How to JDM Zenki S14 SR20DET swap into a DOHC S13

[mestizo]

Here's how to swap an S14 SR20DET into a 1991-1994 240sx:

[duffman1278]

Definitly good stuff man!! +1 for you

[Hijacker]

Good job as always, Rob!

[david200095367]

nice write up man.

[CoupedUp]

LOL...Where was this when I did my S14 SR??!?! Ha, I spent so much time in research.

[mestizo]

THanks for compliments everyone!

LOL...Where was this when I did my S14 SR??!?! Ha, I spent so much time in research.

Yea lol it took me a week and a half to figure it all out, some of that time is also finding out that most of the info on the net was wrong.

[positron1]

Nice write-up, I've been looking for this.

[CoupedUp]

THanks for compliments everyone!

Yea lol it took me a week and a half to figure it all out, some of that time is also finding out that most of the info on the net was wrong.

EXACTLY!!!

[Hijacker]

The important part is that we have it now

I'll probably be starting up some research on S15 SR into an S14 chassis in the next year or so

[joshboogie]

You rock! I have a friend that is doing this exact swap right now. I'm gonna pass this on and let him get it right. lol

[zZ_NiTTo]

grand write up

[bgsr240]

I've been trying to do the same swap for over a year now. I cant get the motor to start because there is not spark what so ever (no signal from ECU to ignitor). When I did my wiring I removed the wires for the boost pressure sensor because I thought that they were for a factory boost gauge. Are these wires used by the ECU to interpret data or are they just for a factory boost gauge?

Could this be why I have no spark?

[mestizo]

The stock boost pressure sensor tells the ecu what boost the motor is at so it can make adjustments. On the JDM S14 this sensor was plugged into the the fuse box on the right side shock tower under the hood, the wires are powered and grounded off the TPS power and ground wires, the only difference is the signal wire gets connected to pin 35 on the ECU. However I do not see how this would stop you from getting spark, I have seen a couple swaps that did not have the boost sensor wired and they ran ok but I don't know how well they ran since it's not my car.

If you have done the factory troubleshooting steps and still no spark I would try a different ecu. If you have not done the troubleshooting then I would get the FSM and start diagnosing. Also make sure all the grounds on your engine are connected, 2 ground plugs on the engine harness go to the intake mani, then one from the negative terminal on the battery to the intake mani, one on the lower engine harness to the alternator and one from the back of the head to the metal prong on the firewall.

[bgsr240]

So is the boost sensor part of the factory boost selenoid then? Because I havent found anything that would appear to be one on my motor.

[fast_s13]

ben you dont need the boost selenoid i havent ever had it hooked up on my car

[bgsr240]

How would you like to buy a spare S14 motor?

[mestizo]

So is the boost sensor part of the factory boost selenoid then? Because I havent found anything that would appear to be one on my motor.

No like I said before the boost pressure sensor is plugged into the factory JDM S14 SR fuse box, the sensor itself sits off the side of the fuse box and has a vacuum line that runs to the cold pipe elbow.

[bgsr240]

Ok then I dont think the boost sensor would keep the motor from starting, just maybe make it run less than top notch.

I noticed that you didnt relocate your battery when you did your swap. When I relocated mine I ran the power side up to the factory battery location and hooked the negative side to one of the rear seatbelt mounts. Maybe thats not a good enough gound location to let the coils fire. I dont know. In my last ditch effort for spark I'm going to run a wire straight from the negative side of the battery to the grounds on the intake mani and the main engine ground.

If that doesnt work I am seriously going to rip the engine out of the car with a tractor and use it for .50 cal practice. Then I'm going to pick the car up with the tractor and dump it on its roof... repeatably.

[mestizo]

Just make the ground a foot in length or less, all you need is a clean spot on the chassis to ground the negative side of the battery to. Then make sure all the grounds on the motor are hooked up and that intake mani and valve cover are grounded to the chassis. If you still have no spark it's time to bust out the FSM and do some trouble shooting.

[bgsr240]

That's kind of interesting as I'm sure my ground cable is more than a foot in length. I try some different locations and see if I have any luck.

[trls063]

im doing this swap right now, and about to start putting the sr in, what is the canister below the fuse box in the engine bay, if your looking at the front of the car from in front of it, its on the left, and then there is one canister on the right, im just trying to identify parts and see what i can get rid of. and when you say in your wiring diagrams, the left side has s13 and the left says s14, i know you have broken it down pretty simply, but they way you set up your grid there is confusing...any clarifications would be greatly appreciated. btw, my head hurts.

[mestizo]

All cars are sided as if you were sitting in the car, if your looking at the engine bay from outside the car the side with your battery is the right side or passenger side of the car here in the USA, it would be the driver's side in Japan or other RHD countries but is still considered the right side. ALso there are 2 black fuse/relay boxes in the engine bay of an S13, one on both sides.

As far as canister's go there is a black canister on the left side/drivers side of the car that is the carbon canister. The only canister I can think of on the right side/passenger side would be the aluminum reciever/dryer for the a/c system.

Which part of my diagram is confusing?

[trls063]

ok got the canisters figured out. thanks for the quick reply. the brown/red plug, it only has three wires coming to it from the s14 harness?? and is that the ka plug??

[mestizo]

I don't know which plug you are talking about? All of the plugs in my write up are labeled so you know which plug to use.

[trls063]

i guess im just an idiot then. when i get the s14 in the car, i'll be back on here to ask more annoying newie questions. hahha. thanks for you help. is it possible to put the transmission in after you get the motor set onto the mounts, by tipping the motor down a little??

[mestizo]

You can put the transmission on the motor after the motor is put into the car... but why? If the motor is out it's easier to put the transmission on now.

[JK_9000]

Helping a buddy of mine with this conversion. Need some help with the section of the harness shown below. This the section of the harness that connects to the igniter chip. I don't seem to have a connector that matches up to the EGR Sensor, or the Solenoid. Instead I have two connectors that I can't identify labeled 1 and 2 in the picture. Wondering where to plug in the EGR Sensor and the Solenoid, and what connectors 1 and 2 are for? Any help is appreciated.

[mestizo]

1=A/C I think2=Wastegate Solenoid Valve

From the pic you posted the stock boost solenoid is gone and a manual boost controller was pot in it's place. The Singal wire connector that you labeled #1 I am pretty sure it's for the A/C compressor which I removed, it should be a blue/red wire if it's for the compressor.

[JK_9000]

Thanks, you are right #1 is the AC. Is there a difference in this assembly between the S13 and S14? What I have looks just like the part shown in this link about the S13. The item labeled "Wastegate Valve Control Solenoid" matches my part exactly. It does not plug into anything on my S14 harness. Could this be the wrong part for my engine?

zerothread/332069

[mestizo]

Which harness do you have? S13, S14 and S15 are all different harnesses. If you do not have the factory boost soleniod then there would be nothing for it to plug into, I.E. if you had a manual or electronic boost controller.