help me guys!!!!

[x240xdrifter]

Ok I have searched and I have searched. my Engine blew and I have about 4 grand to use. Now I have been leaning towards the CA and now I am leaning to the SR and I can not make up my mind, I don't know what to do!!! what do you guys think? My goal is to have about 250-300hp daily driver/weekend warrior, so for the budget which would you chose?! I just want my mind made up haha

[fitch9014]

you should do what you want, but ca people's are a lot more friendly than sr people, by and large. what i would recommend doing is, if possible driving one of each and taking your impression to make your decision, because only you can decide what's really right for you. by the way, sorry about not getting back to you sooner about that bov, i sent you an email about it.

[x240xdrifter]

oh don't worry about it dude, thanks for the e-mail and keeping me posted

[nissanman04]

dont expect to get a totally unbiased opinion in a CA forum lol

[The_Chosen_One]

In terms of feel, smoothness, and pep I liked my CA more than my KA and friends SR.

[Bwana]

IMO the SR is a cheap engine and the KA is a truck motor. If you want a good engine go CA or RB.

[rotorific]

IMO the SR is a cheap engine and the KA is a truck motor. If you want a good engine go CA or RB.

I hate when people say it is a truck motor.

Funny how it was in 5 different cars but only one truck.Also funny how a turbo charged KA makes more torque than an SR or CA and the horsepower is comparable.

Anyways,Now don't get me wrong I love my CA, but I honestly am getting tired of the lack of replacement parts. The aftermarket is so so as long as you can stand cheap ebay products or multiple week shipping times "from japan".

Other than that I truly believe the CA is a better motor than the SR. RBs are in a class of their own. I honestly would rather have an RB25 if I had an RB but I'm sticking to my CA.

-Gabe

[Bwana]

What you say about the KA is true, but it's characteristic of a truck engine. There's a reason the tq/hp ratio is what it is with the KA, bore/stroke ratio. All in all the design of the engine is better suited for a small truck engine than a true sports car engine. I like it, and think it's a great engine (I have a KAe in my 240 with almost 250k on it) but a serious performance engine it is not.

[iliketocrash]

-ka24e was also used in a Axxess(van), Hardbody Truck, Pintara (yes they made a wagon model)-ka24de also in xterra, frontier, R'nessa(wagon/suv thingy), Presage(van), Bassara(van), Isuzu COMO(think it's a van as well)

so total that's 9 non-car type vehicles and it was only in 5 cars. so maybe it shouldn't be called a "truck motor" but rather nissan's "work horse" motor or "mule". Now i'm not down playing the ka.. well not that much at least but i'm pretty sure when the ka we developed nissan didn't have high performance in mind. with the right parts and know how you can make any motor do amazing things. that's all i gotta say =)

[r34 gtr]

theres a reason we are at the top of the "engine forum" list. no, im not biased at all!

[rotorific]

so maybe it shouldn't be called a "truck motor" but rather nissan's "work horse" motor or "mule".

Thats exactly what I call it!

Somebody grab a miller because that was a good call.

-Gabe

[float_6969]

The problem with the KA is their reliability when boosted. There are a pretty decent number or "I just blew my KAT" threads. For some reason when the KA gets boosted in stock form, it doesn't like to keep it's rods inside the block.

The KA can make some great power, and awesome torque, but if you want any sort of reliability, you'd better plan on all forged internals.

As for the SR and CA debate, you could go round for round on this and never get an answer.

If you can, drive both in similar form and see which you like better.

[Not_a_sr]

there is a Ca18det or a few Sr20dets down in cinncy that are up for sale check out zerolift.com i wouldnt buy from them with out personally handpicking and picking up the motors, we have gotten a few good motors from them and they have been good about actually helping a friend that bought a blown RB

[dash]

ka24de not a bad option at all. CA smooother than sr & ka to me.Simply put, most of ka24de turbocharged 'issues' are tuning related.Many well tuned gone over 400hp atw, with excellent tq.Even seen one approach 400 with a *DSM ecu & loom*, oe internals.Lots of turbo products offered for the KA nowadays, if you seek plug 'n play.At the extreme end... Ivans 9.2 sec KA, driven 3000+ street miles with 45+psi at times is nuts! looks sooo innoscent

[fitch9014]

i've heard that the stock ka's can't keep together under boost because the stroke is too long...and it was also in the altima's and in two versions of the hard body pickups (although the intakes are a little different), i don't think i saw that anywheres...

and i'd just like to add that i've now had my motor swap running for a year and a week now and it's been one of the most reliable drop-in's i've ever done, although i really want an rb20det now, but not in a 240/s13...

[x240xdrifter]

well I found out my budget is cut in half, I have 2500 to spend. I need rims and tires ( maybe find cheap rims and go to tire yards to find mix-match tires) and I also new brake pads and rotors. not to forget to mention but I need sway bar bushings as well a need a new engine. now I have 2 options, get a ca and leave it stock or rebuild the stock sohc. I would love to do the ca and wait to build it up rather then rebuild a sohc and later on replace it, so i guess what I am asking now is can I get an CA as well all the parts I mentioned for the budget I have? is it possible to have left over? Need help ASAP

[fitch9014]

lemme see what i can do on a set of front/rear pads and rotors, if you don't mind brand i might could get you a good price plus shipping, i'll shoot you an email tommorrow. the other thing is, you'll not get a better turbo motor for less money out of the box than the ca. but if you really want the swap hold off on the rims, get tires and brakes if you need them...i got a full swap with a vlsd for $1430 shipped, check out jhot in georgia...hope this helps

[float_6969]

Not to deter you from your dreams in anyway, but what happened to the SOHC KA? I mean, if it popped a HG or something like that, I would rebuild the KA, and get the wheels/tires/suspension sorted out first.

Then when you're ready to do a motor swap, you can do it right the FIRST time.

[bias]

Patience Young Grasshopper! I have noticed that if you take a little time you can not only get what you want, but for maybe less than what you are willing to give. I spent $800 on a 89 hatch last year and $1400 on my engine. Have yet to start driving the car daily. I just got a deal on a 90 hatch for $400 with a better body and have seen engine prices for $1200. Keep in mind I'm still not driving the car. If I had waited I could have saved like $600 that could go to some upgrades.

[x240xdrifter]

with the sohc ka I have to replace the oil pan and timing chain and guides as well the clutch and throw out bearing, so I figured if I do all theses I might as well rebuild it, but I wondered if I should just swap a ca and have the it stock till I have more money to upgrade it later instead of spending money on the ka and then moeny on the ca

[x240xdrifter]

lemme see what i can do on a set of front/rear pads and rotors, if you don't mind brand i might could get you a good price plus shipping, i'll shoot you an email tommorrow. the other thing is, you'll not get a better turbo motor for less money out of the box than the ca. but if you really want the swap hold off on the rims, get tires and brakes if you need them...i got a full swap with a vlsd for $1430 shipped, check out jhot in georgia...hope this helps

thanks a bunch flitch!

[float_6969]

I might be able to get you a used oil pan at a decent price. As for the rest of it, I would consider all of that minor stuff. I don't see any reason to rebuild the motor. Shoot you don't even need to take the motor out of the car to fix all of that.

If it were me, and my car, I'd fix the KA for as cheap as possible and get the chassis sorted out first.

[x240xdrifter]

i think your right float, I know all that stuff is minor and what not, i might as well like you said do it right the first time, so I will just freshen up the ka, look into new sway bars, rims/tires, lsd, brakes, bushings, and suspenion set up with the 2500 dollars. then later down in life I will do the engine swap