Jerk_Racer wrote:Strange how I always hear this old argument come up on various boards. I have NEVER heard of this argument after living in Japan for five years (off and on) from any locals that know their stuff. Only the Americans seem to bring it up when talking smack in the garage. Over here, if you want power in a S13 chassis then you go with a SR. No questions about it. One thing nobody ever brings up on these arguments over the internet is that CA's have a bad rep over here for overheating. I guess if people haven't seen many of them other than a literal handful then this might not be seen often. The coolant passages over time tend to get clogged up with rust. Say what you want about good maintenance, the CA's just seem to have this issue more than their fair share. Just touring up and down this island at night, the guys that had CA's back in the day had to always stop at the combini's to cool down a bit while the SR's could keep going. Plus the CA's can't seem to make the same power for the same amount of money as a SR can. I've seem this over and over again. Plus, the last ones rolled out of the factory over a dozen years ago. Old stuff by Japanese standards. My car is a '91 and I've been told it a "new classic". Whatever that means? The only guys that stick with the CA's seem to be trying to prove a point or something. Hey, if it's paid for and you have tons of parts laying around your shop for it, then why not stick with it? But given a choice the SR is the hands down winner here. Highly available, highly reliable when built up, and pretty cheap to take care of.
If you are thinking about a CA, think about the fact that it's probably been sitting in a junkyard for who knows how long. If it's been in a car up until recently then it either has umpteen million clicks on it and/or was railed on by some wannabe Takumi. Many dudes over here that are into cars aren't always good about proper maintenance so buyer beware.
I'm not saying they are bad engines. But they aren't that great as some would like to think. Between what I've seen with my friends cars and talking cars with people over the years has taught me that the SR is the engine of choice in Japan (between the CA and SR at least). After going with the CA, Nissan chose the SR over developing the CA anymore. I think they made a good decision.
was reading threw some forums. just wondering what you guys think of it? i mean it think it's odd how he mentioned it OVERHEATING? or having heating issues? Do you guys experience this? No, right? Just add coolant / water. Out of curiousity of those CA owners how long has your motor lasted after you were doing rebuilding?
