ca18det swapped s14 240sx won't start.

[jynxtrix]

Okay, so I havent really posted here, ever. Mostly because anything I've ever had a problem with has already been discussed, so I have never had to post over a problem. I'm also really new to the area as I just got out of the service and moved to my wife's hometown in Maryville TN. I really don't know where anything is around here. So here goes, as the title says, I have a 95 240sx that I swapped a ca18det into(dare to be different, and prefer cast iron blocks in case you are wondering). I had yuri at wiring specialties do the harness for me. Everything went together fine except for the drive shaft being a little shorter than needed, and the fact that I can't get the fuel pump to prime or turn on and and I have no spark. I need to find somewhere around here that can cut a one piece drive shaft for me, but most importantly I need to get spark and fuel. I'm not getting proper power at the ecu it seems, as i have to jumper the wire at the relay yuri installed in order to make it ground properly, but that still doesn't make my fuel pump turn on or give me spark. I would have done it myself if I didn't suck at wiring. On a good note, I just finished replacing my transmission. In case anyone is curious, ANY 240sx transmission, Including the 6 speed will fit a ca18det. All you have to do is swap the bellhousing off the ca18det transmission and use a ca18det clutch assembly it's about a two hour job. Does anyone know if the driveshaft in an s14 is longer than in an s13? If so I need to find one. Anyway, I'm getting pretty wore out trying to figure this mess out, so if anyone has had any similar problems, or has any suggestions for a reputable shop in the area who could help (with the engine or the driveshaft issue), or even in the are who is curious about taking a look at it let me know what ya got people. thanks. And please don't flame any more than necessary. Like I said, I have done alot of searching on this already and can't seem to find an answer.

[jynxtrix]

c'mon, I can't possibly be the only person who has ever done this swap or encountered this problem. Can't anybody help?

[dickie]

you get more info and better answers when you post in the correct section.

i moved this thread for you.

[ca18detgabby]

Was the 95 originally auto? that would account for your drive shaft issue.

as for s14 vs S13 drive shafts I dont believe they are different as a S13 motor will mate to an s14 and vise versa w/o changing drive shafts.....

as for spark issues. very common the stock ignitor(20 years old) wear over time and may need to replace(q45 ignitor is usually swapped in). then I would move on to make sure my coil pack harness was clean(as yuri did it I would expect it to be clean, but just in case) and also that the ground wire is properly grounded.(this is all assuming you replaced your plugs when you did the swap)...... then time to check out the coil packs(rare for all 4 to go though)

as for fuel. so long as it is wired and getting power(battery is good right?) it should be good. Check your lines and fuses.

the last piece of the puzzle and the only thing that both are attached to is the ECU (other than the battery)..... if you have a bum ECU, well you get no fuel or spark........ I would rule out the simple items first, then tackle the that.

[jt15833]

i've got a CA in my s14. I did the harness myself and would recommend looking at this writeup if you're questioning the wiring.

http://mysite.verizon.net/nrgo...4.htm

[r34 gtr]

It sounds to me like something is wired incorrectly. I might be inclined to contact Yuri and see if theres something he can do. If nothing is getting proper power, and you have to jumper relays in the harness to get the thing to power on, something isnt right.

[slo]

Don't forget about the drop resistor for the injectors

[jynxtrix]

thanks, sorry for the rookie mistake. I appreciate the move. J

[Apex]

I have recently put the CA into my '96. Your best bet is to download the Factory shop manuals and wiring diagrams. Your next step would be to get good at wiring. Everyone is going to keep referring you to their favorite SR20 wiring page when that is not what you need. I ended up completely disassembling my harness and running every wire. I'm not going to tell you that my car is doing well, because it isn't. But I have managed to get it running. I will offer you this. Your fuel pump relay is beside your dead pedal, not in the engine bay. I ran my black and pink wire from the ecu to the fuel pump relay to get my pump on.

I used my original driveshaft ('96 S14). It works.

If you want to compare notes or talk shop, e-mail me and I'll help as much as I can.

If you need the FSMs, I can send them.

Minot... that sucks.

