So my parents bought this car new in '97, and drove it til it basically puked. I just had to get rid of my Trans Am (12's... and amazing, v8 noisiness...) because it was old and f***ed up from me romping on it all the time and wasting 350z's on the highway because they were the only ones who ever seemed to want to play.


Anyway, I have a little money and I can't let a challenge go so tomorrow I'll be pulling the intake to replace the knock sensor and see if I can get 'er to purr like she used to. I remember this car being fun to drive when I was in high school and my new car is a chevy cruze, so I'm kind of thinking what the hell, why junk it when I need a fun toy?


No rules, no limits, just want it cheap (if I blow it up, I'm towing it to the junkyard pretty much immediately LOL) what can I do to make this thing fast? I'm a pretty good hand @ tuning computers (that was how I did my Trans Am, it was an SD sleeper car that surprised a couple of cammed LS1s and a Ferrari over the years) but I'm not great at building engines. Is there an ECU program out there? What are the free mods for this thing? Think I can make 'er run a 12?


It doesn't look like anybody has any really in-depth mod talk going for this car on this forum yet so if it's just all sooo 10 years ago then please, refresh my memory! Let's do some modding!!!

 

Changing the KS will not make it run. Just letting you know..

 

It won't start. It's throwing the KS code in addition to the bank 1 CPS code. I did the CPS already, so I'm assuming it's got a really f***ed up KS that's keeping it from running.

Worst case it has a bent valve or something, and I'm all about learning to rebuild an engine. I have plenty of time, and if I keep the parts bill low, I can probably afford to do this. What do you recommend?

 

What kind of CPS did you replace the old one with?

I'm tellin' ya, a new KS won't help it. You've got another issue.

 

There's plenty or mod talk in the all motor and forced induction section. I was tipping 400whp on my setup and knocking out fast 1/4 times, but it's not exactly cheap.

With cheap in mind, run a bottle and have fun til it pops lol.

Oh and try changing both the crank sensor on the crank pulley and the one on the trans. The one on the trans gave me issues with starting. Good luck!

 

That's why I asked what you'd recommend. Guy under you said the crankshaft position sensor might need to go... this car runs pretty good when it starts but it sometimes dies. Idle isn't absurd but it's somewhat rough. It won't keep idling for long if you try to let it though. Hell I guess the first step to hot rodding this thing is getting it running, I'll do a search (already have been some) but what direction should I look first? You think I need a new motor or what?

 

Cheap is all relative. My build is far from cheap but its going to last not simply die out from highway racing stock Z's. Swap in a running 30 or 35. why waste time when our engines are dirt cheap anyways? Get an E-Manage and some bigger injectors and a oovi or mevi and your cheap toy is complete.

 

Now we're talking. Except the poke at my Trans Am. I beat the **** out of her... and sold her because the tires were bald and the power steering pump was out lol. Engine was great, built 4l60 was great, rear end was great... just had too much $$$ in it to put more.


Anyway, I don't plan to daily drive this car. It sounds like E-Manage is the HPTuners of the Nissan world, so yea, that'll be on the way. I'll do the injectors too - but one question - what's with all the vacuum lines on the stock intake? Also, is there a stock throttle body that would provide gains over the one I have now? Or do you guys P&P them? Can I rig up a tube with a cone filter for the intake or will I have issues with the various things that plug into the stock one being gone? What else can I do to clean up the engine bay a little or lighten up this heavy pig?

 

how fast are you trying to go? bc a stock 3.0 even with bolt-ons is a pig. you'll cut 14s at best. only way to make it somewhat fast is forced induction or swapping the 3.0 out doing a 3.5 liter.

