Right well the savings account is getting bigger and bigger each week, so the time is getting closer that I'm going to have to decide what to do with my S13. To be honest, I thought I had my mind made up to go KA-T, but the seemingly lower cost and lower miles of the SR has been making me re-think things lately.
I'm really afraid of the SR, though.
The install looks like it could easially turn into a nightmare. I've read TONS of info on everything that must be done, and there honestly is a lot of stuff you need to keep track of doing the engine swap. I laugh now when people say it just "bolts right in" to the S13... yeah, right. It's a big job, and I've never swapped an engine before- so I'm kinda worried about that. I know the KA-T wont be an easy job either, and I know it's a bad idea to just choose one based on install ease, but is there anyone here who did an SR swap as their first engine swap? Any calming advice?
I'm also worried about finding parts and mechanical help for my engine once I have it in. This board is great and all, but I can guarantee if I want some immediate help from a local shop or something, nobody is going to have even heard of this engine before. I'm decently handy around the engine bay, but I'm not ****y enough to think that I'll be able to fix ANY problem that comes my way... On top of that I know parts are extra expensive/hard to find since most have to be matched or imported... What do you guys have to say about this?
I still dont know what kind of power differences I'm going to feel once I've spent all this money and put all this work into getting the engine in. I've never driven in a SR (or KA-T, even) powered car, and I kinda feel like I'm spending all this money blindly-- for a goal that I have only vague ideas about. I know all about the horsepower ratings and all that, but who can attest to the real-world differences I might feel when I first get the engine in. Basically, is all this worth it?
Arugh sorry for the long post... I hope you guys read it all. I'm just a little scared and I need somebody to hold my hand and make it all better :nopity
I'm afraid of the SR20. Should I be?
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Nismo_Freak
- Posts: 10314
- Joined: Wed Jul 24, 2002 10:42 pm
- Car: 89 Nissan 240SX
i say go turbo KA if you are worried about SR problems. easier to find parts and cheaper as well. no worries on nything. and remember that mileage doesnt matter on an engine as long as it runs good. an SR could die at just 90,000 miles while a KA might be able to get up to 250,000 or vice versa. if you are seriously worried then rebuild your motor or swap in a newer KA for much cheaper than a SR and turbo.
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Cyberkreig
- Posts: 3048
- Joined: Sun Sep 01, 2002 4:40 pm
- Car: 1993 Nissan 240SX SR
- Contact:
Nismo_Freak wrote:It's not as bad as you think.
Thats what the piercer told me just before i got my ampalang. Doesnt make it true.
Fiz - I have had a horrible experince with the SR, and spent (wasted) tons of extra money. Best advice I can give you is to learn as much as possible about the motor, and mechanics in general before you begin.
Despite my horror story, ever time I drive that car, i feel better. no matter what is going on.
There's not really only one answer to your concerns about if it's worth it. Asking such a question in a forum dedicated to SR will no doubt give you slanted/biased answers. It's worth it ONLY if you feel the power gains outweigh the dollars invested, lack of immediate parts availability, etc.
Most investments are a gamble, and your situation is no different. The only payoff will be if you are pleased with the result. About the only way to ensure you will be pleased with the result is if you have the extra cash to do the job 150%, sparing no expense, cutting no corners.
It really is a trade-off. X amount of dollars for X amount of power/pleasure. The old quote "how fast can I go? how much money ya got?" holds true no matter what. Reliable power isn't cheap....this is why most of the guys who have show stopping cars with massive power are older and/or successful, having gobs of disposable income to devote to a project, and not having to nickle & dime their way through a car build.
I'd say if you're not sure yet, keep saving your money, keep researching. There are always "eventualities", or unexpected little things that can put a project on hold half way through the build. Save yourself the grief and hold off until you've covered all your bases on research/info, and whatever you do, don't plop down your whole savings to purchase an engine/clip. You'll need more money, eventually, to tweak, mod, and fix things. If you blow your cash right away, your project will sit, and that's when people get irritated, bored, and sick of a project.
Most investments are a gamble, and your situation is no different. The only payoff will be if you are pleased with the result. About the only way to ensure you will be pleased with the result is if you have the extra cash to do the job 150%, sparing no expense, cutting no corners.
It really is a trade-off. X amount of dollars for X amount of power/pleasure. The old quote "how fast can I go? how much money ya got?" holds true no matter what. Reliable power isn't cheap....this is why most of the guys who have show stopping cars with massive power are older and/or successful, having gobs of disposable income to devote to a project, and not having to nickle & dime their way through a car build.
I'd say if you're not sure yet, keep saving your money, keep researching. There are always "eventualities", or unexpected little things that can put a project on hold half way through the build. Save yourself the grief and hold off until you've covered all your bases on research/info, and whatever you do, don't plop down your whole savings to purchase an engine/clip. You'll need more money, eventually, to tweak, mod, and fix things. If you blow your cash right away, your project will sit, and that's when people get irritated, bored, and sick of a project.
