I have a 88 maxima. Is there a common problem of vg30 cranks breaking? I'm pretty sure mine is broke because i turn the key and the harmonic balancer doesn't turn and neither does the distributor.

So if the engine is bad, does anyone know if the vg30e from a mercury villager will swap easily into the car because they aren't interferance motors.

 

i had my VG30E's crankshaft go, at first the crankshaft pulley started to wobble and it wasnt because of the pulley, it was the crank itself. about 5000km later the engine started knocking

yes you can use VG30E from Mercury Villager and Nissan Quest, its preferred because as you said theyre non-interference

 

the crank has nothing to do with it being interference or not. that is a combination of pistons and heads or just the heads.

 

Ok well i'm most likely gonna use the quest/villager motor because its less risky.

Anyone know what causes these cranks to break? It was always driven easy, and not modded at all.

 

i didnt say it did have anything to do with it

i think crankshafts just get problems with age

 

Its a common issue amongst the VG30Es. You aren't the 1st I've seen this happen to. The key has to usually be welded back on. I thought the timing belt was driven by a gear behind the pulley and timing cover on the crank. Therefor if the key for the crank pulley breaks one loses pwr steering, a/c and alt but the sync of the motor is not effected. If the car starts and runs with out problems (bent valves) then you should be fine. Remove the pulley and have the key re-welded to the crank. Re-install the pulley and belts and go about your merry way.

 

Its the distance in stroke. The motor out of the vans have more clearance between the top of the piston and the valves when the piston is at the top of its compression stroke.Therefore if one were to be a neglectful owner and not change their timing belt. They would lose the motor temporarily (until new belt is installed) vs loosing motor all together. Not 100% sure but from the sounds of this it seems one would loose compression vs a maxima VG. (just thinking) Probably wouldn't be much to matter but it is a thought on my mind.

 

but the compression ratio is 9.0 of the quest vg30e and on the maximas it is slightly higher 9.?

 

Well if i grab the crank pulley and turn it then the distributor turns, as do the cams, but the don't turn when i use the starter. I'm thinking also that the front two cylinders aren't turning either because the have absolutely zero compression.

And as for the compression ratio, with the quest/villager having 9.0:1 and the maxima having 9.1:1, i can live with that minor difference. Besides my villager feels more powerful than my max ever did, so hopefully that will be the case with the van motor in my maxima.

And does anyone know rhe hp rating for a 95 villager vg30e? I know the 88 max was like 152 i think.

 

Its 151hp 182ft/lbs Make sure you get a motor after 95. Thats when Nissan increased the diameter of the crank to compensate for the broken key issue.

 

I've been looking at a couple van engines, found a 95 vg30e, and also found a vg33 in a newer quest. Maybe an upgrade is in order.

And ty maximo018 for the info.

Is it true the vg30 heads flow better than the vg33? I'm thinking that if i'm gonna go through the trouble of putting an engine in it i'll get some internal mods out of the way too.

 

I feel you on the internal mods being knocked out while swap is on-going. I can't verify accurately that the 3.0 heads flow better than the 3.3l. I would have to think out of the 2 who ever produces the better numbers has the better heads. "The power is always in the heads" 3.3L is pretty much the more refined and last version of the 3.0L. Closest comparison is the vq30de to the vq35de. There is a youtube video of a guy who successfully installed a VG33 into a Z31. So it is possible to put it in the 2nd gen. I would either get buddy buddy with that guy or find his build thread so you aren't doing this blind folded. GL

 

Well i've been looking into it some, and i'm just gonna get a vg30e because the vg33 oil pan is different and i'd have to put the vg30 crank and pulley and such on it to run the vg30 oil pan. May look into a vg30et though. Who knows, i bought this car for $150 so i can afford to invest a little in it.

I know i'll need the manifolds, turbo, ecu, maf, and custom exhaust and intake tubing. Anything else?

Also is there anything i can do to make my auto trans strong enought to hold the turbo motor, or is a manual swap a must?

 

VG30E 1989 and up were 160hp, 1988 and under 155hp

 

that will depend on the intake 89 up the variable, double butterfly valve, over the valve cover, 85-88 non variable off the back of engine style...... not sure what type are on the others, other then the pathfinders long intake runner off the side.......

 

Get another engine or a crank kit....

 

Its about time. I was wondering how long it was gonna take you to chime in.

 

Thats's the plan, another engine. Vg30et in particular. And a manual trans swap. Found a pullapart a couple hours from here that sells all transmissions for $65, and v6 engines for 150 with all attachd accessories, so i figure i can get all the junkyard parts for about 300, including intercooler. Then i'll just pick up a re-ring kit if the engine isn't worn to the point of needing bored.

 

just a heads up VG30ET didn't come with a intercooler might have to find one from a differnt car.... VG30E's have two differnt crank snouts I think that vans have a long and cars have a short but could cross over into FWD and RWD might want to check into that, other then that you are going to want to find a W block kinda stay away from A or B blocks (early VGs) there are some head changes that might turn into a pain if you do future mods...... anyone with better info then whats coming to mind for me right now please correct if I am wrong.........

 

I am thinking i can pull an intercooler from something else that'll work, and the z31 turbo car i found is a 88 model. I belive thats the first year of the w block isn't it?

 

yeah Z31 didnt have intercoolers

 

Find a VG33 and install it.....

 

Well at least you have a route/plan on what you want to do. Get a turbo motor out of a z31. Get a 5spd trans swapped on with all the hardware. Third go to CX racing.com and get you a new intercooler for a reasonable price. From there piece the rest of it together.

 

Doesn't hurt now to research what turbo upgrade is better suited for your taste. Remember most people live between 2-4k rpms so low to mid range torque would be adequate.

 

Thats the plan but also planning on getting everything i can from the junkyard. I'm gonna try to get an upgraded clutch, and do some block mods too just for safety.

As for the turbo i will probably just run the stock one and up the boost to about 10psi for now.

Eventually my goal is 300bhp though in time.

 

I meant a new uograded clutch not junkyard lol

 

Yeah but you'll get bored with that real fast and want more after you had a taste of that.

 

Thats what my other toys are for lol. 600 hp s10 blazer, an 89 2jz toyota pickup project, and a 92 cavalier with a turbo l67 swap.

 

just for info purposes the "w" vg30e basically a smoother running and cooler running engine with extra cooling lines running threw the block and head and better balanced for a smoother quieter run. but other then that the heads are interchangeable with the earlier VG30E's

 

Ah a jz. Something I'm thinking of partnering up with my next project.

 

Yeah its pretty sweet to look at right all the pieces right now. I bought the truck supposedly with everythin to complete it, just to find out the wiring harness was from a 5mge supra, so i pulled it back apart to check out the other supposed finished parts. The crank is crap, the turbo is locked up tight, and the clutch is shot. So its defintely a work in progress lol.