The Ultimate CA18DET Engine Build Guide | What Parts To Use??

[@officialrotorblitz2945]

You're like the only active guy giving info about the CA18 and you're doing it as good as you possibly can! Thank you so much man!

[@JarrodWillemse]

Cheers mate really appreciate the feedback.

[@MysteriousToe]

I love this information. Currently working on my 8 port from Japan and their is certainly no true information. Yes there are forums but it’s all he says this and that, so who knows what’s true until your engine either blows or doesn’t haha. Anyways love this stuff.

[@JarrodWillemse]

@@MysteriousToe Cheers thanks for the comment. I try my best to share my own experience form what i have encountered.

[@JoeCurtis82]

Still miss both my old s13 200sx's (I live in the uk) owned 2 back in the 2000's 1st one I bought in 2005 it had full 3in exhaust from downpipe back. Walbro 255 fuel pump. Volvo front mount intercooler, HKS style pancake air filter, colder spark plugs, and Horsham Developments stage 1 chip and ran 247BHP at the flywheel on the dyno at 16psi boost. My 2nd s13 (in 2008) was standard apart from mongoose exhaust and k&n air filter.

[@JarrodWillemse]

Sounds so period for that time. Everything was so simple back then.

[@maciejaskawiec5821]

Hey guys! I have had my s13 with ca18det running with 3' exhaust, t28 turbo, bigger intercooler and mbc for a while without any tune. But in a period of time i started to have issues with starting it: it barely starts without kicking up the gas, it doesnt keep the idle rpm sometimes, it dosent run as well too. I checked anything i could in my tiny garage: I've tried tried different coils, acc valve, MAF's and throttles, even changed the whole engine wiring and tried different stock ECU's... Installed brand new spark plugs, new walbro 255 fuel pump, was looking for any pressure or vaccum leaks and i couldn't find anything, compression is quite close to stock, and i have spark on all of the sparkplugs too.. but its still the same. For now i am thinking of getting ecumaster classic ECU and take it to experienced tuner to make shure if all parameters are really in good shape. Do you think if i should get Ecu first? Or maybe deal with the issue on old one? I think the new ecu will make trouble shooting way easier than the stock one. I've no idea what else (maybe injectors?) could couse the problems but i wish this car to be running well in the future. Please help guys :( i will apreciate any answer that could be helpfull :) Edit: Could it be that a computer was tolerating some mods but it needs tune after a while?? Like because some parameters went out of tolerance? I was running 0,8bar of boost on MBC by the way. Now manipulating with boost dont change anything.

[@JarrodWillemse]

Hey mate try adjust the throttle body screw to add a little more idle.

[@valentin.garcia]

For 250 I really recommend using a Garrett gbc 20-300 : spool to 1 bar at 2800 rpm, max 1.2bar and at 7500rpm it's still at 1bar. I ended with 270hp with a turbo that spool way sooner and faster than any gt2x and you don't need coolant so your engine will run cooler and the installation is simpler. You can also run a bigger gbc like 25-350 to aim for 300+ hp

[@JarrodWillemse]

Like I said there is multiple ways to skin a cat as we say in Australia. These are just my options based on my own experience. Turbos with cooling are always going to last longer than just oil.

[@hypernexoius3000]

thank you for this video, its helped me a lot with how im gonna go with my car

[@JarrodWillemse]

Thanks man! Don’t overbuild your car keep it simple.

[@hypernexoius3000]

@@JarrodWillemse yessir, gonna be doing Valve train and probably a head drain, the engine came with upgraded pistons and shot peened rods. It has a gt28 now and didn't know if it was to much or not but this just made it easier

[@JarrodWillemse]

@@hypernexoius3000 That will probably make some decent power but they are known to be laggy and old now too. Try it out and have some fun then think about upgrading later.

[@hypernexoius3000]

@@JarrodWillemse it came with the engine, the g25 it had was absolutely sent. So it wasn't really a choice lol. But we shall see with time. Current fighting with a 18 year old ECU 😅

[@JarrodWillemse]

@@hypernexoius3000 Just go standalone and don't look back.

[@joshuacisneros1361]

Hello Jarrod, thanks again for the great videos that you made, I just have some questions, what is the quarter mile time for a stock ca18det. and what pistons are compatible with the ca18det, because my car has too low compression around 115 psi per cilinder and I think is because that the previous owner installed low compression pistons, my time with 7 psi was 16.4 in the quarter mile, I think is too slow. Even with the chipped and tuned ecu is too slow. Again thanks for all the content that you made.

[@JarrodWillemse]

Hey mate a really healthy Ca from factory will probably only make 150psi per cylinder. Make sure you do the test with the engine warm. Put some oil in the cylinder to see weather the rings are bad or you have leaky valve seats. From factory they are only 8.5:1 compression there is no need to lower this and most likely you just have a tired engine as they are 30+ years old now. Sounds like it's time for a refresh. 16.4 doesn't sounds bad for a old engine with stock boost levels. I would get rid of the chipped Ecu and go with something more modern then go back for a proper tune.

