So I'm getting a '93 Maxima SE /w a bad VE30DE...its a downgrade to some of you, but I have a Z31 VG30E which I'm going to put in. Is the maxima a front or rear sump? (I'm 300 miles away from my house so I can't check atm).

 

Just get a good VE to throw in there. Not only would you have to replace the pan, you need to replace the intake plenum, exhaust manifolds, intake, ECU, wiring harness, ect, and i'm sure plenty of other VG Max specific parts in the engine bay. I mean I love my VG, especially around city streets, but what you want to do is just impractical. Save all that work for a worthwhile project, I wouldn't consider a VE>VG swap worthwhile, you're losing power and would spend a whole lot of time and money (on VG Max parts) at the same time.

 

agreed. time+energy to swap=$10,000 (includes hours of drunkenly reviewing schematics, only to realize that you spilled beer every where, and that you are actually looking at your girl's cosmo.....)

little more clarification: if you wanna swap out the engine (from a z31), you will need to source Maxima parts to swap onto it. then you ought have it rebuilt (why take the energy to do a full engine swap, only to have it crap out in 50,000 miles?), then you have to source/swap all the tidbits and pieces to make it work. then you have to get it in (includes wiring), then you have to.....
better off rebuilding the engine that is in there, or sourcing another.
and with the money/headache you save, turbo

 

hah, I have a turbo Z31 I just rebuilt the engine in...11psi, 9:1 compression, intercooled, full 3" exhaust. This maxima is also an autofail (edit, for some retarded reason i put 3rd gen..lol), I was planning on using the Z31 wiring harness and ECU (even though its not sequential injection), a pathfinder plenum mounted backwards (if it clears), and NA Z31 manifolds would actually clear the motor mounts just need a custom downpipe (although I was going to do headers) and swapping it to a 5 speed. Personally every VE i've heard is annoyingly noisey in the valvetrain, and I love my SOHC VGs...lol

Edit 2: Also, I can easily match the horsepower at the fly the VE makes with my SOHC VG and make more torque at the same time...I'm looking for a fun cheap DD (i don't see the cost being too much as I have 90% of the parts needed, and will be doing the work myself) not a turbo beast (atm) as I have my Z31 for that.

 

front sump

your call what you want to do.

BTW guys he asked where the sump is...not if the swap was a good idea.
neither of you guys answered him.

 

Thanks, so basically I'll need to find a maxima oil pan and oil pickup tube, 5 speed swap parts, and either maxima exhaust manifolds or fab a custom downpipe...doesnt sound like that big of a deal to me..lol

 

I did say he needed to replace the pan, less he wants to go sans-crossmember..

 

yea the sump difference is why i still have the scrap motor from my z31, cuz i have to swap oilpans to put the maxima engine into my z. So i'm basically doing the exact opposite of you. Lol we should just trade engines! Except you're kinda far away.

 

lol, yeah..I have a ton of VG parts. Anyone know if the pathfinder plenum clears the hood on maximas?

 

should. goon9 did it a while back, but never ran it, afaik (work in progress that never got finished... sad times...)
not really sure if there is a difference between vg30e and vg33e plenums, tho.

 

it clears, you'll just need a tight elbow coming straight out of the TB cuz it'll be pointing at the firewall. And you have to swap the valve covers around. That's not my car (it's goon9's) but he parted out his car in the fall of '08 so that IS my engine. Swapped it in over a weekend. Good times. That's the motor that will be going into my Z also.

 

Ha, i got to show this to my buddy who thinks his pathfinder could climb Mt. Shasta. He sunk his first one into the mud here in Alabama, but the parts are sitting around from it. It's a 95, would his old intake fit on my VG? Is it worth it? Sorry to hijack the thread temporarily.........

 

Planned to swap the valve covers around anyways for ease of oil filling on the FWD maxima setup. Also, the stock NA Z31 intake elbow will work for that elbow.

And idk if it flows better than the maxima's plenum...

 

well it probably promotes more low-end power. probably not so much topend power though. a gutted z31 manifold is better for topend. but if you are boosting it then topend is probably pretty easy to come by, so finding ways to add low end power on a turbocharged motor might be a good idea.

