200sx(EDM) s13 CA18DET, engine rebuild bearing problems

[Wol_The_King]

Hi guys!
Im new on this forum and im seeking your advice because it seems like all the best answers come from here

I just picked up my newly machined block and head from the machine shop. Everything was fine, but the machnist pointed out that the engine had been machined before...
Looks like the previous owner had spun the middle main bearing(with the collars?) and put in a set of new ACL STD main bearings.
Sounds good so far?:D The middle bearing had become loose in the driveline direction (timing cover -> transmission direction) and he had welded some bearing material to the side of it (i dont know IF that is even possible but thats what the machinist told me, ill post a pic of the bearing when i get home).
This weld has now caused a pretty deep score on the crankshaft weights (bearing suface is fine). The machinist told me that im just gotta usein the old bearing since its not damaged and change all the other bearings.
My questions are as followed,
Does the CA18DET have a rounded mark on the crank where the middle main bearing comes?
Does the bearing have some material on the sides to be tight enough?
What do you guys think about not chaingin one of the main bearings?
Or do I just have to find me a new/used crank?

Allso, i read on another topic that the oil pump doesnt need to be changed if it doesnt have scores inside. How do i check this? Pics would be greate

Thanks in advance,
Wolter

[sx moneypit]

Moved this to CA18 forum to get some more input.

Welcome to NICO!

[boost_boy]

Sounds fishy to me. Welding anything on the block to build-up a surface requires absolute precision craftsmanship. Your bearing should not be falling out anywhere and I'd be spooked if my bearings just popped out of its arch. I would take it to another machine shop to see if the block can be used for further service.

[Wol_The_King]

Thanks, sx moneypit! Im still kinda lost here but ill get there

Dee, i guess i explained my self a bit wrong:D
The crank thrust bearing(i guess thats what they call it) which controlls crankshaft end play has been widened on the rear "lip" by aprox. 1mm to keep the crank end play within spec after the old one blew. The weld(widening) is on the bearing it self...

I saw a guy on another forum looking for a widened thrust bearing for his mopar. So do you guys know of any shop that supplies widened crank thrust bearings for the ca18det?:)

As for the maschine shop, they build crazy rally car engines for the Finnisch rally team. The shop is also run by the classic old guy with glasses and a beer belly
I have trust in their work:)

[Wol_The_King]

So this is what i found after getting the name of the damned part right.

http://kingbearings.com/maxflange_proflange.php#
This comes in a oversize of max 0.762mm

http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/showthread.php? ... highlight=
And this is for other brands but would need machining of the bearing journals:/

[float_6969]

This whole situation is a bit weird. First of all, excess end play is SUPPOSED to be dealt with by welding up the crank and grinding it back down, OR replacing the bearing with a thicker thrust flange, depending on the severity of the issue. Pics would help A LOT here. It sounds like this wasn't dealt with properly before and now the crank has been damaged and you're stuck with this bearing/crank combo. I'm speculating though, and would really like to see some pictures first.

[Wol_The_King]

You hit the nail on the head, float_6969
Heres some pics of the bearing, pics of the crank coming soon:)

[float_6969]

EDIT
I fixed the links for you. When you post a picture, you have to right click, copy image URL. Then click the "Img" button in the full editor. The tags will appear and and paste the link in between the tags.

As for the content of the pictures, that is the crazies thing I've ever seen. I can't believe someone welded the bearing. The machine shop is right. You either HAVE to re-use that bearing, or you'll have to repair/replace the crankshaft.

[Wol_The_King]

Thanks! Now i know what to do with the IMG button
Is it possible to weld the crank and machine it to spec? Also is it gona hold up to the stress after that?
If i decide to keep the bearing, im gona need the same mains as this "modded" one.
But i cant find anything online with the code thats on the bearing:/ any hint on that?
Code:
08FE04 5957
1635 U
ACL STD

[Wol_The_King]

So i just spoke with the ACL reprecentive company in Finland and they verified that there is only kone set of mains that they carry(aside from diffrent materials, duraglide, Race...) and that the besrings are the correct ones.
If i decide to get a new crank, ive heard that the ca18de crank is identical with the ca18det ole, is this correct?
Where could i get it since it would have to be shipped internationally?
Also, should i get an OEM one or does the remanufactured ones such as the one tuhat autozone carrys for the 88' pulsar do the job?
And where could i get a set of clevite 77 näin and rod bearings since ive heard that they are better than the ACL ones?

[float_6969]

A machine shop competent at crankshaft repair should easily be able to repair your crank. They will simply need to weld the crank up, and then grind it down to spec. You will need to have the bearings you're going to use to give them so they can grind the crank down to the correct clearances based off of those bearings.

