[luke1122]

has anyone put a ca18 in a jumny or sierra?
with a SMALL TURBO

[Marko_SJ]

Does stock turbo (at least to begin with?) count?

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=17676&hilit=brenno+zook+ca18

[christover1]

This is an SR20 a mate fitted a few years back.
I'm told it similar engine and amount of work to fit the CA18.

[Brenno]

A lot of work. I had mine engineered, and sold it a couple of months ago. Bloke drove it to QLD.

[Wazz]

Atleast a ca18 is smaller. Then get a r30skyline manual box remove bellhousing fit a ca20 bluebird bellhousing and you wont have to move the transfer much. Just probally enlarge tunnel. Then you blow up tcases and diffs. Also other issues ill see is the sump as its a front bowl sump and pretty low sitting. Plus all the other shit which takes time, engine fitment is probally the easiest part of any conversion

[Gwagensteve]

christover1 wrote:

This is an SR20 a mate fitted a few years back.
I'm told it similar engine and amount of work to fit the CA18.

Nope. The CA is much, much smaller and very different in design. The ca is loosely related to the RB series engines. The SR is completely different.

From what I've seen the CA is much easier to fit, and by all accounts a tougher motor.

Steve.

[Fatzook]

Gwagensteve wrote:

Nope. The CA is much, much smaller and very different in design. The ca is loosely related to the RB series engines. The SR is completely different.

From what I've seen the CA is much easier to fit, and by all accounts a tougher motor.

Steve.

Correct. The CA is definately more compact. As for your comments regarding strength, I hardly think that matters unless you are working it to within an inch of its life.

Another thing to consider is the CA is going to be far cheaper to buy, but it will be alot older and will probably need a rebuild if reliability is of any concern. Also, I believe they still run the old oil cooled journal turbos, so an upgrade to water cooled BB wouldn't be a bad idea.

[Brenno]

I had both water and oil being fed into my t25 turbo. 91 model ca18det.

You are right about the strength thing. I had to baby mine around. It was fun while it lasted but you eventually get sick of wondering what will break. I was pretty lucky, but still had a few breakages.

I am on the darkside now, TD42T Shorty, no lift, 34 swampers.....and loving it.

[Gwagensteve]

My preference would be an auto behind any powerful motor in a sierra. It's much softer on the driveline and makes the torque easier to modulate.

Steve.

[Brenno]

I agree steve

[jonno_racing]

Sr20 is much much much much better motor to a ca! Especially if you consider driving angles and potentially running low on oil etc.
They are a big 4 cylinder tho! Mother motor is a good candidate for a zook conversion IMO tho.

[Fatzook]

jonno_racing wrote:

Sr20 is much much much much better motor to a ca! Especially if you consider driving angles and potentially running low on oil etc.
They are a big 4 cylinder tho! Mother motor is a good candidate for a zook conversion IMO tho.

NO engine should be run low on oil. Both the CA and SR have shitty sumps for 4wd, but I believe the SR sump is FAR FAR shallower, making it worse.

And to be fair, both engines are way too much for a sierra that has and sierra left in the driveline.

I'll believe Brenno in saying that its a ticking time bomb.

[jonno_racing]

I spend a lot of time with the drift boys, they won't touch ca's any more. They just don't handle hard times or abuse! And even in standard form pick up bearings due to many issues!
Both sump setups are wrong and shallow!
And driveline won't take it at all!!

[Fatzook]

Are you comparing a drift motor to a 4wd motor?

I agree that the CA is out dated, and is far better suited to motorsport, but thats not what this thread is about.

[jonno_racing]

Abuse is abuse! No matter if it's bashing limiter chalking tires or spinning all 4 climbing out off a mud hole! If you want to do the conversion your going to want to use the power!

There are lots of aftermarket sumps available
The ca is nearly as bad as the g16b lol!

[atari4x4]

i wouldn't go so far & say the SR20 was reliable either

[jonno_racing]

Go on gus??
Have watched stock ones with boost wound up to 1psi from boost cut take abuse far more than what you would expect! For full seasons of drifts!
Have watched them explode 2 tho lol!!

[atari4x4]

i've seen & heard of plenty of SR's dying, "fully built" ones too.

[jonno_racing]

Soooo what your saying is he needs to put a 2j in it??

[JrZook]

jonno_racing wrote:

I spend a lot of time with the drift boys, they won't touch ca's any more. They just don't handle hard times or abuse! And even in standard form pick up bearings due to many issues!
Both sump setups are wrong and shallow!
And driveline won't take it at all!!

1+1+1 by any chance??

Wonder how you would comparably abuse a CA18 in a 4x4 as to in a drift car? Every run in the mud with huge rubber and 5th gear WOT on limiter, providing max load and utilizing max power for minutes on end? I doubt 99.9% of members here wouldn't dish out that sorta crap... The 0.1% would probs be you and SuziBlu

[jonno_racing]

Cool story.
Just out of intrest what are you guys basing your opinions on?
I was basing mine on real world experiences. In the same situations a ca Will fail where a Sr won't! And these motors are mostly used for drifting so that's the easiest way to make a comparison between the 2.

[atari4x4]

real world experience with SR's, drift, track & street.... don't forget that SR's are also alot younger than any CA, RB's are a better motor for a drifter but that's a whole different story.

[droverdave]

How about some actual real technical examples to back up these rediculously blanket statements such as "SRs are unreliable".

[JrZook]

jonno_racing wrote:

Just out of intrest what are you guys basing your opinions on?

4x4 applications.... Lets look at another perspective, how long do you reckon a G series engine would last with the abuse of drift/track/racing compared to the "weak" ca18??

[atari4x4]

droverdave wrote:

How about some actual real technical examples to back up these rediculously blanket statements such as "SRs are unreliable".

can't see anywhere where it was said that they were "unreliable" but bottom end knocks are pretty common with SR20's when thrashed same with any motor infact & I've seen & heard quite a few rooted SR's with bottom end knocks coming off the track at mallala, same with head gaskets etc... but that can happen to any motor, then there is the rocker arm problems, hence my comment "i wouldn't go so far & say the SR20 was reliable either"

[droverdave]

Riiiiiiggght.

I blew a headgasket in my g13a last week, therefore i wouldn't say they are reliable as well.

[atari4x4]

what about snapping rocker arms & didn't you forget to re-tension the head bolts?

[droverdave]

Under what conditions do rocker arms snap, and what is the failure rate?

[atari4x4]

common enough that there are HEAPS of companies that do a rocker arms or a rocker arm stopper kit & it's usually cause by limiter bashing & valve float, which all ricers seem to love.

every motor has a weak point & as i said, i wouldn't call an SR used in the conditions stated by jonno as a reliable choice. the rocker arms & the ability to root bottom ends puts them on the same level as a CA.

[droverdave]

atari4x4 wrote:

what about snapping rocker arms & didn't you forget to re-tension the head bolts?

Admitedly yes, though i was just going off the suzuki factory manual and headgasket literature which didnt specificy retorquing of head bolts. lesson learnt.

I think this discussion is a waste of time.

Comparing drifting and limiter bashing of engines to putting about dirt tracks is a waste of time.

No oem engine deserves to sit on a rev limiter all day, and if you do that, i have no doubt you'll brake a rocker arm or bottom ends or whatever.

Keep an sr20, or any engine, away from continuous 9000rpm, and it will give many years of service.