Turbo KA24DE Anyone? An Alternative to the Popular SR20DET

The stock ka24de power plant that comes from the factory in 91-99 Nissan 240sx's is an engine that should not be so easily over looked to be swapped out with it's bigger yet smaller displacement brother the sr20det (that only makes 205 horsepower on the factory boost setting). The ka24de is built in the same typical fashion even boasting a closed deck designed block, however it does lack the lower compression turbo friendly pistons and the sodium cooled exhaust valves, but where the ka24de makes up for this is in displacement and torque. If you're only looking to get about 210 horsepower out of your s13 or s14 chassis 240sx then look no further than the ka24de for your desired power level, the greatest part about using the ka24de is that you get to keep you a/c without the complex entanglements of trying to hook up a normally right hand drive motor to be outfitted with a/c and you get to stay away from the somewhat complex task of wiring in an sr20det or buying an adapter harness. The ka24de is a motor that was naturally designed for placement in light trucks, so it has a low rpm torque band which makes the ka24de great if you intend on drifting it after you turbo charge it.

Reaching the 210 horse power mark with a ka24de is easily obtainable with the only additions being the ones listed below, however to reach the 300-320 horsepower level on a ka24de will cost you some extra coin; however it is still cheaper, less labor, and yields greater power results than swapping in a sr20det. I will list the parts necessary and some general tips and guidelines for the install. In my next article I will explain what is necessary for 300-320 horsepower on the ka24de.

Parts needed to make 200-210 horsepower (which is just as much as an expensive Greddy or "Greedy" turbo kit will cost you which is about $3500.

-T25 turbo from a redtop s13 JDM sr20det (ebay) $250
-Isis v2 tubular T2 flanged exhaust manifold (JGY Customs $200
-T2 steel exhaust flange and a u bend of 3 inch bent steel exhaust pipe (ebay) $20
-Front mount intercooler and piping (Such as Greddy or custom) $300-750
-Blow off valve (stock blue bird sr20det or 1g DSM will work fine-ebay) $20-40
-Aftermarket fuel pressure regulator with gauge (Nismo-JGY customs) $80-110
-Infiniti Q45, 300zx, or Walboro fuel pump (ebay) $30-100
-Turbo oil feed and return lines (can be bought from JGY Customs) $70
-½ weldable steel adapter to adapt to a ½ inch brass male barb fitting ( for the oil return (hardware store) $5-8
-EGR block off plate (can be found at http://www.precisionpowerparts.com/ ) $20
-NGK BKR6E spark plugs $8-12

**You're going to need to have a bung welded into your oil pan so that oil that comes from the turbo can return back to the pan. Make sure you weld this bung as high up on the pan towards the bottom of the block so that the oil can drain into the pan and not back feed by running into four quarts of oil that are already in the pan. Basically, if the bung and fitting aren't high enough the oil will not drain properly and blow the oil seals out of the turbo.

**Install the fuel pump and regulator with gauge first and make sure the car still drives normal before installing any of the turbo parts.

**You should also do an ignition tune up on your ka24de first before you begin doing anything else, when setting the idle and the base ignition timing with a timing light be sure to retard the timing 3 degrees and don't forget to install the colder heat range NGK spark plugs, they will help prevent you from detonating.

**When using the stock injectors (such as in this set up) you cannot use a boost controller, you will be saddled with 7psi, anything more than that amount of boost and your stock ka24de injectors and factory ka24de mass airflow sensor will not be able to keep up.

**Make sure when making an intake pipe for the inlet of the turbo (which the steel compressor inlet adapter flange can be bought off ebay or an entire s13 intake tube will work also) that you place the ka24de mass air sensor in front of the turbo.

**Make sure to recirculate the blow off valve back into the turbo inlet tubing after the ka24de mass air sensor and before the inlet of the turbo. This will prevent your ka24de from stalling.

**If you have a welding machine and you can weld (if not you'll have to take the down pipe somewhere) make sure when tacking together the turbo exhaust flange to your 3 inch exhaust pipe that you mark a good place for the o2 sensor to go and do not try and guess.

**After you have the down pipe created you'll have to take your ka24de powered car to an exhaust shop to have the rest of the 3 inch exhaust ran. If you don't get the 3 inch exhaust work you'll will miss your goal of a 200-210 horse powered ka24de.

**Turn up your fuel pressure to 60psi (or 4 bar) to make sure you have some additional fuel in the high rpm's

**Make sure to check your ecu (engine computer) for codes before you do any of the above and correct the problem before you start on your ka24de turbo project.