Sup guys. Brief backround on my current situation: The motor on my 120k mile 2002 maxima lost compression in cylinder 6. Pretty damn lame considering how "new" that motor is, but it is what it is - no sense in dwelling upon it. The car itself is in pretty good shape, it has no rust whatsoever which is a godsend here in NY, and I already have a fair amount of parts invested into it (cattman headers, coilovers, ES bushings) as well as BNIB stage 1 exedy clutch, a LW fidanza flywheel, HLSD transmission, and a 3inch catback waiting to be installed. I could just sell all of this off but I've come to realize that maxima's really just tick all the boxes for me. They are affordable, look presentable, are fairly easy to work on, and most of all, they are god damn sleepers. Not to mention the excellent support community we have here on the org. So all that being said, onto business: Im going to be bringing this dead car back to life by doing the 5.7 swap.

Ive never pulled a motor before, let alone swapped in one that needs modification. This will be hands down the absolute hardest mechanical task I have ever undertaken, and hopefully the last time I have to deal with lol. Ive been doing lots of reading on this topic, as there certainly is plenty of information out there - however Ive noticed that either my searching skills are rusty, or that there is a lot of little gaps in the information available. Id like to make this thread into one that combines everything that is already out there, as well as my own experiences into the swap. Again this is coming from someone with no backround in pulling an engine or anything of the sort - Id like to make it even easier for the people after me. I wont promise Ill have pictures of every little detail, because i hate handling my phone with greasy hands, but I will try my best to document everything Im doing and explain it in laymans terms while also providing the info from the experts before me that Ill be using myself .

Some of the resources that I have come across thus far; if you are aware of a thread/website/resource im missing, *PLEASE* let me know so i can read it and add it to this list:
http://www.nisformance.com/Articles.asp?ID=252
^^ The main/official article on how to to the swap

https://maxima.org/forums/all-motor/...to-2002-a.html
^^ member Child Uv Korn's swap thread, lots of useful pics

https://maxima.org/forums/5th-genera...03-maxima.html
^^ member G.man06's swap thread, also has some good pics

https://www.nissanclub.com/forums/me...maxima-vq.html
^^ swap thread by SuraTT (the "OG" of 5.7 swaps), not really any pics but good basic info. Overlaps with info on his website which is the first link

https://maxima.org/forums/new-member...ml#post9147223
https://maxima.org/forums/5th-genera...-gen-swap.html
^^ Swap threads by member Freezer, tons of nice pictures here as well

https://maxima.org/forums/5th-genera...-retrofit.html
^^ swap thread by member User1; ton of useful info regarding using 7th gen components as well as a ton of misc info on the swap itself. Perhaps the most detail orientated (read: anal) swapper ive personally seen so defintely a good read!


/thekidlyric




^^ Found this guys videos the other day of his swap which he is actually doing right now, its for a 6th gen maxima but still more or less same concepts. Covers same stuff as the swap threads/writeups but having it in video form is extremely helpful. As of this post, he has about 4 relevant videos up. Not sure if hes a member here but Im going to reach out to him to see if he can drop some commentary on the forums for us.




Im sure theres more. I see SuraTT's original thread being referenced everywhere but unfortunately it no longer exists and hasnt for quite some time now so dont bother trying to find it. Again, if you know of something that isnt listed here please share - the more information we can compile in one spot, the easier it will be for everyone in the future taking on the swap. MUCH THANKS TO EVERYONE who has given back!

This will all be going down within the next few weeks. As of this post, I am waiting for equipment (ie; engine stand, hoist, etc) to arrive in the mail. Once that comes Ill be picking up an HR motor and getting straight to work. Wish me luck!!

Updated the OP with some vids i stumbled across. As for my swap, its pretty much on hold for the next few weeks - i made the mistake of buying an engine hoist from harbor freight online and they neglected to mention (at least not until i spent an hour on hold with their CS department today) the fact that it will take 10-20 business days for it to ship... and im only on day 4. Apparently it must be coming fresh off the boat from china this time. Cant find any stores that has them in stock either, even craigslist is bone dry aside from some sketchy rusted out hoists that have been sitting in some dudes backyard for the last decade.

So yeah. No car for another month, fun times.

So i picked up a motor yesterday, got it on the engine stand in my shed but havent done anything really since ive been busy with school and work. Anyways, i was curious if anyone is familiar with the 7th gen VIAS system? Im aware it utilizes two solenoids, however from what i understand the way to go is to simply use one solenoid and use it to run both valves.

