What octane should I be running?

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dumbusername
Posts: 59
Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2005 3:59 pm
Car: 1994 240sx Convertible

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The guy I bought my '94 from said he never used premium and it ran just fine. Of course when I went to fill the tank I saw that it recommends preimum gasoline. Since I don't have an owners manual I was wondering what grade or octane they were recommending?

Is it being penny-wise and pound-foolish to be saving the $.25 per gallon difference? Will running on lower octane, say 87, hurt the engine in the long run?

Thanks and don't ya just LOVE these convertibles??????


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AZhitman
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Your vert has no need for premium, the KA is designed to run on plain old 87 octane.

Some will argue that it'll run better on higher octane, but I've not noticed a difference.

Not sure why Nissan recommended premium, since it started life as a 94 Coupe.

dumbusername
Posts: 59
Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2005 3:59 pm
Car: 1994 240sx Convertible

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Thanks AZhitman, you just saved me some major money! lol

I've been trying to figure out what kind of engine I have. The "article" secion of the site had a VIN breakdown but it didn't match mine in the engine area: JN3MS37A. Any ideas?

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AZhitman
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Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2002 2:04 am
Car: 58 L210, 63 Bluebird RHD, 64 NL320, 65 SPL310, 66 411 RHD, 67 WRL411, 68 510 SR20, 75 280Z RB25, 77 620 SR20, 79 B310, 90 S13, 92 SE-R, 92 Silvia Qs, 98 S14.
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KA24DE.

Same as all 240sx's from 1991-1998, also the same engine as the Nissan Hardbody pickup trucks.

89-90 had KA24D, which was a single-cam version of the KA engine.

dumbusername
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Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2005 3:59 pm
Car: 1994 240sx Convertible

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Thanks again!

Considering this puppy has over 140,000 miles on it, what can I expect to pay for a rebuild or a swap. Figured I should start saving for that now! lol

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AZhitman
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Posts: 71061
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2002 2:04 am
Car: 58 L210, 63 Bluebird RHD, 64 NL320, 65 SPL310, 66 411 RHD, 67 WRL411, 68 510 SR20, 75 280Z RB25, 77 620 SR20, 79 B310, 90 S13, 92 SE-R, 92 Silvia Qs, 98 S14.
Location: Surprise, Arizona
Contact:

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Well, the KA is a damn solid engine...

Should be good for a while. I'd recommend a compression test, come back here and tell us the numbers for all 4 cylinders.

Swapping it out is pretty cheap, people sell running KA's for $50-$200, I'm sure there's some NICO folks in your area that'd do the swap for a small fee when the time comes.

dumbusername
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Joined: Sat Jan 15, 2005 3:59 pm
Car: 1994 240sx Convertible

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Thanks for the info AZhitman.

As you can probably tell I have NO mechanical ability. But I'm learning. It's good to know that if this engine goes I have afforable options. Trust me, "affordable options" are essential on a teachers' salary.

I know there's a lot of guys on the boards in college, I'm more than willing to barter car fixes for tutoring! And I can help anyone write a mean paper!

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AZhitman
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Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2002 2:04 am
Car: 58 L210, 63 Bluebird RHD, 64 NL320, 65 SPL310, 66 411 RHD, 67 WRL411, 68 510 SR20, 75 280Z RB25, 77 620 SR20, 79 B310, 90 S13, 92 SE-R, 92 Silvia Qs, 98 S14.
Location: Surprise, Arizona
Contact:

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We'll save you some money (and heartache...)

Just stick close by and we've got your back!

p.s. Teachers RULE!

240droptop
Posts: 64
Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2004 1:24 pm
Car: 93 240sx Convertable

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I
dumbusername wrote:Thanks again!

Considering this puppy has over 140,000 miles on it, what can I expect to pay for a rebuild or a swap. Figured I should start saving for that now! lol
I think you made a typo Ka24e not ka24d a ka24e is the single over head cam motor


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