Solid Nissan KA24DE Budget Build!

This week Mike takes a look at the often overlooked Nissan KA24DE engine and shows us why it may deserve a second look before tossing it in the trash and building an SR20!
0:00 - Introduction
4:23 - Manley Rods (PN 14006-4)
9:39 - Bottom end
11:00 - Main bearings
12:05 - Rod bearings
12:32 - JE FSR Pistons (PN 317925)
17:48 - Rings
19:37 - Prepping the block and cylinder head
24:30 - Cylinder head
26:45 - Performance upgrade options
28:30 - VQ Cam followers
29:25 - Valves
29:52 - Conclusion
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[@Emzy-87]

crazy to think in todays standards "500hp" is not to bad. I think 500 is crazy still! Most people wouldnt know how to handle that.

[@Blorkion64]

Is it just me or does anyone else love listening to this guy talk? He's got a great voice

[@Shinywhitebox]

yeh - you're not alone :)

[@kungfujiujitsufliptrick4832]

yeah i like his voice too, he also is very fluid when he's talking and explains in detail very well

[@vegeta1857]

Had a turbo ka 16 years ago. Worked at a nissan performance shop. While everyone swapped out their ka24 engines. I kept mine cuz of the extra displacement and I was whooping all the sr guys with all the torque. Good old days. Year was 2006

[@votive7478]

Im 18 and man do i envy you. I wish I could have grown up when all these cars were still hot. Seems like such a fun time to be into cars now I’m just watching all the prices continue to rise 😂

[@AndrewTooStatic]

You should get into it while you still can, these cars and the engines are gonna die out eventually

[@votive7478]

@@AndrewTooStatic I’m going to school to be a mechanic rn so I have every intention of owning an unhealthy amount of cars when I have money

[@FrankFactor]

​@Votive Stock KAs made 150HP maybe. Stock 4 cylinders now make over 200, 6s make well over 300. C6 corvettes can be bought in the teens in decent condition, Mustangs now have independent rear suspension and both can slide with little modification. This age is a golden age also! Enjoy it! You have to be in front of the curve like we did in the 2000s with these cars. Lots of fun to be had for the same prices and 20 year newer cars.

[@dickfitzwelliner2807]

We were considered the poors. What's funny is the guys running sr20's weren't really putting out that much power. They rode the OMG JDM sr20!!! Hype train

[@PinkuStyle]

Been a KA-T guy since 2006. Definitely slept on.

[@tinfoilhat1619]

same as my brother. he ka swapped his 69 datsun and everyone would talk crap. little car is still running strong with tons of boost.

[@AshtonCoolman]

This is a fantastic guide for KA owners. The VQ cam follower idea is a solid piece of info that I didn't know before. I haven't seen that talked about in KA circles. Nice job!

[@skylinefever]

I had never heard of it, either. I wonder if it applies to other Nissan engines.

[@motoiq]

@@skylinefever yes it does!

[@hoffman5982]

People were doing it back in like 2010

[@kamperformance5281]

@@skylinefever fits Nissan FJ Series engines too

[@MineZilla123]

Super tech makes shim under bucket lifters for the ka now that don't require and modification to the head like vq lifters

[@dreednlb]

KA-T the world!

[@nicetimeracing3544]

Amen 🙏

[@dreednlb]

@@nicetimeracing3544 I have a few of your parts. 👍

[@dreednlb]

@@nicetimeracing3544 very disappointed in the KA throttle body adapter I bought from you. Tried to contact you multiple times through your website. I won’t be buying any more of your parts. 😔

[@FameAppeal]

This is the type of guy who never frowns. He loves his job. He actually wakes up in the morning and doesn't feel like he's working. He's just following his passion. I wish I had a job like his

[@sayiangod9404]

You can! Believe in yourself and get in the door

[@cliffdweller9618]

Please keep making these KA24 videos! This is gold!

[@MickelHomer]

Facts

[@tstrick5390]

I could listen to this expert engine builder's well articulated explanation of motor components all day. Thank you Sir. 🏆

[@danielescobar7618]

I know, right? He's so happy to do it! It's contagious

[@marilynmansonn8406]

I love hearing the true passion this guy has towards the craft of each engine component

[@jadenbaker4050]

I have a 97 Nissan D21 with a KA24E, absolutely love the motor!! Follow basic maintenance and it’ll last forever

[@officialrotorblitz2945]

Now that the KA24DE has it's spotlight I would love to see a video being done on the CA18DET

[@YusufGinnah]

Every time I visit this channel I always get the impression that Mike seems to be such a happy, chilled out dude...

