# CA18ET Pulsar



## Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo (Dec 9, 2004)

I have an '87 or '88 Pulsar NX SE sitting in our back lot. I bought it from a junkyard a few miles away for $300... it came with a blown CA18DE engine. I pulled out the engine to rebuild it, and turns out the entire bottom end is pretty much shot. The rod bearings in the 3rd cylinder gave out, and the piston scored the entire inside of the cylinder. So... I cleaned the cylinder head and put it on a CA20E engine from our old S12 200SX and put it in a Datsun 1200... where it sits currently and runs like a champ at over 200+ horsepower. My problem is I love the look of the Pulsar, and everything but the powerplant is intact and in great condition, interior is almost brand new, suspension good, paint good, etc. I need something to get the Pulsar back on the road and driving... but I do not want to use the same engines as everyone else... I have a thing where I like to put engines in other vehicles... call me crazy. I was thinking about getting a 1.8 litre, 8- or 12-valve (not sure which one) SOHC, CA18ET turbocharged engine from an older S10-S12 Datsun 200SX Turbo model and putting it in the engine bay, since technically the engines have the same bottom end, it should fit without a problem. I have the original transmission from the Pulsar still, and it is in good shape. The only problem is where am I going to find this engine... I just searched and could not find any for sale...


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## Red_Coupe (Mar 20, 2003)

Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo said:


> I have an '87 or '88 Pulsar NX SE sitting in our back lot. I bought it from a junkyard a few miles away for $300... it came with a blown CA18DE engine. I pulled out the engine to rebuild it, and turns out the entire bottom end is pretty much shot. The rod bearings in the 3rd cylinder gave out, and the piston scored the entire inside of the cylinder. So... I cleaned the cylinder head and put it on a CA20E engine from our old S12 200SX and put it in a Datsun 1200... where it sits currently and runs like a champ at over 200+ horsepower. My problem is I love the look of the Pulsar, and everything but the powerplant is intact and in great condition, interior is almost brand new, suspension good, paint good, etc. I need something to get the Pulsar back on the road and driving... but I do not want to use the same engines as everyone else... I have a thing where I like to put engines in other vehicles... call me crazy. I was thinking about getting a 1.8 litre, 8- or 12-valve (not sure which one) SOHC, CA18ET turbocharged engine from an older S10-S12 Datsun 200SX Turbo model and putting it in the engine bay, since technically the engines have the same bottom end, it should fit without a problem. I have the original transmission from the Pulsar still, and it is in good shape. The only problem is where am I going to find this engine... I just searched and could not find any for sale...




I just had a CA18ET..... you could find on at a whole sale JDM engine place. 
if you can get one I think I have a intake and turbine/compressor for it. wiring might be a sligt diff. abd maybe the passanger side mount. you could check www.club-s12.org


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## Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo (Dec 9, 2004)

I called up a good deal of auto salvage yards here in Tennessee, and located an 1988 Nissan 200SX Turbo with a complete CA18ET available for sale, only $200. Of course, currently the engine does not run. I had the tech at the salvage yard go and check it out personally, and he had it towed into their garage to thoroughly inspect it. The engine does not crank at all, which is alright in a sense. He also noticed a significant oil leak that he thinks is coming from the oil pan, but he cannot be sure. He also pulled off the turbocharger to check it out, and found out it was seized up and pretty much shot... most likely it needs a complete rebuild with a new spindle and bearings. Also, he said the tranny was not very good... but because it is going into a FWD car, I do not need it, but I might get it anyway as a spare for the CA20 I have in the Datsun 1200. I am heading down there on Saturday to check everything out... they are going to go ahead and pull it out and get it cleaned up for me, though. Does anyone know where I could get an additional cylinder head, or stock turbocharger? I do not think the Pulsar will need anything more powerful... or at least I hope not.


