Toyota Car Parts - A Series Engines

Much confusion exists, even among dealers, as to which models contained what equipment, especially since Toyota split the Corolla line into both RWD and FWD versions, and the GT-S designation was only well known as a Celica version at that time The series has cast iron engine blocks and aluminum cylinder heads. This engine used a modified 16-valve head and produced approximately 240 horsepower at 8400 rpm The difference between the two generations of this engine can be identified by the external shape of the engine, the first generation (1987–1993) have a more rugged look, a plate on the head which read '16valve EFI', and the fuel injectors in the head The first obvious difference are the valves, the engine's intake and exhaust valves were placed 22 Production of the various models of this version lasted for five generations, from 1983 through 1991 for 16-valve versions and the 5-valve 4A-GE lasted through 1998 In between, many interesting variations were produced, including one of the first 5-valve engines (the 4A) and the 170 hp (127 kW) supercharged 4A-GZE. The plus side of this design is that it improved fuel efficiency and torque, the down side is that it compromises power The first- and second-generation engines are very popular with racers and tuners because of the ease of modification, simple design, and lightness The 4A-GE engines for the 1985 model year are referred to as 'blue top' as opposed to the later 'red top' engines, because the paint color on the valve covers is different, to show the different engine revision, using different port sizes, different airflow metering, and other minor differences on the engine The engine was used in the Toyota Corolla Sedan from 1988 to 1998 and in the 5th Generation Celica ST models from 1989 to 1993 both in North America and Europe, as well as the Camry from '87 to '91 This engine has the silver cam covers with the words only written in red, hence the nickname 'red top' This enabled the the torque curve to still be intact at lower engine speeds, allowing for better performance across the entire speed band and a broad, flat torque curve around the crossover point It was a 2-valve SOHC like the 1A and 2A. It is speculated that the 4A-GE is actually a road-going version of the Ford Cosworth BDA racing engine, reverse engineered by Toyota as the bore and stroke dimensions are similar and there are many similarities in the engine design, making it a reliable engine for motorsports applications The 4A-FE is basically the same as the 4A-F (introduced in the previous generation of Corollas), the most apparent difference being the fuel delivery system Toyota joint venture partner Tianjin FAW Xiali still produces 1·3 L 8A and recently restarted production of the 5A. All 4A engines have a displacement of 1·6 L (1587 cc). This change in the intlet ports negated the need to have the need for the earlier twin runner manifold and was replaced with a single runner manifold Cylinder bore was enlarged from the previous 3A engines at 81 mm (3·19 in), but stroke remained the same as the 3A at 77 mm (3·03 in). The use of an air flow meter (MAF) sensor, which restricted air flow slightly but produced cleaner emissions that conformed to the US regulations, limited the power to 112 hp whereas the Japanese model — which used a manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensor — produced 130 PS (96 kW) The second generation had a higher profile cams design in the head, the cam cover having ribs throughout its length and the injectors in the intake manifold runners Power rating varies during certain generations that had the engine Torque was less spread from 75 ft·lbf (101 N·m) at 2800 rpm to 89 ft·lbf (120 N·m) at 4000 rpm. The effect was that at lower revs where the airspeed would normally be slow, four of the eight runners were closed, this forced all the engine to draw in all its air through half the runners in the manifold The second generation engine was produced from 1992 until 1998 Although both have the same displacement and are DOHC, they were optimized for different uses. It was extremely light and strong for a production engine using an all-iron block, and produced 112 hp (84 kW) at 6600 rpm and 97 ft·lbf (131N·m) of torque at 4800 rpm in the American market Also, the 4A-FE had extra power The TVIS equipped model is an ideal candidate for a turbocharging overhaul because it contains the so-called 'big-port head', meaning the head had the large cross sectional area intlet ports Toyota increased the compression ratios from 9·4:1 to 10·3:1 Toyota engineers had skillfully optimized the power and torque from the company's relatively low-displacement engines An AE85 chassis code may be a base model Corolla, or an SR-5, with a 4A-C engine New performance parts are still available for sale even today because of its strong fan base Additional engine modifications to extend life and the reliability included under piston cooling oil squirters, thicker connecting rods and other components The series began in the late 1970s with the 1A, an SOHC engine with a displacement of 1.
Other models equipped with the 4A-GE:
Chevrolet Nova (based on Toyota AE82 chassis; 1984–1988—these 4A-GE cars were exceptionally rare)
Geo Prizm GSi (based on Toyota AE92 chassis; 1990–1992) While the port cross section was suitable for a very highly modified engine at very high revs it caused a considerable drop in low down torque due to the decreased air speeds at those revs Although not as powerful as the 4A-GE, both engines are renowned for the power they produce from such a low displacement (relative to other engines). Power output ranged from just 62 hp (46 kW) at 4800 rpm all the way to 90 hp (67 kW) at 6000 rpm. The only exception was the US-market 1990-91 Geo Prizm GSi, which was equipped with the MAP A kit version of the 4A-GE from Toyota Racing Development was used to power Formula Atlantic cars during this period Numerous variations of the basic 4A design were produced, from SOHC 2-valve all the way to DOHC 5-valve versions. Also of note the pistons were changed to accept a 20mm fully floating gudgen pin unlike the 18mm pressed in pins of the earlier versions Only the AE86 version carried the 4A-GE engine and GT-S designations in the US In other markets, other designations were used The engine was retired from North American Corollas in 1991, although it continued to be available in the Geo Prizm GSi (sold through Chevrolet dealerships) from 1990 to 1992 It is visually similar to the first-generation engine and the power output is unchanged, but the upper cam cover now featured red and black lettering Toyota models that had this engine:
Corolla AE85 (JDM)
Carina AA60The 4A was produced from 1980 through 1998. It was a 2-valve SOHC design like its predecessor. The 1987–1998 4A-FE is the descendant of the carbureted 4A-F. This raised the airspeed which caused better cylender filling and also better fuel atomisation. The first generation 4AGE is nicknamed the 'bigport' engine because it had inlet ports of a very large cross sectional area. The second-generation 4A-GE produced from 1987 to 1989 featured larger diameter bearings for the con-rod big ends (42mm) and added four additional reinforcement ribs on the back of the engine block, for a total of seven. 3° apart (compared to 50° in the G-Engines). The engine was succeeded by the 3ZZ-FE, a 1·6-liter engine with VVT-i technology. It was a 2-valve SOHC engine. The next major modification was the high-performance 4A-G, with the fuel injected version, the 4A-GE, being the most powerful. The 1·5 L (1452 cc) 3A was produced from 1979 through 1988. Some of the less directly visible differences were poorly shaped ports in the earlier versions, a slow burning combustion chamber with heavily shrouded valves, less aggressive camshaft profiles, ports of a small cross sectional area, a very restrictive intake manifold with long runners joined to a small displacement plenum and other changes. To compansate for the reduced air speed the first-generation engines included the TVIS feature, in which dual intake runners are fitted with butterfly valves that opened at approximetly 4200 RPM. All non-US market 4A-GEs continued to use a MAP sensor, while all of the US-market Toyota 4A-GE came with a MAF sensor.

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