[@nissanv6TT]

I've been telling people to boost the KAs for 15 years now and put the SR swap money into the chassis.

[@snakeNP215]

U can tell how passionate this guy is for engine building and automotive tech in general

[@ACommenterOnYouTube]

I have a 98 240sx and built my ka24de back in 2000 for 600 crank hp. She did 462 whp and 412 wtq in 2000. Back while S13's and S14's were doing the easy SR20 swap for ~225 crank hp 🤣

[@brianspiess1420]

Please continue to do a full ka series!! Knowledge is incredible and very appreciative that you are sharing this info with us all!!!

[@pchae1]

I don't even have a KA or Nissan, but I watched the whole video. So informative and well-articulated.

[@S-Kidz]

I'm saving this video for when I need to rebuild my KA . Now I know exactly what I need for a good strong rebuild.

[@4GOD10_]

Same lol

[@grantog123]

Doing mine now...after an ignorant head only attempt lol

[@Shadow1986]

oh is that MIke Kojima? This is the guy that got me interested in suspension with his articels YEAAAARSSSSS BACK

[@conleymacp]

Oh shittt from Sport Compact Car?? That was such a great mag

[@xaviervigil]

I love the KA

[@ilovengn]

Great video! Really brings back memories of my teens to early 20's... Had a KA-T in high school in 2005 and boy did that car kick ass. I remember being a high school kid taking down working guys in their WRX's, RSX's, and modified Hondas in "Mexico." Definitely owe a lot of great memories to the trusty KA!!!

[@mugshotmarley]

I built one back in 2009 for my S14 just to be different than everyone else who swapped them out for sr20s. We called it the truck motor since it came in Nissan trucks in America. JE pistons and eagle rods. Put a big turbo on it and had a blast for years until I sold the car. Did have a weird bucket lifter tick that I could never get rid of back then, but it never broke. Wish I never sold it.

[@m4rvinmartian]

Same here. Fully built, huge turbo. Made all the SR-kin jelly.

[@squizgars5853]

did you get different valves?

[@michaelr5545]

Absolutely love the in-depth info. The legend Mike Kojima !

[@RedRideRVT1R]

leave it to MotoIQ to save and sweeten up the original heart fitted to the car, restoring balance. steady well spoken, scrap the script. the look expressed with Mike's "let me show you how..." is the best. MotoIQ for life and beyond! ❄️🍻💎🦅🏁🌬️🦅💨🌴

[@donjovious]

Everytime I see this man I know I’m going to learn a lot. Always well spoken! KA24 turbo is the best for fun drift cars 📈

[@davidchen4141]

Facts

[@MrFernze]

This guy explaining engines, could be an audio book. I could listen to him for hours.

[@sunnys14]

KA-T are slept on. Had one of the first Full-Race twinscroll turbo manifolds made in 2009, slapped a GT3076R on it and made quite a bit of power.

[@QtmMtrlzr]

Nice! I have the same exact setup on e85

[@virgilioportillo5188]

🍪

[@user-uy4yn5nc7y]

​@@QtmMtrlzrI want turbo e85 hardbody I got a clean hardbody no know how to boost it

[@AlexA-gn1ux]

Appreciate good engine builders like you really knows metallurgy 👍

[@jayspeedchannel]

I love my Ka24det , makes 450 whp on 22psi 420 ft lbs of tq .

[@charlesescarria3726]

Bro that's perfect what turbo you running?

[@Lecon60]

I've been reading mini truck magazines since 1986. My father was a Tribal Police officer and had an S10 mini blazer 4x4 with a V6. I sure could have used KZbin back then. I'm 55 and everything you talk about, in detail. Just like a series, only in real time. Now I have Van Halen in my head.

[@Lecon60]

My father used to creep through the woods catching trespassers poaching on private lands.

[@charlesshamseldin9555]

Always an informative watch Mike. Thanks for your time and excellent content

[@nezabytes]

I rode in a ka26 (2.6 liter stroker) that was turboed. All I could think was how much sheer TORQUE that thing had!

