Like most Nissan motors, the CA18DET has a maze of vacuum lines that quickly become confusing to those unfamiliar with the motor. The following is a quick guide of what needs to be hooked up and where in order to get your CA18DET up running. Upper Intake Manifold (rear) Read below for the explanations and click here for a larger view. Connects to the passenger side valve cover at the front of the...

Installing a lightweight single piece driveshaft on the 240sx offers a few benefits over the factory 2 piece unit. First, your driveshaft is considered a rotating mass and as such, any weight saved on your driveshaft translates into a quicker, freer revving motor. This effect is similar to installing a lightweight flywheel on your car. Second, the single piece design of an aftermarket driveshaft...

Background Even with the abundance of OEM parts available for the CA18DET, there seems to be a very striking lack of affordable lightweight flywheels. Clutchmasters and Spec make several clutch kits for this motor but for the time being there really isn’t a true, US market, bolt in replacement flywheel. Of course, there is always the occasional JUN lightweight flywheels that pops up on ebay...

The Walbro 255lph fuel pump is a must for any heavily modified and/or swapped 240sx. They are inexpensive, reliable and flow more than enough fuel to satisfy the thirsts of even heavily boosted motors. Note: These procedures should be performed in a well ventilated area away from open ignition sources. (i.e. gas fumes are harmful to breath and they can ignite) Depressurize the factory pump First...

The KA24DE motor found in the US market 240sx is not the most powerful motor in the Nissan parts bin, however, with a few bolt-ons this motor can really come alive in its Naturally Aspirated form. One such bolt-on is the DC 4 into 1 header that yields a claimed 12hp over the stock header. Set up As with most installs, the car should be parked on a level, clean surface with the parking brake...

Performing a compression test on a running motor can give you a wealth of knowledge about the engine. For instance, numbers too low may indicate a bad head gasket, likewise a large variance in numbers can help you isolate problems down to the cylinder. Most importantly, compression testing is perhaps the single most valuable tool when purchasing a used car. Note: This tutorial highlights a...