replaced by a knee with an 85.5 mm stroke, respectively, the height of the cylinder block also increased. The rest is the same 4A-FE.
Only one version of this engine was produced, this is the 7A-FE, depending on the setting, it produced from 105 hp. up to 120 hp Weak version 7A-FE Lean Burn, it is not recommended to take it, the system is capricious and quite expensive to maintain. Otherwise, the engine is similar to 4A and its illnesses are the same: problems with the distributor, with sensors, knocking of piston fingers, knocking of valves that everyone forgot to adjust in time, and so on, a complete list of troubles.
In 1998, the 7A-FE was replaced by a new engine, which is separately mentioned.

Toyota 7A-FE engine tuning

Chip tuning. Atmosphere

In the atmospheric version, like with, nothing sensible will come of the engine, you can shake up the entire engine, replace everything that changes, but this is completely pointless. Only turbocharging has some rationality.

Turbine on 7A-FE

You can put a turbine on a standard piston and blow up to 0.5 bar without problems, you only need a suitable whale, or you can cook and assemble it yourself. In addition to the turbine, you will need 360cc injectors, a Valbro 255 pump, an exhaust on 51 pipes and tuning on Abita or January 7.2, it will run, but not too long.

string (10) "error stat" string (10) "error stat"

In fact, we have the legendary 4a engine with an increased block height and piston stroke, as a result of which the volume increased to 1.8 liters, the long-stroke design of the engine added excellent traction at low rpm.

Gasoline naturally aspirated 7A-FE engine

Design features

The 7A FE engine has the following design features of assemblies and mechanisms:

16 valves, 4 for each cylinder;
The camshafts are packed in sleeve bearings inside the cylinder head;
Only one camshaft is connected to the belt;
The intake camshaft is driven by the exhaust;
To prevent rumble, the camshaft gear must be cocked;
V-shaped arrangement of valves;
Long stroke motor design;
EFI injection;
Cylinder head gasket metal package;
Installation of different camshafts, depending on the car in which the engine is installed;
Non-floating piston pin.

Camshaft drive for A series motors, the photo shows that rotation from the crankshaft is transmitted to the gear of the exhaust camshaft, after which it is transmitted to the intake shaft

The design of the motor is simple and reliable, there are no phase shifters and adjustments to the geometry of the intake manifold, the timing drive, thought out by the Japanese, does not bend the valve even if the belt breaks.

Service schedule 7A-FE

This engine requires systematic maintenance within the specified time frame:

It is recommended to change the engine oil together with the filter every 10,000 runs;
It is recommended to change the fuel and air filters after 20,000 km;
Candles require attention and replacement after reaching 30 thousand km;
Adjustment of valve clearances is required every 30,000 runs;
Inspection of hoses and pipes of the cooling system requires a systematic monthly check;
The exhaust manifold will require replacement after 100,000 km;
Replacing the timing belt is recommended every 100 thousand km, and its inspection every 10,000 km;
The pump serves about 100,000 km.

Overview of faults and how to repair them

Due to its design features, the 7A-FE motor is susceptible to the following "diseases":

Knocking inside the internal combustion engine	1) Worn piston-pin friction pair 2) Violation of the thermal clearances of the valves 3) Wear of the cylinder-piston group (collision of the piston on the sleeve during transfer)	1) Replacement of fingers 2) Adjusting the clearances
Increased oil consumption	Defective piston rings or valve stem seals	Replacing rings and caps
Motor starts and stalls	Breakdown associated with the fuel system or ignition	Replacing the fuel filter, fuel pump, inspecting the distributor, checking the spark plugs
Floating revolutions	1) Clogged nozzles, throttle valve, IAC valve 2) Insufficient pressure in the fuel system	1) Cleaning injectors, throttle and IAC valve 2) Replacing the fuel pump or checking the fuel pressure regulator
Increased vibration	1) Clogged injectors, defective spark plugs 2) Different compression in the cylinders	1) Cleaning or replacing spark plugs and nozzles 2) Compression diagnostics, leak check

Problems with starting the engine and with idling are associated with the depletion of the engine temperature sensors. A breakdown of the lambda probe leads to increased fuel consumption and, as a consequence, a decrease in the resource of the spark plugs. Engine overhaul can be done by hand if you have tools. The operating manual describes the entire list of possible actions with the internal combustion engine.

