Spec-V info. (KA24 info)- long

[Michael Jez]

KA is a great engine, I have a 2000 Altima GXE auto- my woman drives it, its
got like 22K miles on it, I do oil changes on it every 3 months, had the
coolant flushed, its got a K&N drop in filter and thats all I ever did to
it. Engines had problems with the upper chain guides and they tend to rattle
around like a SR20 but not only on start up but also when its idleing. This
is one stout motor, thou. I remember a S&S rep that would supply our Nissan
dealer with stuff like crab, brake cleaners, silicone sprays, rags,
basically all the essential shop equippment... he drove a 93 or 94 Altima
with the KA24DE in it- Stanzas had the CA20E in the 1st gen model and the
later "BBird" Stanza had the KA24E- single cam motor in it. This guy had
340K miles on the original engine and tranny-auto cause he drove so much-
this was back in 2000. I seen him driving it not long ago, my assumption is
its gotta have over 400K if not close to 500K miles on it- we serviced the
car all the time. The engine was designed as a low rpm torque monster and
not much of a high RPM screamer- althou the early DOHC KAs redlined at 7K
RPM- and can be pushed higher due to its mechanical/hydraulic valve train-
its a direct acting valve train- meaning the camshaft accutally does not
operate the valves via rocker arms but these buckets- VQ series engines are
the same way. This gives U the ability to rev the engine higher and they use
softer valve springs on them. The engine has a longer stroke than its bore
size, giving it great low end torque. Its rods are not as beefy as a SR rod
but not as punny as the QR ones. The crank is forged steel unit, engine does
not use any balance shafts and tends to be kinda rough- it being a such a
big 4 cylinder engine. The pistons where kinda weak in the ring land area on
the earlier models- althou the 97-01 models switched to a diff piston
design- which is what U would want on a turbo KA cause it can support higher
levels of boost without the worry of destroying the ringlands. I've seen
some 500WHP KA24s in 240SXs and they make ALOT of low end torque giving it
instant boost reponse at lower RPMs. Block itself is cast iron with a steel
oil pan and aluminum head. JWT makes cams for them. Reason I know all about
the KA is because overall I like it better in a 240SX than a SR20. I don't
see why U wanna spend 4-6K dollars on a unknown condition motor for a
complete swap. I know U can get engines for 1200 bux and such, but they
usually come stripped down, no harness, alot of stuff is broken on it
durring shipping, they don't come with a intercooler or ECU- all that stuff
quickly adds up. Now if ya start with a low mile 97 240SX  (JWT doesn't have
a ECU for the 98 model) U know already that the engine is in good shape, get
a Fmax turbo kit on it for reliable 320-350WHP with massive low end torque
for less money and head aches. Ive riden in a S14 98 I belive with a 97 ECU
in it, and Fmax turbo kit.... and I must say I came away very impressed...
the engine changes totally from a sluggish reving truckish sounding engine
to a inline 6 DOHC sound of a BMW engine with tons of power through its RPM
range. I belive a non ball bearing TO4E was making boost at 2K RPM and full
boost- 12psi by 3200RPM. It had a Apexi GT-spec exhaust on it which goes
from 3.0" at the cat and slowly flares out to I belive 3.75" piping by the
rear muffler section :) If U got a low mile KA24 don't ditch it for a SR,
turbo it... its cheaper, and it can make just as much power as a SR20DET if
not more once its built.
Mike Jez