A Bad Day In CA18DET Land

Discuss topics related to the CA18DE and CA18DET series engines.
tommey
Posts: 367
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2009 12:12 pm
Car: S13 ca18det

Post

Does not work for me!


User avatar
float_6969
Moderator
Posts: 19853
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2002 1:55 pm
Car: CA18DET swapped 1995 Nissan 240sx (too many mods to list)
2015 SV Leaf w/QC & Bose (daily)
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Contact:

Post

OK, that should work.

I guess I didn't really give an update. Now that I have the check valve in the block I'll be able to make some real progress on this. I got the check valve installed, guide dowels installed in block, Cometic HG installed, cylinder head installed, ARP studs installed and torqued down. Next will be installing lifters and cams and then degreeing the cams.

Nisse
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 8:49 am
Car: Nissan 200sx S13
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden

Post

Hi there, I'm new here at the forum, but I followed this thread for a while since I have a problem with the check valve in my ca18det. Oil going back down when shutting down, causing terrible noise from the lifters, you know the story. Tried to order the valve from the local Nissan dealer here in Gothenburg, Sweden, but with the same result as you had. Then I saw that you managed to get one to the Z32, so I ordered with the help of your part number. Got a negative answere today, not in production anymore. Pulled one out from a second block I have, using your thread method. It seems to be ok but the hole in the top end is a little bigger then original, 3,2 mm instead of 2 mm ( my estimation ).
Do you think it matters, I mean does it go too much oil to the lifters and cams. Could it be a problem? // Martin

User avatar
float_6969
Moderator
Posts: 19853
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2002 1:55 pm
Car: CA18DET swapped 1995 Nissan 240sx (too many mods to list)
2015 SV Leaf w/QC & Bose (daily)
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Contact:

Post

No, the bigger hole in the top side doesn't matter. I didn't get mine from a Nissan dealer. Someplace online, I don't remember the site though. Have you tried contacting a US dealer like Courtesy Nissan?

Nisse
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 8:49 am
Car: Nissan 200sx S13
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden

Post

No I havn't, maybe I should make a try there. Otherwise I'll take the risk of using the one I have, to let someone make one seems to be tough for wallet.
Thanks for your quick reply!

User avatar
float_6969
Moderator
Posts: 19853
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2002 1:55 pm
Car: CA18DET swapped 1995 Nissan 240sx (too many mods to list)
2015 SV Leaf w/QC & Bose (daily)
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Contact:

Post

Happy to help. Good luck!

Nisse
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 8:49 am
Car: Nissan 200sx S13
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden

Post

Again, thanks for helping!

Today I recieved a couple of the check valve from Courtesy Parts!
USD 1,80 each, shipping 85,44 ! SEK 866:-

Worth every "krona" !

To me it seems to be the same size, maybe 1/100 of a millimeter bigger in diameter. Shouldn't cause any problems! But if, I'll try to press it in.

Rgds Martin

User avatar
float_6969
Moderator
Posts: 19853
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2002 1:55 pm
Car: CA18DET swapped 1995 Nissan 240sx (too many mods to list)
2015 SV Leaf w/QC & Bose (daily)
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Contact:

Post

I had to press mine in. I put the valve in the deep freeze overnight. When I was ready to put it in, I set the block up in my press and had everything setup so I could grab the valve, set it in the block and press it in. It went in easily this way and I had no trouble. I initially tried to tap it in with a hammer and it started to deform, so I stopped.

