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I am one step away from becoming the first documented 7th gen swap to have retained all 7th gen accessories. The only item left is AC line set retrofit to the compressor. Below is the new power steering hose. The hose was made in about 15 min while I stood there and picked my hydraulic guy's brain about the AC line set retrofit. This fabrication was necessary in order to clear the low pressure side el above the high pressure side connection in order to reach upwards and connect up top on the strut tower. Total cost for the hose, fittings, and labor, $65.
Old banjo connection alongside new flare connection.
New 2003 AC line set (right) and 2014 line set. My hydraulic hose guy will cut the compressor fittings off of the 2014 line set and fit to the 2003 line set as well as bend/add tubing to the ends of the hoses to accommodate the 60 degree offset for the connections and retain factory orientation. Little stuff, but I'm excited!
Duuuuuude, this is awesome. Seems more expensive than retaining the original accessories, but now you'll have access to cheaper parts should anything go wrong in the future. I assume, given the investment you're making in the car, that it'll be with you for a while. Good work and let us know how it turns out!
Duuuuuude, this is awesome. Seems more expensive than retaining the original accessories, but now you'll have access to cheaper parts should anything go wrong in the future. I assume, given the investment you're making in the car, that it'll be with you for a while. Good work and let us know how it turns out!
The power steering pump came with my motor. I guess it just depends on your luck when you purchase a motor. Aside from the pump, the only thing that is left is the alternator and the compressor. In terms of cost, It will only have been the cost of the ps hose, the compressor and the alternator. I imagine one could retrofit pulleys for the alt and compressor without much cost. It would just take someone to pioneer the process. I chose to purchase a 2014 DC Power 270 amp alternator because I have plans for some devastating bass and stereo equipment in the near future. But a pulley could be pressed on cheap to accept the 2014 belt. Same with the AC compressor, I assume. I would really like to retain the 2014 upper oil pan, but so far my observations prohibit that from being viable as I want to retain 2003 exhaust and need the old oil pan connection points on the old pan. C'est la vie. i don't care about it THAT much I'm sure I'll end up with headers and an exhaust soon anyway. I NEED the 300whp that is attainable with this swap. There is no excuse these days why a late model NA V6 cannot achieve that.
Duuuuuude, this is awesome. Seems more expensive than retaining the original accessories, but now you'll have access to cheaper parts should anything go wrong in the future. I assume, given the investment you're making in the car, that it'll be with you for a while. Good work and let us know how it turns out!
Yeah, as in forever. I'll never let go of this ride.
Don't the 7th gens have power steering pump failures? Seems common from what I see on the FB groups..
If your source for anything is Facebook, you immediately lose any and all credibility you may once have had. On another note, I shot you a PM regarding your projector build services I just noticed on the headlight thread! Awesome!
Well the FB groups are more active than here.. and I believe I’ve seen at least a handful of people in the 7th gen specific group complain of power steering issues in the last year but what do I know 50/50 between pump and high pressure line.
Last edited by ChrisMan287; 12-12-2018 at 08:43 PM.
Well the FB groups are more active than here.. and I believe I’ve seen at least a handful of people in the 7th gen specific group complain of power steering issues in the last year but what do I know 50/50 between pump and high pressure line.
Unfortunately, the fb people can't even change their oil lol. I'm on all Z/G/maxima groups and most of them are blithering idiots.
Does anyone have a Ring Gear Stopper (tool J-50288) they care to part with/rent to me? I'll probably only use it once in my life and don't feel like spending over a hundred dollars just to tighten my crank bot properly. Reply here or PM, we'll work out whatever we need to do.
Looks good. Were modifications required for the A/C compressor bracket?
Regarding the ring gear puller, I'd just improvise, if you don't like that idea, just put it on the to-do list for when the axles are installed.
No bracket necessary. Bolts straight to the 5th gen oil pan. Also, please see below for a question.
