so the engine is from a 95, and has supposedly has 142,000 miles, its selling for 300$

The shop i go to quoted me about 1700 in labor to take out my now useless engine and put in this one. So i guess roughly the entire estimate would be 2000~ish

Would it be a better investment to put in a 2000+ engine in my car? i mean how easy would it be for your average shop to put in this engine? Does it require custom fabrication to put in the thing? Or is it a basic bolt on? Would all my engine accesoires work with it? Ive been thinking the 3.5 liter probably is a better overall engine and it would probably help the car value out a little.

 

It's a tad bit easier to do a DEK since you don't have to custom fab so many things... I would say since you're willing to dump 2gs into the car then you SHOULD go 3.5, but since you're not doing it then go the DEK route.

But wait, what's the shop hourly $85? That means it's takin 20 hours to do a swap? That's a first timer's average time... If you have 20 hours to spare I suggest you do it yourself, $1700 seems pretty high, I've seen shops do engine installs for under a G.

 

I think my buddy paid for 13 hours labor when he had his engine replaced back some years ago. shouldn't take them more than 15 or so.

as per your other questions, getting a shop to do the mods necessary to put a DEK or 3.5 in there is a long shot probably, and you're going to be looking at much more labor cost.

 

U cant find a lower mileage engine?? U can find better deals online.

The 5th gen engines will be more difficult than a simple engine replacement. THe mechanic will need to take donor parts from the the VQ30 and put in the VQ35. The VQ30DEK is easier to install and will fit...but IMO the orginal VQ30 is a better more reliable engine.

If you plan on replacing with a different engine then its gonna be more expensive and you need to be CONFIDENT that the mechanic can do it right.

2000 bucks for an engine replacement is ridiculously high. 1700 bucks for labor is crazy!!! THe job will take 2 days. 16 hrs maybe...if the guy is slow. thats over $100/hr for labor. Those are dealer prices man. My mechanic wd do it for 400-500 bucks labor and done right too. He swapped a tranny for me and the labor was 300 bucks. Tranny cost 700. new clutch cost 200. I paid 1200 bucks total for a tranny swap. That shd put the numbers in perspective for you.

Unless u trust those dudes competency..i wd say take it somewhere else.

***When u complete the swap...change timing chains, water pump, and tensioners. Only certain mechanics can do it otherwise bring it to the dealer for timing chain work...and get a warranty from the mechanic for the work.

 

So is the DEK the eaisest install? Does it require any custom fab? or is it a bolt in? Im going to price out how much a engine from a 00' or a 01' maxima would be.

And would the parts off my timing chain, water pump, and tensioners work off my current DE? It only has 74,000 miles on it, and it needs a new cylinder head and gaskets...Basically the engine got overheated and warped. But im sure the many of the parts are salvageable including all the accessories bolted to it.

The actual quote was 1,400 to 1,600 but still it seems that im still overpaying. This place is trustable and has a "nissan certified mechanic"

also if i get the DEK engine from a 00' 01' maxima do i need any extra parts beside the engine itself? And will i also get any CEL codes soley from the swap? im trying to save money, an DEK seems the best as far as engine prices go. I might be looking around for another shop. I need something simple and relatively cheap. the 3.5 seems like it would just eat up the tranny and from my readings it would require many more parts.

 

the timing chain, water pump, tensior, in fact almost everything is the same with a VQ30DE and a VQ30DEK. the only difference is the intake manifold. the easiest engine to put in is the VQ30DE, but the VQ30DEk i s also really easy, and it will bolt in no problem. but u need to install the OOVI properly

oh and at our shop, we swap engines for $400-$500.


yesterday we took a engine out of a 2007 Civic SI and it took 2 hours

 

the stock 4th gen engine would be the easiest. DEK would be easier and 3.5 would be the most labor intensive. i have my doubts as to whether or not you could even get a normal mechanic's shop to do a 3.5 since it takes so much more labor and there is not any "set" way of doing it. mechanics like to read a book about how to do something and then do it, no such book exists for a 3.5 in to a 4th gen. so unless the mechanic is unusually cool and willing to just tinker and figure things out for himself, I don't see any way he's going to do a 3.5.

 

Ok great! It looks like ill try to find an engine with lower miles thats out of a '00 '01

From my understanding its basically the same engine huh? so assuming the engine is in good condition my ECU wont be throwing codes like crazy huh?

Im pretty content on getting the DEK now. Ill take a 33hp gain and a lower mileage engine in a heartbeat. Are they any more fuel efficient?

Any other advice? thanks alot guys! keep it coming!

 

well the de-k engine has a diffrent intake manifold and bigger injectors, so if u are still running ur stock ECU, u will be running rich.

what you do though, is use ur VQ30DE injectors, or use the VQ30DE-k injectors, tune ur car and get all the hp that u can out of that engine

 

^^its pretty much the same engine, the only diffenance is the intake manifold(plenum) and the 00vi(which works with the plemun). everything else is basiclly the same from parts to effeciancy. but like someone mentioned, make sure the 00vi is set up right...