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## Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo (Dec 9, 2004)

I just found a rebuild kit for the CA18ET. It only includes as follows: complete gasket set, main bearings, rod bearings, thrust washers (if applicable), and a premium ring set. Unfortunately, no new pistons, valve parts, or camshaft. I ordered it already, only $265... not too bad. I also found a nice turbo euro cam (.413 inches / 256 degrees) for the CA18ET for $177, as well as new connecting rods (133 mm / 5.24 inches) for $25 a piece, and a new crankshaft (83.6 mm / 3.29 inches) for $589. Altogether, less than $1500 (including engine and tranny), not a bad deal. I have a spare CA20E laying around... but it is not in great condition... and I still have the bottom-end of the original CA18DE that I could scrounge parts from. I still need to find a new turbocharger also... I am thinking about using a t25 from an SR20... or even the one that comes stock on the CA18DET, pending I can find one. I hope I can get around 200 horses out of this engine... but I do not want to blow it in the process, since there are not spares just laying around. Does anybody know how much horsepower and torque a CA18DE transmission is rated for by chance?


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## Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo (Dec 9, 2004)

Since the last post, I have been frantically looking up information on CA18ET rebuild kits, and found one that comes with: complete gasket set, copper / MLS head gasket, Wiseco forged pistons (84mm bore, 8.8:1 compression), plasma moly rings, performance wrist pins, TOGA HP main bearings, TOGA HP rod bearings, and freeze plugs, all for $925. This set is specially manufactured for the Bluebird Turbo and Turbo Sunny, not available here in the United States, so I know it is worth the money. Also, if the 8.8:1 compression ratio is not good enough, I can get 84mm bore pistons with a compression up to 10.8:1, though they are specifically designed for the CA20E not CA18... but I think the block can handle it, since they are basically the same. Unfortunately, it appears the stock CA18ET engine block is only 83mm bore, so I would have to hone it an additional mm 1/2 per cylinder to fit the oversized pistons and rings. I will probably end up getting both rebuild kits, and use the left-over parts on the CA20 in my Datsun 1200... since I am actually planning on using it for a drag car alongside the Pulsar. I also located a new Garrett T2 turbocharger, which is what is used on the stock CA18ET engine. It is going to cost me about $250 for the turbocharger itself, as well as a custom turbo manifold / headers... though I will have to adapt them severely to fit the FWD Pulsar NX. I just hope this engine fits... if not, I will have another powerplant option for my Datsun 1200. I do not think there will be any clearance problems other than with the radiator and turbo... but I can just modify the turbo manifold to fit. Technically, the cylinder head should be the same length as the stock CA18DE that came in the Pulsar, and the FWD transmission will bolt up easily being the same engine series and have the same bolt pattern. Wiring the engine should not be that difficult either, since they should pretty much have the same engine harness and computer, though I am getting both from the 200SX. Turns out it is a 1986, not an '88... but it will still be fine. Also... looking at pictures of a pulled CA18ET... the distributor is in a different location... so there might be a clearance issue there as well... but I will work around it.


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## Red_Coupe (Mar 20, 2003)

Great, hope evrything goes as planed. I have a T2 turbo and intake wth compresseor and manafold from the CA18ET pm me .I'll let it go cheap.
chip-


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## Nismo_NOR (Aug 12, 2004)

Can I ask where you found that rebuild kit?


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## Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo (Dec 9, 2004)

$200+ =
http://www.rpmrons.com/Nissankits1.html#2.0

$300+ =
http://www.hi-performance.com/CHP/ImportRebuildKits.htm

$900+ =
http://www.importperformanceparts.net/imports/pek-enissan.html

I suggest the last one, it seems to have the best available parts for the price. I bought both the first and last, I found the middle one this morning as well... but I think I will stick with the two already purchased.


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## Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo (Dec 9, 2004)

How much do you want for just the turbocharger?


