4AGE 20v Blacktop- Give it new life!

Replacing the VVT Cam Gear has transformed my 4AGE 20 valve blacktop. If you feel like your 4age 20v isn't running right it could very well be the cam gear. - Let me know what you think.
I purchased my VVT cam gear through Battle Garage RS. If you end up ordering it through them, mention me or something. I don't get anything from them, but it sure would be nice to review some of their parts so i could make even sweeter videos! ;D
VVT Came Gear: shop.battlegar...
Here is the link on how to create a crank pulley tool: • Toyota corolla 4AGE Cr...
Music Credits:
C4 - Robot Rave II
C4 - Night Train

[@warracer03]

For anyone watching that doesn't have the special tool to remove the crank pulley bolt you can use a breaker bar with a socket and rest the bar against the ground our a frame rail. Next remove the coil pack wire and finally ''start'' the engine , you really want to just crank it for 1-2sec just enough to loosen the bolt, it always worked for me, 3sgte, 22re, 1jz etc :)

[@sebspeed6403]

awesome vids .... here in South Africa the 4AGE BT is a legend. It still terrorises a lot of newer bigger motors. #justa1600cc

[@ToreDL87]

Likely the only market outside of Asia that actually got sizeable numbers of BT`s. SA BT`s got oil coolers too!

[@justinramalingum]

Gotta love this engine 😁👌

[@KKplaysit]

Dude! After that description I'm so doing mine. I just unplugged the VVT today to test and it made no difference under acceleration at all. So the VVT hasn't been functioning since I got the car. The ticking is bad too. Cheers man, can't wait to feel the difference.

[@XDsushiyummy]

SUCH A FLOOF CAT MORE CAT CONTENT PLS

[@shreda125hilux7]

Tip: remove crank bolt without tool: Put breaker bar on bolt and wedge it end against control arm, have someone use something long wood/metal to hold socket in place, crank engine using key just enough for the engine to not start but turn the crank (remove fuel pump fuse if you want to be extra safe) then BOOM bolt is loose. I've done it many times with no issue. Very dangerous though. Do at your own risk

[@bryan10444]

Something really important to do as well is replacing the hydraulic tensioner, over time it gives the belt more slack and you can jump a tooth. I replaced mine while following this video trust me it’ll save your engine. Great video as always

[@coolhardware65]

never seen one as clean or as smoother running love that engine.

[@clym5]

There are 3 internal rubber seals and one piston ring type seal in these gears that can fail, and play develops between the helical gears causing the bad noise. These gears can be opened and sealed again.

[@ericbritton8146]

OK! This video explains why a previous video I watched showed the Corolla FX16 GT-S revving to 8,000 rpms. The 4A-GE 20v twin cam Blacktop engine is also phenomenal. Mine had the stock 16v engine which red lined at 7,500 rpm.

[@IhsanPreludeSH]

I have a Blacktop swap in an AW11 and have the exact symptoms you showed (though my surge at 4k is so sharp, it's almost like VTEC). I was suspicious of the VVT system, and this video solidified it -- just ordered a new cam gear. Thanks so much for the before and after. Love the FX16 -- keep the videos coming!

[@JeffReeves]

Was your issue fixed? I was thinking about getting a blacktop for my AW11 as well.

[@IhsanPreludeSH]

Actually, there's still a VTEC-like step at 4k with the new pulley, but the idle is now buttery smooth, and the low-end is definitely stronger. The part is expensive ($350 from BattleGarage), but it would be terrible to change once in place on an MR2. If you go with the swap, I'd recommend just doing it while changing the timing belt and water pump before shoehorning the motor in. Also... go with the swap -- it's amazing. Open trumpets, open T-Tops, and WOT is something you won't soon forget.

[@arveelacorte5005]

where'd you buy your camgear? im sick of buying surplus for replacement.

[@rickypuohotaua6112]

Nice! I have a 1986 ae82 fxgt model with the same engine and mine's developed the same tick especially when warm, was told it was the intake cam gear and good to know what I'll want to replace at the same time when I do it, I don't have all the tools I need at the moment however -_- so convenient hahaha

[@wesleyying9673]

In love with your car omg...

