Worth It?

Im sick of my stock ca18et's weak power.....my s12 has been sitting all winter (is in need of alternator) and I think I wanna swap it come spring

I was talking to my buddy and he has a crashed Silvia with a slightly modded CA18DET

stats:
-compression 150 across (little low?)
-disco potato on it at the moment
-short throw shifter
-nismo clutch
-nismo throw out and pivot
-fmic/piping (ssqv bov)
-hks intake

needs:
-coil packs replaced but he says he has another set he'll give me (said is was misfiring under load)
-oil pan resealed
-oil feed line to the turbo made

So he said he would just sell me the whole car for $1500 (he doesnt feel like pulling the engine)

SO....this worth it? Figured Id ask you CA18DET owners out there that have experienced the swap etc

WHOA! A calgarian! you may very well be the first albertan i've ran into on here yet!! Long time since i been down that way!

Sorry, but i dont know anything about the ca18 platform.. it does sound a bit high, even when converted to canadian dollars.
the thing is do you know how the car ran? what the engine was like and stuff? I think most people on here would pass and go for something to build up on thier own... although, if its the whole car, then hmm...

maybe theres front end onversion pieces etc and a hoar of other parts to be scoured. if you already have that part of things done, you caould always sell em..

I have family down there, it wouldnt be impossible that if you had the right parts i was looking for in a few months i could send my scuzin over to pick em up.. he comes up this way frequently for work n such..

at any rate, if it was JUST for the engine, i dnt know... but for the whole car, depending on whats smashed up then maybe... although im not sure specificaly what a "silvia" is (S12, s13,s14 wise etc...)

I kinda thought they were all Silvias in one way or another..

and 150 for compression, impretty sure thats fine, especialy for a turbo engine.. i belive they usualy have a lower compression... about 8:1 i think versus like 10-11-12 to one... i maybe very wrong on that though.. my old cordoba 318 mag had around 160-170 i think...

I have two spare alternators fo sale. p/m me

yah sorry...its an s13 (at least Im assuming)

and yah there arent that many s12's in Calgary...I only know of a few...which is why I like them....unique cars instead of having something from a cookie cutter!

he said the engine was running perfect until the misfiring due to a coil pack...but it was still ok...says it was pulling strong before the accident 4 months ago

and the car would be missing the front bumper/hood/headlights/trunk....so there goes some salvage potential haha

I think 1500 is decent for the extras with it but not great (considering getting a stock CA from a shop is 1100-1300USD).....

but I still think I will try and get that down.....Id like to shave a couple hundred off that at least

I still need to find more info out....but Ive heard of tranny issues (stripping input shaft etc) when bolting a DET to the stock tranny.....it comes with the tranny but from what Ive read its a few inches longer for the tranny mounts...right?.....Im just rereading swap info now to double check issues.

I have a friend that has done many wiring jobs on swaps so Im not worried about that (I despise wiring)..Ive done swaps before and should be able to do it by myself considering this one being fairly straight forward from the looks of it

so again....just wondering what some DET owners think of this deal?

zastaba @ Jan 24 2009, 02:26 AM
Hoooraaahhh Alberta! thumbsup2.gif

Honestly that sounds a bit high. You have to transport the car - pull the engine and all the goodies - and then deal with the old shell. If you can get some bucks back from the wreck maybe - but it depends how much work you wanna do. Also depends on how much sh!t-baggin he did to the car before he crashed it. IMHO - maybe you can talk him down a couple hundred.

yah I wouldnt mind getting my ca18et running before I do some kinda swap....the connector to the alternator is pooched too....not the lil terminal ones....the big pigtail kinda connector....not sure where to find one of those though.

I called around to every parts store in the city for an alternator for my car and none had it....I had to go to the dealership and they found one in the states...and yah its like 250 (after core).....I had it shipped here but havent picked it up yet...and for that much I dont really want to haha

anyways after crunching some numbers 1500 is about my total budget for a swap so I cant buy the engine for that anyways.....I offered him 1000....if he doesnt take it its no biggy.....lots of time to find an engine before its nice enough out to work on the car

yeah if you call bumper2bumper in bonnyville, they proly have the one i got ordered.. its mk2 style plug... lol.. i decided it was the wrong one and sent it back...