[jynxtrix]

Well, yes, originally the vehicle was an automatic. So my original drive shaft is too short. I also had difficulty mounting my carrier bearing, which was made worse by a friend who improperly wired up my driveshaft when I towed it. I should have double checked it myself, but he hadn't seemed like that much of a retard in the first place. Fooled me. Anyway, it blew the transmission and tore up the underside of the car some. Not too bad though. Anyway, I have the FSM's, I just suck at electronics. I sent it to yuri as a last resort. I havent had the chance to work on it since I got to teneessee with the wet weather here, but hopefully soon I'll get back to it. Maybe tomorrow. I have three ECU's, two haven't worked. I haven't tried the third yet. What was the deal with the drop resistors for the injectors? I must have missed that somewhere. I want to finish all tis myself, but so far I'm a little gun shy after the mess I have made of the electrical so far. Anyway, if anybody thinks of anything else, let me know, or I'll let you guys know how things are going as I get updates. Thanks for the warm welcome, lol.

[Apex]

Simply put: There is a resistor in line with each injector that ensures proper operation. Sometimes that will come on the harness as a single pack with a connector.Any knowledgeable person would have either inquired about this before making your harness or would have added the connector or would have made sure that the equipment was present. For the price you probably paid for the harness, $10 at radio shack does not sound like too much to ask. I don't know this Yuri, But if he made the harness correctly, the resistor pack or a connector for it is present.

They can look similar to this:

[jynxtrix]

hmmm, a dsm drop resistor. Cute, well anyway, I know what you are talking about know and yes, my original ca resistor is there. Thanks for the heads up.

[hooperstar]

i have a driveshaft for u. Its out of a 95 240sx just pulled it because i just did a rb25 swap. my car is a 5spd so i believe its the one u need $200 shipped

[r34 gtr]

$200 for a used stock s14 driveshaft?!?! I mean, you can get a new one piece from one of our sponsors for an extra hundred bucks.

[ca18detgabby]

$200 for a used stock s14 driveshaft?!?! I mean, you can get a new one piece from one of our sponsors for an extra hundred bucks.

the S14 drive shafts seem to be made of gold. everytime I see one listed forsale it rediculously priced.

[ca18datsun510]

you only need the front half of any manual s14 driveshaft. NOT the same as s13.

or hit up shaftmasters for a nice 1 piece driveshaft. i have one, and couldnt be happier. much better then dss parts i have dealt with.

as for any trans fitting the ca, the 6 WILL NOT. its a different trans design, and not interchangeable with the 5 psd bellhousings.

and for wiring, good luck. people that dont know any better will defend wiring specialties, but bottom line is, he sucks.

do a search for them on here, and other forums and you will find plenty of stories of bad wiring.

sometimes cars will run ok on them, but even those are generally found to be wired wrong.

back in the day i had a friend send his ca harness to him, and he made a mess. the thing that comes to mind first was how he eliminated the knock sensor wire from the engine harness. it was completly gone, and depinned from the ecu plug.

i know for a fact it was there before it got shipped out.

then we found the mafs wires were mixed up, and he had the turbo timer wired in wrong.

your best bet, make friends with someone who is good at wiring, get a good printout of factory wiring schematics, and make him dinner while he goes through the whole harness and checks everywire.

[Apex]

[float_6969]

I also had a friend that had a bad experience with Yuri. It was an S14 SR in an S13 and he basically had to do it all over from scratch himself.

I'm going to be doing a CA into an S14 soon as well, but I'm using a standalone so I won't be much help.

I would start checking grounds. Widespread problems like what you're describing sounds like you're missing, or you have a bad ground.

[jynxtrix]

right, so I finally got my wiring harness back from yuri for the SECOND time. It's still the same **** as before. So is there anyone in the area or even anyone I could ask to test a couple of ecu's for me? I just need someone who is running a ca18 to plug in my ecu and see if it'll run. I haven't the foggiest clue how to redo my wiring harness, so if it's not the ecu I'm giving up and just swapping a ka back into. Honestly, it's whichever I find first. So if anyone has a ka engine they wouldn't mind parting with near zip 37801 I'd love to hear from them. Anybody out there? Just let me know. My cell is 701-340-6971.

[ca18detgabby]

you can send me the ECU and I will test it to see if it works on my CA.

conditions are....

no fuelno sparkno FP priming

beyond that you have no idea what other running conditions might be as it has yet to turn over correct?

[jynxtrix]

yeah, you got it. I have three of them, I'll send two of them to you, and hang on to the third so I can keep testing and so forth in the mean time, just let me know about how long you think it will take you. you can give mea call later at 701 340 6971. Thanks.

[ca18detgabby]

how long it would take me to test it? you mean you mean beyond plugging it in and seeing if it works?