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quiksilvia
- Posts: 3197
- Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2003 7:09 am
- Car: 95 s14 se
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im in the midst of putting the sr in, ill let u know how it goes. those were my worries too, but there are only like 2 other sr's within 100 miles of me, and its a pretty quik way to go fast, and i cant wait to go into a local racer "hangout" and give them the bov, plus saying u have the sr gets da ho's
i think u should go sr! it will be a good learning experience, and as long as you read up all u can, don't think it will be that big of a problem. Correct me if im wrong, all u do is get ur ecu sent out, then unbolt old motor, bolt in new motor, bend a couple hoses here and there, and that should be that, other than all the required maintenance stuff, but that should be no biggie for you your "decently handy around the engine bay."
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I H8 UR DSM
- Posts: 3196
- Joined: Fri May 24, 2002 8:06 am
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It's a PITA to put in. My biggest complaint is that the nissan wiring engineers must not have ever worked on a car. Or maybe i'm spoiled comming from the honda world.
That said it isn't so hard that it is impossable. The drivers side motor mount gave me fits for a while last night but it's just a bunch of little junk that's easy to get pissed off at.
That said it isn't so hard that it is impossable. The drivers side motor mount gave me fits for a while last night but it's just a bunch of little junk that's easy to get pissed off at.
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quiksilvia
- Posts: 3197
- Joined: Mon Jan 06, 2003 7:09 am
- Car: 95 s14 se
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Has anyone compiled a step by step walkthrough on how to swap an SR20DET into an S13? The parts I'm most worried about is the ECU, the gauge cluster working properly, and money. I know there's pretty much no way in hell its gonna pass emissions, so I guess I can't worry about that. Putting a turbo on the KA may be cheaper but what about reliability and engine life? Can the internals hold up to the abuse the way the SR can?
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SpeedRacer1
- Posts: 3144
- Joined: Fri Jul 26, 2002 7:44 pm
- Car: 1990 240SX, G35
I just recently swapped my new SR into my car. Since I already had the wiring harness installed, the swap went really fast. I bought the engine and picked it up on Monday, took out the old SR on Tuesday, swapped in the new SR on Wednesday, and put all the hoses, fluids back together and started it up on Thursday. It was my first engine swap, which I am pretty sure goes to show that if you know what to do well enough, you wont be making big mistakes, or running to look online for past posts and FAQ's.
You will feel a big difference between the SR and KA, I have never taken a person on a test drive who was not impressed. I havent dealt much with turbo KA's, but they sound like they can become a headache with cracked manifolds and stuff. As for getting SR parts, I can find pretty much anything I can think of (new and used OEM or aftermarket) from online stores.
You will feel a big difference between the SR and KA, I have never taken a person on a test drive who was not impressed. I havent dealt much with turbo KA's, but they sound like they can become a headache with cracked manifolds and stuff. As for getting SR parts, I can find pretty much anything I can think of (new and used OEM or aftermarket) from online stores.
when i said send out ur ecu thats wat i meant, sned it out and pay for the rewiring cuz i don't have any experience wiring, and quite frankly im afraid of it, and yes it will cost, but to me its worth the trouble. and as for the hoses don't u have to bend a heater hoses cuz they go around the opposite direction in a jdm chassis then in the 240sx? (thats wat i remember reading)
well, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do about the wiring. a good friend of mine is an electrician, so I might try to tackle it myself.... I donno.
as far as saving up as much money as possible, yeah... I know how it's gonna be. I dont wanna just buy the engine when I get $2500 exactly and have the thing sitting in my garage waiting for more money. I'm gonna have to save up like 5k or something and then do it alllll at once... that way even if I screw up (and I probably will), I'll have the dough to fix it up right.
Course, while I'm saving up for this engine and all that, Tein HE's, bigger brakes, LSDs, paint and 180sx tails are all calling my name.... Decisions decisions.
And I H8, thanks for being so helpful! :ylsuper
as far as saving up as much money as possible, yeah... I know how it's gonna be. I dont wanna just buy the engine when I get $2500 exactly and have the thing sitting in my garage waiting for more money. I'm gonna have to save up like 5k or something and then do it alllll at once... that way even if I screw up (and I probably will), I'll have the dough to fix it up right.
Course, while I'm saving up for this engine and all that, Tein HE's, bigger brakes, LSDs, paint and 180sx tails are all calling my name.... Decisions decisions.
And I H8, thanks for being so helpful! :ylsuper
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BuudWeizErr
- Posts: 4745
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Rockenreno
- Posts: 2891
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Onizuka
- Posts: 8450
- Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2002 5:24 pm
- Car: 91 Nissan S13 coupe SR20DET
89 Nissan S14 hatch SR20DE
were you as ill-prepared as me buud? Im half way in and all i have is a K-mart toolset, a engine lift, and safety googles (no FSM here 
) No to mention the biggest things i have ever done to my car (or any car for that matter) are a belt change and installation of my exaust/cat. How am i doing? So far, so good!