If you want to check out the alt mod, just search for ac-delco.. i did a quick blurb about it.. dont be daunted by the brackets i made... hehe.. they are pretty rough lookin. anyone could make a better/nicer one than i did, even me, but i was just using what i had and makin it work.. now i have a sorta template to go by.

I came up with 2 good ways to make the brackets afterwards... lol

check out the thread if you want, and i can help ya out with details if need be.. i have the links to where you can order adapter brackets and one wire alts if thats the way ya want to go.

I also have the cardboard the belt came in with teh belt number/size... (i grabbed 5 belts before finding the one that worked good for me.. lol)

it'll give ya time to talk down your buddy, and to u'll save like 150-200$ for that engine swap.. and then you can transplant the alt when you do.. thats my plan anyways! biggrin.gif

on the other hand as well, theres a few alts kickin it around on the site here too.. some ppl will give em away, and you just pay shipping... Jeffwins i think had one for free, dont know if he still does... and also zabasta might have one.. lol just try n see if you can get a plug to go with it... i was just gonna use spade terminals and kinda seal it up a bit with i didnt know yet... lol

youre talking about the big sensor/wiring harness plug right?

and yah I may do that mod....depends how much my pay cheque is lol...if I dont do the swap Ill get just the new alternator sad.gif

I have a friend that is friends with the guy with the engine and he tells me he is a little shady....so Im a lil more worried now about buying an engine/car that I cant hear run....gah

yea, its the exciter/gauge/sensor wire...

the gm/ac-delco plug just replaces it on the swap... very simple.. 2 different wire sizes on both.. one white wire, one red n white on the car, and one bigger red, and one slightly smaller white. red goes to alt light on dash, and is used for the excitor when switched on, and white is for the sensing of voltage at your main junction to keep the alt puttin out required voltage... and then of course the big fat main charge wire...
I got the plug when i picked up the alt.. it was hanging on the wall with a billion other lil electrical goodies.. cost less than 3$ lol

so yeah,im talking baout the two blade conection on the alt itself.

an mk1 car has one plug, and an mk1.5 and mk2 have a different one... its the only differance between them.

thats where i got the wrong alt.. they sent me an mk2 instead of an mk1... i just told the boss to order me an alt for a 86 nissan 200sx with 2.0l (thats what everyone up here considers it)

now i have an alt for an 83? firebird 5.0 without ac, with heated back window..hehe.. that was the little one, 78amp, at 3'oclock position... but check the thread about that stuff if your interested.. more on it there...

now.. convince your buddy to sell you the engine n tranny and other things you need for like 500 and toss him a wrench!

(didnt read ur guys whole convo sorry. just posting opinion on possible purchase.)

CA18DET owner and mad researcher saying...

Worth it!

The turbo alone, if a true Garrett, makes it easily worth it. The CA18DET and the GT2860RS are said to be soul mates. The perfect match. Just be sure its the real potato. Heres Garrett's page with numbers:
http://www.turbobygarrett.com/turbobygarre...RS_739548_1.htm

1500 is only a couple hundred USD more than you can usually get a fresh-from-japan CA18DET purchased and shipped.

The extra aftermarket makes it worth it. The fact that you get a S13 with it makes it worth it. You can snag parts off the silvia for ur S12 and sell the rest.

Before buying I would see if the engine will run. If so listen to it idle and rev closely, keep your nose on the lookout for burning or richness, and your eyes keen for leaks and smoke. Test the turbo for signs of leakage or high miles. See what was damaged and whats still good. If you know the guy well then you prb know how the engine has been treated. Just dont confuse a good workout with abuse or vice-versa.

If you buy it... Before install I would send the head out to be redone (expensive but not crazy expensive) and if you have the budget then send the block out too or just do a ring and bearing job. Thats new rings, hone bores, new bearings for crank and rods. In addition to those you obviously wanna get a full gasket/seal kit, timing belt and tensioners, and new water pump and mayb oil pump but inspect it first (they're kinda pricy 180 usd or so).

Good luck and if you get it have fun cuz that turbo is magic.

i wish i could get a pic of the ca18det turbos beside one of the ones in my 2.3l turbo... just to compare...

