Blade_99SE

iTrader: (1)

I guess I'm misunstanding what porting is. I was referring to porting the intake ports to match the enlarged hold on the lower manifold on the heads not the exhaust ports.

Frezny

I was just using the exhaust as an example of small gains mods. I suspect that porting will show only small gains, and not the meatier ones from the intake swap. You're correct in your thinking, and probably know more about it than I do. Hey, it's all about inches and tenths of a second, right? Why not port and polish it?

gibsot

How has the project progressed? What are the sticking points so far and can they be overcome?

MardiGrasMax

iTrader: (14)

FYI, I purchased the 5g intake from Mike in Texas. I'll start working on it soon. I'll document my findings and share them with all of you, just be patient tinker time is short when your married.

Nealoc187

iTrader: (23)

as the owner of a fourth gen, i have been monitoring this thread for some time, however it is readily apparent that the people who post on this thread are more knowledgeable than i am about this stuff. however, i have a connection that may help. i met a guy today at a lapping day at gingerman raceway, and he used to work at a nissan dealership. i dont know what his job was, but thats not important. what IS important is that HE brought up the intake manifold swap, and though he didnt know if it was possible, he offered to buy me ANY nissan parts at cost. he still has a number of friends that work there, and this isnt something i goaded him into agreeing to, he was like "hey man if you want to try it then just let me know and i can get you whatever you need at cost". So, since i am less knowledgeable than you all about this, all i can offer is parts at cost. if someone needs a part, let me know, and i can get it for you, through my new-found friend, at cost.

Dave B

Well, after looking at Russ's 2001 Maxima, the whole setup looks incredibly complicated. The accuator actually sits on the passenger section of the lower intake manifold and the sensors sit on the upper manifold on the drivers side. I don't think we've go the room to clear the hood or firewall with this setup. The throttle body is completely different. There are numerous vacumn lines and sensors spread out all over the manifold. PLus you'll have relocate the cruise control regulaotr which sits on the 4th gen firewall in order to allow the new throttle body to fit. You'll need to fabricate some new bent piping off the MAF because of the location of the TB in relation to the strut housing. Overall, this job is far more complicated than I thought.

Goodluck to those who are trying it. Keep us posted.

MardiGrasMax

iTrader: (14)

The links below are to the engine control diagrams for the 4g & 5g. After looking at this it looks allot less intimadating. I will have to make some custom pieces to mount the 4g TB and EGR pieces to the 5g manifold. And as Dave B said some intake pipe also. As far as clearnace goes I should know by this weekend if I'll have to put a snorkle hood scoop to make the 5g manifold fit!

You will need somthing like ACDSee image viewer to correctly view it and print these images.

5g diagram

4g diagram

gibsot

I need that 15 HP. Don't want that noise, I like to suprise people.

Frezny

Now, that doesn't sound so bad. I've been wondering about the possibility of a hoodscoop on the max

JohnnyTHM4

I've been thinking about this since the 2000 came out, but never considered it because 1)didn't think there would be room 2)didn't have the knowledge or money to tinker properly 3)am lazy 4)needed to watch Melrose place that day and 5)didn't know it was possible to forgo the ecu control with a rev switch. This is actually looking promising. Great work guys.

SleeperSE

- Guys, I am soooo happy that this is working out so far. Best of luck to those who have parts in hand.

- I just wanted to clarify a few things concerning the power gains and various parts:

1. Stillen sells a 4th gen extrude hone plenum for $650 and you only get 10hp.
2. We know, thanks to Don in Texas, that exhaust manifold work does almost nothing.
3. The "cooler" cam in the 5th gen was to smooth out the powerband - no more snap at 3 grand when the cam suddenly wakes up. The new manifold/plenum/TB combined with the cooler cam makes for a nice even flow of power from about 2000-5500 in the 5th gen. With our hotter 4th gen cam and a newer manifold/plenum/TB, we'll be jumpier but more powerful.
4. Obviously, additions like a Y-pipe, CAI, and Cat-back will yield a lot more power. Freer-flowing = hp.


- See ya

Frezny

That's what I like to hear. Now that I think about it, it makes more sence. The Max is still "supposed" to be a "luxary sedan" of sorts. Neither would need that snap in tourque that the engine gives at about 3k. I don't know about you guys, but that my favorite part of the Max, that burst in power right in the middle of the rpms. So, if this intake/plenum works out, I could see the 4th gen getting a more "aggressive" acceleration reaction. I like the sound of this. How's MGM doing on the project?

MardiGrasMax

iTrader: (14)

I didnt get the intake today, so It will be next week before I start.

I'm hoping for 25hp @ the wheels. I have compared dyno's of a 5g with similar mods to my 4g and the gains wont be substantial until 5k. That is the point when the 5g intake opens up. That is also the point where my HP starts to fall off. My peak HP at the wheels was 175 @~5000 rpm, the 5g had ~175 at this point too. But, the 5g peak hp of ~204 was at ~6500rpm. The TQ curve was a bit higher but not too much. Thats a difference of 30 peak HP at the wheels, so I think 25 HP is possible at the wheels. We shall see though...

