Hi all! I am new to this forum. I just purchased a 92 SE 5spd, leather interior (immaculate), power moonroof...full load I guess. Got it for dirt cheap but it doesn't run. I was told by the previous owner that the timing belt tensioner let go and he thinks the chain has skipped. I was wondering if any of you fine gentlemen could tell me what to expect as far as repairs go and what my first step should be in attempting to repair this car. Should i just try to find an engine for it? It is in really good shape considering it's weathered Canadian winters for 12 yrs and it has a new clutch as well. Any input woud be greatly appreciated. BTW I paid $400 for it and it has 250k kms (155k miles) on it. I think I did ok?

Thanks for your help.

 

for $400 you did hella good. Worst come to worst... you could drop in a used motor or have yours rebuilt and would still have less than $2500 tied up in it.

 

if the chain skipped then it's likely things went really bad in your engine. start saving up for an engine rebuild or just buying another engine

$400CDN is awsome

 

Buy a low-mileage JDM engine (no difference), it's just that with JDM engines you have an infinitely better chance of them being 'low-mileage' than you do a USDM one

You can get one for under $1500 shipped, and even at that you'd come out GREAT. Under $2k total for an immaculate VE 5spd with a basically new engine. Cant beat that

 

if you have a 92 SE you don't have a timing belt, you would have a chain.

 

pretty sweet, u could then look into the vg30et engine, like mtcookson did *(i think i spelled that right)

 

Yup. James is 100% correct. If you suspect that the chain had skipped, there is a good chance that you messed up some/all of the valves in both heads. At that point, it's much easier and cheaper to have a good used engine put in. If the rest of the body/interior and tranny are good, you will have a very cheap but reliable runner for many miles.

 

um he has a VE not a VG so he couldnt put in a vg30et

 

oh oh well i guess i read the year wrong, then u cant

 

Thanks for the replies. I am still wondering if it would be worth it to fix the tensioner, put it back together and fire it up. Maybe everything is ok? From what i can gather is it pretty likely that the valves have collided with the pistons? What kind of odds? Is there a way I can verify this for certain? Does it always happen when the chain skips? So from what I have heard so far I got an ok deal. Would getting the heads and the VCT's fixed be a cheaper way to go? Sorry for all the questions but i am pretty excited about this project car. I have heard that with minimal modifications this car can be a rocket!

 

Worth a try I guess. But if it broke a tensioner and then the engine immediately stopped working, you can bet you did some major damage. At least enough to be more than buying a good used motor. If you bent some valves. You are looking at at least a good $1,000. If the vtc assemblies are bad (which they probably are) tack on another $700-ish for two new assemblies (or roll the dice on $40 rebuild kits).
Really hard to tell what is wrong as no none knows exactly why the engine doesn't run.

 

why do car companies make interference engines? what is the benefit? except for hefty rebuilding costs which they profit from. i think i just answered my own question. anyways, i checked JDM website and apparently they don't have and VE's in stock? Maybe i'll have better luck at the local wrecker.

 

been there done that, heres the deal most likely if the chain skipped the valves hit the pistons and bent them, you want cheap fix ? pull the heads yourself and bring them to a machine shop, go to nissan and get the rebuild kit for the ve and have the machine shop rebuild the heads, at this time if your lookin for more HP have them port and polish the heads like i did. Total cost for me was 500 american. result motor fixed and more HP. now when you install the heads there is a trick PLEASE set the timing right the chain has 2 SILVER links on the chain and one GOLD one the silver gets aligned with the notches in the exhaust gear and the notch in the VTC (intake gear) the GOLD get aligned with the bottom gear. also a reminder the vtc's in this car go bad and tick like crazy at this point in the game id have nissan rebuild them 125 american and also get yourself a knock sensor (located under the intake) for 130 american. the nkock sensor in the ve has been linked to heat soake causing the timing to be retarded or pulled back thus decreasing HP if youve got over 100,000 miles consider the knock sensor bad. After all this youve got a great car mines been very nice to me however the 3.5VQ 6speed is callin me......

 

Good deal and good luck! If you're not in a rush to get the thing on the road you should be able to get a used VE for pretty cheap, especially if you wait for someone on the .org to sell you one, but I don't know how shipping would be to Canada.

 

Thanks for the info gowirelessnj. Much appreciated.

Wow! I thought i was looking at my car when I saw your pic. Mines identical, same colour and all. Do you have the leather int in yours?

I dont mind the work as this is kind of a long term project for me. So this route does sound good on the pocketbook, but hard on the knuckles. LOL

Is it possible the pistons were damaged also?

How did you find working on the engine? All the timing related stuff is pretty close to the shock tower.

I hear ya on the VQ! The newer ones are sweeeeet!

 

You could rotate the engine manually and see if you hear anything contacting inside, or if you feel it bind. You could also pull the plugs and look at the top of each piston for visual signs of contact with a valve?

 

I've tracked down a VE30DE from a local wrecker with 133k kms (82000k miles) for $1000 CAD w/ a 1 yr warranty. What does everyone think? Is that a good deal?

