twist

Long story short. Well im cruisin in 4th going 40mph, when i here clanking. I shut the motor off and there was some fire under the motor. Fire went out then i got it towed to my brother in laws shop. Turns out i blew a hole through the block. So now im putting this poll up to see what my next car is.

6spmax

I've never heard of this happening to a VQ motor. Did you maintain the car? Is the car running at the redline 95% of the time?

Oh yeah, get another Maxima.

SEmy2K2go

iTrader: (10)

One that you check the oil in

6spmax

How many miles did it have?

joeyicu

thats crazy ive seen nissan 3 liters into 250k under boost

BlackBIRDVQ

iTrader: (15)

VG30DETT is the only Nissan 3 liter who can do 250K miles under boost. VQs rods are weak, they can snap under heavy boost or NOS. The crankshaft is also a weak part of the engine. Did U maintain it right ? Only the early VQs where prone to engine failures like U described. The 3.5s tend to ingest the throttle body butterfly set screws or the 2ndary intake runner butterfly screws- this blows em up in no time. I also seen 2 6th gens at the dealer with the block cracked right under the intake manifold.

joeyicu

hows the block crack, right under the intake manifold, that sounds nastyyy

twist

block is cracked on front near where the header mounts, and also right above of the where the oil pan goes, there are 2 holes in the front of the motor pretty much. 32,000k miles, more than good maintenance, car has only seen near redline about 10 times. I bought the car used so i wouldnt know if it was abused before.

6spmax

You should be covered under the 5 year/60,000 powertrain warranty.

† ErV †

Usually things like that don't happen unless you are pushing the engine. You don't "drill" a hole through your engine with a rod by just driving.

Sucks big time though.

ChromeSE5

iTrader: (3)

do you really want to go from maxima to neon? just curious... BTW yeah srt are fast but its still a NEON.

01_blue_max

dont downgrade(neon), upgrade to the 350z

joeyicu

upgrade, to a g35 coupe!, similar style of the maxima just RWD, and yes srt4's are fast, but still a neon, still cant handle to well, and alot of other things, but there super fast, get mess with 14.3s stock, unless you have an 04 maxima

stephenlc

iTrader: (1)

Wow, you are the first person I have heard to thrown a rod in a VQ. You must not take car of that car. The dealership is going to say it also becaus eI bet you they have no record of a maxima throwing a rod. I saw your pretty much screwed.

Kojiro_FtT

Well the SRT-4 and the 350Z are pretty different cars man. One is a 4 seater econo-car turned into a single wheel smoker (not to mention gay) and the other is a two seater mid-level sports car. Sounds like you first need to decide on what type of car you want, then start comparing model choices in that category.

paralyse

Any car can throw a rod if you get unlucky enough to have a defective casting on some piece or another -- manufacturing defect. You could change the oil every 500 miles and it could still happen.

BTW -- Kojiro -- 04 SRT4 is LSD equipped. So now it's a double wheel smoker.

Stephen Max

iTrader: (59)

What? This is the first time I've heard anybody say that the VQ's forged crankshaft is weak.

Kojiro_FtT

lol, well that's a step in the right direction. But regardless, it is still a very different car. Both are fast at the 1/4 mile track, and that's about the end of the similarities. They are a completely different beast to drive and own.

BuNGsVQ

iTrader: (4)

....

maximo-SE

iTrader: (7)

i want the SRT pickup.. thats about it... but when it comes to small fast little things, the 350Z and MErcedes sl600 is my fav.

cobymoby

iTrader: (2)

If you've ever seen a VQ block taken apart then you'll see how tiny the rods are.

About your car choices, it depends what direction you want to go. If it's bang for the buck performance, go for the Neon. Very fun car. If you need a little more bling, go for the 350z. The 350 IMO has too ugly of an interior for my tastes. Still a nice car, but the interior just looks too cheap to me. I must say the the 5th gen Maxima has one of the nicest interiors out there!

Stephen Max

iTrader: (59)

They seem to hold up well enough for people like krismax who claims to have revved to 8000 rpm over a hundred times. I've hit 7200 rpm many, many times. So this must have been a freak incident. It's the first time I've heard anybody on the org say they've thrown a rod, and we have quite a few people here who hit redline frequently.

BlackBIRDVQ

iTrader: (15)

I've seen plenty of rods that where thrown, RSXs throw rods from over reving them, Nissans throw rods from lack of lubrication. I've seen SR20s throw rods before- and if I can get a VQ rod I will compare the 2 next to eachother, SR20 rods are 2x as thick as the VQ rods. Crankshafts had a tendency to snap on the #3 rod journal on the early VQs. Ask JWT, they will tell ya if U don't belive me. I've personally seen 2 04 Maximas with blocks cracked under the intake manifold- in the valley as we call it. They crack within low miles. As for getting a new car- its a waste of $$$, new cars depreciate sooo much. U are better off buying a certified pre-owned car than a new one.

Stephen Max

iTrader: (59)

When you say early VQ, what years are you talking about?

MAXimumHP

iTrader: (7)

Rarely have I heard of VQ's throwing rods either, especially with a stock rev-limit. Usually high Rev's is what kills rods, and lots of VQ's around here have 7000rpm or more Rev limiters.

