GA16DE swap parts list and guide.

Parts List/Guide for a GA16DE engine into a K11 Micra


This is what I used and how I fit a GA engine into my 99 K11. My experience of car modification up until this point was fitting coilovers and an exhaust (which is why some of this guide may seem a bit "have a go") But provided you do your research, its pretty easy as far as engine swaps go, not much can go wrong, just make sure its all bolted up right and you are away.


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Engine
GA16DE from a primera/almera/100nx etc

Worth noting this was a Dizzy CG and a Dizzy GA.

This is the method I went with originally, to keep it as cheap and time friendly as possible. I will cover other options where possible, but can only confirm what works if I have done it.

Gearbox:
I used a 1.3 preface gearbox, it fits up to the GA engine, and means you can retain micra driveshafts and hubs. Be aware of the switch between cable drive to digital speedo. Although if you are using the gearbox already in the Micra you are swapping to, this shouldn't be an issue.

Flywheel/clutch
I used the cg flywheel and clutch, but had to take the flywheel to a machine shop in order to bore out the center hole in order for it to fit over the GA crank. I took the ga flywheel and the CG one and asked them to match the small hole to the big one. Could measure the crank if you don't have the flywheel etc.

Starter:
Micra starter, spaced 5mm off of the gearbox, I have a file for a 3d printed version of this, or a DXF that can be sent to a plasma/laser/waterjet company to cut for you.
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Mating plate:
For the mating plate in between the Engine and box, I used the GA one, I had to seal the old starter hole, as on the GA engine the starter sits on the engine side, as the flywheel is the reverse way round to the CG. I then used the bottom plate part of the CG plate in order to seal off the bellhousing. This will obstruct two bolts on the sump! I would recommend taking the sump off and slotting the holes, so you can slide it over the bolts instead of directly onto them.
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Throttle body:
I used the CG TB, it is smaller, so a power loss, but the GA TB has a different IAC, so there is no plug in the loom, I didn’t fancy tackling that. However, you can run a “remote” IAC. There are guides available on MSC and facebook on how to do this.


Water Pump.
I opted to chop down and weld up the oem water pump use an electric one instead, this is due to it causing a clearance issue with the drivers side chassis rail. I went for a Davies Craig EWP80, you can use an oem one from another vehicle, or probably even a pond pump if you find one with a good enough flow rate!
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I mounted this on the bottom exit of the radiator, lowest point so least chance of air getting stuck in there.

Originally I ran this with no control, so it was at full power as soon as ignition was on, which meant the engine ran cool (less than ideal) So I would recommend looking into speed control options etc.

You can cut and weld the chassis rail if you’d rather, to fit the stock pump, lots of chat online about safety and what not. Do what you are comfortable with.

Radiator:
I stuck with the K11 one, and routed a goofy alli pipe from the engine to the top of the rad. There's a million ways to do this, just depends how far you want to go.
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Exhaust Manifold:
I found an ebay special 421 manifold, and chopped and welded the existing sportex system I had. This is most likely going to have to be a custom job, as im not sure you can get the stainless manifolds in the UK anymore. Possibly the standard manifold will work, but I never tried so can't comment.

Mounts:
Rear and gearbox mounts are the Micra ones, drivers side and front will have to be custom. You are very limited on space on the drivers side. I ended up using the GA engine side mount, a plate with holes drilled to attach to that, which I then directly welded to a tubed bush bolted into the normal chassis rail position on the micra.
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I ran without the front mount, but plan to change this time round.

ECU:
CG ECU, as all the plugs you need are there, provided you are using the CG throttle body

Wiring Loom:
Micra loom, had to extend the dizzy wires, and the drivers side temp sensor cables. Also, if using the CG ECU, you will need to remove the temp sensors from the CG and fit them to the GA, as they have different resistance values.

Other things to note.

The GA had egr, I got rid of it, just a case of bunging any hoses and covering any holes left by the system.
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I removed my power steering, got a non pas rack and used that, mainly for clearance issues. (with this, the machined crank pulley, and the electric water pump I can remove and drop the engine in from the top, instead of having to take it out from underneath) If you do this, be aware that one of the bolts that holds the PAS bracket on is also a retaining bolt for the timing cover. So it will need replacing in order to prevent an oil leak.

I also machined down the crank pulley, as I was only running an alternator, the spare pulley was extra weight, and taking up valuable space.
 
Perfect post as I'm mid way through doing this conversion into my Micra for a club race car, but we got the GA16DE (115bhp vs 98bhp) with VCT in Australia, so I'll be using that loom & ECU.

Is there any reason you couldn't use the GA16 flywheel and clutch vs the CG13 one? I've got both sitting here but I'd be keen to use the bigger clutch if I can get away with it
 
Originally I ran this with no control, so it was at full power as soon as ignition was on, which meant the engine ran cool (less than ideal) So I would recommend looking into speed control options etc
Nice job you seem to have done your research well, lots of people seemed scared of running an electric water pump but I really can't see why. The Davies Craig ewp controllers don't seem obscenely expensive either... interesting that they seem to expect you'll still run the thermostat.
 
