ca18det240hatch wrote:i wanna know what you get for compression lol, and your break-in technique

I did a compression and leakage test yesterday and this is what i got for my results.

1. 125-130psi2. 130-135psi3. 130-135psi4. 125-130psi

Now this was done with the engine cold. I also havent driven the car or used the engine very long so im pretty sure these numbers will go up as everything starts to wear in a little. Once the piston rings heat up and expand i should get better results.

As far as the leakage test, usually you want to see somewhere in the 15-20% area. My percentage exceeded this for each cylinder. I had to use a ratchet and socket to hold the crankshaft from moving and each time the gauge kept going down past 20, 15, 10 even 5% when i did this. Im happy with the results so this is good for now. Ill recheck both of these within a few months.

Now my only problem right now is that damn intake manifold gasket! Im talking about the one that goes in between the head and the sub-manifol! I thought i had fixed my problem by tightening all the bolts real good but apparently it wasnt good enough. I didnt have the vacuum leak but i still have the coolant leak right by the thermostat housing. The leak is from the one and only coolan passage in the manifold and it sucks that im going to have to remove everything just to replace that gasket! This time im going to make sure everything is tight, flat and maybe use a little bit of gasket sealer to help out. I doubt my surfaces are warped but ill check it once i disassemble it.

Another thing im going to have to find are some power steering lines because it looks like mine are done for. Im getting oil all over the place!

well you got very similar results to mine for compression. I guess its not true that rings seat in the first 20 minutes....if thats the case, how come one of my cylinders came up from 90 psi to 140?

my man david god to see it finished sounds great too you were working on this for a while congrats

A+ job David! i approve fully!

i was wondering though, is there a major difference in how the turbo sits on the equal length manifold rather than stock? it looks like there is but i can't tell 100%. also, do the NISMO mounts raise or lower the engine at all in how it sits in the engine bay?

great build once again.!!

Holy old thread batman! Thanks for searching though!

lol i guess so. i've never even seen it before last night lol. sorry about that

I finally got a new camera last month so i decided to update the pictures. It has been a long time since i last posted pictures. I haven't done anything new or amazing with the CA but i still wanted to show some of the guys here that im still rocking it after all this time. I wish i had more time, money and resources to make this build even more interesting but it is what it is.

I was having a odd boost/throttle problem that i couldnt seem to get rid off. No matter what i tried it was still there. Recently i did a compression test and the results came out as: 1-140psi 2-144psi 3-135psi 4-136psi For a while i kept noticing people on here were having problems with the Cometic MLS hg not sealing well due to poor prep work prior to assembly. The head and block need to be prefectly straight and i thought mine was but apparently not. I was getting a small oil leak from the rear of the hg and some from the sides. My coolant was dark and smelled like fuel too.

So i've decided to try and go back to the OEM hg and upgrade to the s13 sr20 t25. I want to see if the HG fixes my low compression numbers and mabye i can take the s13 out to the autobahn, auto-x, or any driving event before the summer is over. School starts August 15 and im running out of time!
















































































































Modified by davidricardo86 at 5:18 PM 7/21/2009

I'd love to see some new vids of your car running and being revved. Also, how do you like the clutch? (and flywheel) I will be using the same combination.

What did you decide on for intercooler?

Congrats on a nice build. There's something so sexy about a nice condition 91-93 lowered on SE wheels (in your original pics)......its just very clean...give me an idea how the car looked rolling off the line.

-m

So I take it you replaced the turbo? Did you notice that the blades of the old turbo were totally wrecked and that one of the blades was missing the tip? I hope that piece didn't end up in the motor!

You will love that turbo upgrade, 2nd best mod i ever did to my CA

Wow man you did an awesome job! Do you have to tune the ecu for the sr20 t25?

mbmbmb23 wrote:I'd love to see some new vids of your car running and being revved. Also, how do you like the clutch? (and flywheel) I will be using the same combination.

What did you decide on for intercooler?

Congrats on a nice build. There's something so sexy about a nice condition 91-93 lowered on SE wheels (in your original pics)......its just very clean...give me an idea how the car looked rolling off the line.

-m

I'll take some new videos (in 720p thanks sony) and post them up for you guys. Nothing fancy just a plain jane ca18 s13.

Rolling off the line? Well there's a lot of wheel spin followed by a slow acceleration climb to the speed limit of 115 mph. I love my car my hobby and what i've done, i wouldn't have it any other way. I'm still learning.

float_6969 wrote:So I take it you replaced the turbo? Did you notice that the blades of the old turbo were totally wrecked and that one of the blades was missing the tip? I hope that piece didn't end up in the motor!

Yeah i am replacing it Ryan. The old one got f'd up. Long story short, the intake pipe was not cleaned properly when it was made. Sucks but i've got a new/rebuilt turbo to look forward to. Nothing looks to have gotten messed up inside the chambers as far as i can tell.

Do you think the old turbo is rebuildable/reuseable?

Ca_Silvia wrote:You will love that turbo upgrade, 2nd best mod i ever did to my CA

That's what everyone says. I keep seeing all these huge watermelon sized turbos everywhere, makes me a little insecure about my package. hahaha I can't wait though. How did you like the turbo's characteristics? I'm planning on keeping it at factory boost and messing with that later. Power is not my goal. I just want to use the bloody thing!

idahos13 wrote:Wow man you did an awesome job! Do you have to tune the ecu for the sr20 t25?

As far as i know, no. It should be at a factory 7~8 psi and thats what the CA t25 is so there shouldn't be a need for one yet. Once i start fiddling with the boost spark and fuel parameters i will. I'm trying to keep this as a budgeted daily.