List of car models in which the 7A-FE was installed:

Toyota Avensis

Toyota Avensis
(10.1997 — 12.2000)
hatchback, 1st generation, T220;
Toyota Avensis
(10.1997 — 12.2000)
station wagon, 1st generation, T220;
Toyota Avensis
(10.1997 — 12.2000)
sedan, 1st generation, T22.

Toyota Caldina

Toyota Caldina
(01.2000 — 08.2002)
restyling, station wagon, 2nd generation, T210;
Toyota Caldina
(09.1997 — 12.1999)
station wagon, 2nd generation, T210;
Toyota Caldina
(01.1996 — 08.1997)
restyling, station wagon, 1st generation, T190.

Toyota Carina

Toyota Carina
(10.1997 — 11.2001)
restyling, sedan, 7th generation, T210;
Toyota Carina
(08.1996 — 07.1998)
sedan, 7th generation, T210;
Toyota Carina
(08.1994 — 07.1996)
restyling, sedan, 6th generation, T190.

Toyota Carina E

Toyota Carina E
(04.1996 — 11.1997)
restyling, hatchback, 6th generation, T190;
Toyota Carina E
(04.1996 — 11.1997)
restyling, station wagon, 6th generation, T190;
Toyota Carina E
(04.1996 — 01.1998)
restyling, sedan, 6th generation, T190;
Toyota Carina E
(12.1992 — 01.1996)
station wagon, 6th generation, T190;
Toyota Carina E
(04.1992 — 03.1996)
hatchback, 6th generation, T190;
Toyota Carina E
(04.1992 — 03.1996)
sedan, 6th generation, T190.

Toyota celica

Toyota celica
(08.1996 — 06.1999)
Toyota celica
(08.1996 — 06.1999)
restyling, coupe, 6th generation, T200;
Toyota celica
(10.1993 — 07.1996)
coupe, 6th generation, T200;
Toyota celica
(10.1993 — 07.1996)
coupe, 6th generation, T200.

Toyota corolla

Europe

Toyota corolla
(01.1999 — 10.2001)
restyling, station wagon, 8th generation, E110.

Toyota corolla
(06.1995 — 08.1997)
restyling, station wagon, 7th generation, E100;
Toyota corolla
(06.1995 — 08.1997)
restyling, sedan, 7th generation, E100;
Toyota corolla
(08.1992 — 07.1995)
station wagon, 7th generation, E100;
Toyota corolla
(08.1992 — 07.1995)
sedan, 7th generation, E100.

Toyota Corolla Spacio

Toyota Corolla Spacio
(04.1999 — 04.2001)
restyling, minivan, 1st generation, E110;
Toyota Corolla Spacio
(01.1997 — 03.1999)
minivan, 1st generation, E110.

Toyota Corona Premio

Toyota Corona Premio
(12.1997 — 11.2001)
restyling, sedan, 1st generation, T210;
Toyota Corona Premio
(01.1996 — 11.1997)
sedan, 1st generation, T210.

Toyota Sprinter Carib

Toyota Sprinter Carib
(04.1997 — 08.2002)
restyling, station wagon, 3rd generation, E110.

Engine tuning options

The 7A-Fe engine is not designed for tuning, but the craftsmen put the head from the 4A-GE engine on the 7A block and it turns out 7A-GE, but it is not enough to put the head, you still need to do the selection of pistons, adjust the air-fuel mixture, and the Toyota ECU does not allow fine tuning ...

However, atmospheric tuning is possible in the following way:

Increasing the degree of compression due to the wash down of the cylinder head;
Modernization of the cylinder head, increasing the diameter of valves and seats;
Replacing the fuel pump and camshafts;
Installing the cylinder head from the 4a ge engine.

You can also swap the motor. It is not difficult to purchase a contract engine, the choice is huge: 3s-ge, 3s-gte, 4a-ge, 4a-gze. It is recommended to buy motors with a mileage of no more than 100 thousand km. and check their condition carefully prior to purchasing.

