S13 Silvia Frankenstein, SR20DE w/ Auto > SR20DET w/ Manual Tranny

[DiscountPirate]

I have been working on completing this Silvia for a few years now, almost done. It is a 1990 PS13 Silvia that was imported to Cali in 2000. Originally it was a Q car with SR20DE and auto tranny, but it had been converted to SR20DET with manual tranny. I got it as a complete rolling chassis, and I just recently installed a complete SR20DET drivetrain from a K car. I intend to have the engine bay and drivetrain complete with all original accessories like HVAC and boost control solenoid, egr/evap cannister, etc. Since the car was previously set up in the same configuration most of the hard work has been done and I believe I just need to do some basic re-wiring to make it work. I've read a bunch of threads and have a general idea, I'm just having a hard time finding pics showing locations, etc. Please let me know if you have any info or suggestions. I can post pics (how do you post pics to a thread?). This is what I know:

-Car has original sr20de Automatic body/chassis/dashboard harness, still has auto ecu controller next to ECU in left footwell, and fuse box does not have relay for ignition coils.
-ECU is #62 and engine harness is sr20det with 3 pin MAF.
-Drivetrain is stock redtop sr20det with manual tranny, stock lower harness is complete with S13 VSS.
-Car already has manual pedals and clutch cylinders in place. There is no neutral safety switch behind clutch pedal.

At this point for the most part everything plugs into place, with the exception of one plug from the lower harness does not match the 6 pin plug that is next to the fuse box. There are also 3 additional wiring plugs mounted next to fuse box but I don't believe those are used. I haven't thoroughly inspected every single pin and wire color for match but when I put it together everything seemed to match up fine. I have read about doing some stuff for the manual swap like bridging neutral switch wires, hardwire reverse lights, VSS, etc. Is there a good thread anyone can show me with pics and info regarding all this swapping? I know what I'm doing with the car, I just can't find the info to do it. Thanks for any help.


Cliffs Version **** Problem solved. There is alot of info on internet for doing sr20det swaps and auto to manual conversions into 240sx but I only found a few bits of information that were JDM RHD specific. In the end it all comes down to wiring and having known good parts. Even though the rhd wiring and mechanicals had slight differences from US 240sx most things plugged in or just required wire matching. I got the drivetrain from a clip and had spare components which made a big difference. It helps when you have known good parts, unless it was pulled from a running car or you tested it yourself there is no way to rule it out. If you don't have spares you can do checks with a multimeter to confirm something as good. You can visually check alot of the wires for matching colors at the plugs at ecu, dash, engine, chassis, coilpack and lower harnesses. Don't assume everything is connected properly unless you have visually confirmed yourself. Also for wiring I have never hardwired or butt connectored anything, I always maintain intact oem wiring and make wiring connectors or adapter harnesses. There are a couple versions of the oem sr20det harnesses with one or two different connectors but main thing is having correct harness for ecu (62/63 vs. J4). Check ALL of your grounds are present and good. If something doesn't work focus on that part of the system but in the end it all comes down to the basics: air, fuel, ignition. As far as fuel I had to replace the fuel pump which was caked due to old gas, used an R32 gtr fuel pump. Here in Cali we have ethanol crap 91 gas, and it can cause breakdown of rubber hoses and wiring insulation. The jdm silvia fuel tank is slightly different from 240sx, the filler neck does not have a flapper. I had a o ring that I thought was supposed to seal between pump housing and gas tank but it originally did not have one, so I just used Toyota FIPG to seal it. That's some of the stuff I learned.

[S14rebuild]

Pics help here....but u need a manual lower harness....a ka or sr one will work. Wiring specialities has this harness for sale


Google s13 manual swap. There are multiple threads that pop up that show step by step how todo it.

