# CA18DET Pulsar NX SE



## Racrcar_guy (Feb 22, 2007)

k well im older now done tryin to put a 350z into a pulsar lol (was young and dumb) lol... want to go with the CA18DET but am having trouble finding info on it... i seem to find alot for putting the engine into 240s and 180s but not the pulsar... let along parts for it was wondering if any one can give me some info and maybe a walkthrough type thing... i m weighting on the engine right now im getting it outta Albert through my boss... can anyone suggest a intercooler to use exhaust stuff like that.... the engine has all the wiring harness, ECU, complete engine...ect.. i was told that the engine will have less then 10,000km on it.... when i get it is there any thing i should do to it? Plz lend a hand really wanna get this thing up and goin


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## Danger Ranger (Feb 6, 2009)

you were seriously thinkin of puttin a vq into a pulsar????

really?

the ca should be a nice fit, look around and read the stickies in here. there are posts about the swap already.

good luck man


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## sonicgundam (Aug 15, 2007)

you need to find a FWD CA18DET. the ones going into s13's are RWD CA's, which were stock JDM in 89.

if you have a pulsar SE, a FWD CA18DET will drop right in.


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## Racrcar_guy (Feb 22, 2007)

k that i know... more or less im asking if there is anything i need to do to the engine before i drop it in and what would be a good set up for exhaust and intercooler... do i have to do any major changes if i wanna put a slightly bigger turbo on... internal or external wastegate whats better... what would be a good BOV... should i install a turbo timer???... am i goin to have to make it all custom pipping? and if so what size of piping should i use for the exhaust


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## Racrcar_guy (Feb 22, 2007)

can anyone help with this?


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## Campground Man (Jul 18, 2007)

I've got a ca18det in my 90 sentra, I had to use a variety of pulsar parts to make it work.

First off, get a spec stage 2 clutch. You'll also need to get Nistune or a stand alone since they have different fuel maps. 

You'll have to get custom exhaust, I cut off the old exhaust flange and had the muffler shop weld a 2.5 inch pipe onto it as well as you need a flex pipe under the engine (just as you have now) the muffler shop can get these for you.

Just go to a tuner shop and have your FMIC installed as well as you BOV etc. Unless your trying to get crazy with the car, just grab a turbo from a sr20det and set it to 10 psi - anymore and you'll have to get larger injectors.


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## Racrcar_guy (Feb 22, 2007)

so the stock ca18det computer wont work if i just add a fmic..bov...and an exhaust? and what size exhaust pipe should i use... 2.5"...3"? what about for the intercooler... what size piping is good?... any suggestions for a muffler? and as for parts i get a really good discount on them seeings as i work for NAPA... and i have worked as a mechanic and have been in autobody


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## Danger Ranger (Feb 6, 2009)

Racrcar_guy said:


> so the stock ca18det computer wont work if i just add a fmic..bov...and an exhaust? and what size exhaust pipe should i use... 2.5"...3"? what about for the intercooler... what size piping is good?... any suggestions for a muffler? and as for parts i get a really good discount on them seeings as i work for NAPA... and i have worked as a mechanic and have been in autobody


since most turbo cars like lil to know backpressure, you could go 2.5" but I dont think any bigger is worth it on such a small car. I know I will be using 2" on mine, but might keep it na for a bit


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## sonicgundam (Aug 15, 2007)

2.25" will be adequate for a CA18DET. anymore than that might be audibly unbearable. if it's a daily, you won't want that. straight pipe it back and use a decent resonator.


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## Racrcar_guy (Feb 22, 2007)

sonicgundam said:


> 2.25" will be adequate for a CA18DET. anymore than that might be audibly unbearable. if it's a daily, you won't want that. straight pipe it back and use a decent resonator.


what would u suggest for a muffler? and cat?


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## sonicgundam (Aug 15, 2007)

Racrcar_guy said:


> what would u suggest for a muffler? and cat?


a brand new OEM should be fine. the cat isn't whats restrictive, it's all the bends in a stock exhaust. and the bends are shop bent which is much more restrictive than mandrel. paying extra for a "high performance" cat is silly. as for a muffler, i think a mugen style twin loop might be a good idea for a boosted vehicle. not quite as straight through as a fireball style muffler, but it will provide a better, more tolerable sound.


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## Racrcar_guy (Feb 22, 2007)

sonicgundam said:


> a brand new OEM should be fine. the cat isn't whats restrictive, it's all the bends in a stock exhaust. and the bends are shop bent which is much more restrictive than mandrel. paying extra for a "high performance" cat is silly. as for a muffler, i think a mugen style twin loop might be a good idea for a boosted vehicle. not quite as straight through as a fireball style muffler, but it will provide a better, more tolerable sound.


kk but like i said i dont pay full price for parts


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## Racrcar_guy (Feb 22, 2007)

what about fot the intercooler?


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## sonicgundam (Aug 15, 2007)

Racrcar_guy said:


> what about fot the intercooler?


for the intercooler, find out what size is best for a pulsar, and then buy whichever company offers the best size.

do you get cost for performance parts, as well as OE replacement? and i meant get a new OEM cat. your OLD one will be restricted because it will be somewhat plugged.


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## Racrcar_guy (Feb 22, 2007)

sonicgundam said:


> for the intercooler, find out what size is best for a pulsar, and then buy whichever company offers the best size.
> 
> do you get cost for performance parts, as well as OE replacement?


i pay a little over cost for anything napa can get in


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## sonicgundam (Aug 15, 2007)

Racrcar_guy said:


> i pay a little over cost for anything napa can get in


that's not bad. well, see what companies they are dealers for. but napa isnt known around here for being able to get performance parts. at least not from tuner companies.


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## Racrcar_guy (Feb 22, 2007)

sonicgundam said:


> that's not bad. well, see what companies they are dealers for. but napa isnt known around here for being able to get performance parts. at least not from tuner companies.


haha dont know and if not then there r a few places around here that do.... but thats who im getting my engine through ... do u think a 2.5" piping would be good for the intercooler?


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## sonicgundam (Aug 15, 2007)

Racrcar_guy said:


> haha dont know and if not then there r a few places around here that do.... but thats who im getting my engine through ... do u think a 2.5" piping would be good for the intercooler?


depends. i would say that it depends on your intake plenum. the size that it is would be the best idea. but i would be surprised if it was bigger than 2.5". campground man can tell you what size to use.


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## Campground Man (Jul 18, 2007)

Absolutely, do not use a ca18de ecu to power a ca18det it will ruin your engine eventually...

You can buy a nistune daughterboard that will re-program your factory ecu to run the new engine, or buy a stand alone, or have someone install a piggy back system for you.

Another option if your going to leave the ca18det stock is to get an ecu with the car and then switch the wiring in the plugs to match the ca18det's wiring diagram - there is a write up about it I'm sure - google it.


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## Racrcar_guy (Feb 22, 2007)

Campground Man said:


> Absolutely, do not use a ca18de ecu to power a ca18det it will ruin your engine eventually...
> 
> You can buy a nistune daughterboard that will re-program your factory ecu to run the new engine, or buy a stand alone, or have someone install a piggy back system for you.
> 
> Another option if your going to leave the ca18det stock is to get an ecu with the car and then switch the wiring in the plugs to match the ca18det's wiring diagram - there is a write up about it I'm sure - google it.


like i said before im am getting the stock ecu with the engine... and i dont think there is anyone around here that does anything with car computers... would i be fine putting the intercooler and 2.5" exhaust with just the stock det ecu?


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## BobsN13 (Feb 8, 2009)

I have recently done the conversion on my Pulsar here in Australia. I do belive the Pulsars you have over there are what we call an Exa here but they are exactly the same chassis wise just the body is different.

The engine will go in no dramas. Both the FWD and RWD CA18's can be fitted however the RWD version needs the throttle body moved to the other end of the plenum. This is easy as its only 4 bolts and a blanking plate for the other end which is already on the plenum. The only mods I would recommend for the engine is getting a custom rear engine mount made up to eliminate the kick the engine has due to the extra torque.

The standard CA18DET computer is really good and can handle upto 14psi of boost before the factory boost cut kicks in. I am still using an unmodified computer and have 200hp/ 150kw at the wheels. However an aftermarket computer can get more benefit out of any mods to the motor.

A 600mm x300mm x76mm intercooler will fit behind the front bar with minor mods to the bar itself. For the small turbo run no bigger than 2 1/2 inch piping for the intake.

Exhuast wise a 2 1/2 inch mandrel bent system with Hi flowed metal cat and straight through rear muffler will net the best results and being a turbo ar the exhaust wont be overly load as the turbo does a brilliant job of muffling the sound by itself.

Before putting the motor in I suggest a minimum of a compression test and new timing belt along with a good thorough service. The compression test will let you know if there is anything wrong with the motor before it goes in so you can do a rebuild if necessary without pulling the motor back out again.
Just be aware that the standard head gasket wont take any more than 15psi boost without blowing.

Here is a list of the mods done to my car to get the 200hp at the wheels:

Stock CA18DET motor, stock computer,

600mm x300mm x76mm FMIC with 2 1/2 inch piping,

Garret GT2860R dual ball bearing turbo charger with .63 rear housing
12 psi boost,

Pod filter with custom cold air induction setup,

2 1/2 inch mandrel bent straight through exhaust from the turbo with Hi flow metal cat and resonator
(Alot of R&D went into this with 4 different setups on the car to get the right combo for boost response and power).

Thats about all I can think of. I have been running this combo for about 2 years now with no problems at all.
200hp is a very easy target to reach with this motor in fairly stock form. Over here this is a slightly above average power rating for a converted pulsar. We have some up around the 280hp mark and one making roughly 400hp.

I hope this helps and if you have any questions I'll try to answer them the best I can.
Bob.


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## Racrcar_guy (Feb 22, 2007)

hahaha yea that helps alot and the exa's and pulsar nx look identical lol


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## Danger Ranger (Feb 6, 2009)

BobsN13 said:


> I have recently done the conversion on my Pulsar here in Australia. I do belive the Pulsars you have over there are what we call an Exa here but they are exactly the same chassis wise just the body is different.
> 
> The engine will go in no dramas. Both the FWD and RWD CA18's can be fitted however the RWD version needs the throttle body moved to the other end of the plenum. This is easy as its only 4 bolts and a blanking plate for the other end which is already on the plenum. The only mods I would recommend for the engine is getting a custom rear engine mount made up to eliminate the kick the engine has due to the extra torque.
> 
> ...


that is amazing...thanks for the great help and info. I will be using this on my pulsar or at least as a start for mine


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## BobsN13 (Feb 8, 2009)

Glad I could help.


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## Racrcar_guy (Feb 22, 2007)

just a question but is there a smaller intercool that i can use? i need sized i only want one that i can hide nicely behind my stock bumper


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## BobsN13 (Feb 8, 2009)

You can use any sized intercooler you want. 
The best size would be around 440mm x280mm. With this lag wont be as much but you will still get the intake charge cooled more than enough. I used the 600 x 300mm I/C cause I got it cheap off a mate but I needed to cut my front bumper to fit it. With the smaller cooler you should not need to do this. You could even get a CryO2 system fitted for the ultimate in cooling. This is my next mod.


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## Racrcar_guy (Feb 22, 2007)

BobsN13 said:


> You can use any sized intercooler you want.
> The best size would be around 440mm x280mm. With this lag wont be as much but you will still get the intake charge cooled more than enough. I used the 600 x 300mm I/C cause I got it cheap off a mate but I needed to cut my front bumper to fit it. With the smaller cooler you should not need to do this. You could even get a CryO2 system fitted for the ultimate in cooling. This is my next mod.


u wouldnt happen to have any papper to show how much hp ur cars running would u?


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## BobsN13 (Feb 8, 2009)

Not in Hp. The car is going in shortly for a tune and dyno run so I will post it up when I get it. 
Last tune was 150Kw at the wheels which converted to Hp is a little over 200 at the wheels.

Iam going to get a nisspro computer soon, which is a standard computer that has been modified with a new motherboard that is fully programable essentually turning a stock computer into an aftermarket type system. As you may know the stock computers cannot be hacked into and have very limited tunning parameters. Nisspro is the only comany that can successfully do this. The best thing about it is unlike most aftermarket ecu's, the nisspro item keeps ALL sensors and factory failsafes but can bypass the boost cut, modify rev limiter and bypass the fuel cut.
The computer is also half the price of an aftermarket ECU and installation is simply plug it in as the computer comes with a standard tune already loaded then its just dyno run and modify the tune from there.

I anticipate a healthy jump of about 30 - 50 kw from this alone bringing HP up to around 260 - 300 at the wheels. all for around 600 dollars AUST.


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