Sup Guys....

My VE is down to it`s last mile. It burns oil and has 167k on the odometer. I was thinking JDM but dunno if I wanna take the risk of having an engine w/ issues and have to rebuild. Sooo .. I was thinking of rebuilding the motor I have. I was planning on boring it .20 over. I read that Z32 NA pistons are the way to go. Anyone know whats the advantages of this ?? and are there any fitment issues. I know that Z32 has a WIDE VARIETY of aftermarket pistons out there. Is there any recommended rods to use ??... I dunno if my valve seals are leaking to but I know I should have the heads rebuilt w/ new seals and guides. I`m only trying to make 200-220 hp out of this and I`m focusing more on building torque. Any help would be appreciated. So what do u guys think ?.. rebuild or replace w/ a JDM ???

 

i gotta ask why dont u just replace the valve seals and fix the oil problem the VE is very durable isnt there someone here who has a 330k VE that never has never been rebuilt?

 

On a rebuild areas to focus are pistons, valvetrain. A cheap upgrade are z32 na pistons as they will bump your compression a little. Now if you wanted to engine to rev past 7k rpm I'd recommend going to a lighter aftermarket rod. Next replace all seals/freeze plugs, gaskets, o-rings (coolant passages). Normally this is when I'd recommend high performance cams/springs but since the VE has none you are on your own to get them custom made. I believe that the intake manifold/cams/exhaust manifold hold the VE power potential back.

 

well he wanted to go for some yummier pistons anyhow for added performance. and fixing an oil problem isn't necessarily a simple task. he could have out-of-round cylinders, scarred walls, bad bearings, etc. Money aside, I'd say he may as well go for the rebuild w/ z32na pistons.

 

talk to matt
/thread

 

If you can do the work yourself, it might be worth it to rebuild. Don't forget to factor in rebuilding/replacing VTCs, too.

FWIW, I had a JDM installed about 4 years ago and the VTCs clack sometimes, but it has been trouble free otherwise. Doesn't leak/burn any oil and still pulls violently strong for having nothing but bolt-ons.

 

reason i dont do that is cuz of the miles on this engine. obviously the previous owner probably drove this car to the ground. I had pretty much rebuilt / up graded most of the car in the last 4 years i`ve owned it. I dont wanna remove the heads ( pain in the a$$) rebuild them and still have it burn oil ( bad rings) . Just in case I have cylinder wall issues, I want to overbore. Might as well to increase displacement. I`m not looking to make a 1/4 mile terror or auto-x canyon carver...lol just want reliability for my daily driver. BTW ...VTC`S already rebuilt.

 

Read this first: http://forums.maxima.org/all-motor/3...hop-today.html

 

yeah then read this Engine rebuild and transmission replacement

i had the same idea the org basicaly schooled me and told me that a proper setup would cost about $10,000 and give a 20hp/18tq increase over stock

so i had to change my plans to say the least

 

wow... thanks for the info guys. I wasn`t lookin to go as far as Matt did ... just basically new oversize pistons and new bearings. The stuff i read there makes me thin bout what to do bout the heads. Probably stock rebuild.

 

OK.. been looking to get my parts together. U guys recommend Using stock rods or is there and " good " ( like lightweight )connecting rods out there... I was told Q45 rods fit and are stronger.

 

The VE uses the same connecting rods as the VG30DE- both NA and TT.
The stock rods are heavy, but good for 400+ whp. no need to replace them unless they're damaged- which they're fine if the engine is still running.


My recommendation is to pull the old engine apart and send the block to a machine shop for measurement. Have the heads worked over with a "stock rebuild" in plan. no point in porting the heads really- I saw no power out of it for the $1000 in head work I did.

For pistons, Nissan sells 87mm and 87.25mm 10.5:1 pistons for the VG30DE. To go to 87.5mm, you're going to have to go aftermarket (I used JE pistons)
For what you're doing with it, OEm type pistons will be more than adequate. if you're going to spray or turbo, then go aftermarket forged.

The other thing you'll wand to do is install ARP rod bolts. They're aout $100 a set IIRC, but the cause of failure of my old engine was the rod bolts came apart on me at 7000rpm at the track. kaboom. $100 is cheap insurance for quality fasteners on the bottom end. most highly stressed and most important bolts in the entire car.

 

That reminds me...the engine may run and they not be fine http://forums.maxima.org/3rd-generat...-bent-rod.html

 

Hydrolock FTW!! that would be easy to see during a compression test though.

 

Damn those are some beefy rods.

 

not beefy enough for 7000rpm long-term without stronger rod bolts...