Long story short.... my 2002 Maxima has over 208,000 miles on it and needs a rebuilt motor. I decided to look at used engines, since mine has plenty of miles on it. I found a 2000 3.0 motor with 60K on the clock. Is it possible to swap it in its place or is there too much wiring and sensor swapping involved? I know it's quite backwards to what is normally done, but the motor I'm getting is practically free! Has it been done and is it worth it?

 

for why???.... check out car-parts.com, you can probebly get a used 3.5 for about $600 freighted to you... dont ever think like that again lol

 

I agree with Grand Hustle...why on earth would you go back to a 3.0?! You can find a nice used or even remanned 3.5 for a decent price...

 

Other than the exhaust manifolds, is there anything???

 

the money u put into making it work is the same price you could spend buying a 3.5... you would put the 3.5 timing in the 3.0, lmao and good luck making the throttle body work.. i think you would need a new gas pedal and cable to make the throttle body work with the 3.5s ecu not to mention the tps vias etc.. not worth it to me (i love my 01 3.0) but i wouldnt downgrade from what i have.

 

3.0 reliability is ftw, but not that ftw

 

Exhaust manifolds are the least of your worries.

External EGR
VIAS control
TBW vs cable
Sensor nightmare (ECU will try and find IVT's, and they're not there)
CAN lines if auto



Used low mileage 3.5 is your best bet, and easiest & most efficient.

 

4.3 eh?

 

THIS

 

 

Well, I called around and found a used parts dealer who has a 83K miles 3.5 installed in my car for $1600. Is that a good deal?

 

Still too much. Did you look on car-part?

 

Yeah, they don't have very many local, and they are all higher mileage. That price is for the motor installed with a 3 month warrenty on parts and labor. Includes tune-up parts too.

 

Installed, it's a fair deal.

$800 is a steal, 1 - 1.2 k is reasonable. Anything else is fair, IMO. Motor included in that price of course.

 

Cool, I guess I'm good since I'm in that range!