Nisse
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 8:49 am
Car: Nissan 200sx S13
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden

Post

I bought six pieces, so I have a couple to fail with! :)

User avatar
float_6969
Moderator
Posts: 19853
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2002 1:55 pm
Car: CA18DET swapped 1995 Nissan 240sx (too many mods to list)
2015 SV Leaf w/QC & Bose (daily)
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Contact:

Post

Making progress!
Image

My custom made coolant inlet pipe and associated simplified cooling line system.
Image
Image

So what I did was remove the stock coolant inlet pipe going into the block. I then welded the Tee piece that's normally attached with a hose clamp to it. Then I chopped up that long pipe that normally bolts to the intake manifold and welded more fittings to the new pipe. Then I sand blasted it, prepped it, and zinc coated it. The lines are as follows;
-Large opening is for the lower radiator hose.
-Pipe pointing upwards with the black silicone 90° is for the thermostat closed bypass loop.
-Pipe closest to screen pointing towards the left is the coolant return for the heater core.
-Next pipe back towards the block with the straight black silicone hose is the coolant return for the oil cooler.
-Last line you can't really see, but that braided SS line connects to it. That is the coolant return from the turbo.

User avatar
float_6969
Moderator
Posts: 19853
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2002 1:55 pm
Car: CA18DET swapped 1995 Nissan 240sx (too many mods to list)
2015 SV Leaf w/QC & Bose (daily)
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Contact:

Post

Bah! IDK why the forum is being stupid, but if you open the image in a new tab, you can see them in full resolution. Fair warning, they're pretty big.

User avatar
Izento
Posts: 438
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 12:20 pm
Car: RPS13

Post

I love everything about that engine. Paint, coolant, turbo, manifolds (CPC is dope stuff).

User avatar
float_6969
Moderator
Posts: 19853
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2002 1:55 pm
Car: CA18DET swapped 1995 Nissan 240sx (too many mods to list)
2015 SV Leaf w/QC & Bose (daily)
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Contact:

Post

Thank you! I can't seem to get a picture that will do the powder coating on the valve and upper timing covers justice. The candy red, high gloss black and gold flake clear are a great combination and look amazing. And I'm REALLY glad I went with the arctic silver ceramic coating on the turbo and manifold instead of black. It brightens the whole thing up.

I WAS going to do a back-to-back dyno with the old manifold and the new manifold, but with the modifications I've made to the cooling system, the old manifold won't fit without me cutting the mount for the Air Regulator off, which I hate to do as that will make the manifold unusable for any stock-ish build in the future. There's enough dyno's out there on other engines showing CLEAR gains across the entire power band, that I decided not to bother. If a bunch of people are really that curious and want to send me money, I'll hack up the stock manifold and go back to the dyno. I doubt that's going to happen though, LOL!

User avatar
float_6969
Moderator
Posts: 19853
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2002 1:55 pm
Car: CA18DET swapped 1995 Nissan 240sx (too many mods to list)
2015 SV Leaf w/QC & Bose (daily)
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Contact:

Post

Some brackets to lift the engine with. I got tired of trying to find weird places to bolt the engine balancer to and screwing up the valve covers. Since I have these nice powder coated valve covers now, and the exhaust side valve cover is a HUGE PITA to take off due to the turbo, I decided a needed a solution.
Image

ACT Streetlight steel flywheel for SR20, ACT Heavy Duty 6 puck sprung hub clutch for SR20. Entire reciprocating assembly was balanced to 10K RPM. I'll never spin it that fast, but it's nice to know it's there if I need it, LOL!
Image

I ran out of daylight after this so there's no pictures, but I also got the bellhousing ground down to clear the pressure plate and flywheel and got the transmission bolted on. I never ordered the damn gear reduction starter so I did that last night as well and it be here on Wednesday.

boost_boy
Posts: 7162
Joined: Thu Nov 14, 2002 7:28 am
Car: B12 sentra w/built CA18DET, B12 sentra w/fully-built CA18DET, S13 coupe w/ CA18DET, S13 hatch w/CA18DET, 2002 maxima SE
Location: Miami, FL.
Contact:

Post

Good to see you're working hard to get this lump installed and running. Trying to find the time has been somewhat of a challenge nowadays, especially with kids getting grown and actually demanding so much of you. I'll keep my eyes on this thread to see how you are progressing. And keep up the good work ;)

User avatar
float_6969
Moderator
Posts: 19853
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2002 1:55 pm
Car: CA18DET swapped 1995 Nissan 240sx (too many mods to list)
2015 SV Leaf w/QC & Bose (daily)
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Contact:

Post

I can totally relate to kids being time consuming. That is one of the contributing factors in why this has taken as long as it has.

