Requirements for S14 KA into S13 chassis

[slipnfall]

Hi there, I'v been prowling around these forums for a while and have made the decision to rebuild for future KA turbo support. Right now I'm sitting with a 92SE and blown eng. I see that most(all?) of the popular turbo kits(XSeng, NS) are for 95-up engines(s14).

My question is how feasible is it to drop a 95+ KA24DE engine into my S13 chassis? How much changed over these three years in regards to physical mounting, engine management, etc. I would assume, at the least, that I would need the coresponding ECU. What other problems may I encounter? I would like to do this for two obvious reasons... turbo kit support, and secondly, so I can extend the life a bit more than if I had simply replaced the KA with a '92.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

-Jamie

[aleph1]

Dropping in an S14 engine will do pretty much nothing in regards to turbo kit support. The main differences of the 95+ turbo kits are not attibuted to the engine directly, its the physical differences in the S14 itself. Althought most 95+ turbo kits will fit with minor modification in the S13 chassis, mainly with the IC piping and such. The Fmax kit is made for the 95+ and the manifold and downpipe both fit the S13 fine.

[slipnfall]

Aleph, Thanks for the reply - your answer was what I was hoping to hear. I can deal with a little IC plumbing, that's no big deal. Mainly I did not want to have to purchase, say, a different mani when buying a kit which included one. Am I correct in assuming that the ECU's are indeed different?

While I'v got your attention, would you reccomend replacing the motor mounts while I'm at it? The base car has ~130k. With a boost of only ~7psi is there any real benifit(besides transferring engine movement/vibration to chassis) to stiffening the mounts?

Lastly, could you offer some suggestions for picking a longblock from a salvage yard? Obvious physical damage is a no-no, but asside from a good leaktown(and checking for visible leaks) what things should I look for/avoid?

Thanks once again, 'preciate it.

-Jamie

[aleph1]

Ya the ECUs are different as S14s have OBDII, although I think 1995 didnt have it, I dont remember if all S14s had OBDII or just the latter few years....

Motor mounts are a good idea, if you can REALLY spare the money. But unless you break them in an engine removal process or they are obviouslly not doing their job...its not needed by anymeans. If they arent performing well, the engine can move a lot and if your turbo downpipe/exhaust setup doesnt have a flexpipe section, it could put stress on the piping as well as other tubes and such. But overall, not that many people got them and most havent had any problems attributed to the old mounts.

Do you mean the whole engine or just the block? I would obivously try to get a low mileage one (possibly even from the NICO for sale ads, lots of ppl dump the KA for an SR, even S14s with low mileage). I think it would be a good idea to check the clutch to see if its really burned up which would give you a good idea if the engine has been pushed hard, or just get an engine with an AT transmission. Check for melted gaskets, which could mean the engine has overheated a lot. Do a compression test...and uhm...if the engine has spark plugs in it, check the condition of those as well as it could also give clues to its general condition. If you wanna get real into it, you can measure the cylinders for bore wear and/or warpage. Thats all I can think of off the top of my head.

[slipnfall]

Aleph, Ok I just wanted to be sure on the ECU, as I'll need this also from a pull. Should have no problems with simply pulling the '92 and plugging in the 95 ECU(ie no harness changes), correct? I must admit that I have not yet picked up a FSM for my 92.

Good point on the mounts - I'll wait to see what condition mine are in once I remove the eng.

As far as salvage yard shopping, yes I did mean full engine. I agree with checking the transmission - never thought about this one. I think I will take your advice and shop in these forums before anything else. Mainly because at least the owners will have a good idea of it's condition. I plan to pull my eng over Xmas break, so I will keep you all posted on what I can find.

So with that in mind, anyone have a 95KA they plan to pull around April next year? :-) I'll have a 92 up for parts if anyone is interested(blown, other components condition is unknown as of now)

Thanks again,-Jamie

[d240t2]

Don't change ECU or harness...swap distributors and TPS. The short block is interchangeable, just keep the S13 electronics.

[slipnfall]

d240: Thanks for the response. You say that the short block is interchangable - are you implying that the 95 heads are not compatable with the 92? Is this due to I/E headers?

Thanks,-Jamie

[SloMoe]

interchangeable - the act or process of substituting one thing for another, i.e. compatible

[:: orion ::]

To simplify what you need to know:

Use only the new head/block combo...

Retain your S13 electronics, distributor, intake mani, exhaust mani, and cams (S13 cams give a few more HP).

Later - Brian

[slipnfall]

orion:

Thanks for the cam tip - I have read about the earlier-yr cams being beneficial for NA apps but I didn't realize I would be better of with them for future turbo.

SloMoe: short block does not include head, yes? d240 stated the _short_ block was interchangable.

Thanks for clearing that up orion.-Jamie

[d240t2]

What I meant was what Brian said...swap the head/block combo whole. He is correct, listen to him.

But since you asked, no, the heads are slightly different and require modifications to be swapped.

Dennis(92 240SX with 97 KA+T)

[BadMojo]

Retain your S13 electronics, distributor, intake mani, exhaust mani, and cams (S13 cams give a few more HP).

I'm most likely going to be putting a KA24DE from an S14 in my S13 too once my ailing engine finally errr...passes on.

I'm curious about the cams...

I know the S13 cams are more aggressive, but wouldn't you need to adjust valve lash after swapping in the cams? As I recall, the shims from Nissan are hideously expensive.

[slipnfall]

Mojo: I'm curious to know what you mean by valve 'lash'... Is this the distance, speed, or 'bounce' the valve has? I'm quite the layman when it comes to automotive terminology.

Thanks,-Jamie