Hey guys, I remember someone trying to swap a VE motor into a VG car. Why didnt it work? Was it wiring harness? transmission??

Aren't the other parts (everything except the engine and tranny) the same for both cars? I think the Y-pipe is different too. Enigine/tranny mounts??

if i remember right i dont think they had the whole wiring harness so they were trying to wire it by themselves and they quit on it eventually

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I'm not well researched on such a swap since I never cared to change from my VG with the turbo project (although my MoTeC ECU would accommodate either one with a different wiring configuration) but you would have to bear in mind that the VE ignition system is coil pack as opposed to the VG's distributed. Furthermore, you have the VTC control as well. These two factors alone mean that you would definitely have to swap the ECU as well and either have the VE wiring harness to swap or reconfigure the existing wiring harness yourself, where required, as well as installing additional wiring for the extra electronics in the engine bay accordingly.

I've only got the VG30E-based FSM so you'd want to get your hands on the one which has both engines in order to better understand the differences in the set-ups.

The 92-up FSM has both VG and VE information. Basically the entire electronics system is different, along with the tranny, axles, ECU, mounts, wiring, etc. It's just too much stuff to swap to make it worth your while. You can find decent cars with either engine for a couple thousand dollars. I am not saying it can't be done, it's just not practical at all, unless you get a free car and have hundreds of free hours on your hands.

If you own a VG and want a VE, the best thing to do is sell your VG and try to find a VE. The strange thing about these cars is there really isn't much of a difference in value (all other factors being equal -- mileage, options etc.).

I see VGs on Craigslist or autotrader for more than similar VEs all day long. The 5-speeds actually have a lower value than ATs, too.

Even if you could get a smoking deal on a VE engine and tranny or complete parts car, you would be better off finding another VE to swap things over or just parting the stuff you get.

Ok guys, heres my situation. I have my beloved 90 GXE. I've babied this car for the past 3-4 years. Full suspension (struts, springs, sway bars, new control arms, tie rods, etc.) The interior is also nice with new speakers as well as a decent headunit. I religiously maintained the engine. A couple months ago, the engine slipped timing and died.. So its basically been sitting since then.

I have a VE auto parts car that has been sitting in my backyard for a while. The engine and trans are out. now I was thinking, I have a VE engine, along with a good VE tranny, wiring harness, ECU, TCU, axles, hubs, mounts, etc.
If I swap all that into my 90 GXE, I definitely think it would be much less work than looking for a nice VE auto, and swapping all my suspension, audio, etc. parts over?? And then be left with another maxima..

What ya'll think?

Replace the vg with a Vg. I've went back and forth about the same thing.

Few reason why it's not worth it.
-Wiring is a sereous nightmare(i've took alot of time considering the work and had full parts cars to use.)
-VE are more likey to blow up than a vg. Rarley see a vg that threw a rod or something. Btw, if you maintained your car so well, how did it slip timing ? lol.

I don't want to get rid my max because of the time invested, but the motor is aging. So I plan on swaping the motor for another vg, then possibly boost it.

BUT DEFINELTY get that VE tranny in there!

i own 5 third gens and the VE's always develop problems first. don't get me wrong, even the auto VE can move, but it is more expensive to work on (only made 2 years, trans not interchangeable, coil packs, etc) so i went with a VG as a builder. it still isn't as fast as a VE even with my mods, but its a lot more reliable.

Whats all this talk about ve's not being reliable? ....

Sweet...I'm truely impressed! Not because it's a VE, but that kind of mileage on any car (other than a diesel) is very unusual. Good work!

Other than VTC failure possibility, the VE is very reliable. If you have the skill or money to replace the VTCs when they tick, there are few other bad problems. I have had two of them go past 150k with no real problems.

I agree that a VG is generally more reliable, especially if you keep up w/timing belt changes and other maintenance. This has been argued back and forth on this board, but that really isn't the point.

The point is, converting a VG to a VE is a serious time consuming PITA. If it's something you really want to try and tackle, go ahead. Swapping your mods onto another car is maybe a weekend job. IMO, your best bet is to sell your VE components and use that money to buy a VG engine. That is a much easier task.

Am I missing something here? Why couldnt one just swap over the whole engine/tranny/wiring harness combo along with a VE ecu?

One could,but what would be the point in all that work,for 30hp?

Just not worth the trouble imo..

He cant, its an auto. Although, I dont know why no one has had the VE flexplate modified to fit the VG crank....

Yeah I know that, but in terms of the thread topic it illustrates that if you can do an engine swap, you could relatively easily do a VE swap

I've swapped

350cid
305cid
powerstroke diesel
3.0l ford..[out of a aerostar minivan.....never again]
4.0l ford
2.3l turbo merkur[ford]
1.6l nissan

the list goes on...and on..



But there is no way i would fool with trying to get all that wiring straight under the dash/engine bay/all other things involved....then start it up,just to hear.....clack clack clack..


VE auto's/5 speeds are still pretty plentiful out of there,and at pretty decent prices now...It just seems a lot easier to me to find a maxima with the ve already in it..

You make it sound like swapping a complete wiring harness is a couple of hour job.

It was on my 2.5

I see a few arguments of how the VG is more reliable than the VE. But I have seen some pretty high mileage VE's and my VG was very well maintained. I got the timing belt and tensioner changed 30k ago, and I've got no clue why it jumped timing. Plus even with all my bolt-ons, Im still slower than a stock VE. (CAI, UDP, Y-pipe)..

But VE's are EXPENSIVE!! Around here $750 for a JDM VE, whereas $450 for a JDM VG..

hey my car has well over 300k on the body but engine has 120k and still running strong. i was going to do this swap about 5 years ago but in reality it isn't worth the hassle anymore. you have to swap a **** load of parts to the car and pray really hard to see if it even starts up right. there are guys in here that produce more power than VE's with simple bolt on's. by the time you are done with the VG -> VE swap, you have most likely spent twice as much as if you would of bought bolt on's for the VG instead and keep up with the VQ's. give it a shot and let us see what happens if you go through with the swap.