Ken-chan's car blog

Hia people…

For this project, you will need:

• Unused s14 ecu (to cut out the connector from it)
• s13 harness plug with wires
• non-working power supply. * I prefer reusing/recycling so power supply seemed like a good source for ”free” 18 AWG wire.  When taking the wire, make sure to test continuity with voltmeter to ensure your wires will conduct current / signal.  Or you can buy a spool of 18 AWG wire at almost any hardware or automotive store.
• Pin out wiring (coming soon)
• Soldering / wire stripping tools
• Patience & Common sense: anything you see on this site you take full responsibility for.  As stated in disclaimer, I am not responsible for anything that happens to you, your car, your cat, etc.

This is based on several sources and yet to be retested (more information including detailed finalized pin out to come soon once it’s all tested w/conzult)..  I’d like to give credits for most of the research legwork to people on ka-t.org (JM Halder) and emance site for the pinouts they posted on their respective sites – Thanks!  I’ve combined both sheets to minimize number of pins and yet keep the consult port.

1. Cut out the connector & clip off the pins.  Avoid yanking on the bottom of the ecu board as it may break part of the plastic connector (which is where I screwed up – should be no problem as it’s just small part of it and won’t affect the function).

Trim the wires on the s13 connector (picture: left) to about 2.5″ from the connector.  For wires you won’t use – you can either tie them off or gently pop off plastic tabs on the connector & remove any unused wires (mine are removed & bagged).  Remove any spare pins from the s14 connector (picture: right) by pulling them from the front of the connector – bag these as they may come in handy and if you screw up or decide to add more ecu functions while testing.

2. If you are using new wire skip this step…

Cut your wire (read the fineprint on the wire insulator - it should say 18 AWG or 20 AWG - I like to keep all of them consistent so kept to 18 AWG).  Again test whole wire before cutting into equal length pieces.

3. Test wire for continuity before cutting.  Then cut into 5″ pieces (remember that you also have 2.5″ on the s13 harness connector so together 7.5″ should be plenty to cross-wire the far away pins like consult)

4. Organize wires into colors for each section of the harness connector (optional).  Makes it look neater and also helps you quickly verify how many pins are in each section.  Also helps with wire tracing.

5. Now with pins eliminated, you got more space to solder…

6. Done…

7. Print out the pin-out list (coming soon).   It is sorted according to the s13 pin out and you can check off on the list each pin and mark on the diagram to verify that you’re doing it correctly.

8. Ok all wires are done – time to verify your work.  Check your pins again – make sure they are not sticking together or they could cause a short.  You can also set the connector on it’s side and take 5-10 mins to check with voltmeter that you are getting continuity from the s13 pins to the correct s14 pins.

9. I prefer to test anything electrical before I seal it up – so before epoxying.. Depends how confident you are in your work, you could seal it up.  In my case, I’ve done some wiring changes from the original pinouts I’ve seen so it needs testing.  If you decide to do this, make sure that none of the exposed wires are contacting each other or you may fry something!  During testing I usually run thick strip of rubber covering the rows of connectors and spread them out horizontally to ensure no contact.

MORE INFORMATION COMING IN FEW DAYS / WEEKS…

• new pin outs (excel)

There was a nissan advisory somewhere on removing the top & 2nd chain guide for ka24de since they used to wear and cause damage when they broke into pieces and fell further into parts under timing cover.

Here’s a quick diagram on what to get rid of.  For that you just remove top valve cover (12 m10 bolts from what I remember) and few more m10/12 bolts to remove top timing cover to get to the 2nd chain tensioner.

Remove the old gasket material and reseal with fresh gasket maker seal (I use the copper type – about $7).

One way to increase boost without using the spring is to partially block the boost line going to the actuator – thereby preventing the boost from pushing on the wastegate actuator – that is how many boost controllers do it. Please be careful when using this technique as boost can rise to max out the turbo if you close off too much flow for the boost line.

To manually set your level of boost, you could either buy expensive manual boost controller or opt out for simple industrial 1/4″ npt 2 port valve which will run you about 1/4th the price of the fancy brand name boost regulator.

Example of manual boost controller that I use…

Please note that Line L1 (boost source reference line) can use one of several sources:

• nipple on turbo housing (it is a factory feature on some turbos)
• nipple on the cold side intercooler piping
• nipple on the hot side intercooler piping
• intake manifold vacuum lines

Line L2 leads to the wastegate actuator (operating an internal or external wastegate).

Please note that there are many forum debates about which boost reference source solution is best to avoid boost spikes.  In this article, we’re just covering the idea for a basic DIY manual boost controller.

This type of valve will handle typically in the range of 100-150 psi so there’s no need to worry about failure due to pressure, but it is important to get the fittings tight & snug to prevent leaks.  The cost for this type of “boost controller” is about 6-7 dollars.

One way to test your boost would be to use pressure gauge and air compressor – if you don’t have either or both – for starters you could blow through it with your mouth and see where the closing point for flow is.. once you find it.. open it up a bit to limit the flow about 1/4 of the way. Then try boosting gently (not just dumping gas and seeing where it hits). If your turbo didn’t gain anything, you must close it up bit more and try again. Once you find the sweet spot on the valve regulator based on the boost level you enjoy, mark position of the regulator knob on the valve – this will help you find it easier in the future should you find reason to change it.

Based on bunch of useful articles I found on the web – I’ve done the wheel swap..

http://www.makemilk.com/wtb/mods/wiring.JPG

Horn connection inside…

One of the horn signals is conducted back through the mass…

http://www.makemilk.com/wtb/mods/wheel_swap1.JPG

http://www.makemilk.com/wtb/mods/wheel_swap2.JPG

If there’s enough interest, I might add some more details on it – but there’s plenty of coverage about that on zilvia where I found one of the articles on there.