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## Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo (Dec 9, 2004)

I got the CA18ET engine yesterday... turns out it is in pretty good shape... turns over and everything. Too bad I am going to rebuild it anyway. There seems to be some play on the crankshaft, which leads me to believe the main bearings are shot or are in the process of going out. I also picked up the wiring harness and ECU... both are in pretty good shape, I have already sent them out to my wiring specialist so he can fix any problems from faulty wiring before they emerge. After getting the engine out of the truck... I stuck it on an engine stand and went to work. The rebuild kits will not arrive until tomorrow, thanks to overnight and express shipping, but I decided to get an early start on it. Turns out the engine block of a CA18ET is different from a CA18DE and CA20E... but not by very much... still same bolt pattern, so it should work in the Pulsar. I pulled off the intake manifold, and disassembled it to be shipped off for chemical-dipping, porting, and cleaning. Then I pulled off the turbo manifold, and inspected the stock turbocharger, which is pretty much shot.


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## Red_Coupe (Mar 20, 2003)

great to here.. I have the fix to your turboI PM ed you.
keep the updates comming. pics too.


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## Red_Coupe (Mar 20, 2003)

Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo said:


> How much do you want for just the turbocharger?


150 give or take shipping. most liky less.


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## Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo (Dec 9, 2004)

I am still thinking on whether I want to use a stock turbocharger or upgrade to something larger or with more boost. I honed the turbo manifold, and sent it off to be chemical-dipped as well... I hope all the built-up carbon and crud caked on the interior will come off with ease. With both manifolds gone, I pulled off the valve cover and inspected the cylinder head. It looks in pretty good shape... but I will need to inspect it farther to ensure such. I filled the oil pan with high quality lubricant, and turned the crank pulley, after a few tries, the crankshaft broke free its lock and started turning, moving all four pistons and opening and closing the valves. Everything looks to be in working order, but due to the initial difficulty at turning the engine over, I know it is a guaranteed rebuild. I then started to remove the cylinder head; unbolted the timing belt and cam gear, and removed the valve springs, stems, and other parts. I also unbolted the cylinder head, and used compressed air to clean out some of the crud and grime in the ports and valves. Once I hone the valves and widen the intake and exhaust ports, I will send the cylinder head off to be chemical-dipped as well, and buy new valve components. Also, the Euro Cam I ordered is so much higher quality than the stock camshaft, so I think it will do wonders for the engine.


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## Red_Coupe (Mar 20, 2003)

Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo said:


> I am still thinking on whether I want to use a stock turbocharger or upgrade to something larger or with more boost. I honed the turbo manifold, and sent it off to be chemical-dipped as well... I hope all the built-up carbon and crud caked on the interior will come off with ease. With both manifolds gone, I pulled off the valve cover and inspected the cylinder head. It looks in pretty good shape... but I will need to inspect it farther to ensure such. I filled the oil pan with high quality lubricant, and turned the crank pulley, after a few tries, the crankshaft broke free its lock and started turning, moving all four pistons and opening and closing the valves. Everything looks to be in working order, but due to the initial difficulty at turning the engine over, I know it is a guaranteed rebuild. I then started to remove the cylinder head; unbolted the timing belt and cam gear, and removed the valve springs, stems, and other parts. I also unbolted the cylinder head, and used compressed air to clean out some of the crud and grime in the ports and valves. Once I hone the valves and widen the intake and exhaust ports, I will send the cylinder head off to be chemical-dipped as well, and buy new valve components. Also, the Euro Cam I ordered is so much higher quality than the stock camshaft, so I think it will do wonders for the engine.



WOW ! you really went to town with this engine. it sould come out a wild and crazy little project. good luck.
Chip-


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## Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo (Dec 9, 2004)