 

lol I love to talk about american made cars. Yea our aftermarket is limited so when you show up somewhere with a competitor you have something to show not your avg evo or Z with so many parts to choose from. On the actual intake there is only 1 vacuum line. the other bigger one is for the IACV which controls your idle and then the other running to your front valve cover is for your PCV system. Some go with a pathfinder TB and it is a fair amount bigger. Never seen anybody port and polish these TB's. No problems adding the short intake just need to connect the IACv hose and the vacuum hose to it. I run a breather filter so I eliminated the pcv system hose

 

Just a junker motor from a boneyard maybe? I wonder what I could pick one of those up for.

BTW I'm a nitrous guy. As such, I should probably have already asked - what breaks on these cars, and at what power levels? I'm used to a 400hp, 4000ish lb, rwd musclecar. This is going to be different. FWD, weight reduction, more power if possible lol.

To do a motor swap I'd need... probably a complete drop in from a boneyard. I'll read those threads now. ECU the same on all these engines? Or would I need to pick that up as well?

 

I beg to differ on that 3.0L statement. If you have the money it can run just as fast as the 35.

 

the 3.5 swap is very detailed, not exactly drop in and go. as far as breaking points, 400whp is in and around the breaking point of the motor. i ran closed to 400whp with hardly any issue, so things vary between people.

i'll stick to my last post, throw a bottle in it and run it til it pops lol. there are a ton of guys on this board that run nitrous without issue, and for the most part pretty damn fast too.


different strokes, different folks. Before my 3.5 SC setup, i had a DE with 00vi and the blower with 9psi, and made 300whp. i made closed to 400 with the 3.5 SC/Meth setup. stock for stock, the 3.5 is the superior motor.

 

Did anything with this motor come from the factory with FI? If so... we may be in business. I bet I can find a stock 3.5 drop in manual from a boneyard under $1k. Suspension and tires on this car are ****e though. I gotta go shopping lol

 

Anybody making a good sheet metal intake manifold for these yet?

 

Thanks for good info! I may be the first on the TB thing.. lol it's sitting in the garage while I **** around avoiding the knock sensor.

 

go with the 2000 maxima intake, its plastic which is better for heat dissipation and at higher rpms it opens up more to give you better top end, if you went the boost route you would be able to do 8 psi without many issues if any at all, and as far a nitrious goes, i ran a wet 100 shot in her for a few months and didnt have any problems, the stock 3.0 is incredibly bullet proof compared to the 3.5 although the 3.5 will make more power overall wich is to be expected from an extra .5L and a few more years of nissan enginuity

p.s. excuse my poor spelling

 

Money you're going to spend to get the maxima working > the money spent on your two problems in the t/a

 

Check for Air, Fuel and Spark b4 anything else!

 

Yo man, its a 14 yr old car...there arent many mods u can do that havent already been done.

That being sd, read this:

http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...hread-yet.html

It will basically answer all your noob maxima questions/concerns about modding. Its a really good read.

Now regarding the no-start...on tha max there are a coupla issues that would keep the car from running. Gonna need more info in order to really help/diagnose:

mileage? AT or MT? what maintenance has been done already? what are the no-start symptoms? Any cranking of the engine at all?

 

What's it doing when you try to start it? Does it turn over at all?

If idles rough, I suggest cleaning your TB, MAF and IACV.

 

All I can say is wow. But question a 400hp trans-am was beating a 350 -370z? I would just think eith the person didn't know how to drive the z or.......maybe I'm just wrong. But then you dumped all this money into your car and sold it because it needed new tires and the power steering pump went out?? Sorry just doesn't make sense..

All aside - don't know what you call cheap, but cheap to me is $50 -$100 here and there. NOT going to happen with these cars. Best is to go turbo for your most gains but even at that you won't see 400hp without more work. If you get anywhere near that kiss your clutch goodbye, oh yeah get ready to dunp those rotten motor mounts from all the torque (yes these are torque little engines). And when you have no traction guess what...new tires...

 

 

Yes, finally I am tired of hearing people say that your better off using a 3.5 than a 3.0 really it's all on how much money was spend on the car. A 3.0l max with good bolt-ons and tunning can be fast, if not faster than the 3.5 if you did it right and it will matter what the other guy has done to his car in the 3.5. ect/ect.

