The 24 Hour Engine Swap

[Chris28]

This was going to be an epic post but I decided for it not to be.

Friday at 7 PM I get my new KA. Drive home, back by around 8. Time to do work.

Saturday morning, 1:30 AM. Decide I've done enough for the night, and go inside with all the fluids in my old KA drained and the wiring harness disconnected.

Saturday morning, 10:30 AM. Get up and go outside. Proceed to pull the engine with relative ease. Takes until about noon to get everything out. Put the engine down on a dolly and roll it out of the garage. Back the truck up and lift the new KA out of the truck bed with the engine hoist.

Saturday Afternoon, 2 PM. I have my car back in the garage with the KA dangling over it ready to be stabbed into place. I take my time and get the engine lowered into place, trying to line it up but both sides won't line up at the same time.

Saturday Afternoon, 3 PM. Realize s13 and s14 engine mount brackets are different. Proceed to change engine mount brackets with engine in the bay being held up with the hoist. Get the brackets switched out with the ones from my old engine. Do some more stuff and get the engine and transmission bolted in.

Saturday Evening, 6 PM. go out to dinner with my mom.

Saturday night, 7:30 PM. Get home, go out and do work. Get my exhaust bolted on as well as the driveshaft. Start hooking up hoses as well as my engine harness, swap out injectors for my 370cc's to work with my tune, and swap out TPS's due to the s13 and s14's difference in harness clips. Also swap out distributors.

Saturday night, 11 PM. Run to walmart for a coolant oil and some gear oil. Get back, put it in, finish wiring. Fill up radiator and transmission, as well as engine with oil.

Sunday morning, 12:30 AM. Realize that my previous lack of electrical amenities like brake lights and every other light was due to a blown 75 amp fuse. Replace with one from parts car. Sweet, now everything will work.

12:50 AM. Hook up battery. Sparks. Fuse box has power when it's not supposed to. Glowing metal. 75 amp fuse blows.

1 AM. Depression. All that work and my lack of lower wiring harness knowledge leads to a blown fuse and a car that still doesn't run. Oh well. Go inside and get some sleep.

Sunday, Noon. Get up, go to Advance to see if they have a 75 amp fuse, they don't, go figure. Go home and get the car out of the garage and clean up.

Sunday, 3:30 PM. Leave to get back to school. The 240 will be out of commission until spring break, first week of march.

Recap - car still doesn't work.

Plus side - I'm way ahead of schedule, I didn't think I was going to get the engine in until the first week of march, but now all I have to do is figure out my lower harness and replace that fuse and I should be good to go.

[480sx]

Uhg wiring problems ftl. Make sure your starter positive lead isnt grounding out on the starter or block, happens sometimes.

[Razi]

Wow you're awesome.Good luck with the wiring crap.

[liquid_cool]

good luck man and wow fast work untill that electrical issue...god only knows how badly i hate electrical issues..its my ARCHNEMISSIS..i would rather be waterborded then do electrical troubleshooting.

[Chris28]

Haha yeah electrical problems suck. My lower harness is pretty beat as it is so I think I'm just going to swap it out with the one from my parts car.

One question - The alternator on the 96 engine had the plug then one post to attach wires to, whereas my 92 alternator had the plug, a post, and a screw that held wires. I figured that if the post and the screw both went into the case of the alternator, their currents at some point touched, so I put them both on the post. I don't think this is my problem, but it's something that was different that I'm not sure about.

[liquid_cool]

that can verry well be your issue man...you might need that old style altinator or trace back where they may go to.

[Chris28]

Yeah, next time I'm home I'll switch alternators as well as check my starter. Now that I think about it the starter seems more and more like what it is. I know I didn't look at it while putting the lead on, I just slipped the lead over the post and tightened the nut. If the starters required a different way to put the lead on that's it right there.