1986 "Chevrolet Nova" - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

gew88guy · 03-07-2004, 10:31 PM

I have a 1986 "Chevrolet Nova" which is, of course, nothing but a 1986 Toyota Corolla with a Chevy name tag stuck on it.

This little car has about 200,000 miles on it but it also had a new timing belt and and water pump put on it back in December of 2003 and it runs like a top.

However, I hit a cow with it in some heavy fog back in January and destroyed the windshield.

The body was pretty crappy before the wreck and I'm wondering what other years/models Toyota products the little 1.4 liter 4-cylinder engine & automatic might fit in besides the 1986-88 Corollas and Novas.......?

I've found a slick little 1982 Toyota pick with a locked-up four-banger but good automatic tranny for $200 and I'm wondering if the engines are interchangeable .

(I understand that I'd have to change trannys 'cuz the Nova is front-wheel drive and the pick-up is rear-wheel drive.)

Any thoughts or ideas are greatly welcomed !

Thanks ! Dwayne, Temple, Oklahoma

4Aaron GE · 03-07-2004, 11:24 PM

1.4L I always thought those came with 1.6L engines.... Is there an engine code anywhere that you can see?

gew88guy · 03-07-2004, 11:41 PM

D'oh !
4Aaron GE, you're right - it is the 1.6 liter.
Thanks for catchin' that !

4Aaron GE · 03-08-2004, 01:20 AM

Well, the engine likely isn't going to work in the truck. AFAIK, the truck 4 bangers were 22R engines, while yours is a 4A-C. Sadly, given that your engine is arguably the crappiest of the 4A engines available, having about 6 performance variations and 2 economy variations following it.

That said, if you can find yourself a late 80s tercel, I think they came with either the 2A or 3A-C engines which are 1.3 and 1.5L respectively. Since those are also carbed your 4A should swap in without too much trouble. And I'm willing to bet that the car would appreciate the extra little bit of displacement. Mind you, I could be wrong with what engine the tercel comes with, but I'm confident that some of the earlier models came equipped with A series engines.

toyotaspeed90 · 03-08-2004, 01:56 AM

the first "corolla tercels" did come with A series motors......

Galvatron · 03-08-2004, 03:43 AM

The late 80's Tercels had carbed 3E's, but the earlier ones had 3A's.

gew88guy · 03-08-2004, 06:54 PM

4Aaron GE wrote:
" Sadly, given that your engine is arguably the crappiest of the 4A engines available...."

Aaron, it's weird that you said that !
I bought my 1991 Corolla DX wagon (with the 4A-FE) from a guy who specializes in imports and he made sure that I understood the engine in my NovaRolla was not the same as what's in the wagon.

He also described the Nova engine as "not the best thing Toyota ever built".

Galvatron, Toyotaspeed 90 and 4Aaron GE, if I read your posts right my 4A-C will fit in any Toyota that came with a carb'ed 4-series engine but may also fit in a Tercel that came with 3-series carb'ed engine ?

4Aaron GE · 03-08-2004, 07:40 PM

It should work fine in any carbed car that came with the letter A as the second character in the engine code. The wagon should have had a 4A-FE in it, unless it was carbed in which case it was a 4A-F. (E means EFI)

The engine in the wagon has essentially the same block, but it has a updated "DOHC" head

gew88guy · 03-09-2004, 06:28 PM

Aaron, thanks again !

Just curious - is the Toyota "Starlet" on the Tercel or Corolla platform ?

***Chris Corolla S*** · 03-09-2004, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gew88guy
Aaron, thanks again !

Just curious - is the Toyota "Starlet" on the Tercel or Corolla platform ?

Tercel

Galvatron · 03-09-2004, 11:58 PM

Its not exactly on the Tercel platform, the Starlet's chassis is an EP and the Tercel is EL, but its close enough that a lot of stuff is interchangeable, most importantly, the engine.

4Aaron GE · 03-10-2004, 03:20 AM

Gew88, since you're in the US, I'm going to guess that the Starlet that you have in mind is an old KP (K family engine, P family frame) series car. Your engine probably won't be too interchangable.

gew88guy · 03-10-2004, 09:46 PM

Guys, thanks again !

I've seen one or two Starlets running around - I wondered if they were an independent platform.

I found an '87 Nova today - no title, dash has been busted out by dude's kid's, headliner's fallin' out and he wants to keep the "new" tires he put on in it in 1997 before it went boobs up - I think I'll pass for $300.