[@rodiicam]

Thank you for the very informative video..Served as my guide when changing the timing belt on my BT 4AGE.. The part on how to remove the the belt by uninstalling the hydraulic tensioner could have been shown..All in all very helpful.

[@TheMostAriel]

That’s an awesome tool 4:23!

[@petermingus9569]

The Stewy bit at the end tho lol

[@sushpants]

Haha, nice to see people watch to the very end!

[@RolanTHUNDER]

Hey Sushpants! Another great video and I felt the exact same difference as you when I swapped out my VVT gear for a new one :) Does your Blacktop use oil and puff smoke from time to time?

[@sushpants]

That VVT gear is great! My blacktop has been pretty good. It doesn’t burn oil and no puffs of smoke. I rebuilt my motor when I first got it and replaced every seal and gasket on top of new rings and bearings.

[@RolanTHUNDER]

@@sushpants it really is the spirit of the engine as u said, apart from those cool ITB's ;) Nice. Do you always use Mobil 15W50 or have u tried anything else?

[@vichetkim6302]

Many would argue it's not practical, but please show a video on how to modify the 4AGE to accept 12,600 RPM on the tachometer without blowing the engine just to keep Takumi Fujiwara fans happy.

[@cassanovaondabeat6161]

i was debating on doing a 2zzgte swap in my 8th gen corolla but doing research and watching some of your vids i believe i will be choosing either the black top or silver top 20v i just dont know whats better between the black and silver tops and the 4age seems a hell of a lot simpler then the 2zz your gonna be a great help to me lol thank you for doing this as soon as i get the engine before i drop it in im gonna do this...l Iiked and subscribed too cheers from ny

[@sushpants]

Thanks! It will be a lot easier to get a 4age to fit in your corolla than a 2zz. If you are gonna boost it, the silver top is better because it has thicker rods and lower compression. For NA, blacktop all the way.

[@cassanovaondabeat6161]

thanks so much bro

[@kaedeschulz5422]

Pistons and rods are a typical think to change when tuning the engine here in germany. Better pistons and rods would be one of the first things i would do.

[@shobud7561]

Good answer, and a very good job ...

[@Bigbacon]

makes me wonder if this is my problem. I get almost zero power with 70ish throttle below 3k RPMS, it takes off after 3k. also seems to make a rattle at start up but not sure it is rattle of death.

[@JaycubL]

Oh my 2zz sounds just like yours did before you replaced the vvti gear, guess I need to try it! I have timing chain and vvti gear, oil and water pump already but I'm not sure when I will do it.

[@DayoftheJakeL]

awesome video. my blacktop has been making noise at idle. ill have to do this soon. thanks for the video!! handsome feline too!

[@wabbit234]

When removing the left motor mount, is any additional support for the engine required, or will the rest of the mounts handle that okay while you're working on it? My VVT solenoid gets a small amount of oil inside the housing for the electrical plug. Do you think replacing the o-ring will solve that, or is replacing the entire thing needed? Great video by the way! :)

[@sushpants]

Wabbit the other three mounts will hold it just fine. If you don't have any oil seeping down the sides of the solenoid but it's in the plug, that makes me think it's the solenoid. But it's worth replacing o ring if you do have some seeping since it's less than 10 bucks for a new o-ring.

[@wabbit234]

Excellent. I'm going to be giving my AE111 some much needed TLC and you've been most helpful. Thanks a lot.

[@jamesnhidza4094]

Mine had the timing belt snapped ,that was beginning of my trouble with the engine.Its now up for sale.

[@justinramalingum]

Still for sale?

[@anthonywendt5834]

YES!

[@impulse_media]

Yes thank you ! I just picked up my AE86 coupe w/ a 4A-GE Blue top 16v head and 4AC block. I picked up a Silver top 20 valve and I'm going to do the 7AGE build. Do you have any videos discussing the build and for specialty items like the ones from Matrix Garage?

[@metcard]

sweet ride.