My question though - does this motor use two power rods inside the intake manifold, which is why it has 2 VIAS’? If thats the case, do they open at seperate RPMs rather than at the same time? I was thinking back to my 00vi days... what if i was to operate one with the ECU/aka the normal way, and the other use an apexi neo (vafc2) to operate as the rpm switch for the second solenoid? That way both power rods can be operated at different points in the rpm range to better simulate how it is with the stock 7th gen system. Again thats only if the manifold has a power rod for each VIAS, and if someone worked out what RPMs they are meant to open (nothing i found in my forum searches). Idk, it seems like a working solution to me. Thoughts on this? In the end ill probably just T off the connection like everyone else because im lazy and certainly have more pressing matters on my plate but then again maybe im on to something.

Hope everythings working out for you other dudes also working through a swap right now, ill be updating with my progress over the next week.

ITS ALIIIIIIVE!!!!! :lolrun:

The moment of truth finally came this evening. Turned the key, it cranked annnnd... nothing. I forgot to plug the throttle body in, derp. Cranked her again and she roared to life!!! She sounds beautiful! So psyched right now. I still need to tidy some stuff up with the car so i didnt get to take her out yet but who cares. ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL 5.7 SWAP! Took me waaaay too long but its finally done. Thats it for now, going to finish burping all my fluids tomorrow and get the hood back on and then take this thing on her maiden voyage. More updates coming tomorrow!

Some more news.
-I figured out the problem with why my ABS is going nuts - the wire for one of the wheel sensors has a small fray in it. Have replacements for both from wheels on the way.

-i was not able to figure out why my turn signals did not work. However in the midst of dlcking aorund with some other stuff i accidently hit the turn signal, and somehow, it magically began working again. No idea... but it works now, and as long as it keeps working i really dont care lol.

-did a little more light driving. Still getting used to the new clutch and flywheel, its very bitey, in the sense that the room for riding the clutch is extremely small. Its either on or off, quite nice.

-As for shifting, i have not been able to reproduce the issues i had initially where it wouldnt go into gear at all. Still hoping to hear some feedback as to whether or not thats normal for a fresh trans swap, but as the problem seems to no longer exist, im not that concerned.

-still getting p0345 (bank 2 cam sensor). I swapped out the sensor and still have the same problem. It is wired correctly (red >>12v, black>>ground, orange>>signal) but still not working. Going to remove the heatshrink when i have time off and maybe redo the soldering just in case although im 99.99% certain its ok.

I DID notice, however, that the inverter has a tiny bulge in it, about as round as a pea and maybe a height of 2-3mm. Maybe my inverter has failed somehow? I couldnt look at my other inverter (which works just fine) because it was getting dark and starting to rain and because my intake was in the way. Anyone able to tell if that little bulge could be the source of my p0345 woes?

thats about it for now. No vid yet (sorry user1!) because its still driving ultra gimpy without a knock sensor. Resistors are arriving tomorrow although idk if ill be able to solder it in until monday due to my work schedule.

Also i almost forgot lol, i paid $1000 even for the motor, which was missing the throttle body but did come with a complete engine harness. No accessories though. Found it on carpart, some junker in the city had it. The catch to this sweet deal was that the exterior of the motor looks a little beatup, because it was exposed to the weather. I was also extremely skeptical about it being too good to be true because the donor car was apparently in a front end collision and had some form of flood damage iirc. I was able to examine the car though and the damage was fairly mild. Aside from the dirty exterior, the motor is *pristine*. Just absolutely spotless inside, i literally couldve eaten off of the inside if i wasnt worried about getting crumbs in it. Overall i made out very well on it, in my opinion.

I wonder if +- were reversed on the leads and it fried as soon as he turned it on.

Are the wire colors in the same order as the other inverter?

Just wanna give an update on this swap. 1k miles later, no problems, no codes, just passed NYS inspection 2 days ago. The car is driving beautifully, im extremely satisfied with the results. The problem i had with one of the cam sensor inverters went away when i swapped the inverters from both banks with one another, i suspect i must have wired one wrong the first time. No issues now though!! If you need to swap a new motor into your maxima, HR swap is certainly an excellent option.

Also im adding user1’s epic saga of a swap thread to the OP, considering the wealth of info regarding keeping 7th gen components he has given us there. Hopefully he finishes the damn thing before 2020 :wall: