Before anyone flames, I'm talking to someone about picking up a very cheap 1992 5MT Maxima. Not even sure if that means VE or VG, maybe you can tell me?

Anyways, this person is selling it so cheap because he has been told by mechanics that replacing the exhaust manifold requires removing the engine, something around $1k labor.

I want to pick this up in order to get a cheap car to drive while I finish my 240sx up, and keep it as a winter driver, college parking lot driver, and broken down 240sx time driver haha. I would be selling my 1996 Maxima shown in my sig to try to recoupe as much money as I can that i have spent on this car from the sale.

Please tell me that you don't have to remove the engine in order to do this, I think that the mechanics this person has talked to have just been trying to get more money from him, which is provoking him to sell. I won't buy this car if it's too involved.

Hopefully I can pick this car up this weekend if my parents allow me to keep 2 of my own cars sitting at my house until I can work on it and sell my current Maxima.

Thanks in advance, I just want to make sure my assumption is correct -- that engine removal is NOT necessary in replacing the manifold.

BTW, I don't know if it's the front or the rear manifold, I couldn't get much information from the guy except "I don't think this car is for you, I know of a 99 Grand Prix for sale that you might like".

 

You don't HAVE to, but it's a royal pain if you don't. But then again, it's a pain to remove the engine.

 

Not really what I wanted to hear...haha. Thanks very much for the quick reply Jeff.

I was really hoping that I wouldn't have to remove the engine, and that instead the manifold replacement would be an easy job, I guess I just wasn't thinking reasonably. Time to keep searching for a cheap Nissan to pick up one of these days, and sell my 96.

Thanks again.

Just out of curiosity, what makes it such a pain? Is there a lack of room? Or is it just removing a bunch of stuff that's in the way first? Feel free to elaborate if you feel like it.

I guess it's not such a sweet deal for me, seeing as I have my other car torn apart in my garage at my house, and my parents can't have 2 non-driveable cars sitting around under my name. That, and I haven't had good luck at all with rusty bolts on my Maxima. On my 240sx on the other hand, the car came apart without one single broken or stripped bolt/nut.

 

.. wow nobody told him yet.

you have a VE. unless someone swapped into a gxe car. but if you have white gauges, black side mirrors, body colored grille, no chrome in the taillight assembly, and a spoiler, you have a SE maxima, and since it's a 92-94, a VE engine.

 

I don't have it yet, and I won't be getting it. But thank you for answering my question. I didn't take the time to look because it really wasn't going to matter which engine I had, I was just curious. I also didn't know if that would change the response to removing the exhaust manifolds or not. But thanks again.

 

You can drive on broken studs...my VG (yes you have a VE30DE) has 3 or 4 broken studs and Ive put about 9K miles on it the way it is. I just got 28mpg on my last highway trip as well. Its just annoying.

So get it and clean it up, once the KA-T is running pull the VE and fix the studs...

you can do it with the engine in the car, but Id just as soon pull it...

~Alex

 

Thanks for the input Alex. Unfortunately my parents have already laid it out very clear that I can't get another car, especially now since I'm going to be at college for the next month and a half after this weekend, so the car would just sit. I can't really push to hard on this since they've been good enough about my 240 project, so I'm just going to have to hold off and hopefully find another good deal when summer rolls around. Hopefully I'll find a 3rd gen that needs a clutch or something...

I don't know if it's the studs either, the guy wasn't very clear on much of anything.

Thanks again guys.