Ok, brother has a 88 Maxima (or it might be an 87 for all I know, but I'm pretty sure its an 87, its a Floater by the way...)

Anyway, his tensioner stud sheered and bad things presumably happened... I picked up a VG30E out of an 89 3rd Gen Maxima for dirt cheap ($157 shipped)... obviously, the block and most internals are the same... I can see some obvious differences, such as the intake manifolds have to be swapped, the valve covers possibly (oil fill is on the other side of the engine in the 3rd gen compared to the 2nd), and a few other things...

I work on Z32 VG30DE(TT)s all the time (shadetree mechanic), so I'm not asking the "how to" quetions here... pulling it, swapping parts, reinstalling it, etc not a problem... I'm simply asking if anyone happens to know all the actual differences or suggestions on what to look for...

I was going to go ahead and swap out the intake manifolds, exhaust manifolds, valve covers, and do a timing belt job on it and and replace all the gaskets, spark plugs, etc... anything else I should look for?

Thanks,
Kaz

 

You pretty much answered your question. Basically the only thing I'd use is the block and heads, and use all the 2nd gen parts/sensors. While your in there I suggest new seals (front and rear main, cam seals), as well as new waterpump, thermostat, and CHTS. Also while you have the motor out, I'd check the condition of the P/S lines and rack and replace if needed while you have the motor out. It's also a good time to do mounts (new or polyurethane fill). Otherwise it sounds like your set.

S

 

Thanks for the quick reply... that was what I figured, but I just wanted to go ahead and ask since I wasn't really finding anything through searching...

Thanks!
Kaz

 

No prob, let us know how it goes or if you have any problems.

S