Well... I finally got around to working on the bottom-end of the CA18ET. With the manifolds and cylinder head being chemical-dipped and cleaned, it was kind of the only thing left other than the CA18DE transmission, which has already been rebuilt. I pulled off the oil pan, and find a nice crack along the oil line to the turbocharger, courtesy of who knows what. So... unless I feel like welding, I will need a new one... and I do not particularly feel like welding today. With the oil pan out of the way, I unbolted the crankshaft and lowered it out of the block. All four pistons have a good deal of carbon scoring, and the piston rings of No.2 and No.3 pistons are almost nonexistent. While the piston heads do not look to be in great shape, the connecting rods are almost brand-new... the engine probably threw a rod-bearing at some point and the owner replaced all four rods. I pulled off all four rods and pistons, and sent the crankshaft off to be cleaned thoroughly, as well as the connecting rods. Now that the block is empty, I have started to hone to cylinders, and once they are clean, I will begin boring them out to fit the oversized pistons I ordered. If this engine does not end up working in the Pulsar, it would be great for the Datsun 1200, I have decided. I have been wanting to try a turbocharged engine in it for the last two months, but have had no real drive to do it. Also, I began rebuilding the original GA16DE I have for my 1990 Sentra since it threw a rod-bearing. I am planning on doing all the work I can to the GA16DE... including possibly adding oversized pistons, if I can find some for it. All of my rebuild kits have arrived for the CA18ET, and I have begin to clean and sort each part. I am, without a doubt, going to be using the $900 kit, it has by far the highest quality parts.


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## Red_Coupe (Mar 20, 2003)

Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo said:


> Well... I finally got around to working on the bottom-end of the CA18ET. With the manifolds and cylinder head being chemical-dipped and cleaned, it was kind of the only thing left other than the CA18DE transmission, which has already been rebuilt. I pulled off the oil pan, and find a nice crack along the oil line to the turbocharger, courtesy of who knows what. So... unless I feel like welding, I will need a new one... and I do not particularly feel like welding today. With the oil pan out of the way, I unbolted the crankshaft and lowered it out of the block. All four pistons have a good deal of carbon scoring, and the piston rings of No.2 and No.3 pistons are almost nonexistent. While the piston heads do not look to be in great shape, the connecting rods are almost brand-new... the engine probably threw a rod-bearing at some point and the owner replaced all four rods. I pulled off all four rods and pistons, and sent the crankshaft off to be cleaned thoroughly, as well as the connecting rods. Now that the block is empty, I have started to hone to cylinders, and once they are clean, I will begin boring them out to fit the oversized pistons I ordered. If this engine does not end up working in the Pulsar, it would be great for the Datsun 1200, I have decided. I have been wanting to try a turbocharged engine in it for the last two months, but have had no real drive to do it. Also, I began rebuilding the original GA16DE I have for my 1990 Sentra since it threw a rod-bearing. I am planning on doing all the work I can to the GA16DE... including possibly adding oversized pistons, if I can find some for it. All of my rebuild kits have arrived for the CA18ET, and I have begin to clean and sort each part. I am, without a doubt, going to be using the $900 kit, it has by far the highest quality parts.



hey any chance to get pics?


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## Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo (Dec 9, 2004)

No... I never take pictures while I am in the process of working, kind of distracts my thoughts. I still have yet to take pictures of my Datsun 1200... even though it is done.


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## Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo (Dec 9, 2004)

Finally got everything back today, and began rebuilding the engine. The crankshaft looks like brand new, just from the factory. I put the new rod bearings in, and attached the Wesco connecting rods and pistons to the crankshaft. They fit together like a glove, which is good... to say the least. The block has been honed to fit the 84mm pistons, and everything went together smoothly and without problems... a good seal. With the bottom-end done, I opened the box with the new oil pan I received from the Nissan dealership, and bolted it on. I used some RTV as well as the factory gasket to seal the oil pan, so I am hoping not to repeat common problems of oil pan leaks, which are not good at all on an oil-fed turbocharged engine. With the bottom-end done, I cleaned the top of the block, laid down a new copper head gasket, and placed the cylinder head in its correct position, and lightly-torqued it down. I inspected the valves and ports to make sure everything was honed to my specifications, and then put in the new Euro camshaft and rockers. Once I made sure everything fit correctly, I removed them and fully tightened the cylinder head. I then reinstalled the camshaft and rockers, and screwed on the valve cover, which had also been cleaned. Now that I had the core engine finished, I took time to air-clean the intake manifold pieces, and inspect the throttle body. I am pondering whether I should use the stock piece that came with the engine, or swap it out for the spare CA20E throttle-body I have laying around. I imagine I will end up using the stock piece, since the engine will already deliver a good deal more horsepower and torque to the Pulsar than it originally was intended for. My friend came by to help me modify the custom CA18DET turbo manifold and headers I received, and we were side-tracked by his '84 Sentra. The GA16i we put in it was acting funny... turns out he burned off a piece of his piston ring in the No.1 cylinder... which was not good at all since we had to bore it to 78mm to fit the oversized pistons. So... we ended up having to pull out the engine, put it on an engine stand, and lower the bottom-end out. By around midnight, we had finished with the GA16i, lowered it back in the car, and resumed work on the CA18ET. The turbo manifold and headers were in pretty dirty shape, so I had them sent off to be cleaned and chemical-dipped. Well... the problem comes from fitting it on the CA18ET itself, and having room for the stock turbocharger to reach its oil feed line. We eventually gave up and passed out.


