mpvibes

iTrader: (1)

I'm planning on doing a VQ35 swap in my 98 5 speed, I met a guy today who is selling a complete 2008 VQ35DE engine with 20,000 miles that comes out of a 4th gen that is tuned with the 3.0 ECU. He is selling me the complete engine w/ harness, injectors, EVERYTHING for $250. The downside is, the engine (from what he says) has either a bent rod or a bad bearing. I believe this should'nt be a problem if I buy the necessary parts to fix it. The VQ35 is still in his car (he does not drive it, only turns it on every now and again to lubricate the engine), the engine runs but, like I said it has that engine problem. My question is, what other questions should I ask him and what do I look for when Im ready to pick up the engine? What would YOU do in my situation? The guy sounds legit but, then again?

Leo_Koneval

iTrader: (4)

Bump for you!

It sounds like a good deal for someone who would like a small project to work on.
But I would be worried about the overall cost of the repair and how many parts you will be needing to replace in the end. And whether the block is still in good shape.

But I am no engine expert. And hopefully someone with more experience will chime in!

95nissmax

iTrader: (2)

thats a deal right there, sorry im no engine expert, but i do want to do an engine a swap down the road

schmellyfart

iTrader: (46)

If you can verify the issue and have the means to fix it, I'd say go for it.

mpvibes

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, I figured that this would be a good summer project. I spoke to a good friend of mine who is a mechanic and he said it would be a good investment to buy this engine. I'll keep u guys posted! Thx for all the advice.

cashoit

thats a helluva deal!!

But u gotta look at the fact that its an 08 with w/ a bent rod??? how da heck did that happen. This guy was beatin on it...thats how.

matts95max

iTrader: (11)

Yeah, why in the world does a low low mileage, couple year old vq have that problem... That's what I would be asking. I'm not sure what would cause that except something that wasn't put together properly. I would not buy it...I probably wouldn't even take it for free with the intentions of using it in my car.

Blxima

iTrader: (2)

Damn that's a good deal!

phatboislim

iTrader: (27)

could probably buy another 3.5 for the price youre going to spend total in rebuilding and purchasing this one. might wana just scoup the ecu off of him

99BlackMaxMS

iTrader: (85)

For the time and hassle that you're gonna spend rebuilding the engine, you are better off getting a low mileage 04+ VQ35 from a junkyard and swapping the timing gear from your 3.0 once its out of car. It will probably end up being cheaper/just as expensive as buying this motor and attempting to rebuild it.

Just my .02

VQ'rInWLA

iTrader: (83)

Hydrolocked?

renots

iTrader: (5)

no offence but first thing that came to my mind was stolen? i would get the vin first since you said its in a 4th gen an he dont drive it before you even go any further, would suck to have it finely tuned along with everything else on your car an come to find out one day that it is, an lose every thing youve worked so hard for.

mpvibes

iTrader: (1)

Wow, this alot of good advice! Some say yes, no, and maybe. Since, I did a 5 speed swap on my car myself I would like to do my first engine swap. I believe this engine was used to race. How much do u guys think parts will cost me if I choose to change all rods, bearings, gaskets, and seals? Labor would be free, me and my mechanic will be doing the work. VQ35's in my area cost around $750 and up with 80,000 plus miles and then on top of that I have to tune.

KRRZ350

iTrader: (29)

No way, something else happened, you can beat the ever living **** out of VQ's, even the junk 3.5's, and nothing will happen as long as they have oil in them.


My 1st bet is on a snapped cam right at the threads for the sprocket.

My second vote goes for really really badly hopped timing.

3rd vote, that's a tie between hydrolocked OR a bolt came out/loose for something rather important..........

adroitcaptor

THIS IS NOT A GOOD DEAL. As stated by the intelligent forum members above.

"I am no engine expert..." No, you are not, that is clear. So stop giving bad advice to others. (Unless you are willing to carry the burden it will cause.)

As KRRZ350 said, you can beat these engines to death and not have a catastrophic failure. WHAT happened to this one?

Best comment yet - who is this guy, Superman? He has xray vision now? How could he possibly know whether it was a rod, bearing or both? If he is so knowledgeable that he can delineate such things, why does he not fix it himself. Sure, [insert common excuse here], yeah, I will buy that... [Borat style]... NOT!

So assuming that this IS the issue, and the 'only' one. Stop and think what other problems will occur and be complicated by the above stated...

This is not a good deal and you will spend more time and money than buying a RUNNING used or JY used. What you really have to figure out is:
What is your time worth to you?
How much knowledge do you REALLY have on this issue?
This is NOT a small project as suggested above!
Have you even priced all the parts nec.?
Deals that are too good to be true, ARE.

“damn that's a good deal”... /palmface

Blackwind

iTrader: (9)

take everything but the motor....and run!!!

mpvibes

iTrader: (1)

I dont think he has Xray vision. He told me he bought the car with the swap already in it. Good question, I'm not sure why he won't fix it himself? He told me he wants to buy a used VQ30 to put back in his car. He said he does not mind an even trade for the vq35de (vq30 for vq35). I'm beginning to have second thoughts about this purchase. Who knows what the problem is with that engine until it's pulled apart? The reason why he says its either a bent rod or a bad bearing is because he says it makes a bad ticking/knocking sound. Anyone know about this?

