Frontier ka24de questions.

[GRJones]

Hi

I'm doing some research about swaps before I buy a 620. I tried to search about using a ka24de from a 2000 Frontier for example. Is there anything concerning about that engine compared to an s13's. I know it would have a rear sump but I'm wondering about the wiring and intake manifold. 

 

Thanks

[datzenmike]

 The S13 EFI wiring is on it's own harness and pretty easy to remove from the car. The D21 Hardbody and likely the Frontier/Xterra are mixed in with the engine harness as one and not easy to separate.

[]2eDeYe]

Rear sump is best for the 620, so the frontier block is better. Like Mike said, the wiring can be a pain. 
I see 240sx intake wiring and ecu for,m time to time on marketplace which would make it easier. 
The frontier intake does work well with like a Holley throttle body setup. 

[GRJones]

Thank you guys. The 240 looks like the better option.

[]2eDeYe]

If you can swing the frontier engine and the 240sx fuel management it is really the best option as you don't have to flip the steering center link.

[GRJones]

I'll keep an eye out for that option.

[Farmer Joe]

frontier ka is gonna have smaller camshaft profile than the older s13 ka. car engines got 240/248, 232/232 cam options. frontiers only got 216/216 profile. 

 

the frontier engine can be "converted" to run on s13 parts. the front upper timing cover and the jack pulley with the distributor gear are needed. if you use the s13 upper timing cover that has the distributor provision, you can use an s13 distributor. youll need to remove the frontier distributor and figure out a way to support the oil pump drive in the timing cover. 

 

the s13 intake should bolt right up to the d22 engine. 

[GRJones]

Hi again after a while! I finally bought a 1975 620. I'm just undecided with options. It came with the engine pulled and all of the components separated. There's a cheap ka24de in a frontier near me. I've searched around and about intake manifold options. Is there any examples of this anywhere? I could also wait for a d21 ka which seems simpler. Rebuilding the l20b is an option too. Thanks

[GRJones]

Sorry forgot d21s are ka24e

[ggzilla]

Or you could run the Frontier KA24DE as is, using the Nissan ECU and the stock intake and cam ... it has the same HP as the KA24DE out of D21 Hardbody

[ggzilla]

To clarify, the HP is about the same, but it has more torque

KA24DE Nissan D40 Frontier Pickup
143 HP @ 4300 RPM
160 lb-ft torque @ 4200 RPM

KA24E SOHC Nissan D22 Pickup
140 hp @ 5600 RPM
152 ft-lb @ 4400 RPM

I don't know if the D40 has improved wiring harness or not. The 240SX harness is reportedly easier to snake the ECU connector out of the firewall

 

But otherwise, all three can be used. The harnesses will connect to all the sensors, injectors, ECU, etc. Once you get all the wiring harness, identify the eight wires needed for the Datsun swap and connect them to the fuel pump, ECU, fan, and to these Datsun wires: Battery (via fuse), Ground, IGN and START

 

* Some spend a lot of time cutting out the un-needed wires for a cleaner installation

* Others leave all the un-needed wires in the harness, and it works, saving a lot of time

* Jeff created new wiring from scratch, and created a relay board to replace the wiring harness relays

 

Is there a detailed write up on doing this? The old posts I find have broken links to diagrams, and I can't remember what the eight wires are

[GRJones]

Been reading and the ecm and key are both chipped to match one another. Would that be an issue?

[ggzilla]

I imagine you could tape the key to the top of the ECU. Or even fasten it to the case with a screw. Chip-keys are proximity devices

[GRJones]

@ggzilla Thanks a lot for your time. I would just have salvage the harness which seems to be a pain from what I've read. They're pretty expensive on ebay.

[Mrbookends]

My (late) two cents - if it comes down to flipping the centerlink or doing ANY of the other stuff, just flip the centerlink and get an S13 KA!

[GRJones]

@Mrbookends I messaging some people with ka24e hardbodies with harnesses available. The car ka24de's in the area are 10x (3k canadian) the cost where I am. I am also considering rebuilding the l20b which came with it and put dcoe webers on it 😉. I love the look of car de's though 

[]2eDeYe]

Thanks Daniel Monroy for figuring this out.