[@youtubeincel5812]

Always smiling while you talk about all of this tech stuff, I can tell you enjoy your job. It's refreshing.

[@danielescobar7618]

Your happiness and pride is contagious! I love this video.

[@RadDadisRad]

The KA24DE is slept on. It is antiquated but that shouldn’t detract it from its ability.

[@sepg5084]

It won't be slept on if it had a decent amount of aftermarket options

[@RadDadisRad]

@@sepg5084 it s slept on because it’s a NA hardbody engine. Now that LS engines are mainstream people are realizing that truck engines, whether 4 cylinder hardbody or v8 domestic, aren’t really a bad thing. Lots of usable torque. Makes daily driving amazing.

[@TheLamborghini1993]

I love my Ka24de-t, will be doing this in the near future to keep it going

[@archzay5073]

Very thankful for the information and guidance, keep making content like this! Especially on KA’s since they are getting more respect now a days :)

[@Daintegralsturbo]

love the content!! keep it up. I was literally in search of a shop that was knowledgeable in KA's and it looks like i found .

[@tinfoilhat1619]

this guy is so wholesome. i can listen to him talk all day and learn something.

[@satanaz]

great stuff! Found about MotoIQ on the HPA podcast, and I am so glad they hosted you! Both your website and YT channel are a mine gold! Wish I have found them sooner

[@CarsAndPablo]

Great video! Spotlighting a long misunderstood motor. Never knew the origin of the KA24DE, thanks for the info!

[@lezzbmm]

ive never built a motor b4 but ive thought abt it a lot ! lmao cant get enough of mike's explanations hopefully one day i build a motor or 2 and if i do ill be using a lot of info i learned here thx 4 sharing !

[@tonyamendola6589]

This guy cant stop smiling...I love it!!!!

[@maxcarter252]

Please keep making videos on the KA!! I’m in the middle of tearing down one from a 95 240sx. It’s hard to find good information this knowledgeable. Thank you for sharing!!

[@sukairain]

My frontier has one of these and I never knew I feel cool now hopefully I can upgrade it like this

[@dartology]

There aren’t any cars here with this engine but man I found this interesting and calming. Nice video mate.

[@jesusberlanga4346]

I have always loved my ka24de.....from my first nissan frontier to both 240sx I never did a swap and was happy with what I have

[@rotor13]

Always love Mike's videos

[@user-fk6id7qs6r]

in my early years, the biggest reason i swapped in a sr was there was no support for the KA's and they were more expensive to build. now obviously SR swaps were never "cheap" (2007) but it was easier to get a stock SR and swap it over then build over time, versus the huge upfront task of building your KA. And again, i think there was like 2 routes everyone went witht the KA's at the time, where as the SR was endless options

[@mileshall4266]

Great content as always Mike. You are the man.

[@motoiq]

thank you!

[@constructiveruckus86]

Definitely need to see this engines life all the way through!

[@lancejohnson9868]

Thank you for this video. I’ve been working on my dads 2000 frontier with 250k mi. It’s a straight up runner. I love it.

[@mattholmes8214]

I had a '99 2.4L Altima. I loved that car and the engine never had issues.

[@TurboHappyCar]

This is really fantastic content, thanks for putting it together! 👍

[@doubletee4391]

back in the early 2000s i asked my tuner if i got a 240 would he swap in a Sr for me. He made fun of me and explained why the Ka made more sense

[@Ren200Z_MotoringLife]

have my good old ka24de in one of my sx's still great solid engine with common sence and maintenance . going on over 15 years now, still the engine i learn to drift on but i retired it from it while iam ahead lol

[@teamPOW]

Great video Mike, I love the tiddlywink comment haha. Long live the KA24!

[@mohammeddmalik]

I just stumbled across this channel and man I love this guy! He's awesome!

[@BackroadBender]

I love this guy. He is so at peace

[@TWCAAO]

This is awesome, absolutely love the KA24D, so much so I dropped one in my GS300. Taking a page from you to convert to the VQ spring caps.

[@fieldbillys5719]

This is the type of video I want to find when I want to build a truck.

