Jonowong's CA18DE to CA18DET S13 Swap Diary
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- jonowong
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- jedwabna poszewka promocja
- Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2004 6:00 pm
- Location: Sydney
Jonowong's CA18DE to CA18DET S13 Swap Diary
Story
The story is that my friend Eric lent his car to another friend of mine, long story short, the car was returned to Eric with a blown engine. Eric shows up at my door in tears. We spent 1 week finding a new engine and decided to go from a CA18DE Auto S13 to a Manual CA18DET we sourced from a wrecked 180sx for $2325.
Day 1
We get the half cut delivered to my house. $100
We get the blown engine s13 towed back to my house. $50
Sorry no pics!
Day 2
I began preparing the half cut for dismantling.
I stripped off all the panels, bonnet and headlights.
Anything electrical i marked with a label (electrical tape and wrote what it connects to on the tape). Since i took the headlights and indicators off, I marked these first. As you can see from the pic below, the half cut preped to be dismantled. You can see bits of red on the loom. This is my labeling at work. If you look in the right hand corner you can see my friend JayK labeling the loom.
The nightmare ahead...
I decided to start with the air box first. It seemed logical because when you start work on an FTO for some reason you always need to remove the air intake to get to sh*t.
It just a few hoses and bolts in awkward and hard to get places. Air box electrical connectors were labeled "air box" So we know where to plug them when we do the wiring.
Once the air box was out. We put it back together so we don't forget how it all comes together.
We then proceeded to do the intercooler and the intercooler piping. The stock cooler is located in the passenger side fender. This was easy just a few bolts and hose clamps. Just had to pull really hard on the piping to remove it, after the i loosened the hose clamps. Pieced together the intercooler once it was out of the half cut so we remember how all the pipes join up. Labeled the airpipes that come off the intercooler charge pipes to where they go as well. Just in case, better safe than sorry.
After Intercooler Piping was removed.
The Turbo.
I then removed the radiator and the radiator fan surrounding plastic. First i drained the radiator with the little knob at the bottom of the radiator. It turns and lets all the coolant out. I then took out that fan shroud. It was held in by 4 screws. I then disconnected the lower and upper coolant pipes that go into the radiator from the engine and radiator. I labeled these upper and lower radiator hose. Even though its obvious which is which i was just being pedantic. Sorry forgot to take photos, but i have a photo of after it was done.
I then removed all other bullshit that we didnt need, like the washer bottle, labeled the mini pump electrical connectors. The window wiper motor was removed and labeled its plug and other misc electrical plugs. Took out the coolant overflow bottle and hose, which wasn't really necessary for the swap but i wanted to sell some stuff.
Whilst i was doing all this i got my friend to clean anything i removed as this would be the best time to clean anything before you put it all back together again.
We then called it a day and i this is when i realised the kind of sh*t i got myself in.
The story is that my friend Eric lent his car to another friend of mine, long story short, the car was returned to Eric with a blown engine. Eric shows up at my door in tears. We spent 1 week finding a new engine and decided to go from a CA18DE Auto S13 to a Manual CA18DET we sourced from a wrecked 180sx for $2325.
Day 1
We get the half cut delivered to my house. $100
We get the blown engine s13 towed back to my house. $50
Sorry no pics!
Day 2
I began preparing the half cut for dismantling.
I stripped off all the panels, bonnet and headlights.
Anything electrical i marked with a label (electrical tape and wrote what it connects to on the tape). Since i took the headlights and indicators off, I marked these first. As you can see from the pic below, the half cut preped to be dismantled. You can see bits of red on the loom. This is my labeling at work. If you look in the right hand corner you can see my friend JayK labeling the loom.
The nightmare ahead...
I decided to start with the air box first. It seemed logical because when you start work on an FTO for some reason you always need to remove the air intake to get to sh*t.
It just a few hoses and bolts in awkward and hard to get places. Air box electrical connectors were labeled "air box" So we know where to plug them when we do the wiring.
Once the air box was out. We put it back together so we don't forget how it all comes together.
We then proceeded to do the intercooler and the intercooler piping. The stock cooler is located in the passenger side fender. This was easy just a few bolts and hose clamps. Just had to pull really hard on the piping to remove it, after the i loosened the hose clamps. Pieced together the intercooler once it was out of the half cut so we remember how all the pipes join up. Labeled the airpipes that come off the intercooler charge pipes to where they go as well. Just in case, better safe than sorry.
After Intercooler Piping was removed.
The Turbo.
I then removed the radiator and the radiator fan surrounding plastic. First i drained the radiator with the little knob at the bottom of the radiator. It turns and lets all the coolant out. I then took out that fan shroud. It was held in by 4 screws. I then disconnected the lower and upper coolant pipes that go into the radiator from the engine and radiator. I labeled these upper and lower radiator hose. Even though its obvious which is which i was just being pedantic. Sorry forgot to take photos, but i have a photo of after it was done.
I then removed all other bullshit that we didnt need, like the washer bottle, labeled the mini pump electrical connectors. The window wiper motor was removed and labeled its plug and other misc electrical plugs. Took out the coolant overflow bottle and hose, which wasn't really necessary for the swap but i wanted to sell some stuff.
Whilst i was doing all this i got my friend to clean anything i removed as this would be the best time to clean anything before you put it all back together again.
We then called it a day and i this is when i realised the kind of sh*t i got myself in.