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## Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo (Dec 9, 2004)

Today I fitted the intake manifold pieces together, and just made sure everything fit snugly and without problems. I used both RTV and a new intake gasket to seal everything together, since I initially had problems with my CA18 / CA20 conglomerated engine losing air pressure due to a bad gasket. I also thoroughly cleaned the stock throttle body, and bolted it in place. I ran new intake, vaccuum, and radiator hoses, and started to work on the turbo manifold and headers. I got new exhaust gaskets, and bolted the manifold into place. It clears the distributor and everything else... but I still have no turbocharger to fill the gaping hole. I have an older t25 laying around that I tried to use on my Sentra, but I do not think I want that much power in the Pulsar. I also fitted the new flywheel and clutch plate, using one for the CA18DE FWD engine. I am using my original FWD CA18DE transmission, which is hydraulic... fortunately everything is still set-up in the Pulsar. I will need to go through and clean up the engine bay and check everything tomorrow before I attempt to drop in the engine.


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## Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo (Dec 9, 2004)

Today I decided to work on the Pulsar a little bit. I took several cans of brake parts cleaner and engine degreaser, and got to work. For about three hours, I scrubbed the entire engine bay down, and started pulling off items to be more thoroughly cleaned. I removed the brake master cylinder, and did a nice and efficient job of checking all the brake soft and hard lines. I ran new soft lines using left-over metal hoses from my old 300ZX Turbo we used to have, and just cleaned everything else in brake parts cleaner to ensure pressurisation and no random, floating particles. I also removed the clutch master cylinder, and ran it through the same physical and intense inspection. Since I still had some braided metal hose left over, I replaced the hydraulic clutch lines with it, and made sure everything was ship-shape. Also, the power steering looks to be in good order, especially after I cleaned it also. Once the engine bay was clean to my standards, I went to work on the front struts and hubs. The original struts from the factory were still on the car, but seemed to be in good shape, so I just left them after a good wipe-down. I used a wire brush to clean all the access metal and rust off the hubs, and even took the time to soak the brake pads and rotors in brake parts cleaner before re-assembling them. They were changed right before the original engine died, so they were just a little rusty from lack of movement. I also took the time to inspect the interior... which smells terrible. While it was in the scrapyard, some fool left one of the t-tops partially open, so the entire passenger-side of the car smells moldy. I stripped out of the front seats and rear bench seat, as well as the centre console and shifter so I could thoroughly clean everything. My friend came over, and we ended up using his professional carpet-cleaner to get everything nice and sitable. I also got some Armoral and wiped down all of the dash and other plastic parts, and then we got to work removing them to access the original ECU and wiring harnesses... since we will have to do some fun work to get the CA18ET running in the Pulsar body. With the car in good shape, we moved back to the engine. We took a quick trip to the local scrapyard, and rummaged through the Japanese graveyard looking for goodies, and we came up successful. I grabbed an oil cooler and fan from a mid-80s Toyota Corolla GT-S (yes, our scrapyard has about twelve infamous AE86s), and also a turbocharger and turbo manifold from an '80s Mitsubishi Cordia, as well as a turbocharger off an Isuzu turbo-something. Both turbochargers seem to be in fairly good shape, so if I do not end up using them myself, I will probably rebuild them and sell them. While in the Nissan section, I grabbed a new gauge cluster from a Sentra Sport Coupe for my B12 Sentra, as well as a new parking brake cover panel with a cup holder. Being British, I just had to visit the British area, and was surprised to find a nice Jaguar, and I made sure to grab both its oil cooler and transmission cooler... the Datsun 1200 could really use its gear oil cooled down, and the oil cooler is twice as large as the current one on the car (ironically, also from a Toyota Corolla GT-S). When we got back, I pretty much spent the rest of the day cleaning up the new parts I purchased, especially the oil and transmission coolers. Tomorrow, I will start removing the Pulsar's ECU (engine wiring harness was already removed for the Datsun 1200), and start running the CA18ET harness. Maybe by the end of the week, the engine will be in the car and possibly running?


