new to forum and to Nissan! lots of questions!

[Gundyy]

hey everyone!
where to start.. names Nick, live in Canada, 18 years and i'm in school for auto mechanics

i've always loved Nissan cars and over the passed couple of weeks i've narrowed my summer project down to none other than a 240
either an s13 or s14 will be what i pick. i'm just waiting to sell my snowmobile for some extra cash to get started. so in the mean time i was hoping i could get some questions answered as well as a better understanding of what i'm getting myself in to.

as for the performance aspect of the car, i won't be drifting (sorry to disappoint anyone haha) and i'm not looking to achieve 350+hp anytime soon but maybe eventually. regardless i want this thing turbo'd. is it easier to swap from the KA to SR or to just straight turbo the KA? i've been reading up on turbos, how they work, calculations, etc. but one thing is still a little fuzzy for me. how the turbo gets cooled.. does the oil pump push oil up to cool it down, then another line leads to the oil pan to gravity drain back? also: the intercooler is there to cool the air going into the engine. is that correct?

on one of the threads i read that the KA is strong enough for over 400hp so that's good news in regards to not blowing up my engine. is it hard to find parts for these things? is the stock turbo good to start off with? cause i'm thinking people will have upgraded to something bigger, leaving the stock one up for sale. but what other parts do i need?

any help is greatly appreciated!
Cheers!

[240life]

They are both a little difficult. With the SR you have wiring issues you need to handle. It should be inspected and re gasket-ed at a bare minimum.A new fuel pump, new oil pump/ strainer and pan, and a new t-stat, water pump and radiator is a wise choice too. after that its pretty much as plug and play as you can get.

With the KA you would want to do a compression test to make sure its in good condition still. A new gasket set to re seal the engine. For fuel get a min of 370cc (SR) injectors although I recommend a set of 550's, also a new 255 lph fuel pump is recommended and a new Fuel Pressure Regulator. For the turbo your going to want a t28 (or bigger) on a KA plus a compatible manifold. You will want a N62 (300zx) mass airflow sensor if you are going to run more then stock boost. You will need a stand alone or ROM tune to manage your fuel( you could run a FMU on a low boost system). The tricky part is with the KA there are some lines and plugs on the intake that need to be removed or modified, plus you need to run your pcv system in a fashion so it is functional with a boosted engine. You will also have to design a working oil and water return/ supply system to supply your turbo with needed lubricants, and have a way for those fluids to get back in the engine. I would also recommend a new cooling system.

Your inter cooler is there to cool and make the charge denser.

Most Turbos are oil and water cooled

[Gundyy]

Okay.

wiring issues meaning harnesses? i've found a few ads selling an SR with them included.

pardon my noob question: stand alone / ROM tune i'm going to guess is a computer that controls the A/F ratio? what's an FMU?

i'm most likely going to aim for around 15psi give or take. nothing insane to start. as you can tell i'm rather new to the whole turbocharger scene so if i can only get a KA. where would i go from there? if i look for a "turbo" what's that typically include :S is the wastegate a separate piece altogether? cause for a turbo i need lots of parts no?

[240life]

Okay.

wiring issues meaning harnesses? i've found a few ads selling an SR with them included.

pardon my noob question: stand alone / ROM tune i'm going to guess is a computer that controls the A/F ratio? what's an FMU?

i'm most likely going to aim for around 15psi give or take. nothing insane to start. as you can tell i'm rather new to the whole turbocharger scene so if i can only get a KA. where would i go from there? if i look for a "turbo" what's that typically include :S is the wastegate a separate piece altogether? cause for a turbo i need lots of parts no?

Wiring issues meaning you will need to modify the supplied harness to work in a 240sx or purchase a previously modified one from 'wiring specialties".

Stand alone is used in place of the factory ECU and is pricey...also recommended for professional install which makes it cost more $
A ROM tune utilizes a daughter board and chips that have been tweaked to make your car run like it would stock, but utilizing parts that are not stock such as larger injectors, Mass AirFlow Sensors and timing adjustments needed to boost safely..you can safely rely on Enthalpy or JWT for these cost average is $500.00

Stay away from the FMU if your going to go over 8psi..all is it does is increase fuel

The T28 turbo includes a the waste gate you will need to fabricate the lines if your going KA

Dont forget bot these engines will require Front Mount Inter cooler and a quality Blow off valve too.

[Gundyy]

hmm. i'm liking the sounds of the KA so far. but i also found this:
http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehicle ... Z270582957
:S
sounds like the KA is more work and fabrication and the SR is more of a headache..
the oil cooling on the turbo, does that run off your regular oil pump?

