I have a 91' 240SX Coupe and want to put a SR20 in it, i need to know if im going to run into any problems, so far ive heard that the radiator is going to blow, i need to customize the wiring harness, is that all...? Basically i just need to know what problems are going to arise and how i can avoid them in the easiest way.Let me know everything that I need to do this the right way and not half ***, Im from Wichita,Ks so if any one can help me locally let me know. Hit it up guys/girls...
DRFT_DMN
Curious about SR20 Swap Need Input
Re: Curious about SR20 Swap Need Input (DRFT_DMN)
rad blow???thats horse$hit !!! i know atleast 6 or 7 people still running there stock ka rad in there sr swaps in that same car,as for the wire harness ull use it to extend the sr harness and might use some sensors from the ka to add to the sr harness its a little diffrent doing a swap ina s13 then a s14 wiring wise...good luck on the swap after everything is said and done ull love
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S13FASTBACKSR
- Posts: 2177
- Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 10:28 am
- Car: '92 Fastback SR powered
Re: Curious about SR20 Swap Need Input (da40)
no the radiator will not blow. in fact the ka radiator is bigger than the sr.
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180sxmonster
- Posts: 88
- Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 8:38 pm
- Car: 180sx
i like the sr radiator better and not the ka radiator because the sr radiator has cross flow unlike the ka.... on the sr radiator the coolant runs across the radiator, therefore getting much more cooling... i thermal checked my ka rad. and on one side of the rad. is much more hotter and the other....
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ILikeMy240sx
- Posts: 5358
- Joined: Fri May 28, 2004 2:49 pm
- Car: SR Power
Any SR I do, I would do the following.
Replace oil pumpReplace head gasketReplace water pump
In doing so, you will be taking off many things and you can see inside your block and see what they look like. This will tell you if your engine is good. Also, you will tear some gaskets so be ready to replace those as well. I have replaced valve stem seals on ALL the SR heads that I've done. It takes a while and is a biotch but oh well...
If you are going to upgrade later for more power perhaps it is to your best interest to replace with metal HG and ARP head studs.
Also check turbo for excessive play.
Replace oil pumpReplace head gasketReplace water pump
In doing so, you will be taking off many things and you can see inside your block and see what they look like. This will tell you if your engine is good. Also, you will tear some gaskets so be ready to replace those as well. I have replaced valve stem seals on ALL the SR heads that I've done. It takes a while and is a biotch but oh well...
If you are going to upgrade later for more power perhaps it is to your best interest to replace with metal HG and ARP head studs.
Also check turbo for excessive play.
Okay so really if i get the 91' 240 coupe, and put the SR in it, i shouldnt have any problems, it should go right in? Also "ILikeMy240sx" Why would I want to replace the oil pump, headgasket, and water pump? Im going to be drifting, and i want the SR to run powerful and i want to be fast, in order to do that do i have to upgrade those parts or will I be okay? Also what does excessive play mean with the turbo, Im getting it off RoyalJapaneseMotors.com Its the JDM SR20DET REDTOP. 20-40,000 miles on the motor. Does that mean that there would be turbo play? Please reply and answer all my ?s detailed, and specific, Im new at these motor swaps, just drift, not really a mechanic. But willing to listen to you and others advice to become knowledgable.
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ILikeMy240sx
- Posts: 5358
- Joined: Fri May 28, 2004 2:49 pm
- Car: SR Power
SR engines are VERY VERY sensitive to any oil problem. Many times SR engine you get will have bad oil pump from being bounced around too much in the process of shipping and what not. New oil pump will ensure that you will not run into oil issues given that everything else is good. I had a bad oil pump with my first SR and I learned the hard way.
HG is a good upgrade along with ARP head studs if you are planning to make a lot of power. Some say not necessary but Id rather do it now than later while its in the car.
Waterpump is another preventive maintenance. Once again, not necessary but makes track down overheating probs if you do get one. Its not too hard to replace while its in the car so you can prob leave that out if you want.
Anyways, you have to physically check the impeller of the turbo to see if it has excessive play meaning side to side or up and down play. For exact specs (if you have the measuring tool) you can check the FSM. Usually you can feel an excessive play if your turbo does have one. Excessive play means your seals are worn out and your turbo will leak lots of oil which means your car will start to smoke really bad esp during idle.
HG is a good upgrade along with ARP head studs if you are planning to make a lot of power. Some say not necessary but Id rather do it now than later while its in the car.
Waterpump is another preventive maintenance. Once again, not necessary but makes track down overheating probs if you do get one. Its not too hard to replace while its in the car so you can prob leave that out if you want.
Anyways, you have to physically check the impeller of the turbo to see if it has excessive play meaning side to side or up and down play. For exact specs (if you have the measuring tool) you can check the FSM. Usually you can feel an excessive play if your turbo does have one. Excessive play means your seals are worn out and your turbo will leak lots of oil which means your car will start to smoke really bad esp during idle.
Re: (DRFT_DMN)
before you start drifting, you definately need to learn more about this engine. sure you can drop it in and have some decent power, but if you dont know exactly whats going on inside that engine, its not going last long at all. especially from the abuse its going to see from drifting.
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180sxmonster
- Posts: 88
- Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 8:38 pm
- Car: 180sx
also antother input on the waterpump.... i had done an sr swap like a few weeks ago but recently i found out that my waterpump is bad because it leaking coolant everywhere...
i would have prevented that by replacing it ahead of time... now i have to rip out everything in front of it to get to it... would have been easier to do it out of the chasis....
i would have prevented that by replacing it ahead of time... now i have to rip out everything in front of it to get to it... would have been easier to do it out of the chasis....