- Bennoz
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- mr-charisma
- Oldtimer
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looking good so far .. what was your mate doing to your other mates car to blow the engine up??
Just curious, how come you're labelling all the cables on the half cut? Wouldn't you just be throwing it out once you get the engine out? Cause you're just going to have to re-label all the wiring on his car when you take his engine out right?
Just curious, how come you're labelling all the cables on the half cut? Wouldn't you just be throwing it out once you get the engine out? Cause you're just going to have to re-label all the wiring on his car when you take his engine out right?
- mr-charisma
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- jonowong
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- Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2004 6:00 pm
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OK! due to the festive season! haven't spent a full day on the car... but done a bit here and there, but we will call this day 4 just for the amount of time spent on it.
DAY 4
Worked on the CA18DE Auto.
- Extractors & Downpipe out.
- Auto shifter out.
- Auto Non-Turbo ECU out.
- Auto Tailshaft out.
- Auto Non-Turbo Wiring out. With Labels
- Engine Mounts Unbolted
- Gearbox Crossmember out.
- Vacuum lines disconnected and labeled
- Hoses disconnected and labeled
- Engine and Gearbox come out.
- Side Mount Intercooler Installed
my mate Eric and his blown CA18DE
Empty engine bay ready for the CA18DET and Manual Gearbox
The labeled wiring loom, injectors and sh*t like that
Non Turbo Cold Air Intake thing, it doesn't even work because its sealed and doesn't get air from anywhere
Intercooler bracket drilled in.
Theres a captive nut that prevents it from going in properly, so drill that out and it should bolt in.
Intercooler bolted in
Drilled chassis for intercooler piping
This was done because the stock cold air intake hole is too small to fit 2x2" pipes through. It was made for 1x2" cold air pipe. The chassis has the groove to show you where to cut to. As you can see my cutting was a bit dodgey with tin snips and is a bit sharp, was too drunk to file it down.
Intercooler and piping and fender on!
STILL A LONG WAY TO GO, BUT I THINK WE'LL BE DONE IN A FEW DAYS! HOPEFULLY!
DAY 4
Worked on the CA18DE Auto.
- Extractors & Downpipe out.
- Auto shifter out.
- Auto Non-Turbo ECU out.
- Auto Tailshaft out.
- Auto Non-Turbo Wiring out. With Labels
- Engine Mounts Unbolted
- Gearbox Crossmember out.
- Vacuum lines disconnected and labeled
- Hoses disconnected and labeled
- Engine and Gearbox come out.
- Side Mount Intercooler Installed
my mate Eric and his blown CA18DE
Empty engine bay ready for the CA18DET and Manual Gearbox
The labeled wiring loom, injectors and sh*t like that
Non Turbo Cold Air Intake thing, it doesn't even work because its sealed and doesn't get air from anywhere
Intercooler bracket drilled in.
Theres a captive nut that prevents it from going in properly, so drill that out and it should bolt in.
Intercooler bolted in
Drilled chassis for intercooler piping
This was done because the stock cold air intake hole is too small to fit 2x2" pipes through. It was made for 1x2" cold air pipe. The chassis has the groove to show you where to cut to. As you can see my cutting was a bit dodgey with tin snips and is a bit sharp, was too drunk to file it down.
Intercooler and piping and fender on!
STILL A LONG WAY TO GO, BUT I THINK WE'LL BE DONE IN A FEW DAYS! HOPEFULLY!
- jonowong
- Oldtimer
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- Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2004 6:00 pm
- Location: Sydney
f**k with sydney rain and a new job... havent had time to do this... found some spare time to do a few things today though
i drilled the firewall for the clutch cylinder, installed the clutch, manual brake and accelerator pedals...
installed the turbo wiring loom...
and spent the whole day trying to work out how to splice the manual wiring loom into the auto wiring loom...
i drilled the firewall for the clutch cylinder, installed the clutch, manual brake and accelerator pedals...
installed the turbo wiring loom...
and spent the whole day trying to work out how to splice the manual wiring loom into the auto wiring loom...
- mr-charisma
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- Bennoz
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Crank Angle Sensor? Cam angle sensor? Everything plugged back in ok?
Only needs 2 things needed to turn over, fuel & spark. Check the fuel line for pressure, pull a plug out & attach it to the lead, then rest it somewhere & turn the motor over, you should see it sparking. If not, you know what the problem is...
Only needs 2 things needed to turn over, fuel & spark. Check the fuel line for pressure, pull a plug out & attach it to the lead, then rest it somewhere & turn the motor over, you should see it sparking. If not, you know what the problem is...
- Supplanter
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- Bennoz
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- jonowong
- Oldtimer
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- Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2004 6:00 pm
- Location: Sydney
i know i have the correct neutral start switch bridged because when i pull my loop out of it, it wont crank anymore
i have fuel but theres no spark coming from the spark plugs
could i have stuffed up my wiring from manual gearbox to auto loom? i just matched the colours of the wires from the manual box onto the same colour wires on the auto plugs and plugged it back into the auto fuse box...
the sparks should still fire though shouldn't they?
i have fuel but theres no spark coming from the spark plugs
could i have stuffed up my wiring from manual gearbox to auto loom? i just matched the colours of the wires from the manual box onto the same colour wires on the auto plugs and plugged it back into the auto fuse box...
the sparks should still fire though shouldn't they?
- Bennoz
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