Nissan SR20DET
The SR20DET is a straight-four four-stroke gasoline engine that is part of the SR engine|SR] family of engines from Nissan, produced from 1989 to 2002. It is a turbocharged version of the SR20DE engine.
Both the SR20DE and SR20DET engines replaced the outgoing CA engine#CA18DE|CA18DE] and CA18DET engines from the preceding CA family of engines, which no longer met Japanese emissions standards and were too expensive to manufacture. 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
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 was retired on most Nissan vehicles in August 2002, 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 370cc injectors were used.
- 1994–1998 "Black top" - Came from 180SX's post-94
- 1994–1998 "Black top VCT" - 94–98 Silvias - Variable Cam Timing or VCT was introduced on the intake cam 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 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
- Compressor Flow: 33 lb/MIN
- Throttle Body: Quad
- Injector Flow: 440cc/min
- Ignition Timing: 20º BTDC
- Throttle Body Bore: 60 mm
- Injector Flow: 370cc/min
- Throttle Body Bore: 50 mm
- Injector Flow: 370cc/min
- Throttle Body Bore: 50 mm
- Injector Flow: 444cc/min
Comparison table