ca18det swap, need unbias'd honest response, from people who know

[timmyk]

hokay...so i have a failed ka-t 1996 240sx and im sick of not being able to drive my car...so i decided to start from scratch and either swap in an sr20 or a ca18det... [canadian prices]found a sr20det redtop w/ fmic for 2300and a stock ca18det for 1500

both seem like good deals and i can't make up my mind, so i have come to those that actually own a ca, to learn from there personally experiences... here are a few questions, i have for CA owners:

1.) how reliable has it been for you?2.) would you recommend someone going ca18det on your experience or not?3.)do the few perks that the ca have, making up for the lack of power? example: there renown throttle response4.) Why did you keep your CA [or swap in] instead of getting an sr? not looking for "to be different" responses....I want legit reasons for what reasoning you have behind keeping/swaping.. Was it just easier to do?

My primary purpose for my car is drifting and I just want good throttle response and power to make some nice smoke. However, in my eyes it seems the ca18det lacks power. [From dyno/drag numbers] This is in comparision to doing small mods on an sr20 to the mods on ca18det.

What I'm trying to say, is it seems easier to extract power out of an sr20 compared to a ca18det...am I right about this? As we know, the ca lacks displacement.

Thank you for your time, and any information you can provide.

[Nicksemianiw]

uhhh slap on a t25g onto a ca18det and it will be making around the same power as a sr. As for small mods yes your right. To get the ca over 200whp you need to swap out the mafs, turbo as well as the other basic mods where as a sr with a turbo back exhaust , intake and fmic can make like 220-230whp at 10-12 psi. Cheaper in the short term yes but once you hit 260ish you need to do the turbo, mafs and tuning with a sr20det. Only difference with a ca is you need to do it to break 200whp vs 250-260whp with a sr so it costs more to get over that 200whp mark but once you do you can make around the same power as a sr with in reason.

[ca18detgabby]

ibtl

there are so many comparos and ALL of the are going to be bias

I love my CA, but it def isnt right for everyone.

do some research(and not just the fox kind...haha) and figure out what fits YOUR NEEDS. not mine......

[float_6969]

It depends on your budget. As Nicksemianiw said, for sub 250whp numbers, the SR is a cheaper route. The CA will generally make comparable numbers to the SR, once the modifications are the same.

Also, the CA is a lighter motor than the SR, and although I haven't weighed it, I think it's lighter than ppl think it is. I have one swapped into my S14 and took so much weight off the front of the car that it raised the ride height at least 2 inches. I've seen plenty of SR's in S14's and they've never done that. I mention this because it might make the car harder to drift having less weight on the front tires.

Lastly, take into account that the CA is becoming pretty hard to find in good condition and may need rebuilt before it would be reliable. Also, much of the wiring and sensors for these motor have been sitting in a junkyard in the elements for 10+yrs and are in poor condition.

[r34 gtr]

The CA weighs 280lbs to the SR's 350 to the KA's 380. Approximate.

For the s14, I would go SR for the ease of the swap. SR came in there, its easy like Sunday morning.

[silviaS13lover]

lol kat. anywho. the ca18 is a great engine. oem replacement parts arnt to hard to find. the downside is that it is an old engine, and it will leak etc. replace gaskets before you swap it in. ca s14 is not very popular. but i like the idea. don't get a ca18 just because the base price is cheaper. theirs always hidden costs in both the ca and sr. gl.

[timmyk]

wow!

thanks alot all for the great info, i think im going to sr!

only cause it has less kms, ease of parts, and easier to get more power out of it

im all about easy stuff, thanks guys

[r34 gtr]

Any time. The CA into the S14 is not a very common swap, and the last person who tried had some problems. Don't need anyone having second thoughts right away or anything.

[MeanGreenS13]

hokay...so i have a failed ka-t 1996 240sx and im sick of not being able to drive my car...so i decided to start from scratch and either swap in an sr20 or a ca18det... [canadian prices]found a sr20det redtop w/ fmic for 2300and a stock ca18det for 1500

both seem like good deals and i can't make up my mind, so i have come to those that actually own a ca, to learn from there personally experiences... here are a few questions, i have for CA owners:

1.) how reliable has it been for you?2.) would you recommend someone going ca18det on your experience or not?3.)do the few perks that the ca have, making up for the lack of power? example: there renown throttle response4.) Why did you keep your CA [or swap in] instead of getting an sr? not looking for "to be different" responses....I want legit reasons for what reasoning you have behind keeping/swaping.. Was it just easier to do?

My primary purpose for my car is drifting and I just want good throttle response and power to make some nice smoke. However, in my eyes it seems the ca18det lacks power. [From dyno/drag numbers] This is in comparision to doing small mods on an sr20 to the mods on ca18det.

What I'm trying to say, is it seems easier to extract power out of an sr20 compared to a ca18det...am I right about this? As we know, the ca lacks displacement.

Thank you for your time, and any information you can provide.

as a person who has owned both CA18DET and SR20DET as well as KA-t and RB20, i think i can help you out a little.