I have read through numerous threads regarding knock sensor bypass. I know it isn't rocket science, but there is a huge amount of confusion in older threads regarding this, and the fact that no one knows or uses the correct terminology only adds to it. There is: An engine harness knock sensor connector (pictured below), to that attaches a knock sensor sub harness, to that connects the knock sensor. The engine harness male connector and the sub harness female connector have two leads each. However, only one of the leads within the sub harness runs to the knock sensor. The sensor is grounded to the block. I took apart my old sub harness (I bought a new one to use ith my new OEM knock sensor) and the leads are buried in a black gum like substance and I wasn't really able to discern what was going on underneath (for purposes of visualizing a circuit loop). I see and read the wiring diagram in the FSM but am still confused as to where you guys are placing the resistor.
Long story short, is this where you guys are placing the resistor? Jumper it between the terminals on the male harness connector? Thanks, and forgive me for being so dense about this!
Looks good. Were modifications required for the A/C compressor bracket?
Regarding the ring gear puller, I'd just improvise, if you don't like that idea, just put it on the to-do list for when the axles are installed.
Also, I'm automatic, not 6MT. I need the tool that locks the flex plate so I can torque the crank bolt to whatever ungodly amount of torque it is (88ft lb then 90 degrees or something like that). My new motor came with a flex plate that I can ruin trying to figure out how to accomplish this, I suppose.
Resistor goes pretty much like that. If you are willing it might be better to attach the knock sensor connector and cut the actual sensor off, that way you can solder the resistor to the wires rather than mucking with your connector prongs. But yeah in short you have it correct, you just need to solder/attach it correctly now.
Resistor goes pretty much like that. If you are willing it might be better to attach the knock sensor connector and cut the actual sensor off, that way you can solder the resistor to the wires rather than mucking with your connector prongs. But yeah in short you have it correct, you just need to solder/attach it correctly now.
THANK YOU. Boom. Easy. Done. I'll take your "pretty much like that" as an affirmative.
I mauled the female sub harness connector when I was dissecting it, or rather, accidentally pulled one of the wires out of the terminals inside the connector, so I trashed it. But yeah, my first inclination was to use the old harness connector. I'm not cutting the new $30 dollar sub harness up to make the jumper though, I'l leaving that on standby as I want to run the knock sensor AND the bypass at will. If all that is required is the jumper in the picture above, I can figure out a secure, weather-proof connection (wrap the stupid thing in duct tape or something So thanks again! I'll get working on the jumper.
Aha! I was thinking about taking the manifolds and ebay cats to a guy to have them all ceramic coated black for $250. I don't have any heat shields so I thought that might help manage heat as well as spruce things up a bit in the engine bay.
Aha! I was thinking about taking the manifolds and ebay cats to a guy to have them all ceramic coated black for $250. I don't have any heat shields so I thought that might help manage heat as well as spruce things up a bit in the engine bay.
It's sad to suffocate the new engine. You're a monster.
What in the power robbing, ugly as sin, rusted hell is that hunk of **** you bolted to the engine?
And where's the rest of it? Are you over-complicating this, again?
It's a work in progress. I have postponed first start from Sunday to next Friday. I need my hose guy to make a minor modification to the suction hose flange (see misaligned connector in pics) and that's about it really? The rest is just assembly. I picked up my last box of parts from local Nissan dealer yesterday morning and now it's just a matter of playing adult legos and crossing my finger the ECU boots and key programs correctly. I still have to yank out the fuel pump and replace the fuel filter but I already have the back seat out so that should go quick. I really wish I knew more about the history of my old motor. I am really concerned about using the old oil cooler. I'll remove it today and spend some time in my parts cleaner (kitchen sink) and make sure it's thoroughly cleaned before replacing it.
