OK i have gotten sooooo many mixed reviews on how crappy ka motors are, but then i also get more reviews that stock internals can handle 500hp and yes i have done alot of research


my question is, how many people that went ka-t, just slapped on a t25, a bottom mount, sr or higher injectors, and the other little stuff they did to there used KA motor that has had high milage?

becuase i was wanting to just get a bit more hp out of my KA and i was told, it had a bit over 80k miles on it. i was going to do a t25, bottom mount, sr injectors, safc2 and the oil lines etc. to make a little under 200hp, but i was wondering if it was worth it to even do, because i dont want to just get it done, then a week later, to spin a bearing, or blow a head gasket.

please give me your opinions on this such build.

 

do a basic oem rebuild and gap the rings and you will be more then fine (with a good tune)

 

Agreed. A good tune is the deciding factor on your shit blowing up, that and you. Rebuild it with new rings, bearings, gaskets, seals, etc. I would spend the extra money and go ahead and get an ATI tq dampener and get it balanced. KA's are notorious for having alot of vibrations, thus causeing failure. SAFC is a must at the LEAST, honestly i would get a standalone but meh thats me. Most peoples KA's blow up cause there "slapped tougether" others last forever with gum and rtv, do it once do it right.

 

ok so its not going to just be a day process lol.

 

if you dont have the money to do an 'oem' rebuild, then i would at LEAST do a metal head gasket and head studs and maybe rod bearings because they are cheap, but ya get a really good tune!

 

realize that what everyone has said is to make it last. from READING (not experience) 80k miles is not so bad, I mean, the single cam guys start with something like double that on ka-t.org.

A backyard turbo kit can be installed in a weekend including time for drinking, chilling, bullshittin and all the other good stuff but it is not recommended to just throw it on and go beat the living shit out of it.

IMHO i think as long as the motor is not droppin/burning fluid, not knocking or ticking then and the compression checks out you should be OK to replace just head gasket and head studs as RyanS13 said. Injectors and an Air/Fuel Controller would be to add to the reliability factor and keep it safe from running lean. Good luck man.

-Mike

 

heard u were gonna do that kyle..u can get that stuff from adam if u want...u can find ka's quick did u fix that one stalling issues yet?

 

yes. i can do the stuff myself, and find the parts myself. no need for adam to do my dirty work for me.

the stalling issue was a vaccum leak at the throttle body coupler. i do seem to have a problem with the coolant temp sensor plug. everytime i wiggle the plug, it seems to want to misfire.

i was thinking about doing a metal headgasket, and studs, but i was wondering if my stock head gasket would last at all. i will be running an air fuel controller so that wont be an issue.

 

ok here's what i've learned from racing a kat for a season. i think they make good power, but have alot of short comings when it comes to being boosted. the main problem with a stock ka is the pistons and head gasket. the stock pistons won't put up with much abuse or bad tuning. then theres the head gasket, even on a built kat with a cometic and arp's we would still go threw a head gasket every event. it came down to 2 things, cometic head gaskets suck, and the head bolts on the ka are too small. especailly when your running over 1bar of boost. for the amount you'll spend on build a kat you could have a 300hp sr that will last forever. but again anything is possible if you have the money.

since youdon't want more than 200hp you could get that by supercharging your ka. and have next to nothing invested.

 

Everything stated by bill him self is tru but with the info you've shared ur 200hp goal will be easy...the internals you have should be fine..i have more on my ka and im making close to 300hp on stock guts..if the motor is sound and compresson numbers are fairly close you should be good..with a higher miles ka theres gonna be blow by but when boosting a little blow by will be easer on ur motor thus making it last a little longer...also like others have stated tune you car after you've completed throwing the car together..safc being the lowest form of tuning...if ur lookin to buy a new afc ur gonna spend about the same if you go with a rom tune from xat.. afc+afc tune= around 500ish rom tune=600ish and is better than a afc..Now the advice ive given is if ur on a budget which it seems thats the case..if you wanna make ur car more reliable do a rebuild..w/ forged interanls or oem cast internals