[240life]

I believe most Ka-T's get the turbo oil supply off of a sandwich adapter off of the oil filter plate

[Gundyy]

ahh okay.
i found that SR engine with everything, plus i found a 240 no motor for $1100 so i'm starting to lean that way..

[95zenki man]

KA-T!! Its really not that hard to make 200+ hp on a stock KA, basic bolt on's and getting the oil pan tapped and what not. They make full bolt on kits for the KA and it will be much cheaper in the long run if you are just looking for a little power upgrade. I can help with most if not all questions you will have on where stuff go's and how to do things (Just finished up a full build up and turbo setup for my KA) as can most of the people on here.

In the end its up to you. KA-T > SR all day long. Let me know if you go the KA-T way and need any help.

Not really familiar with a t-25 (never ran anything that small.) But if you are looking for anything over 12psi you might want to think of a little bigger turbo. I don't see a stock SR turbo lasting long at 15psi. Just my .o2 look around for used holset hx35's or maybe a precision sc61. They are bigger turbo's that you can run a lot more boost but will work fine at a lower psi (Like 15-20)

[Gundyy]

yea i was reading up on your thread! black ice is a b**** eh? in the long run i might wanna get some more juice out of it. to be honest i don't know what to expect. from a KA what numbers are easy/cheap to reach? is 250hp? 300hp? 350+hp? gahhh so many decisions :P basically.. i can get a KA 240 for under 2k in your typical used car shape. or get a 240 body + sr package for no more than 3k.. so i guess i'd already be down 1000 bucks.

for the KA though, what's the process of adding mods? is slapping a turbo on easier than most people think?

[240life]

I would check out the KAT forum on this site

[95zenki man]

On stock internals and what not you can run 250-300hp and be fine for a daily, In my case i have a fully built motor with a sc61 and I'm shooting for around 500hp starting out. on a t-25 you should be fine for 300hp,

so the basics you would need to look for are.

manifold
turbo ( t-25s are pretty cheep and all over the place)
intercooler
injectors
exhaust
down-pipe
oil lines
safc II ( you shouldnt need a standalone for 200-300hp)
z32 maf

and all the lines and what not for the turbo and oil.

That's all the basics that i can think of right now for a 200-300 hp ka-t setup. What i would do is try to peace it all together, In the long run that will be cheaper then buying a full kit. I have maybe $1500 tops in my full turbo setup because i traded/pieced everything together. I have a link somewhere that helped me a lot, ill try to find it for you.

[95zenki man]

Here ya go.

Sorry for linking to another site

(All high dollar parts but you get the idea)

Also check out KA-T.org they have helped me out a lot.

[Gundyy]

yea, around 300hp is perfect for me. the kits are soo pricey, so i was planning on piecing it together.
can i ask why a manifold?
injectors at what 50lb?
will i need a new fuel pump? read that a walbro 255 is the ideal choice
what's safc II? fuel management i'm assuming but in what form?

[Gundyy]

after looking around i found t25s for around 100 bucks.
a guy with turbo manifolds for 160 (bottom mount?? not sure what that means)
this site for downpipes:
http://www.horsepowerfreaks.com/perform ... /Downpipes
so $100 to $300

using used parts it's not that pricey surprisingly :o this is sick!

[Gundyy]

online i found used gt28's for around 600.. is it worth the upgrade or is the 25 more than enough?

[OutToWinPAHC]

Please search a little more, check the KA and SR sections and check build threads. All of your questions are answered in multiple places. If you cant find the answers, then ask.

[Gundyy]

well back from searching threads, thanks!
according the Enthalpy's website:
KA24DE - T25/T28 Basic turbo setup for stock motor / stock headgasket SR 370cc injectors / N60 MAF - Good beginning setup - Up to 270 RWHP $349

KA24DE - T3/T04E (2871R-3076R) Built motor 8.8:1 / metal gasket 550cc / Z32 MAF - Good for up to 370 RWHP $329 - FIRM

that's their tune.
can i hit at least 250hp with stock internals, 370 injectors, N60 MAF (also found a cobra MAF, not sure the difference so i'll look that up)?
either with a t25 or a t28.

[biggie]

First there is a sticky in the KA-T section.

Don't do T25 on KA, too small. T28 and 370 should be able to get 250hp. Only place currently ROM tuning for Cobra MAF is JWT (believe Enthalpy is only Z32 MAF).

[Gundyy]

so scrap the Cobra idea.
would gtir injectors, 440cc i believe, be a good middle ground between the 370 and 550?