SERIOUSLY

Is it possible to take the pathfinder, QX4 crank and mate it with the maxima engines(shorter rods) and make 250-260 hp??

Cause instead of making monthly payments for the 2002 max why not have someone do this while getting headers ported and polished or something?

I think I've been inhaling too much of the fumes from my car care products in the garage....

 

Yup... Too much fumes .

 

*******IT_IT I KNEW IT WAS THAT:P

i dunno some people have been saying it can be done some said those people are just crazy...keep the hope alive!!

since when do they censor=P?

 

It has to be a lower case p.

 

Car and Driver's road test of the 2k Pathfinder related the story of where the engine came from. They pointed out that it was indeed the Maxima's engine, stroked to 3.5 liters, using shorter connecting rods.
Some ppl say the engine was bored out. Noooo, the VQ is aluminum. You can't bore out aluminum block engines out very much, because they can't handle the stress.
So yeah, if you feel like shelling out the cash for the parts, you can stroke your 3L VQ up to 3.5L. Because of the cylinder head design(Maxima's is better designed for performance than the Pathfinder's) however, you may end up making a bit more power. That's why ppl are saying that the 3.5L Max will be making around 260hp, vs the Pathfinder's 240.

 

Would any ecu reprogramming be needed to allow for the increased displacement?

 

I would think so....thats probably one of the main complexities.

 

So is that only for the VQ30DE-K, or can 4th gen's theoretically get in on the fun?

What parts would one need from the Pathfinder to do this?

 

I can't remember the changes made to the 'K' version of the VQ. If they aren't anything major, I'd venture to say 'yes.'
The parts you need are the crank, which does the actual 'stroking,' and gives you the displacement increase. You'll also need the shorter connecting rods that will stop your pistons from hitting your valves, due to the longer stroke. Because the bore hasn't been increased, you shouldn't need to worry about pistons.

 

I can't remember the changes made to the 'K' version of the VQ. If they aren't anything major, I'd venture to say 'yes.'
The parts you need are the crank, which does the actual 'stroking,' and gives you the displacement increase. You'll also need the shorter connecting rods that will stop your pistons from hitting your valves, due to the longer stroke. Because the bore hasn't been increased, you shouldn't need to worry about pistons.

 

Well, if what y'all are saying is true, then I will keep my VQ30. If the VQ35 is simply a stroked VQ30 that explains Wards (the guys who gave the Nissan 3L 'Top 10 engines' I don't know how many years in a row) comments on the VQ35. They basically said that the 3.5L is more of a truck engine, not as refined as the 3L.

If they want to keep the engine as smooth as they have to keep piston speed down (shorter stroke).

If we take a look at what Carpoint has to say:

Bore X Stroke
Maxima VQ30: 3.66 X 2.89
Pathfinder VQ35: 3.76 X 3.21

So bore is upped by 2.7% but stroke is up a whopping 11%!

So I may have to revise my recommendation as to buying a 2002 VQ35 until I have tried one. I don't want to drive around in a pathfinder with a Maxima body!

 

I didn't know exactly what they were. Since you're just changing the connecting rods and crank, the bore shouldn't make any difference. I see the bore is a bit larger, but not by much, since it's an aluminum block. The stroke increase is where you get the extra power from.

 

The only thing is, and it is starting to make sense, is that the way that a VQ35 Maxima will get it's power is via a destabilizing boost in stroke.

The increase in stroke increases piston speed, crank speed and hence makes any counterbalancing that much harder. The VQ has been praised on how smooth it is at this point in time the VQ35 is personally sounding like a poor choice from Nissan.

Nissan may come through and tune the VQ35 in it's current incarnation to be the next Wards winner. But as I see it now I certainly want to try the engine for a weekend or so (without the pesky dealer growling at me for bouncing the car off the rev-limiter) before passing judgement.

But this is just my 2 cents and there are guys out there who have actually put my VQ30 together that have a better clue as to what is going on than I do.

 

Just got test-drive a Pathfinder or QX4. The 3.5L Max engine should be almost exactly like that, maybe a bit more power. There will be a lot more low end torque for sure. That's why Nissan stroked the VQ and put it in the Pathfinder. If they didn't care at all, they prolly would have just put a 3L in.hehe

 

Good point Black VQ, I have never tried a Pathfinder, so I have no idea what the current 3.5 is like.

I am probably basing my reservations on what Wards auto had to say about the 3.5.

 

Just to clarify....putting a Pathfinder crank in the Maxima IS in fact a possibility?

and without money being a factor...who would stroke and who would s/c?

and if someone decided to stroke and THEN s/c is it safe to assume that the heat would cause too many problems for the engine?

I was talking with some people from max rev and they said the max engine can take 400 hp safely and anything beyond that people should watch out because of the aluminum

 

If you still want more power, there's still forced induction. Personally, I don't know which costs the most. However, I do like the idea of rivalling an SC'd Max in power with an NA setup.
And like you said, heat might be a concern. I don't know if the extra displacement would generate extra heat. If that did, then it would be an issue.

I want to see Nissan stroke their 280+hp VQ30DET up to 3.5L. Now that would be nice.

 

Im REALLY considering doing this...I just want to know if this will mess up my car or not...hell either way...S/C or Displacement im losing my warranty so what the hell....displacement is just a little more sneaky=D

 

Again, in the March 2001 issue of Road & Track, they stated in a review of the forthcoming new Z car that it will have a bored or stroked (don't recall which) VQ Maxima engine displacing 3.5L. Though the concept car is currently 260 HP they suspected the final version to be 280 HP, the maximum horsepower agreed to by Japanese automakers. That may be an easier swap than a Pathfinder motor. Hell just supercharge it and be done with it.

 

Just my 2 cents, but trying to tell what the engine in max would be from test driving a pathfinder is gonna be hard. You also have to take into consideration the gearing. That pathfinder is still geared for towing and will have lower ratios than the max. Personal experience has shown me that. I had a 2wd nissan truck with the 4 cyl engine K24 i believe. I traded it in for a 4wd nissan 4 cyl engine with the same engine. I did not realize this when buying it and the 4wd felt like a powerhouse taking off! That low end torque is sweet, but there is nothing for high end power, once again its all in the gearing as well. That 2wd was as fast a sh@t through a goose after take off in 4th-5th gear. My point is just keep the notion of gear ratios in the back of your mind while trying to compare engines. I will concede the point and agree totally that a 260 hp engine in the max would be very noticable and the power would great! Hope they (being nissan) will consider this in later max's.

 

Here's what Bert said:
Bert seems to be interested in the smoothness of the 3.5L VQ. The gearing(especially with a slushbox doing the shifting) shouldn't have much of an effect on how smooth the engine will be. How much low-end or high-end power you have may differ, but the engine should be just as smooth no matter what.
I was thinking that the 3.5L can't be that rough, since it's used in the 'luxury SUV' QX4.

 

I am more worried about the engine smoothness than tranny. I would expect Nissan to put the current 5sp transaxle in any new VQ35 based Maxima. I used to think they would put the 6sp destined to go into the new Z, but that is a RWD setup. I doubt than Nissan is going to built a 6sp transaxle for a 2 year production run. Unless they plan on putting one in the new Altima! (hmmmmm).

I want the new engine to be as quiet and as smooth at 3000-4000-5000-6000 as the VQ30. I don't hear or feel any complaints form the VQ30 at 5000, I don't want it in the VQ35.

But that is my 2 cents, and for now it's only a dream.

 

According to SCC, the Sentra Spec V will have a 6spd transmission and share it with the SE-R Maxima.