 

Fix the t/a. Better platform in every way.

If not, turbo swap a low miles dek.
You can budget build a turbo kit for under 1500 if its not a dd. Low miles dek for 500. Tune/injectors, tires, suspension,mounts, and if u havnt broken the trans yet, you should be in deep 12's. Or buy a 4th gen camaro roller to throw Ur stuff in and ride tfo. That'd be cheaper and faster. And more aftermarket.

 

and he disappears!

 

Lol. sorry forgot to mention the T/A was a DD... I sold it to get money for the down payment on the Cruze. Gotta have a reliable DD, T/A was worth selling, Maxima not so much. Really I just want to have something to beat on and hot rod and mod out a little bit. Cruze is turbo, maybe a TT setup would make me happy on the max eventually but for now I just want to look into free mods, tuning, and getting the bastage runnin.

 

Yeah, TB just got the treatment. I agree w/you on cleaning this stuff. Car will start but not run for long unless you put it in gear, then it responds well to part throttle but not to WOT. It bogs and dies.

Which makes me think spark plugs are fouled.

I just did the fuel pump, my dad did the radiator and grounds for some reason, and aside from the ks I'm waiting to put in, I don't know what else it could really be. I noticed pooling oil under the damned thing earlier, hope sitting with UIM open for a few days hasn't hurt it.

Anybody know a trick to get the wrench on the KS without removing the intake manifold?

 

Don't hate. 400rwhp with stock engine internals and nothing major except the !MAF and the injectors. I tuned it so perfect in SD mode that I could DD it on the highway and all around town and then go run sub-13's all weekend if I wanted to

I surprised ferraris, mustang GT500s, a few vettes. Only races I remember losing in that car were a tie with a modded SRT-10 pickup, a loss due to traction vs an Evo, a 11.5sec terminator and a modded '02 Z06. I think the Z06 had H/C/I done.


Anyway, so yeah near-stock 350z's couldn't touch me. There was a guy running nitrous I beat at the dragstrip when I ran my 13.0 before I put the stall converter in.


The T/A just got to where it needed constant wrench-turning and I got to where I was tired of having to go grease-monkey just to get to work the next day. I could have DD'ed the Maxima if I could have gotten it running but it was so much easier to get a new car. Warranty, *****. Now I can work on cars for fun, instead of doing it because I don't know how to buy a DD. LOL.

 

Ideally, since the max is all there, I might just fix it up and put a mod or 2 in to make it kind of cool, sell it to some punk *** kid for 2500 bucks and get a v6 F-car to do drags in. Always wanted a stripper v6 m5 firebird to pull everything out of and race at 2600 lbs with the stock 3.8l or maybe turbo it and to autoxing

 

3/8" drive 12mm swivel or universal joint with 12mm socket and a few extensions (recommend 6" + 3" or better, not sure exactly how long it needs to be but I'm pretty sure you'll need at least that).

I personally used a universal joint + 12mm socket + an 18" extension (all 3/8" drive of course), had just enough room to sneak it under the LIM without any problems (helps using the LIM as a rest for the extensions while trying to remove it). Reinstalled same way, but used the KS wire to keep some pressure on the bolt to keep it inside the 12mm socket going back in, obviously doing it this way you have to be very careful (can't stress this enough) to avoid cross-threading.

 

Winner, winner! I'm going to try this tonight. I knew there was something I was missing!!! Now if I can just find that U-Joint....

 

BTW this swivel thing is for the birds... maybe when it's light outside and i don't have to use a flashlight with one hand... I may just not be cut out for doing a KS on one of these things. I was half *** hoping there might be some reason to pull the intake, that way I could do the knock sensor when I had it apart but what does a 00vi cost? $300?

 

I have about 70% of the 00vi laying in my garage right now...