User avatar
float_6969
Moderator
Posts: 19853
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2002 1:55 pm
Car: CA18DET swapped 1995 Nissan 240sx (too many mods to list)
2015 SV Leaf w/QC & Bose (daily)
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Contact:

Post

Little more progress today ;)
Image

I was honestly surprised. Not only does the turbo clear everything, but I could even get the STB on. It wouldn't fit with the old turbo.
Image

Even the hood will close!
Image

kings13
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2015 12:59 pm

Post

looking forward to seeing how that twinscroll and the CA get along Ryan.

is Tim still alive? or did he drink himself to death.....

User avatar
r34 gtr
Posts: 8909
Joined: Sun Dec 29, 2002 9:33 am
Car: 98 Frontier XE 4x4
95.5 Audi URS6 Avant 5spd
03 BMW 330i ZHP 6spd
89 240sx base CA18DET
Location: Creepin' in your crawl space
Contact:

Post

Still alive!

Still have the 240sx and several CA18s. Unfortunately they are sleeping in a garage in Alabama and I now live in Jackson, Wyoming, where I am employed as an optical engineer. I want to take a few weeks this spring and go home and fix it. Hurt my neck mountain biking in August so I am eyeball-deep in hospital bills, meaning car had to be postponed (and its not exactly a good winter car, is it).

Current project is a 1995.5 Audi URS6 Avant with full rs2 kit. I am at the engine assembly stage. Ill have this for winter and the 240sx for summer once I get off my duff. Volkswagen cooling systems can go to hell.

Been following stuff on here, but don't have much to contribute these days.

User avatar
Izento
Posts: 438
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 12:20 pm
Car: RPS13

Post

Good to see this thing evolving. We're rooting for this world-class CA18 build. It's always nice to see professional examples.

User avatar
themadscientist
Posts: 29308
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2002 3:30 pm
Car: R32 GTR, DR30 RS Turbo, BRZ, Lunchbox, NSR50 Sportster 883 Iron
Location: Staring down at you with disdain from the spooky mountaintop castle.

Post

Love this much.

User avatar
float_6969
Moderator
Posts: 19853
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2002 1:55 pm
Car: CA18DET swapped 1995 Nissan 240sx (too many mods to list)
2015 SV Leaf w/QC & Bose (daily)
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Contact:

Post

It's Alive!!!

kings13
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2015 12:59 pm

Post

In car video of that thing ramping up ASAP. no ifs, ands, or buts about it dude.

what kinda boost are you thinking about?

User avatar
float_6969
Moderator
Posts: 19853
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2002 1:55 pm
Car: CA18DET swapped 1995 Nissan 240sx (too many mods to list)
2015 SV Leaf w/QC & Bose (daily)
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Contact:

Post

Trust me, I want to be making that video as much as you want to see it!

I'm aiming for 30psi. That's what my standalone's MAP sensor maxes out at, and on paper, that's about where the turbo will max out at too. I had to make a lot of estimates in my calculations regarding the turbo, so I may not actually be able to hit that kind of boost with out hitting overspeed on the turbo. If I DO hit the max RPM limit of the turbo, that's 56lb/min of air flow, which should make about 550HP at the crank. Not the worlds most powerful CA, but it should still be decently streetable and give most of the street cars around here a run for their money.

kings13
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2015 12:59 pm

Post

heck yea man. so e85?

not rushing you but if you had to guess, do you think it'll be all buttoned up with a solid tune by the end of next month?

