What kind of mods can you do to a fuel-injected 4-cylinder?

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BowDown

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Jun 2, 2000
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I have a Nissan Stanza w/2.4 liter fuel injected inline-4, model number KA24E (same engine as the 240sx around that time). I'm looking to tweak it out a little this spring, but I don't know much about fuel-injected 4-cylinder engines. I know alot about older V8's and such... but can you actually swap out cams, head(s), throttle bodys and crap on a 4-banger?

Also, how much of a performance increase can you get by converting it to a 3" pipe, with an oversized muffler?

The engine runs nice now... I just think I have to clean out the injectors by hand to restore it to full power (factory):). It's only got 78k on the engine :), and it doesn't use oil.

Let me know... I figure I should look around before the time comes. I already have a paintjob lined up, along with a sunroof for the spring. Mostly complements of the gaurd rail I hit this winter :(.

Thanks...
 
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urbantechie

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Jun 28, 2000
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Please don't lower it or add a mufler with a bigger tip and all that. Just do the internl stuff, no offence, but thats not a car to race out..
 
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Ponyboy25

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Aug 16, 2000
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Remove the engine/trans, cut a hole in the floorboard, and do a "Flinstone". You'll go faster!;)
 
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shabby

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Oct 9, 1999
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If you got the moola you transplant a sr20det engine into, other than that i dunno :)
 
jonnyGURU

jonnyGURU

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Oct 30, 1999
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<< Also, how much of a performance increase can you get by converting it to a 3&quot; pipe, with an oversized muffler? >>



Not a damn thing.

You've got more air restriction at the exhaust manifold, valves and intake then an &quot;improved&quot; exhaust would help. All you'll do is make more noise.

I don't know if Nissans have a lot of tuner shops, but look at larger valves and then a header (if available). After this look at improving induction with a free flow intake (K&amp;N or no air box, etc). Once you improve air flow, you'll need to improve fuel flow. Otherwise you'll lean out under load or full throttle. See if you cann score larger volume and/or higher PSI injectors.

 
Zenmervolt

Zenmervolt

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Oct 22, 2000
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Yeah, the Z-Car has always had a six. As for the exaust, there is not a lot of exaust that needs to be expelled (only 4 cyl), so anything over 2' is really overkill. Headers would be quite useful though, but a larger diameter pipe won't do much. You can put in larger injectors and a different throttle body, but that will almost certainly require a new fuel pump as well to provide the extra pressure. Cams and heads can be altered and swapped as well, consider a new intake that can flow more air than stock, those usually help a lot with small engines, as the pumping losses are proportionately larger for a small engine. I second Urban though, don't rice the poor thing out.

Zenmervolt

EDIT: There was a smaller car from Nissan with a &quot;Z&quot; in the name, but it was definitely not the fabled Z-Car.
 
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BowDown

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Jun 2, 2000
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Sorry... it was a:

1989-1990
240SX
KA24E

This had the same engine. From what I see on the net people can get about 170HP out these engines, but no one gets real specfic about the parts.

Stock it's 138HP. The car is fairly light, and with a 5-Speed I could be able to get some more power out of it :).

Hmm... I thought about lowering it 3 inches using spring compressors, but I heard they are a nightmare to install.

 
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BowDown

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Jun 2, 2000
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Woohoo! Found a header...

89-91 2.4l SOHC, $142.97


Python High-Performance fuel injectors:
90 240SX, $63.25 each :Q

Hmm... and I would assume there is only 1 injector per cylidner?

What about underdrive pulleys?

Unorthodox Racing Pulleys:
Underdrive Pulleys:
89-90 2.4l SOHC, 0210101, $196.90

 
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Soybomb

Diamond Member
Jun 30, 2000
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Consider nitrous! :) btw: the exhaust thing you've all said would be completely wrong if its turbocharged car, then you can never have too big of an exhaust, my 4cyl turbo will benifit of up to 3&quot; exhaust :)
 
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bobtist

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Jan 21, 2001
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You can get anything you want out of it, it's just the money you want to invest. (eg 1.8L Honda Civic engines pull 650+hp on the strip when they are twin-turboed and loosed of exhaust components). You need to think practicality.

Lowering it down will make it go no faster. Just corner better, ride rougher, maybe look cooler if you're into that thing.

A more aggressive camshaft will give you some good numbers, although it's a moderately large job and is in the $100+ range. Also will suck more gas:).

K&amp;N air filters are cheap (~$40) and give around 10% increase.

I don't know how restrictive Nissan exhaust manifolds are. I know the stock Honda ones are great (better even than many aftermarket products).

Transmission doesn't make the engine any more powerful. Perhaps more efficiently transfers power to the wheels, but no more power is made.

Valve job, if your current valves are bad, is a great idea. If not, no way. Unless you want to pay the big bucks to have bigger valves put in. More flow, more power, less gas mileage.

High-volume injectors will put more gas in the engine. I'm not sure about price, look into it. Again, more power = less mileage.

Use higher octane gas:).

Oops, just realized Zemner covered most of this stuff. I should have read the thread first. Sorry:)

edit: Don't use nitrous on an old engine. You will do it damage. Noooow we're talking the big bucks.
 
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BowDown

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Jun 2, 2000
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I'm not worried too much about gas milage... I just want to add a couple hop-up parts to give me a little bit more power :).

I know a manual tranny doesn't improve HP, but not having pressure plates enables me to control the reving the way I want to :).
 

What exactly does a Header or a Cam do?
I know and hear the terms for auto mods all the time.
But im out of it when it comes to cars.
 
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eflat

Platinum Member
Feb 27, 2000
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Well, Pulleys might get you 4 horespower. A new intake filter might get you 2, a new exhaust around 5, good headers (ie they will cost at least $300) will gain you another 6.

Or... Just spend $1500 and swap a SR20DET into there and you will gain about 80 horsepower and a much nicer engine:) It would be kind of silly in a front driver though, since you won't be able to get traction until 3rd gear:)

Don't expect to gain more than 15 horsepower with about $1000 worth of bolt ons.
 
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bobtist

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Jan 21, 2001
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A header is an exhaust manifold that lets more exhaust gas out of the engine. (eg, you can let air out of your lungs fast by blowing through a toilet paper roll than through a straw).

A cam that has bigger lobes (egg shaped thingys that press the valves) will hold a valve open for longer. That means it can (a) suck more gas in and (b) blow more exhaust out.

= more power
 
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BowDown

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Jun 2, 2000
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The header is the exchange unit that bots to the head, and then bolts to your exaust piping. By having larger pathways for the exhaust to travel you can increse the air flow by lowering resistance out of the engine.

The cam controls the lift of the intake and exhaust valves... there is a sweet spot where if the valve is kept open longer you can get more gas and air into the cylider... if you get too big of a cam you will have the opposite effect.
 
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BowDown

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Jun 2, 2000
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Hmm... echo? Hehe....

I think you would get a little more power out of a Cam (not 6hp or whatever). Not to mention the car will have more tourqe... which I guess is what I'm looking for more than HP. But they tend to go hand in hand.
 
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lupin

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Oct 11, 1999
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<< but I don't know much about fuel-injected 4-cylinder engines. I know alot about older V8's and such... but can you actually swap out cams, head(s), throttle bodys and crap on a 4-banger?

 >>



Of course you can. It's the older V8s that doesn't use cams. I think all 4 cylinders today use OHC.

do you really know a lot about older V8s? Aren't most of them OHVs?
 
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