[@nzuncovered1845]

Did you use a torque wrench to undo the cam pulley? You really should only use it to tighten bolts

[@yuklimkong1144]

Good video

[@Romeo204FC3S]

A friendly advise, Get rid of that filter on your valve ASAP!! Have you ever had the oil cap off while idling? Good amount of blow-by/ positive pressure coming out, yes? Imagine while at high rev. you think you can exhaust fast enough blow by gas through that tiny filter? Got oil sipping out your valve cover yet? lol...

[@sushpants]

Romeo Fernandez I haven't had any oil come out of it over the last 5k miles. The 20v valve cover has a very long chamber that doesn't allow the oil come out easy, but I'll still keep an eye on it.

[@sushpants]

i just remembered there are two breathers on the 20v valve covers, one hooked up to the vacuum channel for the itb's which gets most of the blow by gas and the other has the long chamber to catch oil. Have you had issues with the 20v leaking oil through that breather?

[@Romeo204FC3S]

sushpants I'm not sure you know how much positive pressure there is in the valve cover especially at high rev, but if you now have an aos and got rid of that aftermarket filter on your valve. Good for you..

[@JBRI94]

Hello friend, consult. What size of power steering belt do you use in your configuration direct to the crankshaft pulley?

[@Wolf-or6ws]

Im still trying to figure out why my engine revs to 3000rpm on startup for a couple seconds then drops down to around 1000rpms

[@jacobchristensen1460]

Old comment i know, but did you fix it? Mine is the same

[@louieloudog7755]

i like your swap, good job! I plan to do that on my gts hatch, can i use my stock ecu and harness or do i need to get an engine with ecu and harness ??? thanks

[@sushpants]

Louie Capitly thanks! You need to use the harness and ecu that comes with the new engine. You splice the original harness with the new harness. I had a guy that specializes in 20v harness do it for me.

[@louieloudog7755]

sushpants oh ok cool, I initially wanted a beams swap but after seeing your 20v changed my mind,

[@relaxedboy1]

doesn't an aftermarket crankshaft pulley create too much stress on the oilpump gears?

[@sushpants]

This is something I have been considering. I haven’t had any issues *yet*, but I might switch to a superdamper pulley.

[@kovidhneelprithvipravitkum1573]

Please could u help fix my car. I have a 20v 4age blacktop and the car takes 12 seconds to reach 100km/hr. Idk what the problem is. But my doubts are on the wiring.

[@arveelacorte5005]

@sushpants, from where you look for the camgear and how much? im planning to change mine as well. BTW having a 4AGE BT20v took me uneasy for me to reach the correct idle since i already changed some of the capacitors im not sure if resistors have to be replaced.

[@hmongxas1642]

hey do you think swapping to the 4age in california legal?

[@tylerlincoln5702]

Double like for the cat lol

[@nzuncovered1845]

What kind of crank pulley is that?

[@Lightningsball]

Question, did you upgrade your cams or are they stock?

[@truckman7123]

Is blacktop 20v interference or non interference engine?

[@Nyamukumbwa]

Sushpants where did you get the tappet cover done???

[@rashedulhasan4215]

I believe you use aftermarket crank pulley. do you face any issue

[@reyanthonyfrancisco1668]

Hi mate! What is the proper idle for 4age blacktop? Thanks

[@zulkiflebrahim2395]

Hi there, i just replaced my VVT gear, rev range is smooth but for some reason it feels like its lacking power. ive only done like 50km after replacing. Do i need to break it in ? how do i test the VVT solenoid ? thanks for the awesome video, i watched your video and changed my VVT Gear.

[@sushpants]

Zulkifl Ebrahim if you apply voltage to the solenoid it should make a click and driving with it unplugged should make a big difference in acceleration. Have you also checked for any ecu codes?

[@zulkiflebrahim2395]

sushpants thanks, i have applied voltage to the solenoid of the battery when the car is off. I do hear a clicking sound but very feintly. i just wang to make sure that the vvt is in fact working. no ecu codes are coming up on the dashboard.

[@jordachegovender989]

Zulkifl Ebrahim

[@ryosuketakahashi3533]

Tell Fujiwara this. To stop blowing 4A-Gs.