Re: (180sxmonster)
Ilikemy240sx, I'm surprised to hear your oil pump was bad... Nissan's rotary oil pumps are pretty reliable devices.. the same design is in SE-R's and KA's (maybe not identicle but theyre rotary too) and you very very rarely hear of them needing replacement.
SR's oil PICKUP's are excessively prone to being starved if the oil pan is pushed in even a tiny bit, though, and youre almost guarantee'd to have that problem if your motorset arrives strapped to a pallet instead of in a front clip. I would reccomend a GReddy oil pan (holds more oil and promotes a little bit of cooling) for all swaps. I also reccomend a filter relocator if your budget permits. The O.E. location is very unforgiving. Sure K&N oil filters have a 1" nut on top so you can just use a ratchet and extention, but theyre $13 a pop and its still a pain. Also, If you find a place to mount a relocator upside down you can run significantly larger oil filters. Do NOT run taller filters on a relocator right side up, oil drains back down into the feed line and your motor will run dry for a second while it fills the filter and builds pressure.
A new head gasket and head hardware are good ideas for future power, but in my opinion I would reccomend saving the money in the short term, and first get the car running and sort out any bugs. You dont need power to drift, but if youre installing parts for +300hp, removing the head to replace its gasket would only add another couple hours to the project. On a side note, you would be wise to replace more than just the head gasket and head bolts in that scenario.
I RECCOMEND BLACKTOPS!! With a Blacktop, the chances of getting a lower mileage motor are significantly higher, since Blacktops were used from '94-'98. Who's to honestly say you're getting a low mileage motor out of a '91 Silvia that was taken off the road 6 months ago? Every single S13 Blacktop I've heard of has been a no-horror-story swap. Weather mileage is responsible for it or not, It seems most of the good Redtops are just plain sold out. 2 of the 4 Redtop swaps I know of in person have had problems, one with weak compression, the other a failed piston which necessitated block machining on top of the new new rods/pistons he had to buy, since he found that problem 5 miles down the road on his maiden voyage. You can always save the $300 up front and take the higher risk though.
oh and waterpumps are a 'gimme' for only $85 and not needing to replace anything else to get at it.
My stock blacktop (w/ arc sidemount at 12psi) has taken my driving and monthly local drift events like a champ, but I change the oil after every event and dont usually put more than 2000 miles on the car between them.
*Edit Make sure you know what comes with the motor. I noticed the place you want to buy from says you get "all the sensors" but that may not include the MAFS. It said nothing at all about the Ignitor so I wouldnt expect them to ship one without asking.
Modified by Neil at 7:56 AM 8/6/2006
SR's oil PICKUP's are excessively prone to being starved if the oil pan is pushed in even a tiny bit, though, and youre almost guarantee'd to have that problem if your motorset arrives strapped to a pallet instead of in a front clip. I would reccomend a GReddy oil pan (holds more oil and promotes a little bit of cooling) for all swaps. I also reccomend a filter relocator if your budget permits. The O.E. location is very unforgiving. Sure K&N oil filters have a 1" nut on top so you can just use a ratchet and extention, but theyre $13 a pop and its still a pain. Also, If you find a place to mount a relocator upside down you can run significantly larger oil filters. Do NOT run taller filters on a relocator right side up, oil drains back down into the feed line and your motor will run dry for a second while it fills the filter and builds pressure.
A new head gasket and head hardware are good ideas for future power, but in my opinion I would reccomend saving the money in the short term, and first get the car running and sort out any bugs. You dont need power to drift, but if youre installing parts for +300hp, removing the head to replace its gasket would only add another couple hours to the project. On a side note, you would be wise to replace more than just the head gasket and head bolts in that scenario.
I RECCOMEND BLACKTOPS!! With a Blacktop, the chances of getting a lower mileage motor are significantly higher, since Blacktops were used from '94-'98. Who's to honestly say you're getting a low mileage motor out of a '91 Silvia that was taken off the road 6 months ago? Every single S13 Blacktop I've heard of has been a no-horror-story swap. Weather mileage is responsible for it or not, It seems most of the good Redtops are just plain sold out. 2 of the 4 Redtop swaps I know of in person have had problems, one with weak compression, the other a failed piston which necessitated block machining on top of the new new rods/pistons he had to buy, since he found that problem 5 miles down the road on his maiden voyage. You can always save the $300 up front and take the higher risk though.
oh and waterpumps are a 'gimme' for only $85 and not needing to replace anything else to get at it.
My stock blacktop (w/ arc sidemount at 12psi) has taken my driving and monthly local drift events like a champ, but I change the oil after every event and dont usually put more than 2000 miles on the car between them.
*Edit Make sure you know what comes with the motor. I noticed the place you want to buy from says you get "all the sensors" but that may not include the MAFS. It said nothing at all about the Ignitor so I wouldnt expect them to ship one without asking.
Modified by Neil at 7:56 AM 8/6/2006
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SpeedRacer1
- Posts: 3144
- Joined: Fri Jul 26, 2002 7:44 pm
- Car: 1990 240SX, G35
Just a warning, do not believe any sites or stores claiming to sell engines with 20-40k miles on them. This is a load of crap just used to lull people into buying the engine. Generally the majority of SR's coming from Japan will have at least 55,000+ and I have seen and sold some with as high as 120,000 miles. If you dont see a gauge cluster with the swap, then chances are the mileage is unknown. Front clips are more reliable for gauging mileage because chances are the importer hasnt actually taken out the cluster or rolled back the miles.,
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ILikeMy240sx
- Posts: 5358
- Joined: Fri May 28, 2004 2:49 pm
- Car: SR Power
Re: (ILikeMy240sx)
thanks