I want you to do a comprehensive search for the info you seek and continue on this thread with your findings and questions. A sentra in a B12 is a blast . I have one that's really powerful with a LSD and another that will put that one to shame as well, but that's kinda complicated and we can cover that another time.Sentrastic wrote:So I have a B12 sentra with a bad engine I was about to rebuild. However, I've started to consider to upgrade to a better engine. First I thought of the SR20DET however, heard that many fabs were needed so now I'm looking to do CA18DET. I've started to research but can't find enough information and I'm still confused. If there are any detailed guides or parts list or anything already posted that would be great if you could link it. If not any answers would be great. What I'm wanting to accomplish is put the CA18DET in my 90 Sentra B12 the easiest way possible, which I'm thinking put in the engine, harness, ECU, 5-speed FWD transmission and call it good. But I still have a lot of questions.
What exactly are all the parts I will be needing and what cars can I find them from?
Will anything need to be custom fabricated?
How hard is it to do this swap?
And of course any details on how to do this would be great
This will be my first engine swap, so the most information anyone can give will be greatly appreciated.
Basically, you will need to find an 88 or 89 Pulsar SE and rape it . Yes, you must take all the pedals, shifter and linkage, 5spd tranny and bracket, bracket that the tranny mount bolts to, clutch master and slave, passenger side bracket that connect the engine to the mount, bracket that's bolted to the block and has the a/c compressor and alternator attached to it, bracket that the P/S pump attaches, radiator and hoses if they are good and most importantly, don't forget to keep all bolts you removed assigned to the areas you removed them from. Hope this jump starts your project.Sentrastic wrote:Great. So far, Ive decided to work on it today and got the engine and transmission out finally with the axles. Alot of mess in my garage -_-, but now im depending on buying a CA18DET engine pretty soon. The only hard part for me will be the wiring. :/ I'll be posting a few pics and my process pretty soon. But i hope all will work out.
@boost_boy If you can provide me with any additional information or anything i would need to watch out for it'd be helpful. As I do this I'd like to help other members also who are looking forward to do this. Thanks.
It is worth it. You'll definitely will be one in a few and you'll be sitting on a serious classic that most don't and won't ever see as a performance machine. The only thing I say, if you're going to do it, do it and make it hard-core. Don't bs with little wimpy T25/T28 turbochargers. Since the car is cheap, spend the money to make it right. And as for the wiring, I'll do my best to assist you.Sentrastic wrote:Thanks! First thing I'll be doing is getting my hands on a 88 or 89 Pulsar. The only thing I'll be scared of is the wiring and ECU and what not.
But hopefully Boost_boy you can help me with this. Btw, out of curiosity is a CA18DET in a 90 Sentra really worth it? I've had this car for 20 years, and I am NOT letting it go.
Any CA will work, but you have to have the necessary hardware to use it in whatever application you chose. The older CA18DET, which is the one with the turbo intake pipe that crosses the valve covers, is the one you should avoid and you have been warned.Sentrastic wrote:I was pretty sure any CA18DET engine will work. Correct? I called up a guy today and told him I needed the engine for the swap, and he said that the mounts were for a RWD and it wouldn't work. But if i was switch to the FWD transmission, isn't it all the same and the car that the engine comes from doesn't matter? So just to clarify, can i get ANY CA18DET? Or does it need to be from a specific car? or any other requirements?
I'm going tomorrow to Pick N Pull to get all the parts you've listed, hopefully I can find them all.
I'll be posting pics soon.
If this is a "MUST-HAVE" project, then you are in it a for a long ride. I can assist with some of the parts you request, but in reality, since your car is carbureted, it's going to be a bit trivial as you'll have to prepare the car for fuel injection. I don't know how good your skills are at wrenching and wiring, but this project will be a bit of a pain in the tail because of where you're starting from which is next to nothing. The tranny on a stanza will indeed work, but good luck finding one of those as well. I have an extra tranny, but you need to decide if it's worth it because it will have to be shipped to you. If I had a carbureted car and knew what I know now, I would have taken a different approach as far as engine management is concerned, but that's just me. Like I said, I have some parts, but no where near what you need at this point.Sentrastic wrote:Hey I forgot to mention, my Sentra is a XE Version, and it has a carburetor, will this be an issue?
Also, some more background info about the car, it's a 4 speed Manual, no A/C, no Power steering, Also I'm assuming I need more braking power, while I'm part hunting, should i be on a look out for any easily interchangeable brake systems?
Also the wiring harness is becoming increasingly big fear of mine, I was wondering if I paid you, would you be interested in making one for me? It's fine if that's too much.
EDIT: I've been doing some more research, and saw that a Stanza transmission would work, is this true? And if so what model? Apparently getting my hands on a Pulsar SE in CA is a pain in the a** and impossible.
I appreciate the help. Sorry for the double Post.
Avoid that model CA18DET if you must because it has a crappy intake manifold and the head is designed to accept the crappy manifold which is not compatible with the later CA18 heads and intake manifolds. Also, the gearbox using bigger axles than the USDM oulsar SE tranny, so steer clear if you don't want a migraine. As for hydraulic clutch conversion, you will need the hydraulic set-up out of a pulsar and the pedal as well. Hope this helps some.stewy485 wrote:I am thinking about doing this swap... but i have a few questions such as with the clutch master cylinder how would you convert from the sentra being cable to hydraulic.
you say to stay away from the ca18det with the piping coming across the valve cover why is that boost_boy?
No drilling required as everything is a bolt-up affair, but mind you sourcing the correct parts to make this work will be challenging and the best way to do that is to find a complete pulsar. The tranny needed is from a 86-89 stanza. But doing this swap is so much more than you think because I'm putting together one for "Sentrastic" and though I'm nearly finished, it has not been an easy journey, even for me .stewy485 wrote:ok thanks for the help... so when i put the clutch master cylinder in I do not need to drill holes or anything? So what I need to do is find a ca18det then a stanza FWD tranny. Which year do I need for the tranny?
It's going to take more than that website to begin to help you with doing such a project. It's not simple nor cheap, so be prepared to spend a bunch of money and have a bunch of down time.stewy485 wrote:I found a site that has all the parts i need but i just need help putting together all the what pieces for the motor mounts. Here is the link i found what pieces doe i need?
http://www.nissanpartszone.com/Page_Pro ... ntsIndex=4