User avatar
float_6969
Moderator
Posts: 19853
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2002 1:55 pm
Car: CA18DET swapped 1995 Nissan 240sx (too many mods to list)
2015 SV Leaf w/QC & Bose (daily)
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Contact:

Post

E85 for right now. The long term plan is to make my own E96 fuel, which is basically straight hydrous ethyl alcohol and some denaturants added to make it not safe to consume. I've found that the actual ethanol content of pump E85 is NEVER 85% ethanol. By law, it only has to be greater than 69.5% ethanol and they can still call it E85. During the hottest part of the summer, I've seen it get up to about 79% ethanol. You can buy race E85, which is guaranteed to contain 85% ethanol, but it's over $9/gallon. I can make E96 at home for a third of that price, and that's just using table sugar, which is the most expensive way to do it.

Honestly, my progress is dictated mostly by the weather. My garage is too small to fit the car in and work on it, so it sets outside. I would have had the wiring done sooner, but it's been so cold, I couldn't solder the wires. We're having a warm spell now, so my next step is to try and take advantage, if work allows me the extra time, and get the wiring done. Then I'll start on the intercooler system. I had it all set up on my last build, but there were a lot of things about it I didn't like, so I'm redoing all of it. None of my piping works either because the intake manifold is so different and the turbo is different.

If I HAD to put a time on it, I basically need to be done by late March. If it's not done by then, I'll be so busy with work, it'll be months before I get a chance to work on it again.

User avatar
Izento
Posts: 438
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 12:20 pm
Car: RPS13

Post

Wow! I forgot how nice your valve cover is, haha. I also like the timing cover. Also, what exhaust manifold is that? One of the cast HKS ones that nobody else has?

User avatar
float_6969
Moderator
Posts: 19853
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2002 1:55 pm
Car: CA18DET swapped 1995 Nissan 240sx (too many mods to list)
2015 SV Leaf w/QC & Bose (daily)
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Contact:

Post

Thank you! I love them. I was on the fence about the metallic in the clear coat, but I'm REALLY glad I went ahead and did it. They look amazing in the sun.

Exhaust manifold is the HKS-cast iron-twin scroll-T4 flanged-EWG that nobody has, LOL! I've also modified it a bit in that I removed some bad casting flash in the head ports, and smoothed out the casting lines and remove a lot of restrictive material around the outlet to the turbo. I also had it ceramic coated (2000°F) inside and out, as well as the turbine housing. I'm hoping all of this will help with spooling this big turbo, and keep the under hood temps down. Before all of this, the hood would get so hot right over the exhaust area after beating on it, you couldn't touch the hood!

Buddyworm
Posts: 416
Joined: Tue Jan 09, 2007 2:55 pm

Post

:popcorn:

User avatar
float_6969
Moderator
Posts: 19853
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2002 1:55 pm
Car: CA18DET swapped 1995 Nissan 240sx (too many mods to list)
2015 SV Leaf w/QC & Bose (daily)
Location: Topeka, Kansas
Contact:

Post

Well my engine bay looked empty, so I filled it with stuff.
Image

Looking at the picture, the intercooler piping doesn't look complicated, but it was a PITA. The cold pipe was easy enough... ignoring the fact that it HAD to occupy the same space as the upper radiator hose, so I had to make an upper radiator hose out of 1-3/8" silicone 90°'s, some "joiners" and 8 friggin clamps. I'm not happy about it, but it was my only option. The hot side took forever. It comes out of the turbo at 2", and goes into the intercooler at 3". It has 2 90°'s and 2 45°'s. I had to trim all but one 45 to get it all to fit together, and I ordered a damn section of 2.5" pipe instead of a 2.5" "joiner", so I had to cut it down and weld it back together. I'm SOOO glad I bought a TIG welder. It's saved me a BUNCH of time and money on this project. Obvious the suction side of the turbo isn't done. I have to cut a hole to route the piping for the CAI, but it's 1:15a right now, and I didn't think the neighbors would appreciate me making a bunch of racket, plus I should have gone to bed 3 hours ago, LOL! But it's damn close. Once the CAI is done, I need to change the oil and add coolant, and it should be ready to fire up and drive to the exhaust shop. I still have a BUNCH of stuff to do, but none of it's dire. I just need to get some miles on this thing ASAP. It's been way to long.


Return to “CA18DE / CA18DET Forum”