new to CA questions

[Tyler]

hello everyone, i just bought a ca18det from a guy for 300 dollars plus the running dual cam ka in my car! i think i did pretty well! but i am very new to the ca motor and i have a few questions, i have been reading the stickies and searching and i will continue too, but i wanted to ask these few.

first, the motor is coming out of a 89 240sx and it has been wired for that car, will i have to change any of the wiring in order to put it into my 91 240? i dont know if the single/dual cam thing messes it up, and if so what would i need to change?

second, i have a t25 from an sr20 that has been freshly rebuilt with zero miles on it and i would like to put it on the ca. i know it will fit but will i be fine running it at the stock boost level on the ca's stock fuel system? i will be installing a aftermarket fpr and walbro pump because i have those in the garage as well. also, how much lag can i expect with the sr turbo vs the ca one?

and lastly if anyone has any tips or hits for a new ca owner, like what to change or replace before the install that would be great! thanks in advance, Tyler

[meminto]

Unsure of your wiring question...

As for the lag you will find there will ver minimal to zero compared to the stock CA18 T25..

As for the FPR, no need to change the stock one unless it is truly problematic... Sell it off and use the cash for something else..

Ohhh and as a tip, enjoy driving it...

[Tyler]

so the stock fpr can handle the walbro pump?

[meminto]

Absolutely...

Its not really about the fpr being able to "handle" the walbro pump as such, its about the fpr's ability to regulate fuel flow to achieve equal pressure across the injectors... as a simplified statement..

Modified by meminto at 5:39 PM 9/14/2008
Modified by meminto at 6:08 PM 9/14/2008

[Tyler]

oh okay i wasnt sure, cause on ka's i know the walbro pump tends to overpower the stock fpr and it goes bad

[meminto]

Unfortunatley I don't have any experience with a KA.. maybe the materials used are not as crash hot...

However the principle should remain the same...

[Tyler]

bump for help!

[r34 gtr]

I run an adjustable FPR on mine. Might as well replace your stocker with the aftermarket one, as you probably don't know the condition of the stocker. They also look cooler than stock units. +1 for looking cool, the ladies love cool guys (not that I would know...wait).

Slap the Sr t25 on there. Stock boost pressure will be fine on the fuel system, and you'll pick up a couple of ponies.

I would replace all the gaskets (head gasket, intake manifold, exhaust manifold, thermostat, valve covers, etc), replace the water pump, maybe the oil pump, thermostat, and belts. You might also want to check the bearings and rings and see if they need replacing. For $300, you might well have to, but don't worry, they are pretty cheap. If you do all that you should be able to absolutely WAIL on it without any problems.

I think the wiring has been covered somewhere, so you will probably want to search. If you can't find it with NICO's search, try google, as it often finds threads on here that our search cannot. I have this feeling one or two small things might need to be changed with the SOHC to DOHC wiring with the CA, but I am unsure of what they would be.

[Tyler]

thanks for the help, i called the guy and it turns out the motor is wired and running in a 93, not an 89. so it should just be a plug and play swap!

and also, what hp numbers at the wheels can i expect with a stock sr t25 at 7psi?

[r34 gtr]

Uuuum, nothing phenomenal. 180 maybe?

[mazikowski]

Tim, I need to talk to you... finally got my CA running. Shoot me an email: jamie[dot]mazikowski[at]gmail[dot]com

[Two-Fortee]

thanks for the help, i called the guy and it turns out the motor is wired and running in a 93, not an 89. so it should just be a plug and play swap!

and also, what hp numbers at the wheels can i expect with a stock sr t25 at 7psi?

With intake exhuast and SR25 ya maybe 180whp. Are you changing your rad? Are you still using side mount intercooler or front mount?

[Tyler]

im going to go, intake, sr t25, turbo elbow, 3inch dp, cat, 2.5 inch exhaust, front mount, stock rad and fan if it fits? basic bolt ons pretty much

[Tyler]

bump, can i run a megan racing fpr on my ca?

[r34 gtr]

Yep.

[Tyler]

cool thanks, this ca crew is very newbie frendly!

can i use my stock rad and clutch fan? or will it not line up?

oh and im getting the motor on saturday! i will be sure to post pics!

[Cams]

I believe you can use the KA Radiator without problems as the inlet and outlet would be on the same side, which is not the same with an SR20, tho you might want to consider upgrading in the future for the bling and the improved cooling.

As for the Fan Clutch I can't confirm, but the science behind it is the same so you might as well try and see if it fits. On this the most important bit is the fan cover, as running the fanclutch without the black plastic cover won't be doing much cooling.

keep it up.

[Tyler]

thanks, i might just use electric fans with my stock rad for now, then just get a koyo later

[r34 gtr]

Clutch fan will be okay if you have a proper RWD CA water pump. If you are using a FWD DE pump you will not be able to use it.

Radiator will be fine if you use a KA-E radiator, as it has the inlet and outlet on the same side, like the CA18. The DE has them on different sides. You can still use the DE one, but you'll have to run a long hose.

Stock radiator will be fine, especially in WA. I run a stock KA-E radiator with a single electric fan in AL and I've never once had it run hot.

[ca18detgabby]

Im pretty sure tim that the DE has the in and out on the same side just like the SOHC radiator. correct me if Im wrong.

your ok using the clutch fan, but running some altima fans or other Electric fans will increase HP as well as increase cooling. if you are doing the other bolt ons..... why not one that is going to increase reliability.

as for the FPR. as dee has told stories of aftermarket FPRs failing faster than the stock unit..... I would run the stocker and see how it goes first.

I got a DOHC clutch fan and can confirm it DOES NOT fit. bolt holes dont line up.

Ive run my stock radiator for 1.5 years now..... no problem. I did upgrade the radiator cap for more pressure though.

PS "nothing phenominal 180 maybe" far better than the 140ish a good condition KA will put out and def shocked me when we first put it in.

[Tyler]

cool thanks, i guess i will run the stock fpr and i was looking on ebay at cx racing radiators for the ca and they are only like 150 plus shipping, so i might grab one of those and a set of fans and just call it good

[Tyler]

about how much lag am i looking at if i run a sr t25 and an ebay fmic set up? when will i start to see boost?