Tappy top end (video included)

[Escy]

[video=youtube_share;LonBKgiYvP8]http://youtu.be/LonBKgiYvP8[/video]

My car is running fine but the top end sounds tappy. It's fine when cold, as it warms up it sounds like in the video. I've read they are a tappy sounding engine, I guess mine is louder than normal. I'm thinking valve shims?

 

[PobodY]

Doesn't sound abnormal to me. - I think that's mainly the injectors.

What oil have you got in there? Mine sounds a bit noisier since I put winter-grade in (5w40 rather than 10w50).

 

[Escy]

I don't know what grade is in it, I should really change it but don't really want to, to be fair. The oil in it is very clean and I'm only keeping the car short term. Got it cheap as it's a mess and I fancied a bit of turbo love while i'm building my CA18DET powered AE86. If you think it sounds normal and that's the general consensus, i'm happy with that.

 

[vss irvine]

curious as to why you would go to all the hassle of changing a 4age for a ca18det?

wouldnt a sr20 be easier? with more tuning spec?

 

[Escy]

I bought it like it, someone else went to all the hassle. I'm just finishing it off/re-doing it as it's the person who did it didn't really have a clue.

I really like CA's, had a few in S13's, have never been let down by them. They are much nicer sounding engines (see that bag of spanners in my video for a reference ), they are cheaper than SR20's, easy to source, parts are generally cheaper. Mine is stage 2 so 270+bhp. That's plenty of power for a AE86. Is a SR20 more tuneable? I'm not so sure. Like for like mods, the SR20 will make more power than the CA18 (typically the 30bhp advantage it had std vs std) but i'm putting that down to the extra 200cc rather than it being a superior design.

 

[The Doc]

Sr is far superior to the ca, the whole design of the engine is better and much stronger, try pushing a ca to over 500hp on standard crank,rods,block,valves,headbolts,valve springs,etc and see what happens.

 

[Escy]

That's not relevant, I don't think i'd want to run more than 300bhp anyway. I can see it being too much of a handful anyway, it's a live axle and is on 195 tyres.

I'm not saying the CA is a better engine but for my application, I don't see the benefit of the SR. I also prefer the fact the CA is more period suited to the AE86 than an SR

 

[The Doc]

It is relevant,you asked if the sr is more tuneable....which it is!, fair play on likening the ca more for the ae86 but tune ability wise the sr in the gtir will make 320 to 340 on a stage 2 tune. Got any pics of the ae86 I have always liked them.

 

[PobodY]

As above; I think it is relevant. - The SR is the motor that replaced the CA, so Nissan clearly thought they could improve upon it.
That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the CA motors, nor that it's not good for your application.

I would also like to applaud you (or the previous owner) for not putting a V8 engine in it. - I know they're very popular with the drift cars now because the torque curve starts much lower, but I'm always disappointed when it's not a turbo.

I saw a documentary about drift cars in America, and one of the guys was saying he sticks to an SR20DET because the V8 is too easy and that makes it boring to drive; there's no skill in keeping it on the power.
A lot of the others say they switched to V8s because they can buy replacement parts from almost anywhere, but if you damage the Japanese parts they can be hard to source.

 

[Escy]

Here is the only picture I took the day I bought it. It's not turned a wheel since. The teddy that looks like a tennis ball has been binned.

 

[The Doc]

Nice, what are your plans then with it?

 

[Gaz88]

Beautiful looking 86 mate, best of luck with it. They are a very popular car here in Ireland still and and making crazy money. The SR20 conversion is very popular in the 86 here too but its also a very popular engine for conversions in general, theres a few FD RX7's, RX'8 and even S2000's with SR lumps on the roads over here too.

I've never heard of someone doing a CA conversion in one but I like the idea of suiting it to it's era.

 

[Escy]

I want it as a road car rather than drift. It had the CA18 fitted but the back axle can only hold 200bhp so i'm putting one from a Mk1 Pajero on. Once that's done I can get it on the road. I've just been tidy it up, sorting things out that the previous owner bodged. I had to re-wire the engine conversion as it was a disaster. Everything is held together with cable ties, etc. (same as the Pulsar to be fair!)

The shell is solid in all the places it counts but it could do with tidying up. Rusty arches, rusty boot. I'm not sure I have the budget to sort it all out. Might just leave it looking a bit rough and enjoy it.

Are we all agreed the Pulsar sounds ok?

 

[The Doc]

Pulsar is fine, just change the oil.

 

[PobodY]

Pulsar is fine, just change the oil.

Mine sounds like that after I just changed the oil, but I'm not worried about it. - The 54C is just a noisy engine.

 

[red reading]

Mine isn't and neither are any I build, if the shimming isn't right they are, but they shouldn't be.

 

[PobodY]

It does sound like it mostly comes from the injectors, but that could just as easily be the inlet cam I guess.