I have high hopes.. if you guys run 1.8L with so much jam and performance, then a 2.3l should be even more fantastic! all in theory of course.

listen to iggy, he knows the engine well.. check out his build.. its great! his car is soo sexy, and his engine.. i just want to lick it... drool.gif

hehehe.. that was too much... oops

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! omg lol

aaaaanyways

Check my signature Lynium. Theres a comparison of turbos and a more detailed look at the ca18det's stock t25. Not side by side with urs but good pics to ref

IggyEGuana @ Jan 24 2009, 06:28 AM
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! omg lol

aaaaanyways

Check my signature Lynium. Theres a comparison of turbos and a more detailed look at the ca18det's stock t25. Not side by side with urs but good pics to ref

Well he said he would do 1000 if I take the car asap.....

only shat thing is I cant see the car before its towed over (its not even a rolling chassis).....so it still makes me a lil uneasy....

says the engine was only in the car a month before it crashed and had 40k on it

probably trust him about as far as I can throw him.....he told me the issues/what the engine needs....(coil pack(s) which apparently he has.....oil pan resealed....and oil feed line to turbo that he cut)....

so yah....its risky....*sigh*

still debating

wait, why can't you go see the car? I mean... doesn't really matter where it is, should be able to at least look at it, imo.

otherwise, for a grand, thats worth it, for the reasons that Waylon mentioned.

Just be sure the car is basically what it is, and that you aren't getting screwed.

he could have blown the hg or something too, overreving, etc, so ACTUAL compression wouldn't be bad.

I would also definitely verify that its a disco, if its not, that might be signs of a greater wrong going on....

he is fairly far and I have an anxiety disorder that limits my driving distance....might have a friend go check but probably not

and if I get it Im paying him 500 in a week and 500 at the end of next month...so if I get it and its not a disco....and I test the compression and its f00ked then he wont be getting shit all lol

it sounds like a pretty good deal, even without hearing the thing run.

he found the extra coil packs.....

anyways I asked him what boost he was running......he said he was running 12psi daily...never changed it

hes put 10k kilometers since its been installed and he said other than the one coil pack he never had an issue

SOOOOOOOOOO I think Im going to get it

one question that ppl with CA18DET's/MKII's may be able to answer is the tranny

I was reading through all the stuff on here and I will likely have the Silvia's drive shafts but from what I have read the front drive shaft wont work? only a USDM 240's?...is this correct?

cuz I would like to use the tranny from the silvia (lower km's etc)... but if the drive shaft wont work than I guess Ill have to use my stock tranny

so is this true about the silvias drive shaft not working?

Does your stock trans still work fine, shifts ok, no odd noises?
I would stick with it, less miles would be less wear, but if your current one isn't problematic, then why change it and have to deal with cutting your shifter hold and get a new drive shaft?

this is true...but if my odometer is correct and unswapped....it has 300,000km on it....so that kinda worries me lol....its pretty sloppy shifting wise but from what I remember theres no grinds or anything....but Im used to the short shifter of my daily driver so I guess that could make the s12 feel worse

although he does have a short shifter in the silvia...guess that could be swapped into the s12 lol (theyre the same 'c'trans...so I assume it could be swapped with little/no modifications)

Kustamogen @ Jan 29 2009, 05:10 PM
this is true...but if my odometer is correct and unswapped....it has 300,000km on it....so that kinda worries me lol....its pretty sloppy shifting wise but from what I remember theres no grinds or anything....but Im used to the short shifter of my daily driver so I guess that could make the s12 feel worse

although he does have a short shifter in the silvia...guess that could be swapped into the s12 lol (theyre the same 'c'trans...so I assume it could be swapped with little/no modifications)

IggyEGuana @ Jan 25 2009, 04:28 AM
Worth it man

About 180k miles? That's not really bad, if it were over 225k I would worry, but my trans had over 120k on it when I swapped the SR in and it's only now starting to get a slight input shaft bearing whine at maybe 160k now (not really sure what it is at exactly, lost track laugh.gif ).
I'm pretty hard on my trans though, so it's no surprise. Mixed mileage, about 10k on the old CA20, 7 on the SR with out turbo, and another 7 with turbo abuse.