[@NineS5]

Ryosuke Takahashi yeah tell him to put a damn rev limiter in and never touch a PC to remove that limiter again.

[@LevQWERTY]

Hello. Give the name of the kit please horns (tnrottle) + spacer and filter. Want to buy. Greetings from Russia, thanks for the video

[@sushpants]

Lev QWERTY the horns are 100mm from technotoytuning. The pipercross filter and mounting plate comes from battle garage racing service.

[@LevQWERTY]

Thank you very much for the information. I'll try to find a contact with them for the purchase of their products. Sorry for the Google translator.

[@mervin993]

i have looking for vvt pulley where can i buy one

[@anthonygonsalves9557]

What is diffanect inthe gears

[@user-sonnet]

I have same car japanese name COLLORA FX-GT I like 4age

[@sushpants]

Very nice! I have a FX-GT model car I purchased in Japan. Follow me on Instagram and send me some pictures of your Corolla.

[@alandrade8083]

sweet car bro I had one just like it even the cat I have one almost the same lol

[@kefkeuh]

So, I was a bad boy and already mounted the valve cover before you did and now it's cracked -_-

[@lmenzol]

did you paint that valve cover? Great job if you did..by the way I have that same 4age shirt lol

[@sushpants]

I did paint it, took about 3 weeks to put the different colors on, wet sand between coats and clearing. I love my 4age shirt, it's getting worn out now. I need a new one :)

[@bertiistheword]

where'd you get the shirt?

[@keenanpietersen4585]

Hi could u source me a website to get the vvt pully

[@sushpants]

i got mine through battle garage rs

[@mac102984]

How did you hook up the power steering?

[@sushpants]

How I fixed my Corolla FX16's steering issues and power steering leaks.kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKPJZnxnrq5lqqs

[@renreynoldsadolfo4076]

can we put on 2003 corolla xl?

[@JuanCarvajal21]

This one can be use in rwd configuration ?

[@sushpants]

It can and often is swapped into AE86's

[@farooqmss]

From where have you sourced the parts

[@sushpants]

farooqmss I have the part sources listed in the video description.

[@jimskogman4752]

make it to 10000 rpm

[@sushpants]

Gamer Z one day it will hit 10k!

[@kaedeschulz5422]

And maybe higher???

[@Nyamukumbwa]

Hie which site did you buy your engine from Japan???

[@sushpants]

+stan nyamukumbwa I picked up the engine from jdmtechmotors.com about a year ago

[@Nyamukumbwa]

sushpants thanx man will check them out if they have

[@shobud7561]

What was making the noise with the old cam gear ? And what brand did you replace it with ? Plus how did the new gear make more power that the old one ?

[@sushpants]

This cam gear allows for variable valve timing and over time they wear out. As they wear out, they begin to rattle and are no longer able to control valve timing. The inability to adjust timing hurts the power curve of the 4age 20v engine. I replaced the cam gear with a brand new toyota unit.

[@paulgilbert133]

if i buy your engine..how much it cost?

[@sushpants]

Paul Gilbert i made this engine with love and love is pretty expensive :)

[@paulgilbert133]

sushpants how much it is? im from malaysia

[@sushpants]

Paul Gilbert 20k usd is what it would take.

[@891trigfoot]

sushpants for the whole car ya but just for your engine lol your dreamin

[@sushpants]

891trigfoot I don't want to get rid of it so it will take a dream price for me to let it go :)

[@davinpanday]

What brand of crank pulley are you running? T3?

[@ToreDL87]

Not affiliated to the channel other than as a subscriber, but having used 4age`s for years I personally recommend against the T3 crank pulley because it doesnt have a harmonizer, meaning it`ll rattle the keyway out of your crank and work itself loose (which brings another slew of issues). Yes it can handle 10k RPM and so forth, but you HAVE to balance your motor internals professionally (and that costs lots of money), just to save a tiny bit of weight on rotating assembly. I recommend a lightened flywheel instead.

[@davinpanday]

Familiar with any single row crank pulleys with harmonizer?

[@denisiregar6132]

can we put on 2005 corolla?

[@sushpants]

No, this will not work on a 2005 corolla