List of ICE modifications

There were about 6 modifications of the 7A FE, they differed in power, torque and operation in different modes. This was done because the engines were installed on different cars, of different weights and sizes. Therefore, some cars had few native 105 hp. and Toyota engineers had to force the cars with camshafts and engine brain programs:

Maximum torque, N * m (kg * m) at rpm:
- 150 (15) / 2600;
- 150 (15) / 2800;
- 155 (16) / 2800;
- 155 (16) / 4800;
- 156 (16) / 2800;
- 157 (16) / 4400;
- 159 (16) / 2800;
Maximum power, horsepower: 103-120.

Specifications 7A-FE 105-120 HP

The engine consists of a simple cast-iron block and an aluminum head, between them a metal-glazing gasket, the timing drive is carried out using a belt. The double-camshaft design of the head made it possible to implement the timing mechanism without the use of rocker arms. If the belt breaks, the motor does not bend the valve, such motors are called plug-free motors.

The technical data of the 7A FE motor corresponds to the table values below:

Engine displacement, cubic cm	1762
Maximum power, h.p.	103-120
Maximum torque, N * m (kg * m) at rpm.	150 (15) / 2600
Fuel used	Gasoline AI 92-95
Fuel consumption, l / 100 km	Claimed: 4.6-10 Real: 8-15
engine's type	4-cylinder, 16-valve, DOHC
Cylinder diameter, mm	81
Piston stroke, mm	85,5
Compression, atm	10-13
Engine weight, kg	109
Ignition system	Trambler, Individual coil
What kind of oil to pour into the engine by viscosity	5W30
Which oil is best for the engine by manufacturer	Toyota
Oil for 7A-FE by composition	Synthetics semisynthetics mineral
Engine oil volume	3 - 4 liters depending on the car
Working temperature	95 °
Internal combustion engine resource	declared 300,000 km real 350,000 km
Adjustment of valves	washers
Intake manifold	Aluminum
Cooling system	forced, antifreeze
Coolant volume	5.4 L
water pump	GMB GWT-78A 16110-15070, Aisin WPT-018
Candles for 7A-FE	BCPR5EY from NGK, Champion RC12YC, Bosch FR8DC
Candle gap	0.85 mm
Timing belt	Belt Timing 13568-19046
The order of the cylinders	1-3-4-2
Air filter	Mann C311011
Oil filter	Vic-110, Mann W683
Flywheel	6 bolt fixing
Flywheel retaining bolts	М12х1.25 mm, length 26 mm
Valve stem seals	Toyota 90913-02090 intake Toyota 90913-02088 exhaust

Thus, the 7A-FE engine is the standard of Japanese reliability and unpretentiousness, it does not bend the valve, and its power reaches 120 horsepower. This engine is not intended for tuning, so it will be quite difficult to increase power and boost will not bring significant results, but it is excellent in everyday use and, with systematic maintenance, will not bring any trouble to its owner.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

Toyota's "A" series power units were one of the best developments that allowed the company to get out of the crisis in the 90s of the last century. The largest in terms of volume was the 7A engine.

The 7A and the 7K engine should not be confused. These power units have no relationship. ICE 7K was produced from 1983 to 1998 and had 8 valves. Historically, the "K" series began its existence in 1966, and the "A" series in the 70s. Unlike the 7K, the A-series engine developed as a separate line of development for 16 valve motors.

The 7 A engine was a continuation of the refinement of the 1600 cc 4A-FE engine and its modifications. The volume of the engine increased to 1800 cm3, the power and torque increased, which reached 110 hp. and 156Nm, respectively. The 7A FE engine was produced in the main production of Toyota corporation from 1993 to 2002. Power units of the "A" series are still produced at some enterprises using licensing agreements.

Structurally, the power unit is made according to the in-line scheme of a gasoline four with two overhead camshafts, respectively, the camshafts control the operation of 16 valves. The fuel system is made by injection with electronic control and distributor ignition. Timing belt drive. If the belt breaks, the valve does not bend. The head of the block is made similar to the head of the block of engines of the 4A series.

There are no official options for the refinement and development of the power unit. It was supplied with a single number-letter index 7A-FE for a complete set of various cars up to 2002. The successor to the 1800 cc drive appeared in 1998 and was indexed 1ZZ.

Constructive improvements

The engine received a block with an increased vertical size, a modified crankshaft, a cylinder head, increased piston stroke while maintaining the diameter.