[@lsxmotorsports8317]

Finally someone who knows what they’re talking about

[@neoeclipseop]

good video, i love seeing fellow ka enthusiasts. building ka's are what i do for work pretty much. i daily my ka-t s13 around 550whp and im 10.5:1 aswell

[@Ray_dawg-wk9dp]

Love this! 🙏 as a huge 240 enthusiest who’s had multiple engines from sr to rb the ka24de when boosted rips so hard and takes so much abuse. I hope people keep sleeping on it . I need more parts to store away 😂

[@hazardlightsmotorsports]

Thank you Mike for the wealth of knowledge & it motivates me to do my own 2 KA rebuild! Unfortunately, I am on the EastCoast so sending you my KA is not viable. So I will have to do it on my own unless you know any reputable place like your business here, I would greatly appreciate it! By the way, I hope you can do a short video of the entire build of the KA & maybe ask the owner if he does a dyno so we can see the numbers. Great job and keep up the great work!

[@codywhitehead]

Never done a KAT yet but it is something I'd like to build eventually

[@StopTargetingOurKids]

I love this guy! I wish I could afford to have him build an engine for my Abarth and my wife’s wrx while they’re still running perfectly 😂

[@kenfuji2001]

Thank you so much with your knowledge sharing and in-depth detail down to alloy type’s pro and cons.

[@FLpMoDe145]

Love the S14 Vids! Thanks for all the info!

[@timworley8285]

Fantastic presentation on that motor

[@slfrules1]

Thanks for the great info about electrolysis! I think you just solved my next-Bay-neighbor's headache of an ancient chevy 1500 mixing coolant and oil!!

[@digitalbilly]

you can tell this guy loves engines. he looks so happy

[@milesredgate4596]

Between this and the duratec 30 really enjoying the deep dives on some underappreciated motors

[@tayvonrose2528]

Honda D series gotta be up there too

[@Jared-C]

More of this content Mike :) Always love your videos.

[@dobbinj]

I had a 93 Altima SE with this motor in it. I abused that car a lot, but loved it. When I sold it it had well over 300k on it. I wish I could say that it didn't use oil, but I didn't take care of it and it drank oil like it was going out of style. That was my fault not the cars. Very well put together informative video that applies to way more than just a KA24DE.

[@Takeitlightly6]

Great to rediscover your channel mike. I remember your R32 from 7 years ago that had issues at wtac. Wonder how did you guys go from there.

[@catbear4404]

Thank you for your sage words.

[@5150_Designs]

in college, I started a KA24DE build with a BC Stroker kit. Bored the cylinders to 90mm bore and the crank included has a 102mm stroke with 10:1 compression pistons turning the KA into a 2.6L monster. never got to finish the engine because someone T-boned my 92 240sx totaling it and I moved to one of my dream cars, the SW20 MR2.

[@davidschneider5285]

Dude, that's awful you never finished it. I've got the same stroker in my ka, but I went 10.5:1 for a NA build. Once pulled 200whp on pump gas until it was stored for 7 years. I'm reviving it now as a weekend fun car.

[@5150_Designs]

@@davidschneider5285 That's awesome! I bid you good luck on the restoration! I really wish I could have finished that engine. But I sold it to a friend of mine, that never finished building it either LoL

[@jerryb9591]

Awesome job as always.

[@OPEK.]

NA Ka guy here, cant say enough good things. motor has never let me down. Only time it has was when I let it down and didnt check the oil after i bought it

[@akositiklis]

Everytime I visited this channel, it feels like watching asmr'esque about engines.

[@chestrockwell8328]

Incredibly rare, massively technical yet very old school reference mentioned... Tiddlywinks. guessing most didn't catch that. And great interview with Andre on his channel.

[@mubarakal-mansouri5979]

The best engine in my list for any classic and contemporary cars under Nissan to use. This is reliable and can make big horse power and torque is excellent. The nissan D22 is a great for it. I have one is built to 500hp and another one for future built for a spare for fun to build it the right better the previous one.

[@dmytronaumenko8450]

More videos like this on the ka24de please, perhaps tuning or bolt on parts?

