I got alot of PMs of people getting fcked over. This should put a halt to that by the time you read this thread.


You can pick up a motor as cheap as $155.00 with less then 60K. What do I mean? Go to www.car-part.com check that website it will pull about 1000 plus motors. The motors will range from $155-$3000.00. They all come with different mileage. All the litte squares give the info. Dont be a lazy fck and call call call call. You have to speak to the junkyards. Most of them want to get rid of their motor in the yard. Most yards give 90-180 day warranty. Some will sell you two year warranty. Its all about how deep your pockets and how much you doubt the yard. Most of those guys dont want you to call back so once you buy it you should be done because 9 times of 10 the motor is going to be in good condition.


Shipping: Shipping can run you as cheap as $75.00-$200. You should not pay more then $200 to ship a motor unless is coming from Miami to Washinton State. Thats complete cross country. The motor will not get delivered to your house. Do not lie to the yard. Tractor trailers can not come into residetial areas. Motor weighs about 425lbs with flywheel. The motor will have to be shipped to a warehouse with a loading dock or a place that has access to a fork lift. Ask your local shop if they dont mind accepting your engine and possibly tip the owner a couple of dollars.


DO NOT BUY a engine from some d!ck head that tells you he has low compression in the engine hes selling you. If you have no clue how to break that motor into pieces good luck fixing that. Most likely parts will cost you more then the engine. So buy a complete healthy engine from the get go.

 

Does the same apply to buying a transmission, or do you have to actually go and see those?

 

trannies can be bought and shipped to your house via UPS. Shipping for a tranny is usually no more then $85 UPS ground. you call if your picky and get the info you want from the yard.

 

I sure wish I could find that cheap shipping. From GA to CA it is going to run me $350

 

I am looking for my invoice to let you know who the company used to ship my out.

Jaime

 

thanks jay!

 

Good info Jaime

 

now tell me how to get a cheap engine hoist (and I already tried building one )

It also helps that VQ's are becoming a dime a dozen. Spare motors are fun to have around, you can stare at them and even talk to them

 

hell when you break up with your old lady you can talk them alright.

Mr.Gone why build one. Get off that da<m couch go to Harbor freight and get a good one for $150.00. Its an orange one. It is a very very strong one too. More then enough hoist needed to lift a 400lb VQ into a car.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=7620

ooops they went up , but thats how much I got my for, its a 2 ton.

 

you guys also want to know how to use the hoist too right? Ill give you guys part numbers to the thing I use to pull it and lift it. Let me clean my garage first.

 

pep boys sells engine hoists. it might save you on shipping. even if harbor's is cheap their shipping is going to hurt u...unless you have a harbor freight local then you're good. i recommend checking out some local places also when getting a hoist.

 

Bosco said he bought one from pepboys or autozone and it broke so he told myself and baggs to stay away from those. Yes you are right about harbo freight they will stick you w/shipping. I drove up to the store and bought it. Its best to search for a store nearest you.

 

www.car-part.com this site rocks thanks jay25

 

You Da man Jay

Roughyly how much does a max 5spd tranny weigh? would it be somethiong i could lift my self or what?

 

5spd about 90lbs. Auto tranny, that POS is very heavy. I predict about 150lbs if not more. Prices vary from $300 into the 1000s. A tranny costs more then a motor amazing **** but is true. I paid $1050 for my 23k tranny.

 

the auto is about 200 or close to it...my back pain proves it.
if you have a LSD/VLSD it'll be even more.

Jay would you agree the tranny from bone yard is more of a hit or miss?
i mean engines you CAN do a compression test or something..but how can u tell if a tranny is close to it's service life but it still shifts ok? (talking auto here)

 

I dunno, I bought the one from pepboys its identical to the picture you posted its just red. made by Torin "big red" cost 128total here in NJ. Finding it took a while 7/10 shops out of stock.It's worked pretty well so far.

 

same here...i dunno maybe it was just a bad one?
i think mine is an arcan hoist.

 

I think tranny's are more hit and miss, compared to motors. Just have to be smart, shop around and ask lots of questions about the tranny. Make sure too that the yard offers some kind of warranty. Though it may not cover labor, if it is indeed bad, you have the option of returning it and getting some of your money back (though if you had it shipped from a place out of state or something...then your probably screwed).

S

 

harbor freight offers free shipping for items over $50 just to let everone know

 

Depends on how they shipped it. My motor was shipped freight by a company that would do local residental deliveries with a box truck. The guy had a pallet jack and all, and placed the motor right in my garage for me.

 

How much did they charge you for that? and what company did they use?

the company that shipped my engine is www.SAIA.com 425lbs $72.81

 

$80 shipped from New York City to Buffalo. Got it the next day. The motor was $420 and basically the guy I talked to said, "how about $500 shipped?"

Don't remember the freight company...sorry.

 

How long would it take to complete an engine swap? Is it really difficult? I have 240,000 miles on my engine right now so I think it would be a good idea to get a newer engine. But I don't want to spend the $1,000 that my local shop would charge me. I wanna be able to do it myself!

 

3-5 DAYS if you have never swapped one out. One day if your badazzz. I taken one out and put it back in that same night

 

all depends on how good you are and how lucky you get. it took me about 2.5 months to do mine but i had alot of "little" problems that i had to work out. if you have all the parts and everything needed when the new engine arives expect 2-5 days to do the swap

 

good find Jay

The next time someone gets a VQ35 they should have it dynoed before installing to see if it really puts out 255hp and give Nissan and earful.

 

Is it just a matter of disconnecting and unscrewing things, then yankin the old engine out and puttin in the new one? Can I do this with an engine hoist and my basic tool set that I have at home?

 

You going to need more then your basic tool set, you need a 36mm if your doing a 4th gen or a 34mm socket to remove both axles, then you have to figure out a way to remove the drivers side axle w/out damaging it. Thats the fun part then you have to figure out how to remove the passenger side one if the center is rusted. Good luck removing the tranny because its not easy removing a tranny with the right axle still attached to it If its not rusted it will slide right out like a champ! a large 1/2 breaker bar, and other miscelleanous tools to remove bolts etc...

 

There isnt a true write-up for an engine swap somewhere out there is there? Instructions like the pdf file for the supercharger install would be so helpful, not just for me, but for everyone planning on swapping their engine sooner or later and cant shell out the money to pay a shop to do it...

 

Old Dominion and Target Logistics are pretty reasonable freight companies..

If you have a friend with a shop or know someone at a local shop, ask them who they use and if they can help you out.

 

Any org members here that would be willing to help a fellow maxima enthusiast out with an engine swap that lives in the NJ area sometime this summer? I would be willing to pay a fair price. I think the best way is for me to do an engine swap side by side with someone experienced with engine swapping a maxima, so I can then know how to do it right from that point on.

 

God Dizamn!!!

I can't believe so many people have not heard of CP i've been preaching it for years and can't remember how many guys i've directed on this board to it.


And for shipping companies...GOOGLE is your friend...some of you guys need to stop being so lazy.