The uniqueness of the design of the 7A engine consists in the use of a two-layer metal head gasket and a two-case crankcase. The upper part of the crankcase, made of aluminum alloy, was attached to the block and the gearbox housing.

The lower part of the crankcase was made of steel sheet, and made it possible to dismantle it without removing the engine during maintenance. The 7A motor has improved pistons. In the groove of the oil scraper ring there are 8 holes for draining the oil into the crankcase.

The upper part of the cylinder block is fastened similarly to the 4A-FE internal combustion engine, which allows the use of a cylinder head from a smaller engine. On the other hand, the heads of the blocks are not exactly identical, as the diameters of the intake valves on the 7 A series have been changed from 30.0 to 31.0 mm, and the diameter of the exhaust valves is left unchanged.

At the same time, other camshafts provide a larger opening of the intake and exhaust valves of 7.6 mm versus 6.6 mm on a 1600 cc engine.

Changes were made to the design of the exhaust manifold for attaching the WU-TWC converter.

Since 1993, the fuel injection system has changed on the engine. Instead of a single-stage injection in all cylinders, they began to use pairwise injection. Changes have been made to the settings of the gas distribution mechanism. Changed the opening phase of the exhaust valves and the closing phase of the intake and exhaust valves. That allowed to increase power and reduce fuel consumption.

Until 1993, the engines used the cold-injector start system used on the 4A series, but then, after the cooling system was revised, this scheme was abandoned. The engine control unit remains the same, with the exception of two additional options: the ability to test the system operation and knock control, which were added to the ECM for the 1800 cc engine.

Specifications and reliability

The 7A-FE had different characteristics. The motor had 4 versions. A 115 hp motor was produced as a basic configuration. and 149Nm of torque. The most powerful version of the internal combustion engine was produced for the Russian and Indonesian markets.

She had 120 hp. and 157 Nm. for the American market, a "clamped" version was also produced, which produced only 110 hp, but with an increased torque to 156 Nm. The weakest version of the engine produced 105 hp, as did the 1.6 hp engine.

Some engines are designated 7a fe lean burn or 7A-FE LB. This means that the engine is equipped with a lean mixture combustion system, which first appeared on Toyota engines in 1984 and was hidden under the abbreviation T-LCS.

LinBen technology allowed to reduce fuel consumption by 3-4% when driving in the city and a little more than 10% when driving on the highway. But this same system reduced the maximum power and torque, therefore, the assessment of the effectiveness of the application of this constructive refinement is twofold.

LB-equipped engines were installed on Toyota Carina, Caldina, Corona and Avensis. Corolla cars have never been equipped with engines with such a fuel economy system.

In general, the power unit is quite reliable and not whimsical in operation. The service life before the first major overhaul exceeds 300,000 km. During operation, it is necessary to pay attention to the electronic devices serving the engines.

The general picture is spoiled by the LinBern system, which is very picky about the quality of gasoline and has an increased cost of operation - for example, it requires spark plugs with platinum inserts.

Major malfunctions

The main malfunctions of the engine are associated with the functioning of the ignition system. The distributor spark system implies wear on the distributor bearings and gearing. With the accumulation of wear, a shift in the moment of spark supply is possible, which leads to either a misfire or a loss of power.

High-voltage wires are very demanding on cleanliness. The presence of contamination causes a breakdown of the spark along the outer part of the wire, which also leads to the triplet of the engine. Another cause of tripping is wear or contamination of the spark plugs.

Moreover, the operation of the system is also affected by carbon deposits formed when using watered or ferrous-sulphide fuel, and external contamination of the surfaces of the spark plugs, which leads to a breakdown on the cylinder head housing.

The malfunction is eliminated by replacing the candles and high-voltage wires in the kit.

The hang of engines equipped with the LeanBurn system, in the region of 3000 rpm, is often fixed as a malfunction. The malfunction occurs because there is no spark in one of the cylinders. Usually caused by the wear and tear of platinum svets.

With a new high voltage kit, it may be necessary to clean the fuel system to remove contamination and restore injector performance. If this does not help, then the malfunction can be found in the ECM, which may require reflashing or replacement.

Engine knocking is caused by the operation of the valves, which require periodic adjustment. (At least 90,000 km). Piston pins in 7A engines are pressed-in, so an additional knock from this engine element is extremely rare.

