What the hell? buying my first s12!

Hey everybody this is my first post on the s12 forums, so I'm buying a 1986 200SX EX Hatch. I don't anything about it all I know is I have never seen one on the road and I love it.

I have done lots of research about the car before hand and found these forums and this is one of the main reasons I decided to pick it up tomorrow.

I just have a few newbie questions some may laugh but thats alright I don't know much about tuning cars or anything in that realm I just know it will be a fun hobby for me and I would love to start wrenching on my s12.

First off once I pickup the car tomorrow it needs a new starter and battery so after I've done that and the car is running what are some things I wanto do or check on the engine to keep it running right and reliable?

I don't even know what engine is in the car or if its turbo i only goto look at it breifly all i know is its a nissan engine of course and 16 valve. I really don't believe there is a oem turbo on the engine the car has no turbo badges.

So what type of engine swaps are available for the chasis? and will there be any modifications I will have to do for any of those swaps?

The stock engines would I be able to place my own turbo kit on it and would it run reliably and good? are there aftermarket heads, pistons etc for the stock engine?

Sorry for all the questions I've been doing lots of research and as everyone knows it could be dodgy and most of the time you cant find the exact information you are looking for so sorry in advance if any questions are not worth answering just excited.

Thanks for all the help and see you all around! If any of you guys live in Vegas shoot me a pm!

Link to pics: http://club-s12.org/retro4/index.php?topic=36732.0

Whoa, lots of questions, I'm a noob myself so take what I say very lightly as it very well could be bullshit, but here goes nothing:

Assuming you want to keep the STOCK engine (which is not really reccomended by most except a few purists on here)
To keep the car in reliable running condition: just make sure you check/keep all the fluids topped off (i.e. coolant, engine oil, brake fluid, tranny oil etc) and ask the previous owner when the belts have last been changed. You may want to change them if they haven't been done so in a while. Also, fuel and oil filters changed if needed.

Engine-wise: I'm not very familiar with the USDM spec trims such as SE and XE etc but I can tell you that the S12 came in a CA18ET (not to be confused with a CA18DET) the CA18ET is a small (somewhat fragile) non-intercooled turbocharged 4 cylinder, a CA20E (naturally aspirated 4 cylinder) and a VG30 (naturally aspirated 6 cylinder)
My '86 hatch has the CA18ET turbo and it actually has no visible exterior turbo markings on it at all. The only way you can tell it's a turbo model is by looking at the dash and seeing the factory boost gauge.

To find out what engine the car has, simply look at the VIN plate located in the engine bay either on the left or right hand side of the firewall (I forget which side) it will say something like CA18ET or CA20E etc. It will also list information about the chassic and axle and other related stuff.

What type of engine swaps are available for this chassis? Realistically, anything is possible if you can fit it under the hood. You'll find that most people on here tend to stick to 4 cylinders but a few of the gearheads on here have gone with RB's from Skylines and I think there's even a few V8 S12's in the works, though I haven't seen a completed one yet. By far I think the easiest  and by far, the most popular, swap to do is probably the KA24DE from something like a S13 240sx. From what I've read, the wiring is super simple and only requires like 4 wires hooked up to actually run the engine supposedly. The KA24 is a great reliable, cheap engine that can easily be turbo'd in the long run even though it's naturally aspirated stock. Being that they're USDM, there's plenty of parts around as well as aftermarket support. If you're wanting to step outside the box a little for something a bit more peppy, you could consider the underrated CA18DET or the more popular SR20DET. Both these engines are intercooled, turbocharged 4 cylinders and can be found in the JDM S13 Nissan Silvias. The CA18DET can also be found in the JDM S12 Silvia, so some of the more purist-owners on the forum like myself, choose that engine since it's technically period-correct. However the SR20DET is a more common engine swap for those seeking to build power-hungry boosts as their is a GIGANTIC aftermarket for these engines. Also, one thing to note is that the S12 came in 2 generations, the MK1 and the MK2. From the sounds of it, you're buying a MK1 but I couldn't know without seeing pictures. There is slightly more modification required when swapping any S13 chassis motor into a MK1. The S12 had 3 different types of transmissions; A, B and C. The MK1 only came in a A or B (I don't think it came in a C but someone may correct me on this) where as the MK2 came in a C. To swap a S13 motor into a MK1 S12, a C transmission is needed, or I believe you can swap the C trans bellhousing onto your A or B transmission. Also, you will need to relocate/cut the shifter back another 2 inches approximately to accomodate the longer transmission. For this reason, it is generally easier to do an S13 engine swap into a MK2 because they already come with the C trans.