lol after reading Iggy's build thread he surpasses my car knowledge and even he was having issues!! haha so it scares me a little bit......but whatever....gotta learn by doing IMO

and there was a guy in my city that ripped apart 2 ca18et (Im assuming higher mileage) trannys with his ca18det....destroyed the input shafts from what I remember....I almost bought his ca18det last year.....he was/is on this site...'misstrick' or something like that

lol so thats why I would rather use the ca18det's trans if possible....BUT I guess I could just keep the trans then when my s12's goes I could swap (even though thats kinda a pain)

Damm there is lots of albertans here

Yeah, id do it up... chances ae, it'll work out fine.. if not.. well, sell of anything ya dont need or want for parts, to re-coup some costs. Then take tha engine and do a tear down... rebuild it formt the pan up, beef the hell outta it, take your time and you'll have a marvelous lil beast!

Ktek whoa! edmonton.. now we're gettin closer! I've lived there on n off... I'll be there for 2 mnths on the 18th of feb at NAIT... maybe i'll see ya around! Im fighting like ad to have my Nissy with me... parts pending, further analysis and slight work required! Lol

yah....it will be a risk but whatever lol.....only live once!!!

my goal is to have my s12 faster than my mx-3!!!

Yeah, just use the stocker until it breaks, then worry about swapping in an S13 trans.

The S12 trans is just as strong as an S13 or S14, but they break easy depending on what you're doing. A good set of drag slicks and 280WTq will strip gears with a good launch, it's shock that kills them, so you have to apply power smoothly if you want it to last.

How much power was that guy making? Clutch kicking it any? That'll break input shafts.

Kustamogen @ Jan 30 2009, 02:39 AM
yah....it will be a risk but whatever lol.....only live once!!!

my goal is to have my s12 faster than my mx-3!!!

Lynium @ Jan 30 2009, 02:55 AM
MX-3 ...??? Are those things any good? hows the headgasket lol... (I think its the headgasket that everyone blows up on those after around 60k or something... just a rumor.. lol)

Good choice man! When you get it post pics

IggyEGuana @ Jan 31 2009, 05:24 AM
Good choice man! When you get it post pics

why'd you cut a hole in your hood? bondo it over and paint, lol

lol I didnt do it.......previous owner did for the intercooler set up.....its a little big for bondo....maybe a friend that welds can help me out lol

yeah i just saw it. either weld, or you might be able to fiberglass it, and then use a little bondo to smooth it out. then paint the hood white again!!!

whoo RHD

Um well the harness is the first thing I notice missing.
And the exhaust mani heat shields.

Not really seein much else that isnt with the parts youll get monday. Kinda surprised to see stock ex mani and o2 pipe. A tubular manifold and aftermarket o2 pipe will really let the full potential of that turbo shine. What color are the injectors? The stock CA 370s are a semi translucent yellow/tan color. Maybe white when they were new lol. The ones in the pic look like they might be stock but cant really tell. PN on the side of my old ones is A46-00. Says MADE IN JAPAN on the other side and is made by JECS which is on one side of the clip part.

Check the PN on the turbo. It looks like the right one but you never know. Check the turbine A/R as well. Its either .64 or .86. The .86 breathes better in the top end but the .64 spools faster and for a street driven car is said to be more fun. Still a great turbo either way.

I hope you didnt pay all up front. Hopefully he doesnt try to stiff you on the rest of the parts.

i happen to have a photo of my stock injectors off my DET. i think theyre stock anyway..

oh yah....I made sure to pay half today.... then half at the end of next month to make sure I get all my parts!

the injectors are white so Im assuming theyre stock since theyre the same in your pic Julie....370cc seems a lil weak....I heard 440cc gtr injectors work....but Ive been reading through so much DET crap lately its becoming a blur

and the harness is just off to the back near where the clutch master cylinder would be...can kinda see it in the pics....he was gonna pull the engine so its basically all unhooked.....I looked it over for possible cuts and such but it looks like its all intact....drop resistor is there.....looks like its all there thankfully....

so hopefully monday I get all my parts....lol if not Ill pull the engine and either sell it off/sell the turbo....make my money back plus more and he can eat shit! haha

weather is gonna be +7-+10 (like 44 degrees for you yanks tongue.gif) on monday to wednesday....so hopefully I can get it all ready to be pulled by then!!!