Questions about my RB26 Swap....

[Ramius83]

Ok, about a week ago I started my RB26 swap into my S14.

Questions......

1. The gap between the radiator and the crankshaft/powersteering pulleys is slim to none. There is about a 2 inch gap. Obviously, my Flex-a-lite 220s will NOT fit in there because they are about 2 5/8" thick at the thickest portion. I have heard someone mention a "notching method" to install these or something like that. Can someone please elaborate more on this? At this moment, I don't think that I would be able to use these fans as there are too thick. What other fan choices are there for me? Can I use these 220s in front of the condenser as a pusher, and maybe try to fit a 10-12" single fan where I can fit it in between the radiator and the engine and have it run as a puller?

2. One of the water heater hoses on the RB26 has a sensor installed on it, and this sensor has a T plug that clicks onto the main engine harness. What exactly is this for? Is it needed? Reason being, the RB26 heater hoses are too small in diameter to meet up with the S14 lines. So, I was gonna use the old KA water heater hoses and the RB26 hoses, and just use a union between the the two to join them up. Easy and simple.....But I just need to know if I need to maintain that sensor or not.....

3. I used the McKinney mounts for the install, and I also purchased their driveshaft. Now, in order for the rear turbo water/oil lines to clear the steering shaft, I had to keep the shifter forward about 1/4", resulting in the whole engine sitting forward just a little. I am fine with that. However, when I installed the driveshaft, I noticed that when I slid the yoke all the way up into the transmission until it stopped, the resulting gap on the differential mount was about 1/4" as well, maybe a little more/less. So, I just slid the yoke out just enough to mount the driveshaft. Will this give me any problems, especially with leaks? I noticed that the whole yoke that drove into the transmission was the same diameter from beginning to end when I mic'ed it. So, in theory, I shouldn't have any leaks/problems because the whole yoke itself seals against the tailshaft seal on the transmission, correct?

Thanks all for your help with this. I am chugging along on this thing. I know the one thing that is gonna suck the most about all of this is the stupid @SS down-pipe and getting it to clear the steering column......Thanks again....

[yellow_jacket]

There should be a little room between full compression and the actual length of the drive shaft. If there wasn't, you would be in trouble.

As far as your other questions, I don't know. I have seen some people run pushers between the fmic and the radiator. So that might work in your case.

[Ramius83]

Ok, so you are saying that the driveshaft is ok? If so, then that's great....

I am keeping the stock A/C system in the car. So, I have the condensor in the way. I would have to mount the fans on the outside of the condensor acting as pushers. I worry about this because the condensor will block a lot of the air that the fans are pushing, and the engine will overheat.....

[blubottlemax]

Nice project Eric. Sorry to see you got rid of your turbo'ed max though.

[b-s14]

i took out my whole a/c condenser as well as the carbon canister. car is pretty empty now. lol, search for the pics, you'll see a photo of the FAL where the condenser use to be. i test fitted the radiator, its like a 1inch gap between the crank pulley and the radiator, but it should work. good luck to ya!

[Ramius83]

Thanks B-S14. My only problem is that I am still gonna be using the A/C. I am having a set of custom lines made and the wiring was a sinch.....

[b-s14]

hmm a/c... thats gonna be pretty cool... considering i dont even have power steering either. damn R32 HICAS...

[Ramius83]

You know you can correct that right?

zerothread?id=89284

[b-s14]

oh well.. time to build muscle... hahaha

[gawdzilla]

the driveshaft thing should be fine, as long as it doesnt have room to fall out completely. i think some fluid is sealed by the splines, but not by the flange itself (i.e. it doesnt have to be ALL the way in)

as for the sensor on the heater hoses? could you take a pic? i dont think i had that.. could be something aftermarket to monitor water temp maybe?

[Wulfgang]

1. I hear what you are saying on the radiator/condenser problem... the only thing I can tell you is that if there is any way possible to get those fans between the radiator and engine, then do that. As you have probably seen, the notching trick won't work if you keep A/C, at least on the S14. However, with good duct work, it should be possible to put the fans out front and not overheat, depending on the size and placement of your FMIC.

2. That is the water temperature sensor for the automatic climate control (R32 FSM, HA-11). Ditch it.

3. 1/4" gap is good, and yes the splines seal. Anything less than 1/4" would worry me.

[Ramius83]

Awesome Wulfgang, that is great to hear. Thanks for your help once again.

Before I saw this post, I had already installed that sensor back onto the one water heater hose and hooked it up. Oh well, what's done is done.

I did the best I could to try to fit those fans in between the radiator and the engine, but I just cannot do it. So, I am just gonna mount them on the outside of the condensor as pushers and I just bought a 12" slim 1450 CFM fan. I know for a fact I can atleast outfit this fan as a puller on the passenger's side of the radiator. I think that with the Flex-a-lite 220s as pushers and this one 12" slin-line puller, I will be more than safe. But, as we all know, you know when you get everything running and test drive it.....

[b-s14]

hey dude, what kind of adapter size did you use to get the s14 heater hoses on.. ? i cut my off a bit but it still didn't line up correctly. let me know what you used please

[Ramius83]

B-S14, the RB26's water heater lines are an inner diameter 5/8". The KA's heater lines are 3/4". I went to a fittings place and bought two 3/4" barbed fittings and two 5/8" barbed fittings, and joined them together. Then, I used the stock ***** clamps to tighten them down. So far, everything is looking good. I can take a few pics for you when I head on down there tomorrow.