SR20 or CA18?

Hey brothers of thunder!

Was hoping I could ask you guys for some advise regarding my current situation. My S13 (1991 model) has a stock CA18 in at the moment, not the one it came out with though as the previous owner killed it quite good. I replaced the CA with one bought from Mikes Place (awesome peoples).

Anyway, my CA is constantly giving me endless problems. I've never had the car more than 1 full week without a new problem arising. The wiring in my car is horrendous, theres numerous plugs in the engine bay that are either missing, broken, nowhere to plug into, or straight cut off for no reason.

I have the option now to go SR, but the main point is, I'm really after is not big power, i.e : I'd be fully content with a normal SR that came with the T25 and the S13 originally (The VVT SR's are kinda abit beyond my budget). What I'm after is kinda reliability / simplicity. I take it that if a SR swop is done, all (or most, either way, the important ones) the cables and connections and wiring in the engine bay comes out and gets replaced with SR ones correct? Where if I can get a nice smooth running SR and ancillaries, and just install it properly to begin with, it technically should not give me constant crap, right? 😀.

Thanks guys, any help or advise in giving me directions at this crossroads is much appreciated ! 🙂

If it is not power that you are after why do you want to spend thousands on a engine transplant with even more hassles?

If i where in your shoes, i would go and buy a new wiring harness and fix your existing platform, it would be cheaper and then you know that you wont get the same problems again at a reduced cost compared to the Sr transplant.

😀

Fair point mon! I'm basically just going through options. Its not like I wont do any upgrades later on though, which obviously can be done on the CA aswell, but what I've experienced so far is that there is a uber lack of parts for the CA. Which is another cause of slight disbelief. Whereas for the SR, parts are available everywhere, even at the stealership, though expensive (intentional popularity mark-up? or actual quality? Not talking about OEM stuff, but general aftermarket stuff). Also, kinda figured that people are generally more clued up on SR's than CA's.

Just surfing a ocean of ideas and possibilities right now. Thanks man, will keep it in mind 😀.

Hey cuz, personally I wish I had stayed with my CA.... Been working on my SR swop now for 2 years, can de done in a week if you got that type of cash straight off the bat but ye.... CA like HotStuff's which was built by St J and friends, is pushing 210KW on the wheels, with stock internals.....

SR you won't get to 250KW for a long time or before a lot of cash....

CA is also cheaper on gas and for the cash you spend on an SR you can do forgies on the CA to make it go as good if not better than a CA.....

Think long and hard bud.... The CA is a rocket if you just sort ur problems nicely....

Allot of people doubt the Ca18 capabilities, i tell u know with the right fueling setup and management u can make 330whp @1.4bar and it would last. (Keeping in mind that u cant torture the motor like this daily obviously)

A friend of mine ran his like this and he did 12@205km/h in the quarter mile with semi's and 248km/h over the 800m...sufficient to say that this is f@#@# off

I am planning on running the same turbo setup 😀

Thanks for the replies guys, really appreciate it! 😀. I never doubted the CA's awesomeness. I really want to stay with the CA, since theres so few CA's S13's running around. I definitely think I should start looking for a new harness / wiring if I wanna keep the CA.

Just now when I went out to get food, the wiring went epic pear shaped somewhere, and thus my car wont start, starter wont even swing (even though the battery is full, tested it to make sure. Tried jumping it, but no effect). So I'm gonna go tow it later on tonight when its quieter on the roads.

I'm gonna start looking for a new harness so long 😀. I get abit of cash loose in about 10 days or so, so it might even be possible to buy some nice stuff for the CA if I get working again. Thanks guys, you all are such legends hey 😀!

Dude, happy to hear u looking out for the challenge..... My ass went hamster mode on me tonight on a CA..... Damn I wish I had swollowed the crap and fixed my CA instead of doing SR..... Let's just say, without giving out names or surprises.... 1.6 was not the engine capacity....

Eish dude! I'm sure it'll be worth it all in the end 😀.

