Toyota 1.8L (109 cu in) firing order — diagram & guide

As one of the most intriguing low-displacement engine options for Toyota vehicles, the 1.8-liter four-cylinder was produced in various engine versions. Those few variants of the engine are what confuses drivers the most regarding the Toyota 1.8L (109 cu in) firing order, so our team wanted to help clear it out.

This guide will help you understand the meaning and importance of the firing pattern for this car for proper maintenance. We also went a step further to explain how the cylinders are laid out within the engine, so let’s take a look together.

Toyota 1.8L firing order

First things first, the Toyota 1.8L firing order is 1-3-4-2 with a counter-clockwise distributor rotation. This means that the firing order is determined by distributor connections which supply the spark plugs with firing power through ignition coils.

It’s a simple four-cylinder configuration which adds up to the practicality when applying the firing order to sort out some minor engine issues. Still, drivers are often confused by the difference between the “regular” ZZ 1.8-liter engine and the 2ZZ-GE engine which also features the same capacity, only with a boosted output.

Toyota 1.8L 2ZZ firing order

Unlike the regular 1.8-liter engine, the 2ZZ had some slight performance upgrades done in collaboration with Yamaha. So, the new engine got forged rods and variable valve timing system which made it different from the original one.

Even so, the Toyota 1.8L 2ZZ firing order is 1-3-4-2 which is exactly the same as for the regular 1.8-liter engine. This means that the same engine block was used and that’s no surprise since these two engines are almost identical in design.

Toyota 1.8L cylinder diagram

Another thing that makes it easier for drivers to use the firing order of this engine to repair and diagnose misfiring issues is the cylinder layout. The engine features a standard four-cylinder configuration with cylinders going from 1 to 4 from left to right.

So, the leftmost cylinder is the first one, and the numbers progress as you go toward the opposite end of the engine. This makes it fairly easy to identify each cylinder and inspect them one by one.

Toyota 1.8L vehicle applications

The only thing left for us to discuss in this guide is the vehicle application of the 1.8-liter Toyota engine. This way you’ll know if your vehicle fits the description and features the same firing order, so here’s a complete list:

• Toyota Corolla
• Toyota Premio
• Toyota RAV4
• Toyota Celica
• Toyota Celica GT
• Toyota Matrix
• Toyota Avensis
• Toyota MR2

The performance version of this engine was used in cars like the Celica ZR, Lotus Elise, and Lotus Exige.

Our take

The fact that the 1.8-liter Toyota engine was used in a few Lotus models as well is a statement of the engine’s reliability and quality. However, with the right approach and the firing order for this engine, you can prevent and mitigate quite a few bothersome problems to make it even longer-lasting.

In that light, our team hopes to have helped you with this guide and that you’ll be able to use it to avoid and fix misfires.