hey guys i have a dilemma. i did a compression test on my 99 supercharged max w/ 82k miles and i discovered that 2 of the cylinder had low compression numbers (80 & 95). so then i added a lil bit of oil into the sparkplug holes and did the test again. sure enuff the numbers went up. therefore i believe its my piston rings that are fried.

so heres question: get the motor fixed or get it replaced? wut are approximate prices for each process and which would be cheaper and better for me in the long run?

thanks

 

From what I know maxima motors are cheap. I heard prices like $200 for a complete motor with like 60,xxx miles which is crazzzzy. The only reason why I would rip a maxima engine apart would be to change the compression or something.

Swapping it shouldn't be hard too, prolly a weekend job for first timers.

 

How much boost are you currently running and how long have you been running boost ?? 82K is kinda early

-matt

 

Swapping the motor would probably be cheaper since they're so incredibly cheap

 

motor - electric
engine - powered by GAS

 

I wish you were right, not.

 

From Merriam-Webster Online:

Main Entry: 1 mo·tor
Pronunciation: 'mO-t&r
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, from movEre to move
1 : one that imparts motion; specifically : PRIME MOVER
2 : any of various power units that develop energy or impart motion: as a : a small compact engine b : INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE; especially : a gasoline engine c : a rotating machine that transforms electrical energy into mechanical energy

Unless you plan on changing the compression or beefing up the rods or something new MOTOR seems to be the plan. Why not look into the VQDE-K swap if you're freaky like that .

 

I had this very same issue on mine at about 80K miles and have been boosted for approx. 8-10K. Compression test was performed and failed exactly as yours did. I was also getting a lot of oil blow by out the breather tube on the drivers side of the front head (crankcase breather?). The engine seemed to run just fine but the oil worried me as it was getting slightly worse over a years period of time. Finally got worried enough to do the comp test and .. well you know the rest. Everyone keeps saying how indestructible these rings are supposed to be but here you and I are. I've been running Mobile1 syn 5w30 since the blower went in. What the heck is causing these rings to fail?

 

then why is detroit considered "motor city"?

 

An important question here that has not been answered: How much boost are you guys running?

This has a lot to do with the longevity of the engine because a greater boost pressure causes greater internal strains and wear. The Stillen SMZ is supercharged to 5.7 lbs and makes 354 HP with the VQ35DE...and it also covered under a 36,000 mile warranty. 5.7 lbs probably isn't a big deal at all. But if you're running 10, 14 or 18 lbs of boost, you're going to shorten the life of your engine.

Call it an engine, motor, power plant, prime mover...it's all symantics. We know what you mean.

 

I'm currently at 10-11PSI @ 7200RPM on a 3.12 pulley. It still amazes me that I have worn ring issues. I can't wait to pull it apart and see what's going on. I'm thinking I might have had a clogged oil channel or something affecting the oil splash cuz I am **** about changing my oil. The only other thing I can figure is that, prior to my purchase of the car, it had been in a front end accident. Could a jolt have caused the rings to scratch the inside of the chamber wall creating a cascading issue over time? It wasn't a "totalled" accident but it did require new front bumper, fenders etc etc.

 

Pressure in the cylinder is everything to total engine life. The pressure pushing the piston's down is also pushing the rings outward against the cylinder walls. With 10pounds of boost you have about 66% more pressure in that cylinder than normal...actually more as an engine at WOT and high rpm's will pull a little bit of a vaccuum. I realize you don't have your foot in the gas all the time, but when you double the horsepower output of an engine, you can't expect it to live 300,000 miles...with or without synthetic oil.

When I was racing motorcycles, replacing rings every season was part of the price you had to pay.....a motor that would run 40,000 trouble free miles on the street would have 15% leak down half way through a season on the track, most all of it past the rings.

back to the question of your post....a full replacement engine will be quicker and easier....perhaps hang onto your old one and rebuild the top end with racing grade parts.

 

that's exactly my plan thank you for the reinforcement..i plan on rebuilding it with forged parts and HP pieces. I've been looking at this rebuild kit:

1995-99 Complete Gasket Set
Copper Performance Head Gasket
ROSS/Wiseco Forged Performance Pistons
(93, 94mm bore) and
(9-1, 10-1, 10.5-1 comp ratio)
Performance Rings
Performance Wrist Pins
TOGA HP Main Bearings
TOGA HP Rod Bearings
Thrust Washers (95-99 only)
Freeze Plugs

I apologize if this seems a thread jack. I did not post the original questions.