Hello

[93sivliaUsdm]

hello people, I just had some questions about the CA18det and i figured this would be the best places for them =) lol.Okay so im pretty new to the whole nissan thing i had a 5th gen prelude for 2 years and loved it but sold it due to financial issues and now have come across, purchased, and fallen in love with a silvia from 93 240sx. I want to go boost and im having trouble what would be the best for me. I do not have tons of money but have a job and can attain parts on a monthly basis.

So ive heard tons of SR horror stories and ive priced out turboing my low mile KA but have also heard stories of the bottom end letting go. soooo how is the CA18? are there any "typical" problems with these engines? i always keep up regular maintenance on cars so those problems wont become an issue.

here are a couple pics =]oldnew

[jpnissans13]

thats a clean sil80. re-build the ka and slap a turbo on it. My friend did that and it turned out to be a nice reliable dd mustang killer and weekend track warrior.

what horror stories about the sr?

ca18det= baby RB. A friend of mine has it, its SICK!

[ca18detgabby]

motors dont kill motors............. people kill motors.

[93sivliaUsdm]

Ive just heard of tons of people blowing their SRs way too fast and i know people kill motors but still i rarely hear of any dead CA's or KA-T's

[ca18detgabby]

Ive just heard of tons of people blowing their SRs way too fast and i know people kill motors but still i rarely hear of any dead CA's or KA-T's

too fast for what? their rocker arms?

anything being "too fast" is laughable.......

btw, there are posts here all the time of dead CAs, the difference is the people who own CAs are not(for the most part) cry baby's who blame the motor instead of their own(or other) stupid choices.

maybe Im confused? are you looking for something slow and reliable? swapped motors pop......... it happens. Motors are swapped to drive the piss out of them(often because they are replacing something that got driven into the ground). It is inevitiable that that these motors will eventually pop too.

[zombieslider]

well if you have to ask about it, im gonna go ahead and say this is not the motor for you just go with an sr you will be perfectly fine with it being stock and not blowing up or if you wanna go ka-t just get new pistons and a good tune.

[themadscientist]

thats a clean sil80.

Where? I see a 240 with a silvia front end.

[93sivliaUsdm]

blowing their motor quickly, like right after its installed.

and why isnt this the motor for me just because i would like to know if there are any typical issues with these engines? i would like to have a strong engine that makes decent power. i know that every engine is strong if you put money into it, but im talking about a factory engine that can handle 300-350whp

[btm88]

All 3 motors Ka, SR, and Ca can hold 300-350hp. It is a question of how long though. I believe that horsepower is pushing the limits of the Ca's internals, that is a strong healthy Ca which most will not be when you first get them since they are old.I have a buddy who has a 400hp Ka-T and a few other's around the 300hp mark for drift and the motors have lasted a pretty long time for how they treat them.And of course I know people with SR swaps and they last just as long as any other motor does with the right set-up and maintenance.Your goal of 300-350hp is gonna be a quick S13, I mean real quick. Any more than that and in my opinion starts to lose it's daily driverness. Also remember with higher horse power there is more stress on the motor which does shorten the motor's life. I don't mean to say there isn't Ka's, SR's, or Ca's that don't last for 100K+ but it's just something to think about when deciding on what your goals are.

[zombieslider]

im saying its not your motor cuz i can see by the questions your asking that you havent even begun to do any research on these lil babies. If you read what the die hard fans are they give this motor a lot of respect but thats not from just getting the engine replacing a cpl hoses and then going out and driving the piss out of them. Its from many many broken parts, hopes and dreams.

[dash]

I'd never replace a KA with a CA or SR. Totally different drive, due to its torque delivery.Tooooo many proven 'virgin motor' combinations online to copy. No need to guess

[boost_boy]

I'd never replace a KA with a CA or SR. Totally different drive, due to its torque delivery.Tooooo many proven 'virgin motor' combinations online to copy. No need to guess

For turboing purposes, I would. Since I'm my own builder and tuner, I get to be picky. I personally despise chain driven motors 4-cylinder motors. You, me or we can make a case on the pros and cons of the three motors you mentioned, but in the end, your opinion is what matters. I personally say the CA is better in a few areas because, well, it's just built better. KA has a bigger displacement (if that's what one wants) and the SR, with it's slightly bigger displacement is a motor that gained notoriety from a rice boy movie.

My Hypothesis: CA series, RB series, VG series, 1J, 2J, 4G64, 4G63, 4G61, 4G67, 4G97, 7MGTE, 4A series, are just a few engines by different manufacturers that preferred a belt driven engine over chain driven engines when it comes to performance-based motors. Ripping apart a CA is much easier than ripping apart an SR or KA. But then again, ripping apart a CA is much easier than ripping apart any 4G or 4A as well (I've done them all). But in all actuality, a poorly tuned or built engine will require more maintenance and it doesn't matter which engine either. Choose wisely .

Dee

[bentvalves]

the KA is quickly becoming the new SR of s-chassis swaps. Its funny to see how much KA's are getting these days, when a few years ago you couldnt give them away. I also do not like chain driven engines, but it is what it is and torque production due to stroke and bore is really what it comes down to. You cant rev it as high, but there is really no need to since traction is usually an issue with all that torque

[r34 gtr]

Your user name is quite the conundrum.

Turbo the KA. Torque is really fun.

[93sivliaUsdm]

For turboing purposes, I would. Since I'm my own builder and tuner, I get to be picky. I personally despise chain driven motors 4-cylinder motors. You, me or we can make a case on the pros and cons of the three motors you mentioned, but in the end, your opinion is what matters. I personally say the CA is better in a few areas because, well, it's just built better. KA has a bigger displacement (if that's what one wants) and the SR, with it's slightly bigger displacement is a motor that gained notoriety from a rice boy movie.

My Hypothesis: CA series, RB series, VG series, 1J, 2J, 4G64, 4G63, 4G61, 4G67, 4G97, 7MGTE, 4A series, are just a few engines by different manufacturers that preferred a belt driven engine over chain driven engines when it comes to performance-based motors. Ripping apart a CA is much easier than ripping apart an SR or KA. But then again, ripping apart a CA is much easier than ripping apart any 4G or 4A as well (I've done them all). But in all actuality, a poorly tuned or built engine will require more maintenance and it doesn't matter which engine either. Choose wisely .

Dee

alright so what your saying is that the CA is a better choice than the KA and SR because it is built stronger from the factory, easier to take apart/rebuild?

what about swapping it into my car how difficult is that?

the KA is quickly becoming the new SR of s-chassis swaps. Its funny to see how much KA's are getting these days, when a few years ago you couldnt give them away. I also do not like chain driven engines, but it is what it is and torque production due to stroke and bore is really what it comes down to. You cant rev it as high, but there is really no need to since traction is usually an issue with all that torque

I have noticed that the KA-T is becoming super popular and im not one of those kids that goes out and dumps the clutch and pings the rev limiter over and over just cause they like the sound. i like to get in it from 1st gear through 3rd getting on the interstate/cruising around town with my friends, and would like to get into the drift scene. and i have noticed the substantial amount of torque this engine delivers even in the stock state(coming from the no torque honda scene).

Your user name is quite the conundrum.

Turbo the KA. Torque is really fun.

lol i accidentally misspelled it when making my username >_<

and i like the KA i just have priced out turboing the KA the right way and upgrading everything to keep it from having issues and it is quite expensive.

[zombieslider]

he says conundrum because there is no usdm silvia. As far as swapping it in its the same process as doing an sr its not very difficult BUT your gonna wanna buy more replacement parts then you would if you bought an sr because they are newer engines.

[93sivliaUsdm]

i know there is no usdm silvia but it is a usdm car with a silvia front and doesnt have any remnants of 240sx badgeing, and i would wanna buy more replacement parts for the CA because its an older engine? so mean like what hoses, belts, gaskets?

[zombieslider]

you pretty much wanna do a mild rebuild, headgasket, all new gaskets, hoses, water pump, oil pump, etc

[southernsteel]

You have to understand these motors are 19 years old at their youngest, unless you get a european ca, then it changes to sixteen, which is only slightly younger than I am. Think about the used cars people buy. The majority of them have well over 100 or even 200K miles. My 240 is a 96 and it's got 185xxx on the odometer. My sentra is a 96 and it just crossed the 150K mark.

So swapping this motor into your car isn't as simple as switching out your motors, changing up your wiring and starting the thing. It's going to have problems. It's a turbo motor from an old car that was sure to be beat on.

With that in mind, do as said before. A simple rebuild. Timing belt, oil pump, water pump, plugs, etc etc. I wouldn't go so far as the headgasket (just me) but replacing your main seals while the motor is out wouldn't be a bad idea.

You're asking for pros and cons of different motors, but it really sounds like you're set on this motor because you're attracted to the low price. If that so happens to be why you want this motor, compared to an SR swap, turboing your KA, or an RB swap, then this is not the motor for you. Parts are fairly scarce and are becoming more scarce as people buy these motors (because of their low price) and blow them up because they want to be "mad tyte yo!" Oh that and Nissan stopped production of parts for the motor. That definitely contributes.

Just do research on the motors and motor swaps in general. You're going to do what you want to do, regardless of what we say. Just take advice from the seasoned CA owners and you'll know if the motor is for you or not.

[93sivliaUsdm]

you cannot compare age with mileage, my 93 has 137k on it where as my lude a 97 had 200k i would try and get a mileage statment with whatever motor i choose just to know where i'm at with wear and tear, but i think im just going to save longer and get a sr20 for the sake of the parts avalible for the engine. the CA is awesome i would love to be an owner of a nostalgic nissan engine but i think ill stick a little more cookie cutter for now since this will be my first swap. maybe some day ill get a hatch and badge it up as a 180 and swap a CA in it.