Need engine buying advice!!!

[Alexzepeda]

I'm buying a new engine and Its not in the car. Im getting the ECU, wiring harness and transmission. Engine is a KA24de. but what are some things you guys would check?

[godrifttoday]

leak down test, compression test... reputation of the person, and your own personal judgment

[s14zenki21]

Make sure compression is good lol? Lots of things I guess I dunno I'm selling my KA24DE out of my s14. Need more powa! Plus its an automatic and can't find a 5 speed transmission for it so I'm thinking RB20 swap.

[Walperstyle]

You can find KA's for Free or minimal $$. Lots of people swap them out because they have no clue how engines work, so they figure a SR is the answer to all the horsepower problems.

Later model KA engines in S14's have the Dizzy powered by an internal coil, and a Crank Angle sensor on the tranny bellhousing... so if you have a S13, stick with a OBD1 S13 KA engine. It will make your life a lot easier.

If you get a cheap or free engine this is what I would do, but its just me, and my goals are different being I am a turbo fan, and have found out some things the hard way.

1) get cheap/free engine
2) buy rods and oversized pistons, ARP head and Main studs.
3) Take the block to a machine shop with head detached (saves on labor rate by a little)
4) if its a KA, tell them to hot tank the block, and clean the head. (The head is aluminium, and shouldn't hot tanked unless they know what they are doing)
5) Tell the machine shop you want the crank to be polished to fit the bearings. Let them buy the Bearings and polish the crank to fit them. (this might require a line hone, It did for me)
6) Extra: Get the machine shop to balance the rotating assembly (so this will require you giving them the flywheel and clutch perhaps, pending on how much they can balance)
7) Get the machine shop to bore/hone the block to match the pistons/rings you have.
8) extra: get them to give you the numbers on blueprinting the engine
9) Get the machine shop to check your valve lash vs factory specs and order any that you may need. (do this only if you have some V2 cams...if you have V3, you may need a lot more headwork done)
10) ...get them to assemble it.

Its so much easier to let the guys with the proper mic/bore-gauge build your engine. They are faster and will make way less mistakes. A really good machine shop will also Degree your cams for you... but this is rather advanced stuff at this point.

For about $3000, you can have a 500hp capable engine, pending on what compression pistons, cams, turbo, and most important...ECU you you run.


So, have fun, with whatever you decided to do. In a few months I'll have a billion parts for sale for dirt cheap. But personally, I rebuild any engine I buy, unless I purchased it from a performance shop that already did it.