The SR20DET is a straight-four four-stroke gasoline engine that is part of the SR family of engines from Nissan, produced from 1989 to 2002. It is a turbocharged version of the SR20DE engine.
The SR20DE and SR20DET replaced the outgoing CA18DE and CA18DET from the preceding CA family of engines, which no longer met Japanese emissions standards and were too expensive to manufacture (due to its cast-iron block). The SR20DET was Nissan's popular four-cylinder turbocharged engine fitted into a wide variety of cars, most notably the S13-chassis Silvia and 180SX, as well as the Pulsar GTI-R and Bluebird. The previous CA18DET engine originally powered the Silvia and 180SX from the S12-chassis and prior, including the early S13-chassis models.
The SR20DET is a popular choice for an engine swap in several cars, most notably the 240SX sold in the United States and Canada. These were fitted with the SOHC KA24E for earlier models and the DOHC KA24DE for later models, all of which are naturally aspirated engines and had less power than the CA18DET and SR20DET engines used in its Japanese counterparts, producing about and respectively.
Engine swaps for the SR20DET have become more commonplace due to a wide variety of aftermarket forced induction options for the engine. There are many tuning shops around the world that specialize exclusively in SR20DET engine swaps.
Model code breakdown The breakdown of the engine codes are as follows:
SR - Engine family 20 - 2.0 liter displacement D - Dual overhead camshaft E - Multi-port fuel injection T - Turbocharger NOTE: The lack of a "D" in some engine identifications indicates an SOHC cylinder head.
For more information of Nissan's engine naming conventions, see list of Nissan engines.
History
The SR20DET was first introduced in the U12 Nissan Bluebird 2000SSS ATTESA Limited in a transverse-mounted front-wheel drive/four-wheel drive form in October 1989. The first revisions of the rear-wheel drive S13 Silvia and 180SX produced in 1991 had a longitudinally-mounted SR20DET, with some models using the naturally aspirated SR20DE. This engine went on to be used in a number of Nissan vehicles, including the Avenir in 1995, the R'nessa in 1997 and the Liberty in 1999. The SR20DET (along with the naturally-aspirated SR20DE) was retired on most Nissan vehicles in August 2002 (which includes vehicles such as the S15 Silvia as it used the SR20DE/SR20DET engines), and were replaced with the QR20DE engine in most applications.
Out of all the Nissan models produced with the SR20DET engine, the Silvia was the longest-running model to use it, beginning with the S13 series in 1991 and ending with the S15 series in 2002. The S14 and S15 series used a bigger turbocharger than the S13 series.
Valve cover colors The colors of the valve covers seem to relate to the year the engine was produced: Color Model Years Red S13/180SX/Bluebird/Pulsar 1989–1994 Black S13/180SX 1994–1998 Black S14/S15 1994–2002 Silver Avenir/R'nessa 1995–2002/1997–2001
1989–1994 "Red top" - Came from U12/13 Bluebird, S13 Silvia and 180SX pre-94 (Garrett T25G turbo) 370cc injectors were used.
1994–1998 "Black top" - Came from 180SX's post-94 (Garrett T25G turbo)
1994–1998 "Black top VCT" - 94–98 Silvias - Variable Cam Timing or VCT was introduced on the intake cam (Garrett T28 journal bearing turbo for Australian and European markets and Garrett T28 Ball Bearing turbo for the Japanese market) 370cc injectors were used.
1995–2002 "Silver top" - 95-02 Avenirs and 97-01 R'nessas.
1999–2002 "Black top" or "Notch top" - 99–02 Silvias. Same VCT as above, 6-speed manual transmission (Garrett Journal Bearing T28 for Europe and Australia and Ball Bearing T28 turbo for Japan) 480cc injectors were used and the intake manifold was redesigned.
