Let's try this again. Long story short, this is my first Japanese car of any kind. I have been restoring British roadsters. A 1500 Midget and a MK2 Spitfire (no sympathy cards, please). Supposedly, PO put in a 280Z power plant and gearbox. I have no idea, for sure. But, for $300 I'm not sure it matters. What does matter, is, knowing whats in there for routine maintainence purposes. So, how do I know for sure? The car is an '82 with ohc and fuel injection. The head is not a cross-flow. It is one big beast of a 6 for the car it's in. I'll have more questions in the near future, I'm sure. Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

The 1982 Maxima uses a 2.4L engine. The 280Z uses a 2.8L engine.

Look on the right side of the engine, (spark plug side) toward the back of the engine, just under the head. The iron block should have some numbers stamped into it. The first number tells the size/style of engine. If it says L28 then it is a 2.8L If it says L24 then you have the original size 2.4L

As far as the head goes, I'm not sure what the maxima uses, but I remember the head casting number is on the same side and ends with an E for economy. The 280Z engine head might say any one of the following. E88, P79, P90, N47, N42