 

I would agree with everyone else and say that DEK is a better investment.
But how are the prices of the DEK better then the DE ? Its newer and only made for 2
years here in the USA. Whereas The DE is older and alot more common because it was made for 5-6 years...

 

Well i expect to pay more money for a DEK motor,

But if i were to do this, i guess i just tell the mechanic to thow on some new DE sized fuel injectors? will they fit with no issue id assume? My main concern is to try to get a lower mileage engine off a '00 '01 which i think would be a better investment for the car as well. But my other concern is if i will notice a difference in power? i know it would probably be slight but would the car run any faster?

 

Ok since the search isn't working im having a hard time figuring whats needed for the swap. So obviously i need
-DEK engine
-injectors clips?? someone want to enlighten me?
-have to splice the new injectors to your old harness
-Need to block all the vac lines going to the EGR on the vacum gally's A and B and keep the EGR temp sensor plugged in.
-Use DEK knock sensor
-Will my auto tranny leak with the DEK?

Admitialy im not the most car inclined guy but i have a generally good idea on how this swap works. After reading the "Vq30-DE-K" swap for dummies the swap seems rather complicated and not the direct bolt in and fire it up. Im not sure most mechanics would know to do all this stuff, or would this swap be fairly easy for a mechanic? im starting to sway and buy the engine the car was intended to have.

 

1,700 thats way to much......you can shop around you can get it done for about 6-700,good luck

 

I wouldn't pay that much to put in an engine that has that many miles. You'll only get a couple year out of it and you'll be looking to do it again. I put a used tranny in my pathfinder with a friend and it cost me about 20 hours time and $350 in parts including the parts to do an auto to manual transmission conversion. Low investment for an unknown transmission.

 

Thanks guys, i know that the quote is overpriced.

I'm beginning to wonder if your average mechanic can just throw in a DE-K with little issues.

Is this the exact procedure?:

-Get DEK engine
-use new '00 injector clips??
-have to splice the new injectors to your old harness
-Need to block all the vac lines going to the EGR on the vacum gally's A and B and keep the EGR temp sensor plugged in.
-Use DEK knock sensor

Seems like alota work to me, and im sure theres more than that! im unsure about the DE-K swap because it seems like you have to go through alot of trouble just to get it working. Again does anyone know if your typical mechanic could get a DE-K all hooked up and code free? ill do some more calling around and ask as well..

 

do not put a motor with that many miles in your car. I wouldnt put a motor in there with half those miles. Spend a little more on the motor and get a whole lot more life out of it. I bought a de-k motor with 120 (actual) miles on it. It was basically brand new. I put it in myself with help from more knowledgeable people here and my mechanic friends at nissan when I had a question. You will run rich if u use the de-k injectors. my gas mileage isnt great probably because i havent tuned it yet. I do not have egr hooked up. had to solder injector clip wires from the de-k to the de harness. other vacuum stuff had to be taken care of. U will need some kind of idle air fix. my car doesnt want to stay running when I start it on cold mornings. So with the swap there will be things you will need to address to get running right. Good luck. Or just find a low mileage DE motor and not worry about fixing any of that other stuff thats the easiest route

 

if you were in nyc i could get you a used 83k mile engine for $300 and have it put in for $350 so for arnd $700 you would be set with another engine dropped into you car

 

YO man!!!!!

Everyone talkin about the DE for DK swap. Its so much more money jus to get MAYBE 10-20 more HP. I drove the 5th gens and they dont feel faster than the 4th gen. THats why i jus decided to go with the 4th gen again. Plus there undoubtlebly gonna be issues with the engine once installed. I hear the swaps dont last long at all. AND its more expensive too prolly what another 500-1000 bucks.

My advice man...jus replace the engine. If you want more HP...do the exhaust and intake. You will lose a lil low end torque but u will gain lots more high end torque. For exampe, the car will redline so much easier and sound so cool hehe extra 10-20 HP if u do the intake and HP. Trust me, i had all the bells and whistles on my last maxi before it was totalled in an unforunate series of events. I got a stock maxi now and it def was faster wit the intake and exhaust. I got a lil experiment / mod that ima do to the intake and ima post when im doen hehe

If YOU cant do the swap yurself, then dont do it. The Mechanic prolly wont gurantee the swap, ,but will guarantee the engine replacement.

DOnt forget man...do the chains, pumps and tensioners while the engine is out. Jus find a competent mechanic

 

Wonder if you forgot the 00 and 01 ones weigh a couple hundred ore pounds than the 4th gens....which might be why you wouldn't notice it as much....

 

You heard wrong. If done correctly they will last a long time. Im at 45k + on miles on the motor since swapping it in 3 years ago.

