Differences between early and late CA18DET blocks

[Adoom]

I had them both to hand and wondered if there was any differences between the blocks, I thought I'd share.

The early one is one of the first CA18DET, with the cross over manifold and no intercooler, from a bluebird afaik. It has an 8 port manifold, at low revs, every 2nd intake port is blocked, so it only has one functioning inlet valve. It seems in better condition than the later one, but I think it sat for a long time with water in the block that evaporated and left crusty varnish stuff behind. The water pump would not turn and the water galleries were full of shit.

The late one is from a S13 silvia. It has the 4 port head. It has bigger inlet valves. It was cheap because it had a knock. I found that it had spun one of the big end bearings. Probably because it had NEVER HAD AN OIL CHANGE EVER!!!!!!!! The oil was like tar. Everything was caked in it. Half the lifters were seized. Poor engine.

One rod and crank journal were toast, but I have spares.

 

But enough waffling, here are some photos.

The casting around the crank bearings seems to be thicker.

Black = Late

Brown = early 

Casting for that oil drain has sharper corners but not so rough.

The late one doesn't have the ball valve thing in the filter housing.

The casting around the crank bearing seemed thicker in the late one.

Again, it looks a bit thicker to me.

The later one has two extra bolt holes on either side of the engine mount.

The black paint on the early one seems to have held up a lot better than the later one....

Late

Early

The late one has a water jacket hole missing between 2 and 3.

 

[Adoom]

Does the engine number have any meaning, or is it just like a unique identifier?

[fletch]

the early ca18et blocks had no crank girdle too.

 

years ago i remember guys in OZ talking about water leaking through that water port into the oil drain on the early motor. I thought they came out in u11 bluebird with the uneven 8 port head, and the even 8 port head came out in the u12 and s13. the 4 port came in the 'euro' s13 and random jap imports. but i remember pulling off a n13 at pick a part avondale

[Adoom]

the early ca18et blocks had no crank girdle too.

 

True, I have one of those too. But it's still shaped like a long block and I cbf getting it out from under the bench and stripping it. It's fucked though, the late engine is my upgrade.

I forgot about the crank girdle. This early CA18DET did not have a girdle. The late engine did have a girdle. They both have oil squirters. The CA18ET does not have squirters.

There doesn't seem to be an easy way to tell if an early engine will have a girdle. Probably not, but some early(DET) engines apparently do have them.

Best way to tell is remove the sump.

[RUNAMUCK]

I have a spare early CA18det. mine also doesn't have a crank girdle. Those early motors have a different intake manifold too. (I don't have mine)

So the cylinder heads are a bit different.

The four port heads are euro DM, and also NZDM. They're where it's at for max performance. The four port motors only have the injector feeding the "allways open" port. The head of the other valve gets really caked up with shite.

I have a four port head squirreled away for my supercharged CA18 build.

If you had a spare det piston in good order, id be interested if you wanted to part with it.

 

great info thread btw.

[Adoom]

The four port motors only have the injector feeding the "allways open" port. The head of the other valve gets really caked up with shite.

I have a four port head squirreled away for my supercharged CA18 build.

If you had a spare det piston in good order, id be interested if you wanted to part with it.

 

great info thread btw.

I think you meant "the 8 port motors with four always open ports...". And yes, those usually closed ports were clogged to buggery with oily crud on the early motor.

I have THREE sets of det pistons. But I need to decide which set I will be using before I can give any away. Are you in a hurry?

[RUNAMUCK]

yes, I meant 8 port.

Absolutely no hurry at all.

 

What car is your engine going into?

If you have a motor that has suffered water damage, then I thought perhaps you might have an "odd" piston that was reusable.

[Adoom]

yes, I meant 8 port.

Absolutely no hurry at all.

 

What car is your engine going into?

If you have a motor that has suffered water damage, then I thought perhaps you might have an "odd" piston that was reusable.

My avatar is a clue

 

I've had a CA18ET in my starlet since.....2005? 173rwkw. It had a terminal failure last time I went to manfield. Either the head gasket went or the ethanol injection failed, but I ended up with two melted plugs and a whole lot of coolant in two cylinders and some scored bores/pistons, that was the point at which I stopped taking the engine apart and just shoved it under the bench.

The early CA18DET was bought before this as an eventual upgrade. But I was convinced not to use it and to try find a late model CA18DET without the weird inlet manifold.

So now I have this later model CA18DET that I am in the process of rebuilding, as limited funds allow. I've done the head. But all the parts needed for the block add up to quite a lot.

[RUNAMUCK]

Same old story aye. Speed costs.