i will be joining the family soon. my past three cars have been volkswagons. my last jetta was stolen, so i got a big insurance check. i was gonna buy a 2002 se 6 speed but id rather buy an older one and invest most of the money until i get out of school. right now i am driving a 92 sentra se-r. i need something bigger though. thats why i want a max. i will soon buy a nissan maxima SE standard. but it is hard to find one. i want to know how much it will be to put a new engine and tranny i might end up finding a max with a good body and interior but need to replace the engine or tranny. thanks for the help guys.

Laly

 

one more thing. if i cant find a 5 speed. how hard would it be to change an automatic to standard. my uncle owns a transmission shop, he told me it was a lot of work. if anyone has done this, please let me know how it went
Laly

 

I've read other people's accounts of doing this and it's extremely tedious and causes a lot of problems... isn't worth it at all. Engine is like $3k and tranny is about 1800-2k...

 

a good condition engine can be had for about $800($3k for an engine is a rip off!!!), but the trans will run around $1500+ for that....as for a 5spd conversion take a look at this, its for a 4th gen but relatively the same---> http://www.stormpages.com/autoto5spd/

 

There is a '96 engine currently on EBay. Why do you think you would have to change the engine though?

 

auto to manual swap is not worth it on cars as old as 3rd gens, unless you get a donor car to rip the parts off and have someone who knows what they are doing.. Maybe your uncle can help you out on this and do it for free or relatively cheap... but still. I don't think it's worth doing on a car that's worth no more than 5-6 grand in the 1st place. Engines can be had for under a 1,000$... used trannies also around there, although a rebuilt would cost 1,200-3,000$ depends on where you go.

 

Hello,

I'm new to the Maxima.org Forums and am seeking advice/info.

My sister has a 91 Maxima 3.0L 5sp with rear exhaust manifold bolts broken off in the head and an estimated $800-900 repair bill. The mechanic would have to remove the engine to repair it. The engine has 225k miles on it and feels down on power. I told her I wouldn't put the same engine back in it.

Assuming she wanted to replace the engine, would this be worth the trouble? I used the search feature in the 3rd gen and For Sale forum and only found 1 post for engines.

A few questions: How much do good used engines cost? Is there a higher hp non-usa version that can be had for the same price? What is the engine code name for various engines? Should the tranny be replaced too? Should she just buy a new car?

Any info/advice is appreciated.

In return, if anyone needs any info on 2nd gen Ford Probes or the Mazda KL engines, just let me know.

Thanks,
Brian

 

A few questions: How much do good used engines cost? Is there a higher hp non-usa version that can be had for the same price? What is the engine code name for various engines? Should the tranny be replaced too? Should she just buy a new car?


I can answer the first two questions for ya: The engine apparently costs ~1000, and no there isn't a faster non-usa version for the same price...

 

Neice,

Thanks for the reply. Is the roughly $1000 figure an average price for most used engines around? Ideally, my sister will be able to find a lower mileage junkyard engine that will work. Is an engine with 40k worth $1500 whereas an engine with 120k is only worth $700? I thought the engine is doing pretty good to have 225k and last this long. She's used synthetic for the time she's had it (from about 80k on).

Another question: I've read that the 3rd gens had 2 engine options... how would I know which she has and how would I know which years a compatible engine was offered? When did OBDII come in? I assume the 92's just had OBDI, correct? Would that make engines from 89-94 possible candidates?

Thanks again,
Brian

 

Brian,

Neice Anne is basically steering U in the right direction. I bought a used engine 4 my Max when I first got it (no engine in it), and it had 100,000 miles on it, and cost me roughly $500 from the junkyard. I'm sure prices vary, depending upon where U are at.

Yes, there are 2 engines that were produced for the 3rd Gen Max: VG30 and VE30 (hmmm.... I think I got that right), with the VE being the dual overhead cam version. I know it's on the 92 and 93 SE's. There should be a billion posts about that here, I'm thinking.

An excellent resource for some of this info is the Max FAQ section. You can also ask «§»Craig B«§», as he's been a great resource for me. Also Jon (ngthing) has a lot of info on this stuff, too.

Good luck, and enjoy the ride!