Noob here with a B12 and a CA18DET (soon)!

[conley]

Hey everyone! A noob from AZ here. I have an '89 Sentra, and am in the process of getting a CA18DET from Japan for it. I have tried to research this as much as I can, but I think it is at the point where I have a couple questions... I was going to PM Boost_boy as he is the B12 CA18 guru from what I see. But is there no PM function?Anyways, I am getting the motor and 5spd trans combo from an awd U12 Bluebird. My first question is, will this trans fit into the Sentra? And can it be converted to spin the FWD axles only, easily? If not, in lieu of finding another trans I may just try to switch to AWD with parts from a B12 wagon.

My second question is, should I go with a RWD CA18DET harness and ECU and wire it into the Sentra? Or go with something like Megasquirt II, or greddy Emanage? It seems that if I'm doing all that wiring work, and the cash is about the same, that I may as well go with one of the aftermarket systems so i can tune later. However, ease of install is also a major factor to consider, as I have not done any non-direct engine swaps before. On that note, I considered SDS but the price is about $500 out of my range for a system with fuel and DIS ignition.Thanks everyone!Conley
Modified by conley at 9:27 PM 1/21/2010

[float_6969]

I'd go megasquirt over Emanage in this instance if you want standalone. IDK what the wiring is like, that's in Dee's territory.

[boost_boy]

My first question is, will this trans fit into the Sentra?Modified by conley at 9:27 PM 1/21/2010

The answer to that is "No"; unless you want to an AWD swap and all I would say to you is good luck.

And can it be converted to spin the FWD axles only, easily?Modified by conley at 9:27 PM 1/21/2010

Not worth the headache. Just find a FWD pulsar or 1986-89 nissan stanza with manual transmission.

My second question is, should I go with a RWD CA18DET harness and ECU and wire it into the Sentra?Modified by conley at 9:27 PM 1/21/2010

Go with the RWD harness and ecu if your funds are too short for a standalone. A standalone makes the install much easier. If you're not good at wiring, then you'll be crying for help in an area many on this forum are not familiar with.

Thanks everyone!Conley

[conley]

Alright. So it sounds like i'm going to find an ecu and a harness and some wiring diagrams. I saw in one of your posts that you frequently deal with these type of engines in your daily bidness, if so please let me know if you come across an ECU and harness because i would be interested in buying.As for the transmission, I have some friends that make some crazy s*** in their shop and thats where we are going to do the swap. So the 4wd may not be out of the question (depending on how the car looks underneath and, I want to see if the rear diff and axles, etc, are comparable in price to a new transmission and decide where to go from there. Thanks for the help!Conley

[Danski]

I've got a RNU12 Bluebird that I've just put the engine back into. One thing that I noticed was that the transfer case for the rear wheels sticks back far enough that it goes under the firewall. If your car doesn't have provisions for this it would mean a lot of cutting of structural parts so really rules out the possibility.

Also I've never heard of a 4wd gearbox being converted to fwd only, however I know of cases when the it has been made rwd. This involves welding the diff in the transfer case.

P.S there is a picture of the gearbox and motor in my build thread that will illustrate my first point.

[boost_boy]

Alright. So it sounds like i'm going to find an ecu and a harness and some wiring diagrams. I saw in one of your posts that you frequently deal with these type of engines in your daily bidness, if so please let me know if you come across an ECU and harness because i would be interested in buying.As for the transmission, I have some friends that make some crazy s*** in their shop and thats where we are going to do the swap. So the 4wd may not be out of the question (depending on how the car looks underneath and, I want to see if the rear diff and axles, etc, are comparable in price to a new transmission and decide where to go from there. Thanks for the help!Conley

The harness and ecu is something I can provide. It is so much involved with doing an AWD swap, but if you want originality, it is the way to go. I've had many of those trannys and seriously considered an AWD swap, but the amount of headaches, parts availability issues and just trying mess with that gigantic piece of metal convinced me that it wasn't a wise nor cost effective move.

Dee

[conley]

I definitely don't want this turning into a six month project where my car doesn't run. I am concerned however that finding a Pulsar or Stanza 5 speed, or a 4wd wagon, in a junkyard is going to be impossible, or that online it's going to be over a grand. I thought perhaps I could raid the rear diff and axles and other bits from some other AWD car in the junkyard, and we could just fab up some mounts and weld that sh*t together, cut and reinforce the firewall to fit the trans, and weld up an axle. I suppose it may not be that easy though.As for the ECU and harness, basically i'd be wiring the ecu to the same power source as the b12 ECU, and just hook up the bits that go to the engine/accessories as they need to be, and run with 2 ecus?
Modified by conley at 5:53 PM 1/24/2010

[conley]

Hey boost_boy, would you drop me an email at [email protected] would like to chat about buying that ECU and harness off ya.ThanksConley

[boost_boy]

Hey boost_boy, would you drop me an email at [email protected] would like to chat about buying that ECU and harness off ya.ThanksConley

You got mail!