[@joshuacisneros1361]

@@JarrodWillemse Thank you so much for answering, I'm going to refresh the engine and see what was the problem, my plan is to get into the mid 14s next time, thanks again for the tips and information shared. 🙏

[@so-y-vmille7156]

thank you

[@JarrodWillemse]

No worries!

[@matixd22]

when it comes to the limits on the rods in the "spicy" setup, what's the failure point? do they bend or do the bolts fail? I'm thinking on just going ARP bolts, heard the L24 (i think) bolts fit

[@JarrodWillemse]

High tensile bolts when they break tend to snap rather than bend. As for head studs i dont know of any off the shelf upgraded head bolts other than arp. You might be able to drill out the bolts holes and go up in size. I haven't seen anyone do that before. I have seen people make 600hp with the arp head studs and 2000 rod bolts. I would upgrade the rod bolts if you are going over 600nm of torque.

[@Robin-yg5tq]

Do you recommend a BOV for 200-250hp?

[@JarrodWillemse]

They aren’t really needed. They can help increase turbo life but it’s subjective.

[@joaoguedes3790]

thanks m8888 since the ca18 is mostly on japan and europe the content is super limited

[@JarrodWillemse]

No worries matteeee! Hope you enjoy! Cheers

[@SeeQeY]

Just got my first ca18 s13, what engine oil do you recommend on the "stock" power level?

[@JarrodWillemse]

If your in a cold climate 10w-40 a warm climate 10w-50 or 15w-60

[@SeeQeY]

@@JarrodWillemse synthetic or mineral? any specific brand?

[@JarrodWillemse]

@@SeeQeY Full synthetic mate. In Aus i use Penrite oil. Get the 10 10th's if you can. Highly recommend to get a oil pressure and temp gauge. You may need a oil cooler.

[@kanenstuff]

My CA18DET set up or the basics is as follows. S15 T28BB turbo Custome hot and cold side all ceramic coated 444cc GTR injectors Z32 AFM Trust VSPL 76mm intercooler Turbosmart fuel pressure reg Bosch 044 fuel pump Exhaust cam on the inlet with adjustable cam gear One if the first Nisstune ecu chip as in SA Spitfire coil packs GfB dual BOV Cross flow radiator Extreme 6 puck sprung clutch Aeroplane catalytic converter Kakimoto Racing R exhaust 3 inch Its running around 300hp with a few mods could get more but a fun car to drive.

[@JarrodWillemse]

Mate that's the best setup in my opinion. Best response and power. Simple, cheap and reliable.

[@kanenstuff]

@Jarrodwillemse yeah it's a great daily driver and reliable.I miss driving it but it will be on the road again though may add a R35 afm to the nisstune wait and see.

[@JarrodWillemse]

@@kanenstuff For your power Z32 is ok but if its old and not reading great then R35 is a good option for something new.

[@kanenstuff]

@Jarrodwillemse it was good back in the day mayhe one year when I finally return I will give it full refresh.

[@slyharri]

Great video, would you mind putting download link for excel document? Plz thxz

[@JarrodWillemse]

Hey mate i put a link in the video description

[@slyharri]

Legend!

[@JarrodWillemse]

@@slyharri cheers

[@michalzimmer1453]

Hello, I have rebuilt CA18DET with GT2560R turbo, a FMIC and a decat (stock 2in exhaust). I'm currently not planning a standalone ECU and I would like to avoid "rechipping" the stock one so my question is: What boost can I run without hitting the fuel cut (or exposing the engine to any danger) and at what power output (approximately) would I be looking at?

[@JarrodWillemse]

Mate changing that exhaust will allow you to run more boost without hurting the engine from back pressure. Get an afr gauge and start at stock boost 7psi and keep adding until you learn out at wide open throttle above 13:1. 12.5:1 is ideal. Don’t advance the base timing leave it where it is.

[@michalzimmer1453]

@@JarrodWillemse Thanks for the reply, I still want to use the car on the street but I will consider changing the exhaust. I read that Id hit fuel cut at around 150kw due to MAF maxing out, what you are saying is that ill reach the AFR sooner?

[@JarrodWillemse]

@@michalzimmer1453 Im saying that its safer to monitor AFR and stop before you lean out which might be before fuel cut. You can put a 255walbro to be safe with the fuel. That turbo can certainly flow a lot more air than the stock turbo but stock exhaust will be your limiting factor to make more power.

[@michalzimmer1453]

@@JarrodWillemse I’ve already installed the Walbro 255 fuel pump, my mistake for not mentioning it. I will get an AFR gauge. The goal power currently is around the 150kw mark anyway. I’m trying to get the car registered as a historic vehicle and I'm pretty sure they'll require the original exhaust to be fitted on the car. I don't suppose there's a way to make it flow better other than removing the CAT. Also thanks for the help.

[@JarrodWillemse]

@@michalzimmer1453 leave it stock until you get it registered then put a varex muffler on if your worried about sound.