[@scotttak]

Ah good ol ka24de. I remember when i slapped on an ebay turbo kit on mine and tuned it with a daughter board and chip burner lol. Had to clock the motor with hockey puck motor mounts to make the turbo clear the brake master cylinder. Ran pretty good but never really beat on it as it was my daily while going through college. Eventually the oil seal blew in the turbo and probably had a crack in the head gasket in one of the cylinders. Sold the car for 1500...an s13 base model coupe :( miss it a lot. You might have actually seen it Mike as i was one of the workers at Pipeline pizza, if you remember that meet lol. Compared to a "budget" build like this mine was a "no budget" build lol.

[@holafceja]

I might actually have a picture of it. That meet was the first 240 meet I went to consistently in high school. What color was your chassis and valve cover?

[@scotttak]

@@holafceja hmm for some reason my replies aren't posting. My chassis was dark grey and my valve cover was the stock gold color.

[@m4rvinmartian]

Everyone was doing the SR in the S14. But I hate doing what everyone else does, went crazy, and created a fully built, balanced blueprinted, forged everything, custom cam KA with a T51R, making 650hp, that was before I put on a H2O/CH4 injection./

[@C-M-E]

The difference 20 or so years make. Did this as a younger me on a single cam KA24E but had to resort to remapping and repurposing Q45 parts wherever I could. Power was great but blowing up transmissions became a regular event. Junkyard life!

[@TraceEssex]

Great video, very informative!!

[@gxcoupe7044]

Hi I love it I'm using it for drag racing many year it runs a 11.4. 1/4mile👌all motor

[@garagekspec4095]

Could you guys do a video on doing all the timing components and distributor timing assembly when you guys fully assemble the motor!! Thanks!!

[@RedRideRVT1R]

thank you for sharing about plateau honing!

[@phongnguyen007]

Great content, a lot thing to learn in there.

[@corn322]

I wish I had known about the VQ followers when I built my KA in 2006. Because I did end up tossing a shim soon after putting the engine in. Didn't blow up, just had a loud tick to it. New intake cam and shims, ran great for years. Even survived a mis-shift to ~8k rpm.

[@seso0pt]

Great information please do some building in detail project it will be perfect

[@Fulcrum205]

Great video Mike. I remember riding in a buddies 510 with KA24DE swap. He bought it for peanuts from a guy doing an SR swap. We threw on a header and an Eaton M90 out of a Pontiac Bonneville along with some other cheapo mods (Like used 240Z springs from an ITA racer and lightening the flywheel on a brake rotor lathe). It ran pretty good with TunerEdit. That car was a blast to drive. Tons of mid range torque and instant throttle response.

[@JustAnotherHouseCat]

A lot of people dont realize the 240sx KAs, at least the DE. Is very different than the truck KAs. The 240 KAs were even made in Japan where as the Truck ones were hecho in Mexico

[@Sir.VicsMasher]

Not too many trucks came with the 240's DOHC engine yet still get referenced as a truck powered car.

[@niceboi6364]

Considering that Mexico makes many engine models for the rest of LATAM and North America I can tell their quality is just as good as a Japanese made engine. My QG18 was made in Aguascalientes, Mexico and it ran for +600,000km until my stupid brother hidrolocked it in a flood. Only a connecting rod was twisted and 30,000km after the rebuilt it's running just like brand new.

[@c0rpse1]

@@niceboi6364 but nissan is unreliable for a japanese car

[@niceboi6364]

@@c0rpse1 their automatic transmission models suck because of their shitty Jatco transmissions but manuals are just as good as any other japanese cars mechanically speaking. If you don't care about the interior designs and poor quality materials you have a reliable daily to get you from point A to B comfortably.

[@c0rpse1]

@@niceboi6364 well I had a couple 240sx and a Maxima. The engines will go for ever but I had to seem a lot of bad luck with electrical gremlins

[@RN-fq1os]

I remember reading an article from you guys regarding building up an old pathfinder using different parts lying around. Any videos on that pathfinder?? That was such a cool Build article, and what that pathfinder was capable of was so good. Live to see that thing again in a video

[@motoiq]

That vehicle is long gone.

[@ThaKenMan]

I’ll admit I was one of those guys who junked their KA24de for an SR. In hindsight it would have been a good engine to keep. But luckily I have had the same SR since 2012 and it starts up just fine.

[@sdshakazulu4268]

Been running 18-20psi with gtx3576 .82 t4 on stock rods for 2 years.. same motor as been boosted for the last 6yrs