[DiscountPirate]

Yes pics help but since photobucket went tits up there is no easy way to post pics on threads. I am not a very digital person, what site is easiest nowadays to generate an url to post? I have flickr but last I knew you could only link and not url. As far as lower harness I listed that in the parts that I have: Drivetrain is stock redtop sr20det with manual tranny, stock lower harness is complete with S13 VSS. I also have the wiring specialties lower harness as back up but it has different connections than the stock one (I already talked to Uri in Tech Support and they only do off the shelf harnesses nothing custom). This is not a standard auto > manual tranny in USA KA car, this is a JDM RHD Silvia, therefore google is pretty worthless to search unless I know the exact keywords for the information. I have found some threads coming out of Aus. and NSW Silvia with good information but no pics. My existing body harness was previously modified to work so I am trying to find out what is typically tapped and where so I can trace everything so all is accounted for. This is not my first s13 and not my first swap, it is just a weird niche area because not that many people in the States have done it, while everybody and their mama has done the sr20det into USA 240sx.

[S14rebuild]

Looks like ur best bet is a silvia fsm. http://tech.240sxone.com/fsm/

Look at the auto trans connector and use appropriate pins for ur manal harness.... speedo, n reverse

[DiscountPirate]

Thanks for the help. As far as I can tell the automatic tranny connectors are the same between ka and sr. I have this Wiring Specialties harness that I believe should be able to cover both the auto > manual and sr20de to sr20det aspects.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/193568901814?ViewItem=&vxp=mtr&item=193568901814

Now I'm just searching for install instructions, I can't seem to find any install guide for this particular harness on the wiring specialties website.

[DiscountPirate]

I did some more investigating and I'm finding some wiring modifications around the fusebox that seem to correspond to it already being hardwired for auto > manual set up. I knew the car was previously set up for manual sr20det, so all the connections and bridges may already be in place to be able to start the car. I'll confirm soon once I pin out the wiring and connectors and added wiring connections.

[DiscountPirate]

I'm almost to the point of trying to turn the key and see what happens but having a hard time sourcing a couple of parts to complete engine, if you have either of these items I want to buy it: power steering pump pressure line neck adapter, and hose connector from TB to SMIC cross pipe. Thanks.

[DiscountPirate]

I've contacted a dozen importers and most people have the power steering part I need but want to sell it with the pump. This is the last part I am looking for if you happen to have one. I don't need a spare pump but I'm willing to buy a full sr20det power steering pump just to get the piece.

-Power steering pump to pressure lines connector 49587 sec.497 joint / outlet 49172-65F00 or 65F01

[S14rebuild]

Can u host a pic?

Or atleast type a link so we can see what ur talking about

https://parts.nissanofvannuys.com/a/Nissan__240SX/89745094__8144474/POWER-STEERING-PUMP/S14_US_490A_1.html#49160M


Which part on this diagram?

[DiscountPirate]

I had photobucket but that doesn't work anymore, I also had flickr but can only post links not insert an url. Is Imgur free and can you post pics here with that?
That diagram is KA so the SR one is a different style but it would be approximate to part #49587 on bottom right. It's a little 4" long neck that banjo bolts to pressure side of pump, then pressure line banjo bolts to end of it. I believe there are 3 to 4 different styles, KA, SR and hicas. I will most likely just have to buy a complete pump for $2-300.
I'll post pics once I get the hosting figured out, hopefully it might help someone out in the future who has this particular swap.

[S14rebuild]

https://www.chasebays.com/products/chase-bays-power-steering-banjo-bolt-restrictor-for-nissan-pumps

Think this will solve your issue..per chase bays this deletes the 4inch long adapter and allows u to mount the line directly to the pump...

[DiscountPirate]

That banjo bolt can be a hard part to find due to it's size but I still have the stock one. This ebay listing shows the connector outlet attached to the pump. I have modified fittings and -an lines if I wanted to do a custom chase bays type set up, only problem is I'm trying to keep this car fairly stockish. Just a matter of time or money. They've been saying for over a decade that the supply of vintage JDM parts is running low and I think that is now the case, complete sr20det power steering pumps used to be a dime a dozen now people want a few hundred, wtf.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/JDM-Nissan-Silvia-S13-S14-SR20DET-RWD-Power-Steering-Pump-180sx-49110-52F00/254569149844?hash=item3b4580f594:g:GbsAAOSwLWBeL2M 6

[S14rebuild]

You can use a ka24e sohc high pressure hose, it bolts directly to the pump..no adapter needed

https://zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=625828

[DiscountPirate]

Thanks for the help buddy but the car still has full accessories like AC and the lines go right there. That pump shown also has some kind of modified outlet neck, it typically goes out and down a few inches. Once I have the piece in hand it will take less than 2 minutes to bolt up, so I'm just going to stay patient for a bit and see what I can find. I still have to wait for the intake tube to arrive from Australia. Worst case once I get that piece I'll just have to spend a few hundred for a complete pump and be good. I'll update as soon as I get some progress.