:ylsuper :ylsuper :ylsuper
) No to mention the biggest things i have ever done to my car (or any car for that matter) are a belt change and installation of my exaust/cat. How am i doing? So far, so good!:ylsuper :ylsuper :ylsuper
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BuudWeizErr
- Posts: 4745
- Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2002 11:35 am
Only thing I ever did with my Accord was change the fuel filter. I didn't even change the oil.
I always did stereo stuff though.
The swap is NOT really that hard. If I can do it, I'm sure most other people can do it.
Honestly, I can do an entire SR20 swap without wiring with nothing more than a socket set, angles, extensions, wrenches, assorted screwdrivers, and a torque wrench. And if you aren't taking the transmission off (which you should be), I could do it without a torque wrench. Oh and a cherry picker helps too.
Again, it's really not that hard.
I always did stereo stuff though.
The swap is NOT really that hard. If I can do it, I'm sure most other people can do it.
Honestly, I can do an entire SR20 swap without wiring with nothing more than a socket set, angles, extensions, wrenches, assorted screwdrivers, and a torque wrench. And if you aren't taking the transmission off (which you should be), I could do it without a torque wrench. Oh and a cherry picker helps too.
Again, it's really not that hard.
The first time i ever changed oil was on my SR. Hahah.If you save up all the money, and order all the parts you need, its easy. The only problems i had, were with being broke, or having parts out of stock. Like right now, the silicone coupling i need is out of stock at heavy throttle.In all honesty though, its not that hard to do the swap, and you feel way smart after you do it.lol But i can honestly say i know how most stuff works now in my car.Go SR, but buy everything first, don't do somework, then realize you need a few parts here and there.
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Movingviolation240
- Posts: 1681
- Joined: Thu Apr 25, 2002 2:26 pm
- Car: '95 Nissan 240SX 400hp SR20DET -SOLD
'93 Lexus SC300 w/ SP66 turbo kit
Having experience with 400rwhp KA-Ts and 400rwhp SR's I'll share my advise. GO SR, the KAT has more torque, and is scarier to drive but that's where it ends. The SR is a lot more reliable (and I mean a LOT) it has more usable HP, turns a quicer 1/4 time, and is cheeper in the long run.
And after doing a few KA-T installs and several SR's I can say that the KA is only going to save you like 2 or 3 hours of install time. Both of them are a royal whore, but in the long run I'd say the SR was still easier (even if it did take a little longer).
PaulOrlando, FL
And after doing a few KA-T installs and several SR's I can say that the KA is only going to save you like 2 or 3 hours of install time. Both of them are a royal whore, but in the long run I'd say the SR was still easier (even if it did take a little longer).
PaulOrlando, FL
hm thanks alot guys, some good info in what some of you said.
movingviolation: really its the reliability issue that's getting me to move closer the the SR like I said before. nice to hear someone agree with me on that. I understand it's going to cost money and time both ways, but I think I'll be happier (and sleep better) with a SR under my hood.
Thanks alot guys
movingviolation: really its the reliability issue that's getting me to move closer the the SR like I said before. nice to hear someone agree with me on that. I understand it's going to cost money and time both ways, but I think I'll be happier (and sleep better) with a SR under my hood.
Thanks alot guys
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BuudWeizErr
- Posts: 4745
- Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2002 11:35 am
I wasn't going to say this on the boards, because it is preference, but MV240 isn't the first person that I know of who has had a lot of experience working on KA-T's (and RB's, CA's, VG's, etc) that likes the SR a lot better over the KA-T.
The SR is just a better all around motor, and heres the funny thing...2500ish gets you a low mileage engine, transmission, all the accessories, etc, etc.
For KA-T, you spend 3000ish, you get no new engine parts. If you rebuild the engine, you get a transmission with a ton of miles on it too, unless you rebuild that too.
/me hugs his SR.
The SR is just a better all around motor, and heres the funny thing...2500ish gets you a low mileage engine, transmission, all the accessories, etc, etc.
For KA-T, you spend 3000ish, you get no new engine parts. If you rebuild the engine, you get a transmission with a ton of miles on it too, unless you rebuild that too.
/me hugs his SR.
The guy who put my motor in without intercooler, piping, some bolts, a few nuts, some wires, one motor mount, etc... decided to also put my motor in with a totally destroyed exhuast manifold gasket. I am referring to the one between the manifold and the turbine. This made an awful noise anywhere above 0 bar. Never belive someone when they tell you they can do the swap for $500 after the price of the motor. They will seriously screw you over. Thanks to this however I was able to design a really nice one off blacktop 90 fastback i/c setup. I hand picked the motor so that was the only good part. the point is, know what you are getting into and trust your sr to NOBODY. If you don't know how to fix something on it, learn!No question though, SR all the way!