Hey guys if you know how much a DOHC engine (VE) costs nowadays could you let me know.

I performed an engine swap
Problem is I took the engine out of a max that was in an accident. It was my car that i had driven before the accident. It burned oil then. The accident didn't hurt the engine but destroyed the radiator and took out the a/c compressor. I couldnt get the frame aligned for cheaper than the car was worth so it got junked. I bought another car with a bad motor from ohio. Exact same engine. Exact same car except came with a 5spd except auto. (I hear the 5spd is alot better in this max)

I changed the motors. Everything is done and the car wont start. It trys. It cranks but doesn't catch. My dad and i tested the compression and the top 3 cylinders were low(in the 50's). The 2 outta the 3 bottom cylinders were fine except one is zero....... It had burned oil before and it ran for a year before the accident. I heard cold weather could affect compression and starting so right now the car is on hold till spring. I live in Pennsylvania. I'll change the battery then too. Anything else i should check?

For pics of the wrecked car go here - http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2556815/6

If nothing comes of this i suppose i'll be looking for another motor. What are they going for now?

 

Did you try to put a small amount of oil into each spark plug hole? I hear this helps compression in some cases.

I bought a used 30-90k JDM VE motor from a Jap engine company I found in the little nickel, free newspaper ad... $800 delivered to my door. You will need to replace some of the seals like front main seal, rear main, whatever else you may need to replace before putting it in. I didn't like an idiot and found myself replacing them soon after.

I got the motor maybe 5 years ago. And up until a few months ago it was clack free. Im getting it now when the motor is cold. Im thinking of switching to synthetic to see if it helps at all.

Good luck.

 

Thanks and I've heard that too but haven't tryed it yet. I'll try anything if it means not having to replace the motor again. Maybe before the superbowl cuz it supposed to be low 40's tomorrow as compared to 20's all week. GO STEELERS!

 

how are you checking the compression? with the motor in the car and cranking with the starter? or on the floor turning it by hand?
on the floor will not read correct numbers.

if putting oil in the cylinders were to restore compression in the motor then you have bad piston rings and while you can rebuild the motor, a much better alternative is to buy a used running one that is still in a car and can be checked while running.

 

The motor is back in the car. Everything is put back together. Thats how i'm checking compression. Was kind of a "Motor worked before so it should work now.....put it all back together and hope for the best"

 

eBay VE engines are in the $600's typically.

The A/C bracket is attached directly to the head. Is it possible that the head was deformed or perturbed enough during the collision with the A/C compressor to ruin the seal at the gasket?

 

check cam timing.

it's very unlikely that ALL cylinders are that low on compression without killing cam timing.

 

do you mean you put a dohc ve from a 5 speed car into a dohc automatic car? because i think the upper intake manifolds are different ,the 5 speed motor has a power valve and the automatic motor does not

 

Looks like he put the engine from his auto into his new car, which is a 5 speed.

 

doesn't matter, you can either swap intakes, or just leave it disconnected

 

would having the power valve connected be a problem for the automatic car? the vg has the valve in both so i never understood why the VE auto didnt

 

the power valve won't be connected because the A/T Ecu has nothing to control it. The power valve is there to make the power transition smoother on the M/T.

 

just seems odd that they left it out on the VE autos when the VG auto had it. but the VE auto is probably controlled better and may be useless.

 

The entire plenum design and airflow goals are so different between the VE and the VG that I dont think you can make a legitimate comparison.

 

well physically yes they are very different, ie not swappable, but they both are split internal plenum (split to provide smooth air flow to each bank). the air flow on the ve uses much longer runner like the pathfinder intake and the mustang 5.0 intake to improve air flow at lower rpm as well a torque boost at the lower end. i see them as being comparable before you get into the aspects of the cams and heads. but they use the same concept. as far as the power valve im just curious as to Nissans intentions. they opted out of the valve on the VGDE because they put out a ton of effort in getting the runners to flow evenly, but it was still on the VE M/T engine, but automarts response was logical and makes good sence.

 

Part of the issue with the VE is that it was just a "holdover" on the Max until the VQ came out. 160 hp wasn't enough to compete with the Taurus SHO back then, and the VQ was already in the works and planned for the Maxima- it just wasn't ready yet. so they built the VE out of spare parts from the VG and did some slight redesign to make it work and they shipped it out.