From 1988 until 2003, the company produced the 1.5-liter Toyota 5A-FE injection engine, which was fitted to numerous Asian models of the company, including the Carina, Corona, Sprinter, and Corolla. This unit is referred to as LF479Q2 on Lifan vehicles and MR479QA on Geely vehicles.
The engines 8A-FE, 5A-FE, 5A-FHE, 4A-FE, 4A-FHE, 4A-GE, 4A-GZE, and 7A-FE are also part of the A family.
This power unit, which was a replica of its 1.6-liter counterpart 4A-FE with a smaller piston diameter, debuted in 1988 on the Japanese Corolla in the rear of the E90. It is an injection four-cylinder engine with a cast-iron block and a 16-valve aluminum cylinder head. The intake camshaft is rotated by a belt, and a gear connects it to the exhaust shaft. Since there are no hydraulic lifters, valve clearances need to be changed once every 100,000 kilometers.
A throttle position sensor has been added, the ignition system has been upgraded to DIS-2, the camshafts, connecting rod, and piston group have all changed, and the motor has undergone multiple modernizations during production. However, unlike the 4A-FE, there is no obvious distinction between engine generations in terms of appearance.
The engine was mounted 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.
Specifications
| Production years | 1988-2003 |
| Displacement, cc | 1498 |
| Fuel system | injector |
| Power output, hp | 95 – 105 |
| Torque output, Nm | 125 – 135 |
| Cylinder block | cast iron R4 |
| Block head | aluminum 16v |
| Cylinder bore, mm | 78.7 |
| Piston stroke, mm | 77 |
| Compression ratio | 9.8 |
| Hydraulic lifters | no |
| Timing drive | belt |
| Turbocharging | no |
| Recommended engine oil | 5W-30, 5W-40 |
| Engine oil capacity, liter | 3.0 |
| Fuel type | petrol |
| Euro standards | EURO 2 |
| Fuel consumption, L/100 km (for Toyota Corolla 1994) — city — highway — combined |
9.0 5.2 6.7 |
| Engine lifespan, km | ~300 000 |
| Weight, kg | 126 |
Disadvantages of the 5A-FE engine
The A series motors are generally free of design flaws and all issues are age-related; however, after 100,000 kilometers, complaints about piston finger knocking are more common. Check the valve clearance first, though, as they might be knocking.
Electrical malfunctions rank second in terms of complaints; sensors frequently malfunction. Here, fuel consumption can double due to a burned-out lambda probe, and the engine frequently won’t start at all if the temperature sensor is malfunctioning.
The owner of a car with this engine frequently runs into an oil burner at high mileage. The wear of piston rings or valve stem seals is the rather obvious cause.
Due to its advanced age, this engine frequently worries about insignificant things: the crankshaft oil seal frequently leaks and the ignition system is notorious for malfunctions. Floating engine speeds are caused by the throttle and nozzles getting dirty very quickly.