Need help with VQ35 swap
10-03-2012, 11:04 AM
#1
Need help with VQ35 swap
I just purchased 02 Maxima SE 6 speed. The problem is that the previous owner broke the water pump, overheated the engine and as a result the head gasket is blown and one of the connection rods broke. I am going to pull the engine out and swap another one in. My questions are:
1. Where can I find an engine?
2. What engine should I buy?
I have done a good amount of research and it seems like the best thing to do is get 05-06 maxima/altima/quest engine.
I want to buy lower miles engine and avoid the oil burning issues of early vq35s. I am going to daily drive the car, so I am looking for relatively cheap engine that required little modification to go in the maxima. If I need to swap oil pans and intake it will be fine, but I want to keep things simple. Any help and input are appreciated.
1. Where can I find an engine?
2. What engine should I buy?
I have done a good amount of research and it seems like the best thing to do is get 05-06 maxima/altima/quest engine.
I want to buy lower miles engine and avoid the oil burning issues of early vq35s. I am going to daily drive the car, so I am looking for relatively cheap engine that required little modification to go in the maxima. If I need to swap oil pans and intake it will be fine, but I want to keep things simple. Any help and input are appreciated.
10-03-2012, 01:23 PM
#2
get an 04+ vq35 because of the whole piston ring issue. I don't think that you need to swap the oil pans because you are already using 3.5 timing.
Do you suppose you're going to part out the bad engine? The vtc intake cam sprockets are what I wanted to try to use in my build but I just bit the bullet and used my 3.0 ecu. Good lucks!
Do you suppose you're going to part out the bad engine? The vtc intake cam sprockets are what I wanted to try to use in my build but I just bit the bullet and used my 3.0 ecu. Good lucks!
10-04-2012, 10:14 AM
#3
get an 04+ vq35 because of the whole piston ring issue. I don't think that you need to swap the oil pans because you are already using 3.5 timing.
Do you suppose you're going to part out the bad engine? The vtc intake cam sprockets are what I wanted to try to use in my build but I just bit the bullet and used my 3.0 ecu. Good lucks!
Do you suppose you're going to part out the bad engine? The vtc intake cam sprockets are what I wanted to try to use in my build but I just bit the bullet and used my 3.0 ecu. Good lucks!
10-04-2012, 04:20 PM
#6
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You're manual, so yes you will need to change the oil pan if the engine you find was mated to an auto tranny(the exception being 02-03 which used the same oil pan for auto and manual). You can use any VQ from a FWD platform from 02 to 08, but if from an 07-08 Altima I believe you'll need a cam signal inverter (see SurraTT's thread on swapping an 09 Maxima to his 02 in All Motor). I went through what you're doing this Summer. I searched Car-parts.com, EBay, etc etc. I finally concluded that I was best off buying the lowest mileage engine I could find from a local yard that had a decent guarantee, thus avoiding shipping costs (and potentially return costs if the engine was a dud). Also, I was able to visually inspect the engine prior to purchasing. I'd try car-parts.com and see what turns up for you locally.
I ended up with an 06 Altima SER motor with 51K miles for $1100 tax in and delivered that's running like a champ. It was an auto, so I swapped the oil pan from my 02. There are very slight differences from one engine to the next, but nothing major. If I'd been able to find an 07-08 Altima I'd have gone that route as the intake is better, and it's a bit stronger than the other options. FYI, the Quest VQ is rated at 240hp in Nissan's numbers vs 255 to 270 for Maxima/Altima 02 to 08 variations. I can't say if that's just marketing spin, but I chose to go with a higher rated engine. Good hunting!
I ended up with an 06 Altima SER motor with 51K miles for $1100 tax in and delivered that's running like a champ. It was an auto, so I swapped the oil pan from my 02. There are very slight differences from one engine to the next, but nothing major. If I'd been able to find an 07-08 Altima I'd have gone that route as the intake is better, and it's a bit stronger than the other options. FYI, the Quest VQ is rated at 240hp in Nissan's numbers vs 255 to 270 for Maxima/Altima 02 to 08 variations. I can't say if that's just marketing spin, but I chose to go with a higher rated engine. Good hunting!
