Like most Nissan motors, the CA18DET has a maze of vacuum lines that quickly become confusing to those unfamiliar with the motor. The following is a quick guide of what needs to be hooked up and where in order to get your CA18DET up running. Upper Intake Manifold (rear) Read below for the...
Lightweight Aluminum One-Piece Driveshaft Install on S13 240sx
Installing a lightweight single piece driveshaft on the 240sx offers a few benefits over the factory 2 piece unit. First, your driveshaft is considered a rotating mass and as such, any weight saved on your driveshaft translates into a quicker, freer revving motor. This effect is similar to...
Installing a SR20DET Lightweight Flywheel and Clutch into the CA18DET.
Background Even with the abundance of OEM parts available for the CA18DET, there seems to be a very striking lack of affordable lightweight flywheels. Clutchmasters and Spec make several clutch kits for this motor but for the time being there really isn’t a true, US market, bolt in...
Oops, I got too comfortable with open source.
I messed up. I got so comfortable with open source software that I neglected the internet explorer crowd. To all of you using internet explorer for your browser needs I offer my most sincere and humble apology. I will go ahead and tell you what happened so the people who already live in browser...
Introduction – What is Drifting?
According to the all knowing wikipedia: “Drifting refers to the difference in slip angle between the front and rear tires of a car. When the rear wheels are slipping at a greater angle than the front wheels, the car is drifting, or over-steering. The rear end of the car appears to chase the...
CA18DET Swap Guide (Part 1: Removing the KA24DE/KA24E)
Part 1 of the CA18DET swap guide deals with removing the factory engine from your 240sx but before getting started I will cover a little background information regarding the CA18DET motor and engine swaps in general. But first and foremost, if you do not have the Factory Service Manual (FSM) I urge...
Part 5: CA18DET Engine Woes, Time to Build it Better
Some of us get lucky, we import a motor from Japan, swap it into our car and drive off into hybrid heaven. But sometimes things just don’t seem right and unmistakably, as I pile the miles on my latest CA18DET, it has started to feel off. The smoke the car leaves behind after trips to redline...
Walbro 255lph Fuel Pump Install (s13 240sx)
The Walbro 255lph fuel pump is a must for any heavily modified and/or swapped 240sx. They are inexpensive, reliable and flow more than enough fuel to satisfy the thirsts of even heavily boosted motors. Note: These procedures should be performed in a well ventilated area away from open ignition...
Part 4: Liquid Intercooling (The Path Less Travelled)
The CA18DET motor comes from the factory running 7psi of boost and sporting a small, inefficient side-mounted intercooler that becomes relatively useless at boost pressures above 10psi. Since project CA18DET will see two iterations, one sporting a t25 at 12psi and then a ball-bearing t28 at 14psi...
2007 Mustang GT – Hypertech vs Diablosport Predator (Drag, Drive, Dyno)
Let the games begin, the utilitarian Hypertech is ready to face off against the eloquent Diablosport Predator. Add one part extravert, an uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time and if it exists, a gene for luck, and you’ve got my older brother. And this time he’s...
DC Header Install
The KA24DE motor found in the US market 240sx is not the most powerful motor in the Nissan parts bin, however, with a few bolt-ons this motor can really come alive in its Naturally Aspirated form. One such bolt-on is the DC 4 into 1 header that yields a claimed 12hp over the stock header. Set up As...
Compression Test
Performing a compression test on a running motor can give you a wealth of knowledge about the engine. For instance, numbers too low may indicate a bad head gasket, likewise a large variance in numbers can help you isolate problems down to the cylinder. Most importantly, compression testing is...