Perfect post as I'm mid way through doing this conversion into my Micra for a club race car, but we got the GA16DE (115bhp vs 98bhp) with VCT in Australia, so I'll be using that loom & ECU.

Is there any reason you couldn't use the GA16 flywheel and clutch vs the CG13 one? I've got both sitting here but I'd be keen to use the bigger clutch if I can get away with it

You can use the ga16 flywheel and clutch just fine.
 
OP
OP
turbotosh
Perfect post as I'm mid way through doing this conversion into my Micra for a club race car, but we got the GA16DE (115bhp vs 98bhp) with VCT in Australia, so I'll be using that loom & ECU.

Is there any reason you couldn't use the GA16 flywheel and clutch vs the CG13 one? I've got both sitting here but I'd be keen to use the bigger clutch if I can get away with it
Brilliant, Yeah you guys got the "fast" engine ?. Be plenty in a Micra tho for sure, plus room for upgrades.

My GA Was an auto, so I stead of a flywheel had a torque converter (I think that's what it's called) and a Swiss cheese looking flywheel thing.

Was just easier to use what I had as I had access to a machine shop instead of trying to source a GA flywheel, of it fits though like others are saying I'd definitely recommend it.

Cg clutch worked fine on the standard GA, but when I boosted it, it would slip a bit on full chat!
 
OP
OP
turbotosh
Nice job you seem to have done your research well, lots of people seemed scared of running an electric water pump but I really can't see why. The Davies Craig ewp controllers don't seem obscenely expensive either... interesting that they seem to expect you'll still run the thermostat.
I can't lie I was a bit worried too, did go off the deep end a bit as this was one of my first tries at anything like this.

No need to be though, the unit itself was easy to fit, and the wiring is pretty simple too.

I actually ran it without a thermostat, but that was because when we first started it after the swap it was going into some sort of limp mode and the error code was reading a temp issue.

Took me a while to realise there is actually a coolant bleed screw right next to the temp sensor on the top left of the engine next to the fuel rail and temp sensor!

Also didn't help that when I extended the temp sensor wires I heat shrunk the 2 cables together so the ECU read zero resistance for that sensor ?

Once I realised I'd made a silly mistake and rectified it all was good!
 
Brilliant, Yeah you guys got the "fast" engine ?. Be plenty in a Micra tho for sure, plus room for upgrades.

My GA Was an auto, so I stead of a flywheel had a torque converter (I think that's what it's called) and a Swiss cheese looking flywheel thing.

Was just easier to use what I had as I had access to a machine shop instead of trying to source a GA flywheel, of it fits though like others are saying I'd definitely recommend it.

Cg clutch worked fine on the standard GA, but when I boosted it, it would slip a bit on full chat!
Makes sense to use the manual stuff you already had. I pulled apart a complete manual Pulsar, so I've got the complete engine, gearbox and wiring loom from that. The bigger clutch will certainly help me because it'll mainly be an autotest/hillclimb car, so launches will be a fairly regular thing. Plus Micra bits are quite hard to get down here, particularly compared to Pulsar stuff.

Thanks for putting up the thread though. It gives me a really good idea of what's ahead. I've got a Davies Craig EWP115 with the controller to go in, so I'm hoping that'll all work smoothly
 
OP
OP
turbotosh
Makes sense to use the manual stuff you already had. I pulled apart a complete manual Pulsar, so I've got the complete engine, gearbox and wiring loom from that. The bigger clutch will certainly help me because it'll mainly be an autotest/hillclimb car, so launches will be a fairly regular thing. Plus Micra bits are quite hard to get down here, particularly compared to Pulsar stuff.

Thanks for putting up the thread though. It gives me a really good idea of what's ahead. I've got a Davies Craig EWP115 with the controller to go in, so I'm hoping that'll all work smoothly
That's it man, run with what you've got, sounds like it will be well built and well used.

That was the plan! I didn't have a clue going into it, so had to steal info from random posts all over, got lucky and a bloke I was chatting to about buying some bits from had done it, and he helped a lot! Seems only right to pass on the favour.
 
That's it man, run with what you've got, sounds like it will be well built and well used.

That was the plan! I didn't have a clue going into it, so had to steal info from random posts all over, got lucky and a bloke I was chatting to about buying some bits from had done it, and he helped a lot! Seems only right to pass on the favour.
That's my approach. I've never done anything like it, but I'm up for the challenge. I normally throw myself in over my head and claw my way out one thing at a time
 
Wow. What an effort. Gotta be really thankful for Threads like this ?

The engine mount is genius, although i don't know how well it is for MOT.
And the idea with an electric water pump ist really good.
Wouldn't it even make sense to switch to an electric waterpump on a stock CG1xDE? It would save me a Belt and help fuel efficiency ?
How good does it work with your GA?

Yet i don't know, why people want to delete the EGR on old nissans. ?It helps reducing pumping losses, improve fuek efficiency and like the rest of the engine never really breaks down or anythings wrong with it.
 
