KA24E swap to KA24DE

[askpcguy909]

Hi, recently my stock KA24E suddenly shut off while at a stop light and would not restart. A mechanic I had it towed to said something about a cylinder not working. whatever that means, this was said without internal diagnostics.

My question is, might it be cheaper and more wise to drop in the KA24DE if I could?

[zombieman]

if you get a Ka24de, you will also need to get a cluster and ecu, not sure how much it would run for, but if there is internal work involve, it will run a lot to fix it, especially if they make you pay for the part that needs to be replaced.

[askpcguy909]

I was very afraid of that. Could it be a result of pushing the car too hard. EX driving 100mph, pretty much driving full throttle..

[quiksilvia]

ur sure its not a bad plug or wire? or injector? otherwise, if u can get a new motor for cheap, less miles is always better, just get all the parts needed, all have been listed, search for the answer

[pball]

Uhm..could you sort of bolt-up a KA24DE to the existing block? KA24 is a KA24, only diff is the heads and timing hardware (?)

[askpcguy909]

That sounds right, but I'd need the ECU to be programmed to use the cams and funk around with all the timing junk too.

[pball]

Get an upgraded DE ECU and kill two birds with one stone.

[revhard05]

try ure best to try rvery thing you can to try to get it running because the de swap in a 89 is kinda hard i mean you have to get the harness and distributor has to work and some certain other stuff

[pball]

if a cylinder is shot though, youre probbly gonna have to pull the engine, at least the heads and block - might as well spend the extra effort putting in a DE top-end. if you get the whole package (find a DE in a junkyard with a blown bottom, salvage the top), with all the harnesses and bits, it shouldnt be *that* hard. probably easier than an SR swap..

[quiksilvia]

try ure best to try rvery thing you can to try to get it running because the de swap in a 89 is kinda hard i mean you have to get the harness and distributor has to work and some certain other stuff

wow, that was the most informative post ever, are you a mechanic?:rolleyes

[askpcguy909]

Bad news. My second opinion says its time to replace the engine. He said he started it to drive the car into the shop and it was knocking and making lots of noise. Problem is, its cheaper to replace that engine with a used engine with low miles.

I'd rather have it rebuilt because I'm a little partial to that engine staying in my car. Also rebuilding would last longer.

[quiksilvia]

ok, so rebuild it.

[askpcguy909]

The bad thing is, if I still drive fast, accelerate hard most of the time.. the rebuilt engine is doomed to a short life also. Life sucks driving slow.

[pball]

Heh. If you have to rebuild it, and you want to drive fast, then get go-fast parts and use them to rebuild it - better, stronger, faster. They actually arent that much more $$ than nissan stock parts, google for 'KA24E racing parts' or somesuch. Anyway, if you take care of the engine (mobil 1 + filter every 3K, keep all your other fluids topped, regular maintenance) and dont ABuse your drivetrain, the KA can take a LOT of heavy-throttle action, at least mine does. Unless youre a jack*** and try and hammer it before the 500-mile break-in is up...thats just asking for it...