When my CA ran, it was as reliable as could be, i knew that every morning, id go out and it would fire right up and get me wherever i had to go. Ive had issues, but nothing to blame on the engine, its either been my or the machine shops issues over the past year that's kept the car off the road.

i would definitely recommend the CA to anyone, I really like the fact that it has no rockers made of glass like the SR does, but on the other hand, some parts can be hard to come by and are really pricey and the CA seems to be extremely finicky where the SR will take pretty much whatever you throw at it as long as you stay under 7500rpm.

the CA has great throttle response but compared to an SR, there isnt much low end, but i will say the top end grunt and rev-happy nature of the CA does make it (to me) a little more enjoyable to drive than the SR.

my true reason behind keeping my CA was that ive been there done that with the other big 3, havent exactly made big power with any one of them, but ive had fun and enjoyed them. this car is set up for the CA and its a suprise to most when they are expecting a KA or SR and they see a "mini rb" as most call it.

Every engine has its ups and downs, Ca's are good, Sr's are good. Its all in what your looking for.

If your a pure beginner, the SR seems to be the "gateway drug" of Nissan engines, I did find the SR much more forgiving to noob mistakes and ignorance, but at the same time, the CA (once unnecessary gaggle of crap is removed from it such as useless coolant lines and vacuum lines, its a pretty simple engine as well, it all comes down to parts availability if your on a budget, Sr parts are easier to come by and a little cheaper comparatively

To me, the price on the CA seems a tad high, and if that SR comes with an FMIC, i would say go with that. if your set on a CA, try to find a better deal, Jazzproparts.com for example is in Canada and has a CA priced at $1395 SHIPPED. they are who i got my SR from and their service was great.

Hope this helped.

Phil

[Two-Fortee]

As said above, the main reason the ca18 has 25 less hp than the SR, is not really because of its size (although it doesnt help), but mainly because of the small turbo they slapped onto it. Get yourself an SR T25 or a T28 and you will be making nice power

[mbmbmb23]

Whatever you do, make sure either you or someone you trust looks over the engine before you buy it. You are in Canada...as are maaaany importers....so you should be able to find something local you can look over.

If I were you I would go for an SR, the enthusiast market is FLOODED with them right now so finding cheap parts for sale is always a bonus. Seems many guys are graduating from their initial mods (step 1 cams, gt28rs, etc...basically all the fad parts from a few years ago) and moving up to the new "in" trends (LS1, gt3076, etc)....thus making parts available to you on the cheap.

[r34 gtr]

Since it is going in an s14 its pretty much a no-brainer to go with the SR. It was meant for the car.

[southernsteel]

Since it is going in an s14 its pretty much a no-brainer to go with the SR. It was meant for the car.

I'll have to agree with r34. The only reason I'm leaving the CA in my S14 is because it was in there. I can't afford to buy an SR, KA or RB until later. If I had a choice, I would have an rb.

But at $800, my car was a steal. Just needs a little TLC and doing it right the first time.

[sjbsuperman1425]

i'll admit i bought the CA for the price. i've put around 3k the car including the engine swap, and other misc things like brakes and misc. gauges. It is a DAMN fun car to drive. My friends (and myself) were skeptical of it at first, but we love it now.

if i had to do it over again, i'd probably get an SR though. parts are absolutely everywhere. So im looking for another S13 so i can have both lol

SR is the way to go for a S14 though. GL with your endevors!

[TomahawkJack]

well i guess ill chime in with my $.02.i am 20 years old, and have wanted a ca powered wingless piggy hatch since i bought my first coupe when i was 16. i sold the coupe n bought an s14 with dreams of ka-t, until my dreams were crushed by a guardrail and a state police officer. i sold the s14 and bought a beat eg civic hatch, whic i then traded for a base model 90 ahtch with a lil rust here n there. my soch ka clutch fan got hungry and ate my wiring harness while driving one day, so i saved up and ordered my ca from royal japanese motors. it came witha smoked nismo clutch and a locked up 60 trim garret turbo. I did all the maintainence (sp?) on it such as water pump, timing belt, thermostat....etc and swapped it in, realizing i had half a wiring harness. anywho, after finally sourcing an sr turbo, teh other half of the wring harness, and a stage 4 xtd clutch. after all of my engine woes adn downers, i finally got her to fire and run like a dream. it hasnt failed to put a smile on my face yet when i go WOT and listen to the screamer pipe go its very reliable so far and its def my motor of choice, but if ur looking for an easy stret wy to have fu in an s14, SR is def what u need bro!!!!

srry for the book, just felt like sharing my story!

[float_6969]

The only way putting an SR into an S14 is easier than a CA is if you get an S14 SR (the one with the black topped, rear sloped valve cover). If you get an S13 SR, it's not any easier than a CA.

And if you go standalone, it's super easy, LOL.

[r34 gtr]

Well yeah, but who buys s13 SRs anyway?

[The_Chosen_One]

Do what I did save your money, buy a subaru and move on with your life. Best damn decision I've ever made, sure the CA was fun but working on cars just got boring.

[r34 gtr]

Haha that is one way to do it. One nice thing about my (borther's, but he is out of the country, so it is mine) E30 325i is that it is deliciously bone stock, and thus reliable, runs excellently, and causes me no grief. Girls will ride in it too, which is a major plus.

[The_Chosen_One]

Yea but they walk out once you open your mouth, and when they find how cheap you are they'll be switching states.

[r34 gtr]

Aaaw, you know me so well!