so i have a 95 maxima, the car still runs great, i'm getting good gas mileage, but i have 157,000+ miles and its still rising. the question of buying a newer maxima(say like a 96-99 with low mileage) always came into my head, and i was stuck on the idea of just looking for a newer maxima. but as time passed and i kept talking to my friends, and one of them mentioned swapping the eninge i have now for a another VQ30DE engine( with little mileage or no mileage at al)l. i've checked out a few sites that sell engines and they run around $700-$800 (not bad at all). i imediately loved the idea, b/c i had just recently had a new paint job on my car, and i was really falling in love with the maxima i had now. so what i i'm trying to ask you guys is, has anyone every done the complete swap? it seems cheaper then buy another maxima for like $5000-$12000. also...i have an automatic right now, and i'm a fan of 5 speed. if i bought the engine and the 5 speed transmission, it would be just like doing a 5 speed conversion right? and one more question, since i have a 95, could i use a 97-99 engine to do this same project? Thanks for the help.

 

yes, yes, and yes.

use the forum's search engine to find all the details you want.

 

I really don't see a point to any of this. There is nothing wrong with the car but you want to change the engine? How about this, put another 100k on the car and come back then. If not buy a new engine and wait the 100k or so and put it in when it craps out on you...

 

do the VQ35DE swap

 

man...I just did the exact project..putting a 97 engine and manual tranny into a 95 automatic. You'll need more than just the two parts...you'll need the entire wiring harness in the car from front to back, you'll need the clutch lines and the evac cannister off the 97. You will have to remove and discard the 95 evac cannister under the hood and install the 97 in the rear of the car...man after doing it..just find yourself a 95/96 engine and do that...its a lot of work to put in the 97-99...but it can be done

 

the questions is. Does your engine feels strong?
Is there any oil leaks anywhere? I have seen VQ30 go for more than 250K miles.

 

I will be doing the same thing in 3 weeks, while you at it do like me, get a port/polish for your heads and perhaps some cams from jwt. Getting the engine in a week and installing the heads and other things. btw I blew my engine at 193k

 

yes my engine still feels as strong as when i inherited it 2 years ago. its just i'm going to college pretty soon and most likely far away from home. and i know maxima's are really reliable on the road, since i've done my share of road trips in it. and me and my parents(mostly my parents) just wanna make sure it doesn't break down when i least expect it.

 

I want to to the same thing b/c I am thinking putting a supercharger or a turbo on it. My question is where did you find a new one for $700-$800 bucks?

 

engines here
if ya go there and fill out the info, they'll give you some prices.