 

True, but the 2nd gen maxima plenum (gutted especially) is the best flowing stock VG plenum I know of...

 

The car: Little bit of rust starting I'll have to fix, but its not that bad. And for the price (free)

 

Be careful filling while running the engine. IIRC there is a small plate that blocks the port from the rear head to allow the oil to flow in without gushing over any of the moving parts. The design on the front side may be different, whereby the port may not be as big, or there may be no baffle plate, I am not 100% sure, but I figured I'd just put it out there.

Anyone feel like answering the question from my previous post: what's the point of swapping over a pathfinder intake?

 

flows better and more smoothly. the 3rd gen's stock intake has 2 plenums, one for the front bank one for the rear bank dumping into short runners in the lower IM.

the pathy intake has LONG runners and a single plenum at the end. m0ar low end torque n shiit.



and wtf are you taking about some plate or something?

 

huh? You put oil in your engine with it running? wow.. I'm using the Z31 valve covers, just switching sides.

 

Not saying I "do", nor am i saying anyone should, it was just something that went through my head. Figured the design of the baffle plate blocking the port had something to do with the "proper" location of things like the oil-fill port. I, like many DIY people, would assume that it wouldn't make a huge difference since we know the oil will make it to the oil sump one way or another. Whether or not you are providing an inconsistency by altering the way in which you service your engine, which (i think) isn't designed to transfer the oil from the front head to the sump, will be exposed over time. More than likely, it will be just fine and I am wasting time by writing a response. I am a hypocrit: I stand behind engineers when I feel I have a reason to, but curse them for the ridiculous reasons when I can't fix something they designed.....................

 

Well the only baffling in Z31 valve covers is for the breathers...

 

I was talking about the one on the inner, timing belt side of the block..........

 

Z31 engines don't have that? lol

 

I was talking about on the inside of the block. My bad. Nice looking engine though.

 

When your getting that oil pan, be sure it's the one you need. VG/VE oil pans are different.. But look VERY similar. Ask me how I know.

 

I have a maxima oil pickup tube and exhaust manifolds laying around my garage if you need them. Just cover the cost of shipping and they are yours.

 

Figured that much, but thanks for the heads up anyways!


Awesome! I may attempt to use the Z31 manifolds with the crossover pipe though and a custom downpipe, they look like they flow better :-\ How much would shipping to 13146 be tho, guessing?

 

Honestly, it requires a lot of work to get the crossover tube to fit and work well with the maxima (trust me) and even after all that you have to worry about the heat next to the wires that run right along that side of the engine. I ended up removing, rerouting, and eliminating many of the vaccum lines, actuators and wires just to get the crossover tube to work.
Then, once you do all that, you will lose the extra 15 potential horsepower that the warpspeed y-pipe could have given you. However, if you have time and money for a lot of custom fabrication and arent looking for maximum horsepower, then stick with the z31 manifolds.

Shipping might be $20-$30, I honestly dont know what they weigh.

 

if he's doing a turbo setup then he'll more than make up for the potential hp lost by not using a WSP ypipe, but if he's doing it n/a then it's kindof a pointless endeavor.

 

Turbo is definitely a plan in the future, plus since the car had a VE stock and the wiring harness is getting changed to use the Z31 ECU and im rewiring a ton of crap, I'm not too worried about wires that ran there stock let alone vacuum lines :P

 

With all this maybe I should just go the extra length and do a VQ swap? I miss my VQ in my 4th gen...

 

Sounds like alot of work that I wouldn't do but it's your project so...... halleluyah too ya

 

I'm going from VG to VE, already yanked all the harnesses from the engine bay. I could use an extra harness from the driver side (engine compartment), so if you pull it I'll make an offer. If you do it in the near future that is.

 

Does that mean you have a VG motor harness from a maxima?

Also, why use the Z31 VG harness when the Maxima ECU is better and the harness wont require any lengthening or cutting wires?

 

Yes I do. Got the other one too, and it weighs quite a few pounds.