Got my bus bars for my engine grounds!!! (all 12 of them)
It's a work in progress. I have postponed first start from Sunday to next Friday. I need my hose guy to make a minor modification to the suction hose flange (see misaligned connector in pics) and that's about it really? The rest is just assembly. I picked up my last box of parts from local Nissan dealer yesterday morning and now it's just a matter of playing adult legos and crossing my finger the ECU boots and key programs correctly. I still have to yank out the fuel pump and replace the fuel filter but I already have the back seat out so that should go quick. I really wish I knew more about the history of my old motor. I am really concerned about using the old oil cooler. I'll remove it today and spend some time in my parts cleaner (kitchen sink) and make sure it's thoroughly cleaned before replacing it.
Got my bus bars for my engine grounds!!! (all 12 of them)
All of my fuel filters have been spotless no matter the mileage.
I think you meant to say closer to 50 whp with all stock exhaust. Low end will be robust, no doubt, but she's gonna choke up top.
Last edited by Child_uv_KoRn; 12-23-2018 at 12:13 AM.
All of my fuel filters have been spotless no matter the mileage.
I think you meant to say closer to 50 whp with all stock exhaust. Low end will be robust, no doubt, but she's gonna choke up top.
50whp? That's a bit ambitious. I'll believe it when I see it! I didn't even see what I would guess to be anywhere near 50whp after headers and full Borla exhaust on my 80k mile 2001 Trans Am WS6 back in 2005.
50whp? That's a bit ambitious. I'll believe it when I see it! I didn't even see what I would guess to be anywhere near 50whp after headers and full Borla exhaust on my 80k mile 2001 Trans Am WS6 back in 2005.
I'll compensate for it with the tune.
GM is garbage, don't ya know? I was riding in a ****ing del sol with heavy aftermarket wheels and we easily pulled away from a WS6 LOLZ.
Not just no headers, but the stock exhaust diameter to the chambered muffler will only flow so much (plus intake). The "hr" makes its power from better heads. If the old DE is choked up top around 250 whp with stock exahust, then I wouldn't expect much better.
We're all running headers, test pipe, 3" catback, 3.5/4" intake, LW flywheel/crank pulley. A full bolt on DE with great tuning can make 275ish whp, but the curve is peaky. The "hr" will have a flat band way up top.
Darrens baseline with headers/3" catback was 271 whp when he added fuel on stock ECU. It's not hard to imagine that staying stock (even with gutted cats) and reflash isn't gonna do much.
Last edited by Child_uv_KoRn; 12-23-2018 at 04:10 AM.
It will be interesting to see the numbers pre and post dyno tune. I plan on driving to NC and having Darren tune. I'll be giving him a call in the next few weeks to see what he prefers in terms of hardware so that I know what to bring to him. I'll be leaving it stock for this tune. We will see in the coming months what plans, if any, develop in terms of performance modifications. A standalone bolt-on (exhaust only) will yield negligible gains. Notable increases are found with complementary performance mods. You know the VQ world better than I ever will, but the principles remain universal.
I loved my TA! Miss it dearly. And when do you sleep???
It will be interesting to see the numbers pre and post dyno tune. I plan on driving to NC and having Darren tune. I'll be giving him a call in the next few weeks to see what he prefers in terms of hardware so that I know what to bring to him. I'll be leaving it stock for this tune. We will see in the coming months what plans, if any, develop in terms of performance modifications. A standalone bolt-on (exhaust only) will yield negligible gains. Notable increases are found with complementary performance mods. You know the VQ world better than I ever will, but the principles remain universal.
I loved my TA! Miss it dearly. And when do you sleep???
I hear ya. I'm lucky to get 4 and happy if I get 5hrs sleep a day. Got tonight off though. Working on the motor now. Look at all this **** I have to try and scrape off! I can't believe you talked me into replacing this rear main seal! Anyway, quick break. Back to work with my scraper
Ironically the front and rear main seals are like one of the few things you 100% should replace when you have the motor out and open, and here you are needing convincing for them while you do every other extra thing under the sun no prob. In all seriousness get this damn swap over with!! You started around the same time i did my swap, i need you to finish yours to feel whole!
Ironically the front and rear main seals are like one of the few things you 100% should replace when you have the motor out and open, and here you are needing convincing for them while you do every other extra thing under the sun no prob. In all seriousness get this damn swap over with!! You started around the same time i did my swap, i need you to finish yours to feel whole!