Got home earlier and started checking about if I could see anything specific that could cause my starter (or ignition for that fact) not to, well, start 🙂. You know that fuse box on the driver side of the car? (sadly, only discovered it today :s), theres like 3 fuses gone, many more burnt to hell, plastic even melted keeping some fuses steadily in place O_o. Theres even some, in which only the two prongs from the fuse is left inside....

I have absolutely no electrical experience, so I'm more than likely gonna short my car out if I try anything. Gonna tow it to a auto electrician tomorrow and find out what happened :/

Hey cuz, sorry man, ment to tell u to check fuses but forgot with the excitement of that other CA.....

Ye if all those fuses are gone, I really feel sorry for you, might have been an alternator problem imo.... I see those alt. Fuses especially go when guys have big sound in, but urs sound more like a major short somwhere, possible on one of your main pos lines that could have chafed through to the core or got pinched.... Definately take to a autolec though....

Time for that new harness, lol...... Let us know what the root cause was when u find out....

Hehe! Got the shock of my life (figuratively and literally) when I discovered the fuse box 😀:D:D. The previous owner probably had sound in, cause theres cables sprouting out everywhere, open electrical cables running about to nowhere, which most have burnt off connections or something. Think its gonna need a total re-wiring sometime soonish if I ever plan on not letting it spontainiously combusting while driving one day. But yarr, will let you guys know what went wrong etc etc 🙂.

Damn man, you have seriously bad luck! hope you get it sorted, Oh and answer my damn PM 😂

I do 🙁. But its okay, more of a challenge!! 😀 muah, I shall get this SX fixed no matter wot! 😀. Sorry about the PM dude, only saw now that my inbox was full :/. No need to worry about the loom dude, djtreble is bringing me one down from the UK. But many many thanks man, check ya on the flip side!

RynHelturus wrote:

I do 🙁. But its okay, more of a challenge!! 😀 muah, I shall get this SX fixed no matter wot! 😀. Sorry about the PM dude, only saw now that my inbox was full :/. No need to worry about the loom dude, djtreble is bringing me one down from the UK. But many many thanks man, check ya on the flip side!

Sniff Sniff, the mark of a true SX lover.... This brings a tear to my eye..... Peggy I think I am feeling a little nostalgic here for our brother.....

You go boi, that is the way, NO MATTER WHAT !!!!! Can't wait to see it going.... Post some pics sometime bud.... O and do a Article on the re-harnessing 😉

POWDER wrote:

RynHelturus wrote:

I do 🙁. But its okay, more of a challenge!! 😀 muah, I shall get this SX fixed no matter wot! 😀. Sorry about the PM dude, only saw now that my inbox was full :/. No need to worry about the loom dude, djtreble is bringing me one down from the UK. But many many thanks man, check ya on the flip side!

Sniff Sniff, the mark of a true SX lover.... This brings a tear to my eye..... Peggy I think I am feeling a little nostalgic here for our brother.....

You go boi, that is the way, NO MATTER WHAT !!!!! Can't wait to see it going.... Post some pics sometime bud.... O and do a Article on the re-harnessing 😉

Yeah man, This guy has alot of heart for this car, He bought a few stuff from me sofar, He wants it so badly running, That it will be sad to drop all that work for a SR swop! 😉

PS. Powder, I moved a little closer to your valley, We need to make a plan boet 😉

We're all SX addicts in the end 😀, we're not here to get high, just to get SX'y ^ _ _ ^ hehehe. I got some pics my bro snapped while we were on a short vacation last month. Its not the most awesome or perfect SX out there, but its mine and I love it 😀

Hope their not too big :S. And pardon for all the front shots, my brother was in the boot of the car infront of me the whole time, bloody monkey he is 😀

nice pics dude!

Where did u get the clear side indicators??? 😀 😀

Thanks mon! 😀 I love the contrast one, at quick glance it almost looks like a FD. *cough*, the car is basically exactly the way I bought it, except for the steering wheel. So yar, got them with the car.

But I found a local shop which have exactly the same side indicators, though their abit clearer (since mines kinda faded partially upon closer inspection). Think they were priced at like R200 for both, but not certain.