Engine specifications DOHC 4 valves per cylinder, Chain driven cam sprockets Bore × Stroke of × Displacement of
1990–1994 RNN14 Pulsar GTI-R Compressor Flow: 33 lb/MIN Throttle Body: Quad Injector Flow: 440cc/min Ignition Timing: 20º BTDC
1991–1994 S13 Silvia & 1991–1998 180SX Throttle Body Bore: 60 mm Injector Flow: 370cc/min
1995–1999 S14 Silvia Throttle Body Bore: 50 mm Injector Flow: 370cc/min
1999–2002 S15 Silvia Throttle Body Bore: 50 mm Injector Flow: 444cc/min
Comparison table CarEngineCompressionPowerTorqueTurboStock boostTurbineCompressor'89 U12 Bluebird LtdRedtop8.5:1150 kW (201 hp) @ 6000 rpm @ 4000 rpmT-25g14psi'91–'95 U13 Bluebird LtdRedtop8.5:1154 kW (206 hp) @ 6000 rpm @ 4000 rpmT-25G7psi'95–'97 W10 Avenir SalutSilvertop8.5:1154 kW (206 hp) @ 6000 rpm @ 4000 rpmT-25G7psi'97–'01 W11 Avenir GT4Silvertop8.5:1169 kW (227 hp) @ 6000 rpm @ 3600 rpmT-25BB9psi'90–'94 RNN14 Pulsar GTI-RRedtop8.3:1169 kW (227 hp) @ 6400 rpm @ 4800 rpmT-2810.6psi79 Trim (Inconel), .86 A/R housing60 trim 60 mm BCI-1 in T-3 housing'90–'95 EGNN14 Sunny GTI-RRedtop8.3:1164 kW (220 hp) @ 6400 rpm @ 4800 rpmT-2810.6psi79 Trim (Inconel), .86 A/R housing60 trim 60 mm BCI-1 in T-3 housing'91–'93 S13 Silvia, 180SXRedtop8.5:1151 kW (205 hp) @ 6000 rpm @ 4000 rpmT-25G7psi62 trim , .80 A/R housing60 trim 56mm BCI-1'94–'98 S13 180SXBlacktop8.5:1151 kW (205 hp) @ 6000 rpm @ 4000 rpmT-25G7psi62 trim , .80 A/R housing60 trim 56mm BCI-1'95–'99 S14 Silvia, '95-'99 200SX (Australia, New Zealand)Blacktop (Notchtop)8.5:1162 kW (217 hp) @ 6000 rpm @ 4800 rpmT-287psi, 14psi BB62 trim , .64 A/R housing, BB if from the JDM60 trim 60 mm BCI-1 in T-04B housing'99–'02 S15 Silvia, '99-'02 200SX (New Zealand)Blacktop (Notchtop)8.5:1 @ 6400 rpm @ 4800 rpmT-28BB7psi stock 62 trim (Inconel), .64 A/R housing, cast divider wall between turbine discharge and wastegate, ball bearing center section60 trim 60 mm BCI-1 in T-04B housing'00-'02 200SX (Australia)Blacktop (Notchtop)8.5:1 @ 6400 rpm @ 4800 rpmT-28BB7psi stock 62 trim (Inconel), .64 A/R housing, cast divider wall between turbine discharge and wastegate, ball bearing center section60 trim 60 mm BCI-1 in T-04B housing
Twin-turbo modifications While all factory manufactured SR20DET's had a single turbo unit, there have been some working twin-turbo versions of the SR20DET made by certain aftermarket tuners. One such kit was produced by ENDLESS Japan in 2008, featuring two GReddy TD05-16G turbines in parallel and mated to a custom exhaust manifold and downpipe. Modifications to the engine bay were required in order for the twin-turbo setup to fit in correctly, as it would not be able to fit properly on an unmodified engine bay. This setup achieved its peak power at 2.2 bar between 5,500–6,000 rpm, and costs ¥300,000.
Applications
The SR20DET was used in a number of front-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and rear-wheel drive Nissan vehicles produced from 1989 to 2002, including the Nissan Silvia line of small compact rear-wheel drive sports cars. The following below is a list of these, categorized by its use in transversal or longitudinal configurations.
List of vehicles using the SR20DET ModelSpecChassisYearsColourTurboMarket TransversalBluebird2000SSS Attesa LimitedU121989Red topT25GJapan2000SSS Attesa LimitedU1391–93Red topT25GJapan2000SSS Attesa LimitedU1394–95Black topT25GJapanPulsarGTI-RRNN1490–94Red topT28JapanSunnyGTI-REGNN1490–95Red topT28EuropeAvenirGT Turbo SalutW1095,97Silver topT25GJapanGT4W1198,00–02Silver topT25BBJapanLibertyGT4 Highway StarM1299–00JapanR'nessaGT TurboN3097–01Silver topT25BB Japan Longitudinal180SXAllS1391–93Red topT25GJapanAll (except G/Type S)S1394–97Black topT25GJapanSilviaK'sS1391–93Red topT25GJapanK'sS1494–99Black topT28 (VTC), T28BB if JDMJapanAutech Version K's MF-TS1498–99Black topIHI VN14 (VTC)Japan270RS141994Black topJapanSpec-RS1599–02Black top (Notch top)T28BB (VTC)Japan200SXS1493–99Black top(VTC)EuropeSpec-RS1599–02Black top (Notch top)T28BB (VTC)New ZealandSpec-S & Spec-RS1500–02Black top (Notch top)T28BB (VTC)Australia
See also
List of Nissan engines
References