10-04-2012, 08:03 PM
#7
You're manual, so yes you will need to change the oil pan if the engine you find was mated to an auto tranny(the exception being 02-03 which used the same oil pan for auto and manual). You can use any VQ from a FWD platform from 02 to 08, but if from an 07-08 Altima I believe you'll need a cam signal inverter (see SurraTT's thread on swapping an 09 Maxima to his 02 in All Motor). I went through what you're doing this Summer. I searched Car-parts.com, EBay, etc etc. I finally concluded that I was best off buying the lowest mileage engine I could find from a local yard that had a decent guarantee, thus avoiding shipping costs (and potentially return costs if the engine was a dud). Also, I was able to visually inspect the engine prior to purchasing. I'd try car-parts.com and see what turns up for you locally.
I ended up with an 06 Altima SER motor with 51K miles for $1100 tax in and delivered that's running like a champ. It was an auto, so I swapped the oil pan from my 02. There are very slight differences from one engine to the next, but nothing major. If I'd been able to find an 07-08 Altima I'd have gone that route as the intake is better, and it's a bit stronger than the other options. FYI, the Quest VQ is rated at 240hp in Nissan's numbers vs 255 to 270 for Maxima/Altima 02 to 08 variations. I can't say if that's just marketing spin, but I chose to go with a higher rated engine. Good hunting!
I ended up with an 06 Altima SER motor with 51K miles for $1100 tax in and delivered that's running like a champ. It was an auto, so I swapped the oil pan from my 02. There are very slight differences from one engine to the next, but nothing major. If I'd been able to find an 07-08 Altima I'd have gone that route as the intake is better, and it's a bit stronger than the other options. FYI, the Quest VQ is rated at 240hp in Nissan's numbers vs 255 to 270 for Maxima/Altima 02 to 08 variations. I can't say if that's just marketing spin, but I chose to go with a higher rated engine. Good hunting!
10-12-2012, 09:58 PM
#8
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Sorry, been away on vacation. Swapping the oil pans was not difficult, just a bit tedious in the sense you have to pull 2 pans, then clean the RTV off one and reinstall on your 'new' engine. You're probably right about the tune, but I was lazy and didn't find anything to explain the difference in rated output, didn't see dyno numbers for a swapped Quest motor, and had local access to the SER motor. One thing I did have at the back of my mind however was, 6th gen engines have a known issue with timing chain tensioners, which seem to bite the dust fairly frequently if engine oil has not been changed with reasonable frequency (I'm paraphrasing-my conclusion after reading up on the topic). I wonder whether the family grocery getter (Quest minivan) has a better chance of having seen regular oil changes than an Altima/Maxima.
10-13-2012, 05:25 PM
#9
I am starting to worry about this timing chain issues. I wonder which engine will be best to use in a swap. Maxima/Altima/Quest? I have a place with a lift I can use for the swap. Now I only need to find engine, but still not very certain on what to get
Any other suggestions? I need an engine this week. How bad is the timing chain issue on the 6th gen maxima? Should I try to stay away from those engines and get an altima engine?
Any other suggestions? I need an engine this week. How bad is the timing chain issue on the 6th gen maxima? Should I try to stay away from those engines and get an altima engine?
Last edited by NmexMAX; 12-10-2012 at 02:20 PM.
10-22-2012, 01:15 PM
#10
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Get the most recent and lowest mileage (verifiable mileage) engine you can find locally, and pay as little as possible, then change your oil regularly and be happy...clearer now? 
10-23-2012, 08:47 AM
#13
12-01-2012, 01:11 PM
#17
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 19
How have you made out with this. I just picked up a auto maxima 3.5 motor out of a 2006 with 93000 miles. It looks like there's silicone on the front timing cover so idk if I should even bother with the tensioners or not. Also my 02 motor had timing tensioner problem too so they all have it.
12-08-2012, 10:22 AM
#18
How have you made out with this. I just picked up a auto maxima 3.5 motor out of a 2006 with 93000 miles. It looks like there's silicone on the front timing cover so idk if I should even bother with the tensioners or not. Also my 02 motor had timing tensioner problem too so they all have it.
02-14-2013, 07:29 PM
#19
If you still have the engine out, I would have a mechanic come and replace the main timing chain and all tensioners and guides.. Save yourself a headache in the long run.. I just swaped an 07' 3.5 and when we were replacing them the old tensioners were wearing pretty fast. I payed a guy from Nissan a $100 labor and $120 for parts.
07-16-2013, 12:57 AM
#20
I will keep that in mind. The engine I bought turned out to be a lemon, so I returned it. The car just sits for now with empty engine bay, but I kind of want to get an engine and put her back together.
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