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## Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo (Dec 9, 2004)

Finished prepping the Pulsar for the engine. I ran the CA18ET engine harness, spliced the necessary wires from the interior harness, and hooked it all up to the ECU, which I placed under the passenger seat for easy access. While I was in the Pulsar, I went ahead and put the interior and dash back in place, as well as the gauge cluster and all accessories. With that done, I made sure everything on the engine was tied up, and lowered it into the engine bay. Talk about just a slight bit of clearance... it was a tight fit. I went ahead and ran new belts and everything prior to dropping it in, and I am glad I did... I would not have enough room otherwise. I hooked up all of the wiring harness connectors, and have put some nice Castrol 10W-30 Syntec in the engine, as well as new fluids. Tomorrow, I am going to run the oil cooler, as well as fit the turbocharger I recently received. If everything looks well... I will try and fire it up.


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## Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo (Dec 9, 2004)

Finished hooking up the oil cooler and fitting the turbocharger. Everything looked good, so I went ahead and attempted to fire it up. Took about five cranks, but it finally roared to life. While it was idling, I adjusted the timing on the distributor, and just made sure everything was working up to specifications. The CA18ET seems a rather potent engine, but I will have to see how it performs when I take the Pulsar out on the street. Currently, I have no CV axles hooked up, and no front suspension. Also, I have yet to run a new exhaust system, so I just have the downflow pipe coming off the turbocharger, and it is quite loud. But, the car runs, and nothing is leaking... yet. Funny, I already have a buyer for the car. A car club friend has taken an interest to the project, and has offered me $2000 for the car... I am pretty sure I am going to take it. I wanted the Pulsar as a drag car, but I already have a B12 Sentra and Datsun 1200, as well as the engine-less 240SX. I will not give it over until I have had ample fun in it, though... that is for sure.


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## SuperStock (Dec 31, 2003)

nice to hear it started on your first try! thats good karma :fluffy:


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## Nissan300ZXZ31Turbo (Dec 9, 2004)

Finished putting in the front suspension and CV axles, and started to work on finishing the exhaust system. I was thinking about using 2.75- or 3-inch exhaust piping from the manifold back, but have yet to decide on what size. Today I pretty much just examined the stock exhaust system I pulled off, and looked at what bends and curves I could eliminate. It looks pretty easy to run a fairly straight exhaust, which is good, especially with a turbocharged engine. I am also trying to think of what type of muffler I want to use... my Sentra has a high-quality Silverline muffler, but I have two Dynomax bullet mufflers left over from my ZX I could easily slap on there. I hope this CA18ET has a nice rumble to it... I hate buzz cars. In the meantime, since I have no exhaust system, I just bolted up the stock downflow pipe to the exhaust manifold, and took the Pulsar out on the street. It was loud as crap, but it ran fairly nice. There is still some lag in the turbocharger; I think primarily because I have not finalised all the details like timing the engine correctly and running good gasoline.


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