 

I'm from London, Ontario, and I think $1000 is a bit steep - I can buy V8's here in London (7 wreckers) for anywhere from $300-800 depending on mileage, age & condition - and I recently bought an entire car with a 90,000km 305 in it for $960 - tax in. Also ask them whether that warranty applies if you, or another shop installs the motor - many wreckers will only honor the warranty if they install it.
Does it come with the tranny?
Here's the rub tho......., if your wreckers are anything like ours......, they DON'T like it when you question their price.... So you either pay the $1000 they want for the motor or they keep it.

 

if u have the money do the heads before puting it in

 

Price of engines aren't dependant the # of cylinders. It has to do with supply and demand.
ie.. I can buy a VQ30 for probably under $400. But try to find a decent low miler VE30DE for under $750.

 

Why take apart a perfectly good motor? If he was going to do any headwork, he might was well just fix the busted engine.

 

"Price of engines aren't dependant the # of cylinders."

I'm aware of that...

What I meant is - shop around - should be able to find one cheaper - and could possibly even get the entire car for that price - extra interior bits and such. That's all.

 

You must realize that an American V8 is a dime a dozen, hence the low price. Finding a motor that is only made in 3 production years is a little bit harder than finding say a 350 that can be found in everything from trucks to vans

 

Are you aware of the supply/demand thing too? He MIGHT get lucky and find a low miler car with a VE. Have you tried to source a VE30DE yet? It's really pretty tough to find a VE, alone find one w/o a bazillion miles on it. Or one that has actually had it's oil changed once every 20,000 miles. Thing is it might take a day. Or it might take a few months to find one. This engine was only made from 1992-1994 and was ONLY offered in the maxima SE models. It also seems that junkyards seem to know what they have on their hands.. thus the high price.

 

Some links that might help

http://search.shawauto.on.ca/cgi-bin/search.cgi

I know...., it's a VG, but note the prices.

http://www.shawauto.on.ca/

http://www.coreyautowreckers.com/

 

VG is a ton cheaper since they were made in a greater production year and in more than just one car. You are helping Jeff to prove his point

 

Umm I could find sites that quote the newer VQ30 4 gen motor for $400. But how does that help the discussion?
VG does not = VE
VQ does not = VE
V8 does not = VE

Only VE = VE. And since this gentleman needs a VE30DE in good shape, that's what he needs to be looking for. Try carpart.com. They have a bunch of engines. But at this point, places that sell JDM motors seem to have lower miler engines.

 

Not trying to help Jeff prove his point - don't need to - I got his point - I understand his point. What I am trying to do it help the guy out, tell him that he could possibly find a better price if he were to look around, and offer him some places to look - that's all. Like Jeff said, they know what they have and that engine is rare, and you might need to spend a little time looking for it. But I do believe you could find it cheaper. Yes....., you would still need to pay close attention to the condition and mileage - I'm not saying buy one with 200,000 miles on it cause it's cheaper. All I'm saying is that if he kept looking he may be able to find a better price on a comparable engine.

 

Here's one from ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...sPageName=WDVW

Not cheap

 

Thanks for the input guys, much appreciated.

Jeff: Yes I have seen that one on Ebay. $900 US is pretty friggin dear and they charge another $200 to ship. Keep the ideas and the links to cheap engines coming guys! Keep in mind im a canuck and 30% of my money falls out of my pocket as soon as i deal across the border.

 

What's JDM and what's USDM? Thx!

 

I believe it's
Japanese Domestic Market
US Domestic Market

 

Drive your happy butt over the border and bring it back over yourself.
"junk" parts don't command as much customs as a "previously enjoyed" part

 

I think you should turn the motor over by hand and see if you can tell if there is any damage- it's been mentioned a couple times above. Not that I don't agree with what most people are saying- I'm 99% sure that if the chain really skipped, then you've got significant damage. But, never hurts to check it out first. MAYBE you'll get lucky, and it isn't that hard to find out. Just my .02 (.026 CDN)

 

Or, ask the guy's on Torontomaxima, or call Tiger Japanese Auto Parts in Toronto, who I know have a couple of VE's kicking around.

 

Ok I'm going to have to jump on the "turn the motor over by hand" band wagon. As I started to read this thread that's the first thing that came to my mind. When you say it doesn't run what exactly do you mean. Does it crank but not start, does it not crank, what?

Also I don't know about you guys but I have never heard of a chain jumping a tooth. I'm not saying it's not possible but I'm figuring if the chain does become slack enough were it might jump it would be associated with a lot of noise (chain slap) and most like engine failure due to metal to metal contact. Turn the motor over by hand.

If you can turn the motor over by hand one FULL revolution, remove spark plug #1 and install a long wooden dowel, screw driver (or equivalant) on top on piston #1, turn the crank by hand until the timing mark lines up with 0* TDC. While doing this, keep a eye on the wooden dowel and make sure when the timing mark is at 0* TDC that the dowel is at its top most travel.

If you can turn the motor over by hand one FULL revolution and the 0* TDC mark correspond to piston #1 top most travel more than likely your valve timing is correct and your no start is probably due to a electrical, sensor problem.

If you can't turn the motor over, continue with the other advise wihin this thread But if it was me I would take apart the motor just to see what happened, but that's me.

MIKE