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

I was just reading a thread in the 5th gen forum where a guy wants to put an 06 engine into his 5th gen Max. He is being advised to replace the secondary timing chains and tensioner shoes as the original ones wear out around 60K mikes in the 2004 to 2008 and Quest 2009 engines. There is a TSB (NTB07-042c) with part numbers, pictures, procedure, etc. According to the guys who bought the parts, the parts cost around $70.

http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...o-my-02-a.html

TSB - http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/fi...e_bulletin.pdf

ef9

iTrader: (8)

Good way to learn on how to do a complete engine rebuild. I would tear the entire block down and do an inspection.

Leo_Koneval

iTrader: (4)

Just wanted everyone to know that his "nice" guy here, is referring to me.
LEO_KONEVAL.

And what I wonder is how could you read my post as giving bad advice. No where did I say "DUDE you should totally get this engine" or "GET IT NOW!" And maybe the way I worded it could be read as overly optimistic but what I said and meant was that it would be a good project if the OP was willing to take on any surprises and take on the costs of replacing a unknown number of things.

Okay maybe that was still too nice. Allow me to re-word this.
The engine is cheap now, but you will probably be screwed in the butt later on with MANY broken and expensive things.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

Sincerely,


Your Admirer

adroitcaptor

Leo_Koneval:
I did not quote your whole post as I did not feel you were the only one to give bad advice. I was not trying to call YOU out on anything. I was attempting to make a blanket statement. Evidently I failed in that regard.
I quoted the part of your post as it summed up what I felt about the advice that had been given by quite a few. I would like to see how many people, that think this MIGHT be a good deal, have torn an engine down to the bare block.
Why would you tell someone, who had/has little knowledge in auto repair, that this is a "small project." I cannot think of many projects that are bigger than this.
I did not quote your entire post because I thought you were spot on with your second comment.

Perhaps I took what you said out of context. I get really tired of people giving advice with little thought to who they are talking to or what they are saying. That being said I can jump the gun from time to time. However, looking back at your post again, I see the same thing. I ask myself what the OP and others seeking the same advice are going to understand from what people posted. My belief is, whether they admit it or not, when we start posts off with "...a great/awesome/cool deal..." that is about all they read.

mpvibes

iTrader: (1)

Quick question, what is the best year VQ35 engine to get? Also, does it matter if it's an automatic or 5 speed VQ35 engine? Anyone?

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

I have had experience with a VQ35 with a "fix it problem while the motor is out" and there is no VQ35 in running in my car. Im going to tell you now DO NOT buy that motor. Unless you have the experience and facilities to diagnose the problem and fix it this is not something you want to undertake.

If you want a VQ35 keep looking for one you can easily ****** a solid running one up for around $500 maybe less.

And if this is an NA VQ with a bent rod......im not sure you want to touch that.

mpvibes

iTrader: (1)

Wow! Thx for the advice. What year motor is the best and are manual and automatic VQ35 engines different or the same?

VQ'rInWLA

iTrader: (83)

Engines are engines. Transmissions are what comes in manual or auto.....

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

Doesnt matter they are all the same really, just the +04 have an EGR and the 02-03 dont, thats the only noticeable difference i have seen. AT or MT they are the same no different. The lower the mileage you can find one the better.

Seems like you still have a lot of reading to do. Browse the All Motor section read the stickies most of the questions you are asking have been answered.

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

He is probably coming from different car companies that have some differences between autos and MTs. Like the 2JZ has different cams for autos and MTs dunno why but thats the way it is.

mpvibes

iTrader: (1)

Ok, thx. Right now, I'm gathering and saving as much information as possible on my computer about the swap. The reason why I ask is because on car-part.com they ask you for MT or AT VQ35DE. I just wanna make sure.

mpvibes

iTrader: (1)

Well everybody, I finally made up my mind! After weighing my options and seeking advice from others, I have decided NOT to buy the 08 VQ35DE engine. Although, this was a good deal! Who knows what could happen down the road with this engine when I fix it up and BOOST it?! I'm gonna play it safe because I've had bad experiences in the past with major car parts such as that VLSD transmission I bought last year off of Craigslist when I was doing my 5 speed swap (it looked good and seemed fine but, it was a bad tranny, lost alot of money).

Product_Of_Korea

iTrader: (8)

Wise choice. Could be more trouble then its worth. At least if you do your own you know its your mess up if something happens or something goes south. Plus its alot more rewarding to do your own work.

Hope you find a good runner and enjoy the swap

mpvibes

iTrader: (1)

Very true, thx man.

Rods03Max619

iTrader: (5)

Probably the manuals don't have the same bolting as Auto to the tranny maybe that is where it comes into play just a thought but don't know for sure.....

Crusher103

iTrader: (10)

With VQs, VQ30-35DE all have the same transmission bolt pattern regardless of the tranmission, RWD and FWD blocks so techinically a 350Z tranmission will bolt onto a VQ30 with out issue. Most of us on here know that as common knowledge but if you are coming from a car community where autos are different from MTs then comes the mix up.

IIRC VQ20DEs and VQ25DEs also have the same trans bolt pattern, VQ40s VQ35HRs and VQ37VHRs are a completely different story thou.

Product_Of_Korea

iTrader: (8)

I belive as well we share the same gear boxes as some other 5 speeds just diffrent bellhousings, late 90's altima comes to mind. Dont know if they are easily interchangable or not though....