Applications Nissan SR20DET
Verified on the variant named in the note. Still set offset with a timing light on this car before enabling fuel.
Nissan SR20DET
Silvia, 180SX, Pulsar GTI-R. The factory optical CAS is a 360-slot outer ring plus a 4-slot inner ring. Race Core does not decode the 360-slot ring. Replace the disk or the whole trigger.
Recommended: Race Core F7, V4 or Micro Core. Four sequential injectors, four logic coils (S14/S15 COP) or two wasted-spark channels (some S13). S14 Zenki is the verified note.
- Cylinders: 4
- Displacement: 1998 cc
- Firing order: 1-3-4-2
- Orientation: Cylinder 1 front (timing-chain), cylinder 4 gearbox. Longitudinal in S13/S14/S15, transverse in Pulsar/Sunny.
Variants
| Variant | Years | Trigger | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| S13 redtop / blacktop | 1989–1998 | Optical CAS 360+4 in the cam/dizzy | Early redtop: CAS in distributor, coil-on-plug on later. High-port vs low-port heads. |
| S14 Zenki | 1993–1996 | Optical CAS 360+4 | Notchback Silvia. COP. Cable throttle. Verified Race Core install family. |
| S14 Kouki / S15 | 1996–2002 | Optical CAS 360+4 | Variable-valve VTC on S15. DBW on some markets. COP. |
| SR20VE / SR16VE | 1997-on | Optical CAS, NEO VVL | Switched VVL on intake and exhaust. Not the same as S15 VTC. |
Recommended pin assignment (Race Core F7)
| Pin | TunerStudio | Function |
|---|---|---|
| B10 | Digital 1 | Crank Hall after 36-1 conversion — or CAS 4-slot only (see trigger) |
| B1 | Digital 2 | Cam Hall / 4-slot CAS inner |
| B5 / B13 | VR 1+ / VR 1− | Crank VR |
| A3 | Lowside 1 | Injector cylinder 1 |
| A15 | Lowside 2 | Injector cylinder 2 |
| A4 | Lowside 3 | Injector cylinder 3 |
| A16 | Lowside 4 | Injector cylinder 4 |
| A35 | Ign 1 | Cyl 1 logic COP (S14/S15) |
| A34 | Ign 2 | Cyl 2 logic COP (S14/S15) |
| A22 | Ign 3 | Cyl 3 logic COP (S14/S15) |
| A33 | Ign 4 | Cyl 4 logic COP (S14/S15) |
| C20 | Analog Temp 3 | CLT |
| C30 | Analog Temp 2 | IAT |
| C13 | Analog Volt 1 | MAP 0–5 V |
| C24 | Analog Volt 2 | TPS 1 |
| C34 | Knock 1 | Knock bank 1 |
| A20 | Lowside 10 | Fuel-pump relay coil |
| A21 | Lowside 12 | Main-relay coil |
| A12 | Lowside 15 | Radiator-fan relay coil |
| A2 | Highside 1 | S15 VTC solenoid (if fitted) |
| B18 | Battery Sense | Ignition-switched 12 V (5 A fuse) |
| B23 | +12 V MR | Main-relay 12 V into ECU |
| A17 A18 A24 B14 B19 B20 | Power GND | Engine block → battery − |
| C9 / C21 / C32 | 5 V Sens 1 | MAP, TPS 1, pedal 1 |
| C1–C8, C29, C31 | Sensor GND | All 0–5 V and thermistor returns |
Trigger
Nissan 360° optical CAS is not supported. NISSAN_SR20VE in rusEFI is the 4-tooth inner track without the 360 ring. The supported Race Core paths: (1) 36-1 (or 60-2) crank trigger plus a cam Hall, or (2) a replacement CAS disk that is 24-1 / 12-1, or (3) 4-slot only with the 360 ring masked/removed — last-resort and miserable at high RPM.
Crank
| Recommended | Missing-tooth crank wheel, Hall on Digital 1 (B10) or VR on B5/B13. 12 V Hall sensors need 12 V, not 5 V. |
| Factory CAS | Optical 360+4 inside the cam cover. Power, ground, two signal wires. Do not wire the 360 track into Digital 1 and hope. |
Cam
| Recommended | Single-tooth or 1-window Hall on Digital 2 (B1), one pulse per two crank revolutions. |
| 4-slot inner | Only if you are on the SR20VE 4-tooth decoder and have disabled the 360 track. |
TunerStudio
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Trigger / wheel type | 36-1 / 60-2 + cam (recommended). Not Nissan 360 CAS. |
| Use only rising edge | Hall: as logged. VR: typically yes on MAX992x |
| Invert primary | No — swap VR wires first |
| Firing order | 1-3-4-2 |
| Pull-up | Hall CAS/cam usually wants the ECU pull-up on. Confirm in the log. |
Offset: Timing light on cylinder 1 (front). Aftermarket crank kits publish a starting offset — still light it.
- CAS optical sensors fail with oil contamination. If the factory CAS is still in the car, budget a crank trigger anyway.
- S15 VTC needs a usable cam signal for phasing, not just sequential.
Injection
High-Z on S13 redtop ~370 cc, S14 ~440, S15 ~480. Side-feed OEM; most looms are already top-feed converted.
| Impedance | High-Z. Saturated drivers. |
| Mode | Sequential, four low-sides, cam sync. |
| Fuel | Return, 1:1 regulator. S15 returnless OEM — add a return when you add a pump. |
Ignition
S14/S15 factory COP are logic-level on most. Confirm with a meter: if the OEM ECU output is 5 V pulse, Race Core Ign 1–4 drive them directly.
| COP | Ign 1–4, cylinder number order, dwell 2.2–2.8 ms (Nissan COP like a bit more than a 1ZZ). |
| S13 dizzy | Ign 1 into the igniter. Or convert to COP while the cam cover is off for the trigger. |
Idle
S13/S14: 2-wire AAC solenoid, PWM on a low-side, 12 V on the other pin. S15: similar or DBW on some.
First start
- Load the matching variant configuration in TunerStudio before the harness is live — injectors and coils stay disconnected until the decoder is confirmed.
- Fuel pump fuse out. Coils unplugged or spark outputs disabled. Crank. Open Diagnostics → composite / high-speed logger.
- Confirm crank teeth are even, the missing-tooth (or named pattern) is a single clean gap, and cam is one pulse per two crank revolutions for sequential four-stroke.
- RPM during cranking should sit in the 150–350 rpm band. 0 rpm or 12,000 rpm means the decoder is lost — polarity or wheel type, not offset.
- Lock timing to a fixed 10° (idle control off). Timing light on cylinder 1. Change trigger offset until the damper agrees with 10°.
- Recheck at ~3,000 rpm. If timing walks with RPM, it is VR polarity, a delayed Hall, or the wrong decoder — not offset.
- Enable spark. Confirm a healthy burn (timing light or plug colour) with fuel still disabled.
- Enable fuel. Prime, then crank. Catch the first idle on a rich-safe VE, then lean toward stoich at idle.
- Only then enable closed-loop idle, VVT, boost and traction. A base map is a starting point, not a dyno tune.
A base map is a starting point, not a dyno tune.