Dee

[ca18detgabby]

being someone who did a more basic....... CA-S13 swap.......... I would tell you right now that WHEN I do it again, Megasquirt will be the only way I will go.

def do a megasquirt setup and for go the OE ECU(it did its job.... but eh it was so much work to get to much beyond stock and replacment components are getting harder to come by)

[conley]

I was looking at pre-assembled megasquirt systems, and they are not too expensive, and the ability to tune later for additional power is appealing. However i am mostly going for ease of wiring here. It seems like the factory ecu might be more straightforward especially in terms of available wiring diagrams. Still torn between which to buy though.

[conley]

So, update:I received the engine. It looks like the Bluebird it came from was rolled over, as the TMIC is kinda banged up and the PS pump pulley is all banged up. In addition to this, this part which I don't know what is (EGR?) is broken. Here's a picture with the part circled. The metal just snapped! Can this be sourced from a CA18DE or is it DET specific?Also i've bought a Pulsar SE transmission so now i'm just ecu, motor mounts, axles, wiring and other misc stuff away from having all the stuff!

[boost_boy]

So, update:I received the engine. It looks like the Bluebird it came from was rolled over, as the TMIC is kinda banged up and the PS pump pulley is all banged up. In addition to this, this part which I don't know what is (EGR?) is broken. Here's a picture with the part circled. The metal just snapped! Can this be sourced from a CA18DE or is it DET specific?Also i've bought a Pulsar SE transmission so now i'm just ecu, motor mounts, axles, wiring and other misc stuff away from having all the stuff!

That's not a bluebird CA nor is that part hard to source (not an egr piece either). You will need to swap the T-body to the other end of the intake manifold and so forth and so on from the other end. If your alternator is under the intake manifold, it is indeed a RWD CA18DET and you will need some brackets from a FWD/AWD CA. Congrats on receiving the engine, but did it come with an AWD transmission and TMIC attached or did they just throw them in with your shipment?

Dee

Dee

[conley]

Sorry that was just a pic i found online. My actual engine is this one: It does have the AWD transmission. I figure I will just sell it off as soon as it's separated from the engine.

[livelyjay]

So you're the guy who bought that engine. I had my eye on that forever, but never pulled the trigger.

[drifting circles]

if you need some help lmk I also live in Arizona(chandler). Do you have An AZ240 id?

[conley]

I got my Pulsar SE transmission today! And awesome to see a nearby person on here. I am not on AZ240, i will have to check it out. And help would be much appreciated, i have only done a direct engine swap before and all the new wiring is foreign to me. My neighbor has a 240 hatch that says 180SX on the back so I want to ask him for help as well haha.livelyjay- Thats funny, i found it and wanted to get it quickly before it was gone. It looks banged up from a serious wreck, but it has a 30 day startup guarantee and although I won't get it installed by then at least I can crank the starter and see if it has good compression.

[conley]

Here are some pics of the car the CA18 is going into. Passenger side is a little banged up.Here's the motor. This last one, is this just to bump up the idle for AC? Cos i'm not going to have AC anyways.

I already have my Pulsar 5spd, and have been working on finding a junkyard NX SE to pillage for axles, clutch pedal/master cylinder, shift linkage and maybe a radiator and sway bars. Problem is most junkyards don't even have any Pulsars at all around here. and the ones I can find are crappy NX XE models with the GA. If anyone has any of these pulsar SE parts available for sale, I have cash in hand.Same to you, Dee, If you still have the CA18DET ecu and engine harness available, i would love to buy them immediately.

[boost_boy]

I definitely got the ecu and other parts you need, but the harness is sold already because one of our members was ahead of you and produced the cash. However, if you have patience, I should be able to set-up a harness for you in a week, but we'll rap more about it via a email.

Dee

[conley]

Thats great news about the ECU, and as for the harness, patience is not a problem. Rushing these things can only cause more problems where there can already be many. That would be great if you could help me work something out.

And as for the other parts, did you mean you could possibly find some of those too? The radiator doesn't seem to be a problem finding online, but as for the clutch pedal/master cyl... Anyways, shoot me an email when you have time and we can chat aboot this.