It is finished. Including front and rear main seals Just gotta hook up oil cooler hose, mount trans cooler, put manifolds and cats together and drop it in. I've been working on this since 5pm eastern time. It's 3am. Almost there!
So 3 of 4 bolt holes line up for the 7th Gen A/c Compressor? I believe this is the proper way to swap these 7th Gen motor with 7th Gen accessories.....That alternator is higher output due to it's smaller drive pulley!
So 3 of 4 bolt holes line up for the 7th Gen A/c Compressor? I believe this is the proper way to swap these 7th Gen motor with 7th Gen accessories.....That alternator is higher output due to it's smaller drive pulley!
Yes, only three of the four mounting points for the AC compressor are being used. The two front, and the top rear are all I am using. 5th gen hardware fits the 7th gen compressor. It's triangulated, so I'm not worried about the absence of the lower rear mounting location. I would have corrected this by having my welder TIG a flange to the compressor body at the lower rear mounting location and drilling out a bolt hole but I simply have not had the time. Perhaps in the future. As far as the alternator output, I'm not sure what you mean? My alternator was born with a 270 amp output.
Also, this retrofit was relatively easy once I had the time to actually execute it. Only three primary modifications are needed:
1) High pressure power steering hose: Have a hydraulic hose shop sell you a flare fitting for the pump, and convert the lower end of the hose to flare with a 90 degree elbow to clear the 7th gen return line coming out of the pump.
2) The 7th gen compressor will accept 5th gen line set and fittings, however they need to be bent accordingly to route upwards as close to 5th gen line routing as possible, and the flanges need to be rotated (using heat and aluminum solder). I did this by eye and a guess with my hydraulic hose guy. I took both old and new compressors to him, along with the line set, eyeballed approximately where the lines needed to be and he modified my line set for $34 dollars. I believe he used a 7th gen high pressure fitting for the 5th gen hose but I don't remember (I bought brand new 5th and 7th gen line sets for him to work with).
3) The 7th gen AC compressor is a two lead compressor vs our 5th gen single lead. 7th gen compressor must be grounded to the chassis. I modified my AC/Alternator sub harness by splicing in the new plug that came with my alternator, and cutting off and splicing the old AC compressor harness connector to the new compressor.
If you have swap experience, or are experienced enough to even consider a job this involved, the rest of the hurtles you'll encounter (oil cooler line routing, and other little stuff) are trivial.
That said, I have three main concerns about the quality of my assembly:
1) I hope to GOD the left oil gallery O-ring didn't fall when I was installing the front timing cover. I didn't see or percieve anything fall as I was installing the cover but I don't vividly recall a visual confirmation of placement immediately after the cover was mated, and the left O-ring did fall out earlier in the day after being bumped and I had to put it back in the hole. I don't know why I didn't think of using assembly or lithium grease on this part. I will in the future! I did blow some compressed air into the outer cover port and look through the IVT cover hole before it was installed and didn't see any oil streak out at the point to front cover mates to the rear cover where the O-ring seals and it felt like there was good pressure build up but I don't know. I have lost sleep over this one. I don't want to pull that front cover again.
2) Upper oil pan O-rings, I hope to GOD these were still in place when I installed the upper oil pan! I got smart this time and used assembly grease to hold these in place. They are a bit oversized and you do have to work them in. I did the upper oil pan installation with the engine rotated 90 degrees rather than upside-down as I couldn't rotate the engine 180 degrees on the engine stand because of coolant log clearance issues and I wasn't disassembling any of that.
3) I had just RTV'd the upper oil pan and had it semi set in place on the block aligned with the dowel pins before I noticed that my 12mm socket and ratchet was about 10 inches out of my reach, so as I reached to grab my ratchet and slightly let off the upper oil pan for a split second, the RTV which had already made contact with the block separated approximately 10mm or so, enough to pull apart the wet gasket bead! I was so pissed! I mated the pan to the block and carried on. I am contemplating pulling the front timing cover back off to check gallery O-rings as well as pulling the upper oil pan back off and starting over with a proper bead of RTV.