The CA18DE and CA18DET cranks are the same.

OEM or remanufactured are both OEM cranks. AFAIK, all remanufactured cranks have been ground down to take oversize bearings and will usually come with a set of bearings as well. If I'm wrong, then it's still an OEM crank, and they just polished the journals up and balanced it.

I would be willing to bet when you try and get that crankshaft from Autozone, they can't actually get it, but I could be wrong.

I'm not aware of any online dealer that sells the Clevite bearings for this engine. I had the engine builder get them for me both times I had the engine rebuilt.

[boost_boy]

Ahhh yes, wear in the thrust washer area. Rare, but not uncommon. If I were you, I'd boat anchor that crank and start over fresh with a new one. While you are at it, I would have the bottom end align-bored to set everything straight again. Thrust wear could come from any number of different variables, such as: gearbox drama, too much load on the thrust surfaces, improper clutch adjustments, abuse, low oil levels while abusing, etc, etc, etc. Just start over with a fresh crank and bearings and have a competent machine shop inspect your new crank as well.

[Wol_The_King]

I found a used crank and im gona go get it this weekend, hopefully
Dee, doesnt the engine need oversize pistons after the allign bore?
Im gona take the new crank to the machine shop for inspection before i pop it in place.

I also have a new problem...
I got my new altima electric fans in the mail the other day...
They seem to have four pins in the connectors for each fan. Im told that its for high and low speed...
I got my self a thermal switch for the fans and it has 2 diffrent temps -> 3 pins total.
My question is, how do i wire the fans so that both come on at low speed when the temp reaches the lower value and that both switch to high if the temp reaches the higher value?
Also should i wire the relays to an ignition source or have them spin after the engine is shut off?

[Wol_The_King]

As i worked out how the fans work i noticed that if i connect kone ground and one positive lead the fan spinns at full speed, and if i connect two grounds and one positive the fan spinns at half speed...
All other write ups show that both grounds connected would mean that the fan spinns at full speed and mine doesnt, how should i connect it?
Thanks, Wolter.

[float_6969]

You have something backwards. Nissan ALWAYS switches the positives. There should be one ground for each fan, and then a low-speed positive wire, and then a high speed positive wire. If you hook this up backwards, the fan will still spin, but it will spin the wrong way and may explain the issue you're seeing.

[Wol_The_King]

Yep, the fan has two connectors for ground and two for positive, but the positive ones controll the speed. If one is connected->low speed and if both are ->high speed.

[Wol_The_King]

Guys, a couple of quick questions.
Have you ever ordered OEM parts from FRSport.com for the ca18det?
Are the parts genuine Nissan?
I would need piston rings, water pump and i also heard that its good to change the oil pump when rebuilding so i would need a OEM oli pump too...

Also, as i took the head apart i didnt notice that one lifter had flipped upside down on the table and all the oil leaked out :/
How should i clean them and air them out? One guy said that i should pump them in a container of diesel and after that in light viscosity oil. Why diesel when its a gassoline car? And what viscosity should the oli be?

Im gona order a cometic gasket set, would a cometic hg for 84mm bore work with my engine as it is stock 83mm bore?

[Wol_The_King]

And i also need a adaptor to fit my fuel pressure regulator to the fuel rail. Would the Isis one for the SR20DET and KA24DE work?
Heres a link to the part:
http://m.ebay.com/itm/321387973370?nav=SEARCH

[Wol_The_King]

Actually this one looks better and i could get it at the same time with the other parts:
http://www.frsport.com/DIF-10010-Fuel-F ... 54438.html

[Izento]

I'll tell you right now. I've been going through FRSport for a majority of my parts. They know the CA18 well and they haven't supplied me with an incorrect part ever. Hope that reassures you in their aptitude.

[float_6969]

FRSport has been my go-to for years. They're good ppl over there. I've NEVER had a problem with them. They even price matched the new Exedy clutch for the MSP for me!

As for your questions;
The OEM parts from FRSport are genuine Nissan if they state that they are OEM. It will often have a Nissan PN in the title/description as well.
New rings are a must, the water pump is from a CA18ET S12 (1987 IIRC), the oil pump isn't mandatory, but suggested

Don't worry about the lifter. The air will work itself out. After you re-assemble the engine, remove all of the spark plugs and unplug the CAS. Crank the engine over (make sure the battery has a full charge) until the oil light goes out. Then let the starter cool for 1 minute. Then crank it again until the oil light goes out (it should go out immediately) and for another 15 seconds or so. Then plug the CAS back in and put the plugs back in. This will purge the air out of the oil pump and makes sure you're not firing up the motor with any more load on the bearings than necessary before it has oil pressure. Now when you fire it up, there will be some air in the lifters. Let the engine IDLE ONLY until the lifters pump up. This can take as long as 30 minutes. My CA has never taken more than a couple of minutes, but the wife's Miata took almost an hour before all the lifters quieted down.

[Wol_The_King]

Goodgood FR it is
I just saw their listing on ebay and started to hesitate a bit

As for the lifters, they also have some debris on them, can i clean them with brake parts cleaner or something simmilar?

I got the crank today. He also sold me the flywheel that was balanced with the crank
The cranks alignment pin for the flywheel has broken off, does this have any affect on the setup?
If i just fasten the flywheel so that the spot for the pin and the little hole on the flywheel are aligned?

[float_6969]

Brake clean is fine, just make sure you re-lube them immediately so they don't rust.

The only issue with the broken alignment pin is that you don't know if the flywheel and crank were balanced as an assembly, or separately. If they were balanced as an assembly, the flywheel HAS to be bolted to the crank in the exact position it was when it was balanced. If they were balanced separately, then it doesn't matter. If he says they were balanced together before the pin broke, then yes, you can just bolt it on with the pin in the place where it should be. If he doesn't know, you might want to have it re-balanced.

[Wol_The_King]

Hi guys, I got all my parts in the mail today!
I started assembling bits and pieces today and now I have some questions for you guys
I have a FPR that bolts in between the fuel rail and the fuel filter. Now im gona take the OEM FPR out and install an adaptor in its place.
Question is, what is the smaller hose for that connects on top of the OEM FPR and what do I do with it now? The adaptor has only one hose connection (for the fuel line).
Hope you understand atleast something

[Wol_The_King]

Oh and do I need to get new ones of what ever these are called?

[float_6969]

No fuel pressure regulator goes between the fuel filter and the rail. It's not possible for it to work that way. It HAS to go after the fuel rail. The adapter bolts to the fuel rail. The line coming out of the adapter goes to the "IN" on the new fuel pressure regulator, and then the return line that used to connect to the original fuel pressure regulator connects to the "OUT" on the new fuel pressure regulator.

The pins are called alignment dowels. If they're not damaged, you can reuse them. I'll tell you that I've never removed one without damaging it, and you will probably need new ones.

[Wol_The_King]

Thats what i tought, but I didnt understand where this smaller top connection goes to

The dowels have some scratces on them and groves on the outside where they have been sitting in the block but otherwise they look fine to me. Can I reuse them?

[float_6969]

The smaller line goes to the intake manifold. It's the vac/boost source. The purpose of the fuel pressure regulator is to regulate the fuel pressure, LOL! What this means is that it keep the fuel pressure at a constant pressure differential. Eg; If the fuel pressure regulator is set to maintain 45psi above reference, and the pressure inside the intake manifold is 5 psi, then the regulator would increase the fuel pressure to 50psi, so that it's still 45psi above the pressure in the manifold. If the throttle is mostly closed and you're cruising along in vacuum, then the regulator DECREASES fuel pressure a comparable amount so the fuel pressure is still only 45 psi above whatever the vacuum level in the intake is.

The reason for this is for tuning purposes. Without a regulator, the fuel flow rate of the injectors would change with any small change in the intake manifold pressure. This would make tuning a nightmare, and would require HUGE fuel injectors, and would make tuning at idle very difficult. It would also make using a MAFS VERY hard. By using a fuel pressure regulator, the flow rate of the injectors is constant. This simplifies fuel tuning immensely

So because of all of this, all fuel pressure regulators have a fuel inlet, a fuel outlet, and an air line connection to the intake manifold.

[Wol_The_King]

Thanks! Now I get it Still need some fuel line to hook it up but otherwise im good :P
I started assembling the bottom end yesterday and right after installing piston nr. 2 I noticed a scratch in the bore goin from top to bottom of the cylinder, this scratch was not there prior to assembly and im wondering, what the heck could cause this? The end gaps of all pistonrings where within spec and the pistons and rings looked clean to me? Should i have rinsed the pistons and rings in gasoline before I installed them?
Im confused now...

[Wol_The_King]

Hey Guys!
Good news, I've got the engine in the car now and did a little test drive already
Because of my luck theres also some bad news...
On my testdrive i noticed alot of white smoke was comig out of the exhaust.
Especially when the engine had some load on it but also at idle
The amount of smoke on idle is almost non existant but can be seen when looking closely... When I rev the engine the smoke turns into a cloud at the back of the car...
Is this oil burning or is it coolant? (i read some mixed opinions of this on other threads)
Could it be the old t28 that finally shot its seals? Or could it be the cometic metal HG i installed?
I would really appreciate some help now, would not want to take the head of the engine when ive come this far already (
Im already thinking it could be the piston rings that are shot...