The increased oil consumption is structurally incorporated. The technical passport of the 7A FE engine indicates the possibility of natural consumption in operation up to 1 liter of engine oil per 1000 km of run.

Maintenance and technical fluids

As the recommended fuel, the manufacturing plant indicates gasoline with an octane number of at least 92. One should take into account the technological difference in determining the octane number according to Japanese standards and the requirements of GOST. Unleaded 95 fuel can be used.

Engine oil is selected in terms of viscosity in accordance with the operating mode of the vehicle and the climatic characteristics of the region of operation. The synthetic oil with a viscosity of SAE 5W50 most fully covers all possible conditions, however, for everyday average statistical operation, an oil with a viscosity of 5W30 or 5W40 is sufficient.

For a more precise definition, refer to the instruction manual. Oil system capacity 3.7 liters. When replacing with a change of filter, up to 300 ml of lubricant can remain on the walls of the internal channels of the engine.

It is recommended to perform engine maintenance every 10,000 km. For heavily loaded operation, or using the car in mountainous areas, as well as with more than 50 engine starts at temperatures below -15C, it is recommended to reduce the service period by half.

The air filter changes according to the state, but at least 30,000 km. The timing belt requires replacement, regardless of its condition, every 90,000 km.

NB. When passing MOT, it may be necessary to verify the engine series. The engine number should be located on the platform located at the rear of the engine under the exhaust manifold at the level of the generator. Access to this area is possible with a mirror.

Tuning and revision of the 7A engine

The fact that the internal combustion engine was originally designed on the basis of the 4A series makes it possible to use a block head from a smaller engine and modify the 7A-FE motor to 7A-GE. Such a replacement will give an increase of 20 horses. When performing such a revision, it is also advisable to replace the original oil pump on a 4A-GE unit, which has a higher performance.

Turbocharging of 7A series engines is allowed, but leads to a decrease in resource. There are no special crankshafts and liners for pressurization.

I will express it IMHO.
On the engine compartment plate, I have the recommended oil class according to API, i.e. it is not recommended to use oil with a lower class. Above is possible. If it says SJ (for me), then you can pour oil of classes SJ, SL, SM. This classification characterizes the quality characteristics of the oil, its stability, purity, viscosity, fluidity, detergent and antioxidant properties. These characteristics affect the health and durability of the engine, its cleanliness.
The manufacturer does not provide any other restrictions.
The first parameter is starting a cold engine at street temperature (the lower the value, the more severe the frost the oil will retain its viscosity characteristics and allow the engine to start).
The second - shows the degree of preservation of the density during heating, with the engine operating mode, which is more often characteristic of it.
From this we conclude that under average conditions:
The first digit of the index 5 (for winter) and 10 (for summer) is quite suitable for our conditions, if it is very cold in winter, then we use 0. At the same time, there is nothing wrong if you use 5 or 0 in the summer - the engine warms up and this parameter doesn't mean anything anymore. But if you use 10, 15 or even 20 in winter, then the engine simply will not start, and if it does, then the first minutes of engine operation on frozen oil will be a serious oil starvation caused by its low pumpability.
The second number is the warm engine. If you are not a racer, you don’t spin the engine to red, you don’t overspeed much on the highway, and you don’t live in Africa, then 30 is quite justified. If the operating temperature of the engine is usually high for you - you like to drive, tumble, you ride "slippers on the floor" on the track, the street temperature during the day is constantly above 30-35C, or last winter you changed the thermostat to "hot" - it makes sense to fill in oil with more high index 40, 50, 60 (depending on the degree and number of matches of the listed categories).
Also, we must not forget that if the engine "eats" oil, then by increasing the second index you will reduce its appetite.
But here, too, you need to be friends with your head. For example, in engines of the Z series, the timing chain drive is lubricated with engine oil, and for normal lubrication the manufacturer recommends an oil thickness of 20 or 30 (second index), it is quite obvious that with a thicker oil in normal engine operation, the chain may not be sufficiently lubricated.
In general, the choice of oil remains with the motorist, there are only recommendations from which you can deviate, but do it wisely and consciously. IMHO.))))))))))))))))

What kind of oil to pour into 7a. Reliable Japanese Toyota engines series A. Fault overview and repair methods