 

The notion that "swaps don't last long at all" is completely asinine. Disregard that guy's post - it's ridiculous. Engine longevity has nothing to do with what car it is in, it has to do with how the car is driven and taken care of. And yes, 5th gens are 200-400lbs heavier than 4th gens are, that's why they don't seem any faster. A DEK engine in a 4th gen will be quite a bit faster than the same engine in the 5th gen.

BUT, like I was saying with the 3.5 there are custom things that need to be done with the DEK. The fuel injectors are totally different, you can't just put in DE sized injectors, it doesn't work that way. You have to use DEK injectors and do all that wire splicing, you have to get an RPM switch installed to control activation of the intake manifold butterfly valves, you will need some way to alter the tune in order for those larger injectors to flow the proper amount of fuel (aftermarket tuning device, adjustable fuel pressure regulator, etc), you will have to do something about the IACV (I'm not sure what all is required, but the IACVs are not the same between the DE and DEK), the TB is different, etc, etc, etc.

This is the point I'm trying to impress upon you, that you will be hard pressed to find a mechanic willing to do the modifications necessary to swap in a different engine than what is already in there. It will take exponentially more time and research than putting in a stock engine, and you are going to be paying $100/hour (or whatever the shop rate is) for that extra time. Garage and dealer mechanics usually don't like doing modifications as extensive as you're considering having done, you probably won't get a warranty, you will probably pay an exorbitant amount of money, and whether or not it's done right is something you'll only know after you've written the check. I personally would never trust a regular mechanic to do what you're considering doing. You're going to be paying them a ton of money to do something they've never done before and will almost certainly not stand behind if something goes wrong, since it involves so much modification.

I truly believe you are making a grave mistake trusting a regular shop mechanic to do this. I'd be extremely surprised if you either a) don't get absolutely reamed on the price for him to take the time it requires to do it correctly, or b) don't end up with a problematic/uncompleted project.

 

Alldata book hours = 16.7

Keeping in mind additional costs of fluids, belts, plugs, etc, and the shops totally understandable & reasonable mark-up of those parts your price is fair.

However I would recommend asking the shop to supply the engine, offer them the ability to mark it up at double their cost as well as offering to pay additional for an optional labor warranty from a reputable junkyard. Going rate for that is around 10% of the purchase price of the engine. Allthough I usually don't bother with these things on 95-01 3.0's, I now require it on anything else, and I do motors for people quite regularly so it's all stuff learned from experience. If you go into the shop suggesting this they will love you, and in the end you will have peice of mind for another 15-20% of your total. If you bring me an engine and it turns out to be junk I'm still going to charge you the full $1,700, and if you want another one put in it's going to be another $1,700. Something to keep in mind since it does happen.

 

Man if your going to go though all that you mid as well just slap in a 3.5.....


And btw i would not trust any mechanic to do any sort of modification to a vq unless they have done proven mods or it is someone off here that is competent and have previous experince

 

Personally, I would invest in a new Maxima. 95' engine with that many miles shouldn't do you too well.

 

A couple of years ago I bought an engine out of an Infinity with 58,000 miles on it for $400. I put it in a very nice 96 GLE I bought from a lady at work for $1,000 with a locked up engine. My 15 year old grand son and I changed it out in less than a day with him doing the vast majority of the work. Just a bit of unbolting and rebolting and a lot of unplugging and plugging back up.
Not a bad job at all.

 

My point was...what are the gains for the added expense?? With all the extra work the OP will have to PAY FOR, jus to get an extra 10-20 HP, it is not worth it. OK...if u find a cheap DEK and can put it in YURSELF as a HOBBY then thats cool.

U guys missed my point or the OP point...he needs to replace the engine and CANT do it himself. Why would u tell him to put in a DEK or 3.5 when its obvious he wont be doin the work himself??? It would prolly cost twice as much or even more. Even the OOVi swap is hard for jus the usual DIY. THis is all ASSUMING he can find a mechanic who wd be WILLING do it for him. And like i sd, they most likely will not guarantee it like they would a simple engine replacement.

And swaps dont last long when compared to how long an engine replacement can last. SEARCH da org...u will find more posts of many ppl blowing swapped DEKs and 3.5s more than u find an success stories

 

time for a new maxima for the OP..lol........I can't imagine easily a toasted engine in an other wise good car

 

I agree with the first part of your post, but this last part is nonsense. First, I don't believe that statistic for a second and I've been around here much longer than most - I guarantee that statistic is wrong.

Second the relatively rare ones that do end up broken are not blown because they are swapped in (as I stated before, the engine doesn't know what car it's in and it's not more likely to "blow" just because it's not in it's original car), they end up blown because people who are willing to undertake such a swap are the people who race and subject their motors to far more abuse than the average bolt on or stock maxima sees. This is why motors blow, because the owners drive them hard, not because they came in a different car. When you have a much higher percentage of people racing and beating on the car, regardless of which motor it is, you are going to have a much higher percentage of blown motors. It's that simple.