I have summed up the whole engine swap thing very briefly so don't think that you are limited between what I've listed and keep in mind, some of what I said may be wrong, there are TONS of choices out there, you're really only limited to what you can fit in the engine bay. More info on engine swap choices can be found here.
http://club-s12.org/retro4/index.php?board=65.0

Aftermarket support for any of the S12's stock engines is nearly non-existent with maybe the exception of the VG30? I'm not sure one that one, but I know for sure there is next to nothing for the CA18ET or the CA20E. You should keep in mind that there is very little aftermarket support in general for these cars. Alot of the stuff that you'll see on our cars is either borrowed from other cars of similar make (Z31, S-chassis etc) or custom made. I would not reccomend trying to turbocharge any of the stock motors that the S12 came with. If you want to keep to turbocharging a stock motor though, try the KA24DE as I mentioned above.

Like I said in the beginning of my post, I am but a lowly noob with a bad memory, so I would double check alot of this info that I've just posted, it may or may not be correct  :embarrassed2:

Just do a bit of exploring around the forums and be sure to check our FAQ's and engine tech sections, also make use of the forum search bar! Chances are, someone before you has asked these questions and the answers exist somewhere in the forum.

Don't make any hasty decisions about the car, find out a little about what engine it has and such, also keep in mind that the price range for these cars tends to be between $500-2000 with 2000 being a really REALLY nice car.

Good luck!

Thanks for the reply Brandon its much appreciated!

You have really summed up my main worries about the car, since this will be the first car I will actually be building and putting all the work into my self I was hoping for a very aftermarket friendly power plant with lots of bolt-ons etc since I'm new to all this.

To clear up a few things in my first post I now know for sure the engine is a CA20E I have no clue were I got the 16v from guess i've been looking at to many honda engines but anyways I've been doing lots of research and after googleing the engines on this forum the CA20E looks exactly like the engine in the s12 I'm buying. I'm also not sure if it's MK1 or MK2.

You have hit the nail on the head with the engine swaps, everything you mentioned I've seen so far and there is lots of information floating around I just goto do a bit of extra searching especially for the KA24DE.

I think what I will do for now is keep the stock CA20E and try to build it up and run straight engine so if anyone has any links, information or could send me in the right direction for getting more power out of the ca20e please feel free to it would be appreciated.

The lack of aftermarket for this car is a bit scary since I don't have much experience except for changing oil, breaks and a few clutches but I'm up for the challenge!

Later on if I do plan on do a swap it will either be the ka24de, but I would really love to get a sr20det but thats not anytime soon atm!

Thanks again for the reply I will be picking it up tomorrow for $75 I will take some pics of it at its current state and will keep everyone updated with everything I do and new pics at the project goes on see you all around!

I would advise against throwing too much money into the CA20, do enough to keep it maintained but I wouldn't do anything to it aftermarket wise, if I were you, I'd save all your cash for a KA24 swap and upgrading it from there. I believe most mods for the KA24 are fairly bolt-on. The same goes with the SR20. However, if you're looking to get any serious power out of any engine, you pretty much have to tear it apart and upgrade the internals anyways, unless it's a 2JZ  :grinwink: I would say that if you decide to turbo the KA, you'll probably have to go with uprated internals as the engine is naturally aspirated stock, and therefore not really built for handling boost (someone correct me if I'm wrong on that)

However if you're really REALLY dead set on upgrading the CA20, you may want to look at this crazy guy's thread.
http://club-s12.org/retro4/index.php?topic=36188.0

Also, the difference between the MK1 and the MK2 are the length of the front corner markers (the MK1 has longer ones that wrap around more) and the tail lights. The MK1 has a sort of grid-style tail light which we on the forum have affectionately named the "six-pack" as there are 6 little individual squares, the top 3 are red and the bottom 3 are orange. The MK2 on the other hand has a whole hodgepodge of different subsections within it's tail lights, hard to describe really.

