Our KA24DE swap doesn't quite fit - motor mounts too thick?

Started by johnnydread · Sep 29, 2012 · 11postsSMF 2010–26

johnnydreadSep 29, 2012, 4:23 pm · #1

We followed the swap guide to put a KA24DE into our 86 200SX race car. For the most part it fits, but it is very close to firewall. It looks like we are going to need to move some of the components back there to prevent them from rubbing.

The issue seems to be the motor mounts. The swap guide said to use KA motor mounts and so we used a brand new pair, but they seem too tall/thick. This causes the engine to sit too high and tilt back into the firewall.

Any ideas?

alhickabeeSep 29, 2012, 5:34 pm · #2

Are the mounts OEM? The aftermarket ones I have were a little tricky. I ended up having to re-seat the entire drivetrain after I first put it in. With the motor mounts nuts only a few turns on I put in the driveshaft. Then I had to rotate aftermarket motor mounts (oem or nismo shouldnt have this issue) so that the offset centers everything up. With everything lined up torque down the tranny mounts first and then engine mounts all of the way. There isn't as much clearance as the s13/s14 has at the firewall, but still enough. I cleaned out my IACV last week pretty easily and quickly.

johnnydreadSep 29, 2012, 6:06 pm · #3

Yeah, these are OEM mounts.

I've tried re-seating the whole thing, no luck. We have 0 clearance. It just looks like the mounts are too tall. At first I thought maybe I'd gotten the wrong ones, but they match all of the pictures I could find and the orientation is the same as well.

pakii-afaSep 29, 2012, 10:51 pm · #4

hockey puck mounts, try those?

JaySep 30, 2012, 1:55 am · #5

There really isn't a whole lot of clearance. At all. I think mine has maybe 1/8" between the engine and the firewall.

The only way they are going to rub, is if your engine can move in completely wrong directions.

(Snap a pic, I'm curious though)

johnnydreadSep 30, 2012, 11:43 am · #6

I have considered going the hockey-puck route or some other DIY mount.

Here are some pics: http://imgur.com/a/fb3xV

Here is the basic issue. In this pic you can see a connector that is pressed against the brake lines:

posted image

A closer view:

Transmount:

Motor mount:

JaySep 30, 2012, 12:35 pm · #7

Your transmission mount looks broken. At the very least it's sitting a lot lower than mine does.

pakii-afaOct 1, 2012, 12:03 am · #8

i agree with jay, replace trans mount. looks about 1 to 1.5 inch lower than should be.

johnnydreadOct 2, 2012, 10:45 am · #9

Thanks for the replies - transmount is indeed broken, but the extra clearance a replacement would give still wasn't quite enough so we relocated the components on the backside of the engine. Now on to other gremlins...

Navy_Mech2Oct 2, 2012, 12:39 pm · #10

out of curiosity what kind of racing is this car being built for?

johnnydreadOct 2, 2012, 1:42 pm · #11

Navy_Mech2 on 12:39:11 PM / 02-Oct-12out of curiosity what kind of racing is this car being built for?

Chumpcar - kind of like 24 Hours of Lemons, but more competitive and less silly.