The 04 block cracking sounds like a manufacturing problem...?

stephenlc

iTrader: (1)

The VQ crank is incrediably strong. I don't know why that guy is saying that. That is the first person I have seen throw a rod with a maxima. A couple boosted 350z's have thrown rods. Maybe you had a oil leak and you were low on oil and threw a rod. On the 04 cracking, that has to be a manufactor problem. Recall, hehe.

joeyicu

you got some really pricey tastes lol, im not a big merc fan b/c of there aim, but there super cool, i just wouldnt own one, if it were me looking for a replacement for a maxima that wasnt a maxima, id say either a g35 sedan, srt4 (if you want something cheaper, but its very unrefined, and i figure it only likes to go straight but low 14s for 21k is cool), id even say an accord with a v6, the new ones, but i drive them since i work for a honda dealer, and there not my cup of tea at all, and they really arent all that quick, id shop around alot

twist

ChromeSE5- No i dont want to go from Max to neon. But its just cheap and quick. But still like u said its a neon.

joeyicu- think that is what im gonna do. maybe my christmas present to myself will be a 04 350Z. Just gonna put a motor in my max. drive it for a couple of months until i get some cash.

paralyse- my buddy at nissan dealer told me that. he knows exactly how i drive and said it couldnt be from me, it was just defective.

Plus i dont see redline often so it couldnt be from me driving, had to be defective. And oil was checked on that car every 3 or 4 days. Changed oil every 2,500 miles.

Well im ordering the motor soon and putting the car up so i should be getting some pics within a couple of days. check in later to see them.

twist

BlackBIRDVQ - About getting a pre-certified, that is exactly what i was going to do. Wait till end of the year until prices go down because 05's come out and then buy the 350.

HitManSE

iTrader: (1)

True, but 95% of the time it is the owner fault for lack of maintenance. The earler VQ's were haunted with some problem which were obvioulsy factor error's. Ive heard about the front main going out on MANY 00 model's, they were all covered under warranty but still it happend. I have honestly never heard of the rod's going out. The bottom end of the VQ is very solid, true the SR's bottom end is built like a tank but the VQ still has a pretty solid bottom end...most of them do anyway

IWNTMORHP!!

iTrader: (5)

spend the 7800 and get this stroker kit!
http://www.z1auto.com/submodel.asp?m...50z&cat=engine

slag

Just so everybody is on the same page, throwing a rod means the connecting rod knocks a hole in the block. The thickness of the connecting rod has only a very small impact in the ability of an engine to throw a rod. If the bearing seizes at 3500 rpm, the rod is going to go bye bye.

our vehicles do not use pushrods since they are dohc.

HondaKilLR

Are we talking DE-K rods or just DE rods? I believe they were upgraded for the DE-K. Somebody correct m if I am wrong. However, I dont believe smaller to actually mean weaker. The smaller rod frees up weight, has less rotational mass, which creates less friction = more power. Not talking boosted of course. Anyways, sucks this guy spit one out

twist

Im still waiting until monday to get my car up and swap motors. My brother in law is moving to a new place he just bought. So we are gonna move things on sat and sun. And have everything ready to go by monday.

6spmax

Isn't this going to be covered under warranty?

BlackBIRDVQ

iTrader: (15)

Lack of maintenance recepits will not get U anywhere with warranty on this engine. Unless ya can prove U have done your oil changes- U are on your own. And yes, the thinner the rod the weaker it is. QR25DE engines blow up at 250WHP- Spec V SE-R engine and base engine in the new Altima. I do not have my Nissan FAST CD here- with all the part #s for all the Nissans, so I can't tell ya if the DE-K and DE rods are the same, but I'm pretty sure they are. Differences are up on top of the 2 engines - cylinder heads, intake manifold etc. I've only seen Nissans throw rods from lack of oil, or lubrication- which essentially is lack of oil. Rod bearing even if spun will start to knock slowly and will get louder and louder, eventually throwing a rod. SR20s tend to spin bearings pretty often if oil level is not watched, or the oil pan has even the smallest dent in it. We've had SRs in our cars for 14 years and verrry seldom do we ever hear of one throwin a rod- even if over reved to hell. Nissan overbuilds their *older* engines. VGs last longer than VQs, make power eassier, are eassier to work on etc... Welcome to cost cutting world of Nissan.

BLKMAX005SPD

iTrader: (1)

dude...no one is gonna vote for that ****ty dodge...
get the 350Z

joeyicu

put a 3.5 in it! (if thats even that possible to do in a short amount of time)

HondaKilLR

Too many variables come into play when you say thinner is weaker. For the most part, a thinner forged rod is going to be stronger than a thicker cast rod. And if you take a look over in the General forum, and check out Dixit's 3.3 pics, you'll see they look essentially the same as the 3.5's. And with the .5 coming from stroke, the 3.5 rod 'should' be longer, and therefore weaker-->Correct? Haven't checked 350z forums, but I'd be interested to see how many rods the big horse boosted guys are throwing?? But I agree, they dont make them like they used too. Peace_

maxima105

Don't waste your time & money on the 350Z....get the G35 instead. I must say I have been impressed with SRT4's. With a good driver you can run low 14's(14.0,14.1) consistently on a stock car. I can't say the same about the 350's.....