Pictures for reference:

Below is a MK1




Below is a MK2




Also, I don't mean to scare you away from the S12, but if you're looking for a car that is mostly bolt-on, I just might stay away from this car. There are some bolt-on upgrades that can be done to these cars, but like I said, the parts are not directly designed for these cars, they are borrowed from other cars, such as the S13 240sx suspension upgrade, which uses S13 control arms, spindles and hubs so you can use S13 coilovers. You could also even use Z32 5 lugs and go with Z32 calipers as well, though there may be a little modification needed. There is a thread on here that displays which parts from other cars are crossover parts on the S12 and which fit/can be used.

I'm sorry, did you say you were getting an S12 for $75?!?!?!?  :wideeyed: I think that could be a new record low...

Search search search all your questions are answered if you look through the forums also welcome. And post pics when you can!

Welcome! Please post pics of your engine bay; we should be able to tell you if it's stock or swapped or has mods. Any idea on previous owner history? Once you know what you have get a FSM; Ebay is a good source.  The 86 can be a mk1, 1.5 or 2, and different manuals apply.  I have had mine forever and enjoy working on it and have learned more here in the last 2 years than anywhere else. This is the place for you to be.  Congrats on your find!

Alright guys picked the car up for $75 today after work towed it home! First off thanks to everyone for replying and all the help everyone here is thanks!

Ok it is an MK2 for sure it has the silver top engine and the tail lights have straight horizontal lines instead of the six packs.

Now the problems with the car were it had no battery and the wrong starter.

The wrong starter I think I have an idea of what happened maybe the MK1 and MK2 have different starters because today when i went to 3 different autopart stores: orileys, autozone and peps, they all had two separate starters for a 1986 nissan 200sx 2.0.

First starter is cheaper and it has a crank at the end here is a pic:


The second starter is more expensive and has bell housing at the end here is a pic:


It currently has the first starter with the "crank" and when I turn the ignition it just whines and does not turn over seems the gear is not catching to engage and turn the engine over.

Tomorrow after I get off work I will go ahead and buy the other starter with the bell housing and see how that goes I think that is the correct one for the MK2 model I'm not sure if anyone with knowledge could come shine in and help out that would be great I will also do some research before I goto bed on the starters.

Other then that I'm sorry I did not get a chance to take pics couldn't find my wifes digital camera and my blackberry might not take good pics so I will get some pics up first thing tomorrow.

But here is a brief description of the cars condition:

-Engine seems like its in great condition no oil leaks everything seems to be untouched and 100% stock no new houses or wires etc
-Interior is in great condition also except the passengers side right by the window has about 4 cuts in it.
-No stereo in the car but the wires and bay are still there in good condition, speakers all around the car are in great condition.
-The car was white the paint is still ok but it looks kinda aged no paint peel tho.
-Both front panels have a few small dents along with the hood I will need a brand new hood and front panels.
-All the original black trim is still on the car and straight but color is a bit faded.
-Front window has a small minor crack driver side on the bottom can barely notice it but will need to replace sure it will expand.

Thats about it will post up some pics tomorrow all and tell you how the hole starter thing works out wish me luck cant wait to drive it!

The starters are on both mk1 and mk2 turbo and n/a 4 cyl model the hooded one is more likely to be on the ca18et have the starter tested before you buy a new one... it may just be a bad starter. Also I didn't realize you were in vegas welcome and if you have any question feel free to hit me up. theres a few of here in vegas so your in good company. also post some pics of this beast!