The compact French car Citroen C1, which appeared in 2006, like its closest relative Peugeot 107, is actually a redesigned version of Toyota Aygo, respectively, and its engine is Japanese – Toyota 1KR-FE. There was also a version with a 1.4-liter diesel of French origin, but in our review we will talk about the gasoline motor from the country of the “rising sun”.
The Japanese atmospheric has three cylinders, a block of light alloys with a timing chain and four valves on each of the cylinders. The fuel system provides for the presence of distributed injection. As with most Japanese motors, hydrocompensators are not provided in the design. Serial production of 1KR-FE 01 was organized in 2004, and after a number of updates, the motor is still in serial production, which indicates a successful design. There is a large number of variations of the power unit, which have some differences, for example, the presence / absence of phase shifters, there are turbocharged versions of the engine. By successive modernization engineers managed to bring the environmental friendliness of the engine to the maximum parameters of Euro-6.
A major restyling of the Toyota 1KR-FE 01 was carried out in 2014, when cooling was updated, fuel injection and the cylinder-head were changed. A distinctive feature of the first motors of the series was an oil separator integrated in the block, the cover of which is removable.
The air filter was installed on the valve cover, and the cylinder blocks for manual and automatic transmission have some differences in the shape of the molding, so they are not interchangeable, which should be taken into account in the case of replacement.
Toyota 1KR-FE engine specifications
| Parameter | Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Precise volume | 996 cm³ |
| Power System | MPPI injector |
| Power | 68 – 71 hp |
| Torque | 90 – 94 Nm |
| Cylinder block | Aluminum R3 |
| Cylinder head | Aluminum 12v |
| Cylinder diameter | 71 mm |
| Piston stroke | 84 mm |
| Compression ratio | 10.5 |
| Engine Features | ETCS-i |
| Hydrocompensators | No |
| Transmission timing | Chain |
| Phase regulator | Inlet VVT-i |
| Turbocharging | No |
| Recommended oil | 3.1 liter 5W-20 |
| Environmental class | Euro 4/5 |
| Example service life | 200,000 km |
| Engine weight | 75 kg |
Which cars were equipped with the 1KR-FE engine:
| Model | Years of manufacture |
|---|---|
| Toyota Aygo 1 (AB10) | 2005 – 2014 |
| Toyota Aygo 2 (AB40) | 2014 – present |
| Toyota Yaris 2 (XP90) | 2005 – 2011 |
| Toyota Yaris 3 (XP130) | 2011 – present |
| Toyota Belta 1 (XP90) | 2005 – 2012 |
| Toyota iQ 1 (GJ10) | 2008 – 2015 |
| Daihatsu Sirion M300 | 2004 – 2010 |
| Daihatsu Sirion M600 | 2010 – 2016 |
| Daihatsu Sirion M700 | 2016 – current |
| Daihatsu Cuore L275 | 2006 – 2016 |
| Peugeot 107 I (B0) | 2005 – 2014 |
| Peugeot 108 I (B3) | 2014 – present |
| Citroen C1 I (B0) | 2005 – 2014 |
| Citroen C1 II (B4) | 2014 – present |
General reliability
A distinctive characteristic of the 1KR-FE engine from Toyota is the maximum simplicity of design, which positively affects reliability. The exception is the versions with an environmental friendliness level of Euro-6, where engineers had to introduce more complex technical solutions. First of all, this applies to engines produced after 2014.
Simplicity provides for reliability, since the number of nodes prone to failure tends to zero. Only with complete disregard for the requirements of maintenance is possible the appearance of oil burning, which will further lead to accelerated wear and compression problems. A feature of the motor is a large amount of soot on the intake manifold, so periodic cleaning will not interfere. In general, before overhaul, the “liter” quietly runs up to 300 thousand kilometers and even more.
EGR engine
On Japanese cars Toyota 1KR-FE was initially provided with EGR, while on small cars Citoren-Peugeot it appeared only on cars of the second generation after 2014. Depending on the version, gas extraction takes place before the catalytic converter or after it, which creates additional risks of getting ceramic crumbs into the engine with all the consequences.
To bypass the exhaust into the intake system, a special spacer is used to distribute the gases over the entire diameter. Crankcase ventilation on the 1KR-FE does not work very effectively, so soot has a large amount of oil vapor in suspension, which leads to its adhesion and abundant adhesion to the walls of the intake system. In terms of contamination rate, the intake of this engine can be compared to that of diesel engines.
Thermal clearances and their adjustment
Given the absence of hydrocompensators in the design, the adjustment of thermal gaps is carried out using disc tappets, represented by almost three dozen sizes. The adjustment process itself is characterized by technical complexity and high cost. On the plus side, the engine is able to work 250-300 thousand kilometers on single gap adjustments, that is, regular interventions will not have to be made.
The timing chain
The engine drive is chain, with an average service life of about 300 thousand kilometers. Its casing is aluminum, oil and coolant pumps are mounted on top of it. There are certain claims to the quality of work of the pump, which has noticeable wear at 100 thousand kilometers.
VVVT-i
The VVT-i system installed on the power unit has a fairly good reliability, so there are no problems with the transition between working phases. Hydraulic phase shifter allows you to change the camshaft angle on the inlet up to 60 degrees. If there are extraneous sounds from the phase shifters, power suddenly drops, it is necessary to pay attention to the state of the control valve. In many cases, simple cleaning from dirt will be enough.
The solenoid has a bolted body to the spool distributor, but with sufficient skill it can be carefully disassembled for cleaning. Increased attention will need to be paid to the assembly, so as not to make mistakes, it is better to put marks on the spool before disassembly.
The engine cylinder head
On the prerestyling versions of the engine, the design of the MCC was envisaged traditional, while during the 2014 update on the Toyota 1KR-FE motor there was a single channel entering directly into the MCC. Just behind the head is the catalytic converter. Given the minimal heat output from the exhaust gases given to the external environment, the engine warms up very quickly. This is also characteristic of the catalytic converter.
Cylinder block
The block is alloy (aluminum) with cast iron liners. The cooling system has an open cooling jacket with additional spacers to promote greater cooling movement in the upper area of the cylinders for better cooling.
Cylinder Scuffing
It should be noted that among motors with a volume of no more than 1.0 liter, the Toyota 1KR-FE has repeatedly become the winner of various ratings. Except that this does not mark the requirements for the quality of service. The issue of lubrication in this case is of primary importance. Untimely change leads to a sharp acceleration of cylinder wear, including due to the lack of forced irrigation, which reduces the overall effectiveness of liner lubrication.
Worn cylinders cause extraneous noises in the piston group. The appearance of scuffs does not bring strong problems, except for the appearance of a noticeable rustling. The facts of scuffing are isolated. Gradually increases the oil burn. In cases where every thousand kilometers it is necessary to refill 1 liter, it is worth considering the option of buying a contract engine. Pistons can only be non-original, and masters are very reluctant to bore cylinders of small diameter under them.
Crankshaft supports
To reduce the load on the cylinders, Toyota engineers made a simple but effective solution by shifting the crankshaft axis relative to the cylinder axis by 8mm. As a result, the piston skirts exert less pressure on the liners during operation. In addition, the reduction of piston travel speed in BMT has a positive effect on the quality of fuel combustion. There is no balance shaft in the design, and balancing is provided by counterweights located on the crankshaft cheeks. The result is much simpler. Until the 2014 restyling, the engine did not have oil injectors.