[S14rebuild]

I have no idea what ur talking about

The last link i supplied is a STOCK pump and STOCK SOHC pressure line..that elimates the adapter part your looking for. Doesnt interfere with ac lines or anything eles.


Without you post pictures of what your actually working with /missing. This has been hard to help.properly.... help us/help you

[DiscountPirate]

I ended up getting all the parts installed. I still haven't figured out which site to post images to but I'll post pics of the install soon. Now I'm just working on the wiring to get it started. It already has the auto>manual fuse box wiring modifications done and the auto tranny ecu is still in place. I have both stock s13 sr lower harness and also the wiring specialties s13 sr harness that is supposed to be for any engine/tranny. At the moment the wiring specialties harness is in place and when I connect just that harness the starter spins. When I connect just the 3 white power wires from the modified fuse box I get lights and power and when I turn key I hear starter solenoid click. I still have not gotten fuel to pump so that might be wiring related or pump could be out. Worst case I can switch out the wiring specialties lower harness for the stock one but right now I'm going to try to just modify it to work. Just a little more wiring work but almost there.

[DiscountPirate]

Shout out to Yuri @ Wiring Specialties. That guy is amazing, he responds almost instantly to emails sometimes, great customer service and products. Just make sure to buy directly from them or authorized dealer so you can take advantage of their support.
Got car all wired up and had to replace a dead fuel pump but now I get fuel and engine turns over. Only thing left to check is ignition. I'm using a stock 62 ecu and it is not known good and working so I'll do an internal inspection but I also have another 62 ecu that is JDM chipped so I can try that one too. Pretty sure I have all my grounds in place but I'll double check just to be sure. As far as the auto to manual swap aspect the rear lights, brake lights and reverse lights work. The wiring specialties harness had the plug for the middle plug on left (firewall) side of fuse box and also jumper plug for connector on bottom. My car has the early style fuse box connections so on top (engine) side plugs the middle one is 4 (6) pin and I need to connect to the 8 pin style plug but those connections don't affect car starting. Almost there.

[DiscountPirate]

She's Running!!! Turns out my main issue was the switched ignition blue/red wire that goes to ignition coils was not on the oem sr20de body harness. So I pulled a pin from a similar plug to jumper between the blue/red wire and black/white wire. On the plus side even though I had to do a bunch of work to figure out the issue, I ended up checking out everything else as good. I'll try to type out a cliffs for this particular silvia sr20de auto to sr20det manual swap once I can post pics. For all my searching I found zero DIY specific to the rhd, I had to piece everything together from all the info for doing it on USA 240sx.

[DiscountPirate]

Car should have been done this past weekend but getting clutch to function has been a pita. Filled/Bled master, hardline and slave using gravity, vacuum and pressure multiple times. Clutch pedal still goes right to the floor with no resistance, and slave cylinder pushes out against tranny fork. I can move all the parts, and don't see any leaks, so just waiting for replacement and rebuild parts to come then gonna pull the system to check. Other than that just have a few small things to button up and she'll be done.

[DiscountPirate]

Spent a few days trying to get clutch to work only to discover my master cylinder was seized from sitting without fluid and pedal pushed down for so long. For what it's worth there is a difference between JDM and USA S13 clutch masters, but they both fit either.
Now that clutch is working and car moves I'm having a new issue with dash and running lights staying on like #1 position even though key is not in ignition. I believe it has to do with some controller under steering column so that's next.

[S14rebuild]

My dash lights running lights work when the keys off and out
...