I got more pictures coming soon.

davidricardo86 wrote:
That's what everyone says. I keep seeing all these huge watermelon sized turbos everywhere, makes me a little insecure about my package. hahaha I can't wait though. How did you like the turbo's characteristics? I'm planning on keeping it at factory boost and messing with that later. Power is not my goal. I just want to use the bloody thing!

Seriously, that turbo should have came with the CA stock, everyone says it but its true. For stock cams i think that turbo is hard to beat for a daily. Oh and my watermelon loves 18psi thanks

davidricardo86 wrote:
Rolling off the line? Well there's a lot of wheel spin followed by a slow acceleration climb to the speed limit of 115 mph. I love my car my hobby and what i've done, i wouldn't have it any other way. I'm still learning.

I actually meant rolling off the assembly line (back in the day). =)

No, that turbo isn't re-buildable.

Its been a long time but I have a questions regarding my CA18 and figured I'd just ask here to get help. I didn't want to make another thread so I'll just add it to this old one.

Do anyone know what options I have regarding a clutch kit for the CA18DET? It's been a long time since I worked on my 240 and since I did anything with the CA. I completely fell off for a while but have been thinking lately that I want to prepare the 240 for when I have to start driving again.

When I did the CA swap, I remember I put in a Centerforce DF clutch kit (DF583402) meant for the KA. I drilled out the bolt holes but i cant remember if i removed one of the alignment pins, not a smart move and ill tell you while. In mid 2010, I was using the 240 to travel from Chicago to Detroit. On my drives, I would feel a speed sensitive vibration coming from the driveline, transmission, and chassis. I don't know for sure where the source was but my guess was that it was due to the rigging of the clutch kit. The vibration would occur around 55-60mph and when I would let off the throttle. It did not feel safe. I thought that by drilling those clutch pressure plate bolt holes, I ruined the balance of the entire clutch kit. But if I was on the throttle above 60, it would smooth out. Would this have anything to do with the centrifugal weights on this type of pressure plate? or could this be due to the improper installation??

I would like to replace the pressure plate with another one from centerforce one, possibly the CA18ET equivalent so i can just bolt it on without modification. The clutch disc is still in great condition so I'd want to reuse it with a new correct pressure plate. I'd like to find just the pressure plate replacement but if I have to purchase another Centerforce kit, I might just do that. Or... I could go with a completely different kit like one from SPEC, or ACT.

Any advice on this will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

EDIT: I found this http://www.race-mart.com/Centerforce-CET-DF533277.html which is the CA18ET version of Centerforce DF kit.

If it was an imbalance in the clutch, it would be RPM dependant, not speed dependant. That sounds like a failing carrier bearing to me. (the bearing in the middle of the driveshaft)

Wow. Im currently in the midst of my CA swap and this was one of the best threads ive found! The CA is a dying thing

Guys, the time has come to part ways with my CA18DET! Sad day I know but I guess life happens and you move to bigger and better things. I could try and hold on to it longer but its hard to. I've owned this car for 10 years and always wanted something a little nicer. I may try another build and project car in the near future.

I know its been years but now I am into Eco hypermiling and my next car will be a 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage ES 5-speed manual. Why? Up to 60 MPG from the inline 3 1.2L gasoline engine. Simple and reliable transportation for work and school.

Maybe I'm just getting old or sound like an old geezer!

You'll be missed, don't be a stranger!

That means a lot to me man, it really does! I cannot believe its been 10 short years! Amazing how short our time actually is in our lives. I learned so much from this unforgettable experience that I owe part of it you guys in this great community. I owe you guys my deepest gratitude.

Going over this old thread and rereading what I went through (in my 20s growing up and following my passion) brings a tear to my eye and makes it that much more special. It makes me not want to stop, and continue with the plans I always had in mind; an S14 CA18DET project, kind of like you Ryan. Every time I "decide to sell it," I end up keeping it "just one more year, then that's it" and cannot come to terms with selling it. Its like a love hate relationship with these machines, so much joy and sorrow.

In my late teens/early 20s, THIS was my life. Now as I'm approaching my early 30s, I feel like I could've accomplished so much more but just didn't because I made some poor choices and failed to step up my game. I blame myself as I was a blind man in a long term relationship with a girl I loved but since last year ended after a 10 year hiatus (I had to get out). As sad as it seems, this "s*** little car project" seems to be all I can really show for all these years. I guess to everyone I'm just a loser since I'm still living with my parents at age 28, not able to land a decent job, nothing to show for, lost my driver's license to a DWI/DUI in 2010, then followed by a bankruptcy due to terrible choice after terrible choice and now after 5 years I'm driving a beat-up old 2001 Toyota Echo sedan. At least its a 5-speed and I'm averaging 35 MPGs.

I did finish my B.S. in Automotive Technology but still haven't been able to do anything with it and I'm stuck paying $13K in student loans. I am about to go back to school and follow my second passion in IT and get training to ultimately get certifications. I always enjoyed school and this time around It'll be for free! The opportunity is too good to pass up and its real. Coincidentally and luckily, I have a couple job offers lined-up right now (an Acura dealership porter and independent repair shop service writer) and I'm mentally ready and mature enough to take things to new heights that I never realized I could before.

Its been an interesting ride to say the least!

What do you guys think? Is my price fair? Too high, too low?
http://chicago.craigslist.org/wcl/cto/4911888179.html

Hi! Congrats on all the hard work you put into this car. Its rare to find a 240sx that is well kept and cared for like yours. I used to have a stock 1993 240sx se and I missed it!!! I actually was really looking into getting another SE and eventually get a ca18det swap but this is perfect, and exactly what I'm looking for! Please send me an email at [email protected] because I'm very interested. I might've sent one already through your Craigslist first so check if it landed in your spam by any chance. Hope to hear from you soon.

David S