OP
OP
turbotosh
Wow. What an effort. Gotta be really thankful for Threads like this ?

The engine mount is genius, although i don't know how well it is for MOT.
And the idea with an electric water pump ist really good.
Wouldn't it even make sense to switch to an electric waterpump on a stock CG1xDE? It would save me a Belt and help fuel efficiency ?
How good does it work with your GA?

Yet i don't know, why people want to delete the EGR on old nissans. ?It helps reducing pumping losses, improve fuek efficiency and like the rest of the engine never really breaks down or anythings wrong with it.
Sorry for the late reply in this, rarely check back here!

The engine mount was a bit sketch, however not stipulates that as long as the engine is held securely (my tester gave it a good pull and push) then it is acceptable. I have made my own polybush bits now and made it much stronger than before.

Electric water pump is good yeah! As you say, the engine works less to run it off the crank, it kept the engine very cool,.too cool infaxt, as I'd have to spend a good few minutes driving the nuts off it to get the needle to move, and as soon as I calmed again it would drop right off.

Egr delete was a clearance/exhaust/complication issue, just didn't want it in the way, and had nowhere to take exhaust gases from when it went turbo.
 
Hi does the engine bolt up to the cg1.0 automatic transmission in the 1999 k11
Yes it will bolt up but I don’t know if it will work with the torque converter of the k11 (ie if it will bolt to a ga16 flywheel) you might need to figure something out for that like drilling some holes in the ga16 flywheel or turn down the center of a k11 auto flywheel.
 
Yes it will bolt up but I don’t know if it will work with the torque converter of the k11 (ie if it will bolt to a ga16 flywheel) you might need to figure something out for that like drilling some holes in the ga16 flywheel or turn down the center of a k11 auto flywheel.
Cheers. I'm getting the whole auto loom and ecu from the donor car too. Should be quick on the road
 
Can the stock power steering pump be retained from the cg1.0 to the ga16de. Also I read the crank pulley was machined down . Is there anymore information on this . I'm in new Zealand
 
I guess there'll be differences in the process if it's done in a LHD car, right? ASAIK, I can fit the engine with stock mounts if I just an electric water pump. I can use the 1.3 shafts just as they are then, can't I? Someone told me I have to use the 1.0 gearbox mount... but I don't know why yet. ECU, I guess I have to use the 1.6, don't I? Anything else I should bear in mind when doing it? Thank you! I'm just asking because the questions are on for a LHD Micra, not because the thread misses information.
By the way, may I keep the AC and the power steering or should I remove the AC whatsoever?
 
I guess there'll be differences in the process if it's done in a LHD car, right? ASAIK, I can fit the engine with stock mounts if I just an electric water pump. I can use the 1.3 shafts just as they are then, can't I? Someone told me I have to use the 1.0 gearbox mount... but I don't know why yet. ECU, I guess I have to use the 1.6, don't I? Anything else I should bear in mind when doing it? Thank you! I'm just asking because the questions are on for a LHD Micra, not because the thread misses information.
By the way, may I keep the AC and the power steering or should I remove the AC whatsoever?
You can keep the ac and power steering if you cut the chassis. You can use the micra k11 gearbox and drive shafts. Stock mount on the right hand side wont fit. That mount is different. But quite easy to fabricate something for it. Id use the ga16 ecu and do some wiring work to get it all connected. A micra loom is easily adapted to a ga16.
 
You can keep the ac and power steering if you cut the chassis. You can use the micra k11 gearbox and drive shafts. Stock mount on the right hand side wont fit. That mount is different. But quite easy to fabricate something for it. Id use the ga16 ecu and do some wiring work to get it all connected. A micra loom is easily adapted to a ga16.
I've been reading about it and the water pump must be an electric one because I don't want to cut any chassis part. With that in mind, keeping the ac and the power steering the chassis must be cut? If that was the case, I will remove the ac then.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the 50Y gearbox from the 1.0, the stock prefacelift 1.3 gearbox and the ga16 gearbox are swappable, aren't they?
Can the 1.0 be a good choice for track use or is it too short? Is it suitable for the 1.6 torque? Is the 1.3 a better option for that purpose?
Which is the right hand side mount, the driver or codriver? For LHD or RHD? Sorry, I got lost there. 😅
From memory another Micra owner in a wtsp group told me I could use the 1.0 Micra gearbox mount... but I don't remember the purpose.
I've even been thinking of buying a cheap 1.6 Almera as a donor so that I could have all the parts at once, but even following that thread I guess I will find myself with issues that I will have to sort it out in the process.
 
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For ac you need to cut the chassis. Powersteering can be done with a electric pump. Im not sure if you can use a ga16 gearbox. But you can use the cg13 and cg10 boxes on a ga16 and use the stock k11 shafts.
 
For ac you need to cut the chassis. Powersteering can be done with a electric pump. Im not sure if you can use a ga16 gearbox. But you can use the cg13 and cg10 boxes on a ga16 and use the stock k11 shafts.
Since cutting the chassis is not an option, the AC should go. Thanks for you answers mate.
 
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