[DiscountPirate]

Yeah, they should work with keys out when stalk is turned to #1 position, and they were working fine just a few days ago. My issue is stalk is turned off and they are still on. I'm thinking it's either stalk or controller under steering column. I'll check it out but hopefully it just might go away on it's own. Car was sitting for a few years at least so I'm sure the electronics and relays might be sticky. Just happened all of a sudden after car had been sitting for a day or two with battery disconnected. I connected battery and they just turned on like that.

[DiscountPirate]

Other than that clutch is working now and car moves and stops, gonna finish brake bleed today then hopefully should be able to take it out for a test drive later.

[S14rebuild]

Probly the stalk is shit..happed to me before

[DiscountPirate]

That was one of the possibilities I was thinking of. I know for a fact everything was working properly for a bit until lights got stuck on, so most likely gonna be something simple like that. Too bad the stalks are reversed on rhd or I could just use one of my spare 240sx stalks but I can get a new rhd one from Japan for $75 so no biggie. If it's not stalk then I would guess ignition switch is stuck in position one because buzzer is on too when door is open. Took the car for a test drive and drives great, no issues.

[DiscountPirate]

Well I got lucky because I had ordered a replacement light switch stalk from Australia but my mysterious position 1 light issue self-resolved. In my case I don't think it was ignition switch related, and I don't think it was switch related. It was either relay related or ground related because the only thing that I was working on during the time was an earthing set up that I soldered together from stock wiring to get good grounding for alternator, harnesses, and engine head.
Now all that is left to do is finish putting together the interior and hook up gauges and turbo timer and install all the jdm goodies and accessories.

[DiscountPirate]

Almost totally 100% complete done building this car. I don't know if I said before but I had previously swapped out an immaculate dash and carpet from another clip, so just finishing up putting all the panels in place and putting on the finishing touches. My last two technical things I need to work out are:
-Tachometer doesn't work on gauge cluster. All the other functions work fine except for speedometer but I know my speed sensor is bad. Checked yellow/red and looks fine. I can always switch out tach or gauges if I need to but doesn't tach get signal straight from ecu?
-I'm trying to finish putting on the left side wheel footwell panel where engine ecu and auto ecu are. Anybody happen to have a picture of a stock rhd left footwell to show routing of engine harness and how ecu's mount to which holes there?

[DiscountPirate]

Car is 99% complete I buttoned some stuff up and installed boost gauge and TT, just waiting on an oem Silvia steering wheel then done. Just wanted to update on the fixes for previous posts.
-Pretty sure the reason that the tach does not work on the gauge cluster is that I put in the wrong cluster and put in a CA18 cluster. I believe that if there is a dotted red between 7000-7500 it is a CA18 cluster, and if no line it is SR20. If using a CA18 cluster for SR20 supposedly you can connect a 10k resistor between two posts on the back middle of cluster to make it work. I plan to swap out to the cluster that came with the drivetrain, but I will test this fix in the process.
-For RHD S13 I was able to fit auto tranny ecu into far upper left corner of footwell using the upper most bolt hole and bottom most ecu bracket hole. Then I had to use a specific RHD engine ECU mounting bracket to mount that ecu to the next hole down. The engine harness comes down from that upper far left corner and sits along top of ecu then plugs in with connector side facing rear of car.

[DiscountPirate]

Finishing installing oem Silvia steering wheel today. I also swapped in the original cluster to the car and did some experimenting to confirm some differences between CA and SR clusters. We all knew about the s13 Digital HUD clusters, the type x cluster, and differences between KPH/MPH speedo and 8k/9k tachs, but I had never heard of a difference between CA and SR clusters. They are pretty much same thing except for CA tach has dotted red line between 7000-7500rpm while SR has solid red line. I was able to get the CA cluster to work with my SR but putting a 10k resister between two screw posts on the back. The two screws are located in a triangle of 3 screws on back middle just to the left of middle harness connector. They are labelled ign and ill+. Worked like a charm. I also read about other ways to wire in resistors and relays to make the gauge cluster function for different engine swaps.