[@mrsigurdmcarntzen9643]

You forgot to mention the 4 port Ca18det. I did se someone compare the 8 port to 4 port on the same setup on dyno. The 8 port made 440 hp. The 4 port made 480 hp on same boost. Both without porting. Same car same setup. just a head swap The power levels you mentioned. Is it wheel hp or crank hp?

[@JarrodWillemse]

Hi thanks for the comment. I haven't seen the video comparison between the two. Are you able to link it bellow? And I am referring to whp.

[@mrsigurdmcarntzen9643]

No video. I read it on a forum some months back. I dont think i will Find it again. But it is well known that the 4 port flows way better then the 8 port at high rpm. But have some less torqe down low. For a high hp build the 4 port is superior people say. I am building two 4 port engines for my 200sx s13 one (stock) and one fully built. I have an 8 port head also for spare.

[@JarrodWillemse]

@@mrsigurdmcarntzen9643 It would be interesting the comparison between the 8 port and butterflies removed vs 4 port. Whereabouts are you located because i can't find any 4 port heads in aus.

[@mix1806]

@@JarrodWillemse my rs13 200sx has 4port, i think every eu/uk/early jdm has 4port

[@JarrodWillemse]

@@mix1806 My cars 1989 first year of s13 production from japan are 8 port. I think only EU got 4 port which is called 200sx they are silvias and 180sx in japan.

[@domenicorotella1536]

Hi how much hp can do the gt2860r with fully forged engine ca18det

[@JarrodWillemse]

I’d say around 300hp

[@RAFFMEDIA_]

Hi, does s13/s15 sr20 turbos, fits on ca18 stock manifold? is it plug and play?

[@JarrodWillemse]

Yeh they are all T2 flange. The intake that bolts onto the compressor is at a different angle. Gktech sell a kit to rotate this. Lines may be slightly different.

[@Gunnl]

humm.. I'm a litle confused with all these terminologies perhaps someone can explain... supposed I aim for 300 hp; I select the atr28ss turbo; I see on their website that they have different housing options, e.g. 'T2 .86 turbine', 'T3 .64 External Vband' and 'T3 .64 External Vband', there is also an extra option that says 'Externally gated Turbine housing (External Gate required)'; so as I understand T2, T3 and VBand refer to the shape/size of the outlet of the turbo right ?! So I would need to buy a turbo elbow with the same outlet correct !? Also, when ticking the 'externally gated' then I would also need an external wastegate manifold correct ?!

[@Gunnl]

does the external word, in ''T3 .64 External Vband' refer to external wastegate ? then why the extra option on their webpage !?

[@Gunnl]

Also, when procuring a exaust manifold... when I, e.g., select 'T3 .64 External Vband' do I find one with a T3 or a Vband connection to the turbo ?!

[@JarrodWillemse]

@@Gunnl Hi mate hopefully this helps. T2 and T3 refer to the size of the mating flange for the turbo to the manifold. As the turbo gets bigger so does the flange. For 300hp just stick with a T2 flange as most manifolds are T2 for the Ca18. Newer manifold and turbos have gone vband as it is more simple to attach and clock for direction. The .64 or .86 refer to the size of the exhaust housing. Bigger means more flow and Hp but will result in longer time to spool up so for the ca i would recommend a .64 housing. The external gate is an option if you purchase a aftermarket manifold with a provision to bolt on a external wastegate. This is a better option as you can get better flow with a bigger external gate compared to an internal gate. My turbo is internally gated and at the 300hp level this is fine. It saves a lot of fabrication and if you want to keep it simple then go this route. My recommendation would be go for the ART28ss SS1 with a 0.64 exhaust housing and internal gate for simplicity. You can change the rear housing later and go external and a bigger housing if you want more power later.

[@Gunnl]

@@JarrodWillemse Thanks Jarrod for taking the time. I would like to spend the extra $ and actually try a top mount turbo configuration. I was looking at this top mount from 6boost uk company. They seem to offer 3 options for the ca18, either 'T3 twin scroll top mount 45 mm' or 'T3 top mount 45 mm' or 'T4 top mount 45 mm'. So, I am guessing here that this is an external wastegate manifold and the 45 mm refers to the diameter of this connection ?! Also, the T3 vs T3 twin is just that some flanges seem to have a split in the middle, correct !?

[@JarrodWillemse]

@@Gunnl Hey mate if your just after 300hp this is overkill. The stock manifold will do the job. If its for looks then a 6 boost mani is a good choice. I don't think you will need to go T3 as T2 should be big enough for that turbo. You would go the split manifold if you had a twinscroll turbo which i don't think the hypergear are anyways. Yes you are correct about the wastegate port. 40 or 45 should be suffice for your setup. This flange will need to be welded on.

[@josenavas3972]

Hi brother ☺ miami

[@JarrodWillemse]

Cheers mate!

[@josenavas3972]

Thanks u brother 🙏 God bless u I love u video.