Yes, only three of the four mounting points for the AC compressor are being used. The two front, and the top rear are all I am using. 5th gen hardware fits the 7th gen compressor. It's triangulated, so I'm not worried about the absence of the lower rear mounting location. I would have corrected this by having my welder TIG a flange to the compressor body at the lower rear mounting location and drilling out a bolt hole but I simply have not had the time. Perhaps in the future. As far as the alternator output, I'm not sure what you mean? My alternator was born with a 270 amp output.
Also, this retrofit was relatively easy once I had the time to actually execute it. Only three primary modifications are needed:
1) High pressure power steering hose: Have a hydraulic hose shop sell you a flare fitting for the pump, and convert the lower end of the hose to flare with a 90 degree elbow to clear the 7th gen return line coming out of the pump.
2) The 7th gen compressor will accept 5th gen line set and fittings, however they need to be bent accordingly to route upwards as close to 5th gen line routing as possible, and the flanges need to be rotated (using heat and aluminum solder). I did this by eye and a guess with my hydraulic hose guy. I took both old and new compressors to him, along with the line set, eyeballed approximately where the lines needed to be and he modified my line set for $34 dollars. I believe he used a 7th gen high pressure fitting for the 5th gen hose but I don't remember (I bought brand new 5th and 7th gen line sets for him to work with).
3) The 7th gen AC compressor is a two lead compressor vs our 5th gen single lead. 7th gen compressor must be grounded to the chassis. I modified my AC/Alternator sub harness by splicing in the new plug that came with my alternator, and cutting off and splicing the old AC compressor harness connector to the new compressor.
If you have swap experience, or are experienced enough to even consider a job this involved, the rest of the hurtles you'll encounter (oil cooler line routing, and other little stuff) are trivial.
That said, I have three main concerns about the quality of my assembly:
1) I hope to GOD the left oil gallery O-ring didn't fall when I was installing the front timing cover. I didn't see or percieve anything fall as I was installing the cover but I don't vividly recall a visual confirmation of placement immediately after the cover was mated, and the left O-ring did fall out earlier in the day after being bumped and I had to put it back in the hole. I don't know why I didn't think of using assembly or lithium grease on this part. I will in the future! I did blow some compressed air into the outer cover port and look through the IVT cover hole before it was installed and didn't see any oil streak out at the point to front cover mates to the rear cover where the O-ring seals and it felt like there was good pressure build up but I don't know. I have lost sleep over this one. I don't want to pull that front cover again.
2) Upper oil pan O-rings, I hope to GOD these were still in place when I installed the upper oil pan! I got smart this time and used assembly grease to hold these in place. They are a bit oversized and you do have to work them in. I did the upper oil pan installation with the engine rotated 90 degrees rather than upside-down as I couldn't rotate the engine 180 degrees on the engine stand because of coolant log clearance issues and I wasn't disassembling any of that.
3) I had just RTV'd the upper oil pan and had it semi set in place on the block aligned with the dowel pins before I noticed that my 12mm socket and ratchet was about 10 inches out of my reach, so as I reached to grab my ratchet and slightly let off the upper oil pan for a split second, the RTV which had already made contact with the block separated approximately 10mm or so, enough to pull apart the wet gasket bead! I was so pissed! I mated the pan to the block and carried on. I am contemplating pulling the front timing cover back off to check gallery O-rings as well as pulling the upper oil pan back off and starting over with a proper bead of RTV.
Or maybe I am crazy, and I worry too much...
Lessons learned.
You need OCD medication or you'll end up in the looney bin.
12-10-2018, 02:31 PM
I'm sure I'll end up with headers and an exhaust soon anyway. I NEED the 300whp that is attainable with this swap. There is no excuse these days why a late model NA V6 cannot achieve that.
50/50 between pump and high pressure line. 