SleeperSE

- I just updated the few performance minded guys at my dealership today. They absolutely love the idea and are rooting for you all.
- I also just got back from my latest Track Day at Roebling Road. I learned soooo much - mostly due to my awesome instructor. However, I did get a little over-zealous and I spun my car after I had gotten signed off (my sway bar is really far back). The spin was totally my fault and it messed up my rear wheel bearings and broke the seals on two of my tires.
- Check out the gallery pictures at www.chinmotorsports.com. There's a picture of my hood with the "First Rule of Driving" written on it in the dust from my spin. Also, check out the other cars. I got to go for some track rides in a Porsche 911, 944 Turbo, Boxster, Ferrari 512, Lexus IS300, and an Acura NSX. All in all, it rocked and I had a great time.

- Matt :-)

SleeperSE

- I just wanted to check to see if there were any updates. I hope that everything is going well.

MardiGrasMax

iTrader: (14)

Well this project is on hold for me.

I bought a super charger and built motor from Steve in Philly, so a motor swap is my next thing.

I plan on using the manifold in the future, perhaps when I do an intercooler.

The manifold had a small crack in it that I noticed the other day so I need to repair it anyway. Its not a problem I have access to industrial bonding agents that will do the trick.

Sorry to put this on the shelf for a while.

emax02

iTrader: (1)

Any thing new from anyone? Let's get this thing going again!

SithMax

Well, I'd try it, simply because it's so cheap, but the 5th gen intake manifolds are plastic and as such are more prone to problems with heat. (warping, cracking, etc.) The SE 20th anniversary have aluminum ones so I'm going to wait a little bit and see if I can't scrore one from a wreck, but there aren't too many of those around yet so now it's a waiting game.

Paul6speed

I don't think this is correct. The AE Maxima has a plastic intake manifold as well. Also, I have not heard one complaint with warping or cracking.

SithMax

I thought it didn't, but my friend said it did. His mom just leased a 2001 SE and he was hanging around the dealership, figured he might be right. And with the cracking, if you read this whole thread, you'll see that the used one MardiGrasMax got was slightly cracked. But I do agree there haven't been any complaints about the Maxima, there have been bunches of problems with other cars with similar setups. And since I do plan on boosting, I want something strong and durable. Since I'm waiting, I'll also wait to see what Don's new intake setup will do and cost before I commit to any custom projects like this one. Let me finish getting my bolt ons before I get nutty.

Ants97SE

*Bump* Has anyone gotten around to trying this out yet?

AznWontonboy

5th gen wannabes

NZ Max

This is what my engine looks like except its a 2.5 160hp, not a 2.0 138 hp.

A is a plastic cover, B is chamber thing that has trap doors that opens at 5.5k rpm and the car gets more pull then than it does at 5k

If you guys want to know more just ask.

Frezny

Sith, I think MGM's was off of a wrecked car.

Nismo87SE

TTT. This thread has to much info to be buried yet .

Bags

iTrader: (3)

i DO NOT have the time to try this, i would love to though, but i had a nissan trained mech look at this and he talked to engineers at nissan and here is what he told me.

I would need every thing from the top of the block. the mainfolds and the throttle body and ALL wiring and cables. He has a shop outside of atlanta and he told me he wanted to do it, but if he did it it would have to be correct, not jimmy rigged to work. so part of that was a 2000/2001 ECU among other things to control the intake runners. pretty much most of the stuff in this thread he told me , with some other things. this biggest hold up is parts. find me the upper and lower intake manifolds for less than $250 each and i will look at this again. i have found some of the parts at a very expenisve cost. the upper manifold was $450 for example. MARDIGRAS found the parts for $70 , if i can run up on something like that i would enjoy doing this. again i am just putting out info that i found. if you find parts tell me. I REALLY wanna try this.

BAGS

Nismo87SE

It would be easier if we could get the vaccum hose routing diagram for both year model cars. Also the circuit diagram, EFI harness, Outer component parts. This swap should be much harder than swapping intake manifolds from the older 84-89 VG30E to the 89-94 VG30E.

voltman

iTrader: (1)

I like that plastic cover.

Frezny

Running a 2000/2001 ECU on a 4th gen will cause some problems, don't you think. ??? I could be wrong and usually am, but I believe that the RPM timing can be controlled by a simple electrice RPM switch, such as one designed for a tach, without haveing to swap ECU's.

NZ Max

voltman

voltman

iTrader: (1)

Don't you love my worthwhile contributions to this thread?

d_warner

Sorry to raise a thread from the dead, but anything new?

David

BTW, yes I realize the last post was 10/01 nearly a year and a half ago!

turbo97SE

iTrader: (3)

Well, I haven't been on the boards as long as this thread is old, but I am guessing that people found that there is a variable intake (incorrectly termed - MEVI a lot on the org) that was fitted to most 4th gen Maximas (called Cefiros and QX in other countries). This is an easy bolt in. If you do a search on the org for the term MEVI or iansw (an org member), I think you'll find a lot of information. The gains from the "MEVI" are probably the same as for the 5th gen intake. Man! talk about an ancient thread!

If you click on the link vinstall in my sig below, you'll see what it looks like. I have one of these installed on my car as well as many others on the org now.

iansw

iTrader: (7)

Actually, in the Middle East, it's called the "Maxima 3.0 GV"

In Brazil, also, but they don't have MEVI's on them.

Anyhoo - www.cyberhub.net/manifold

Next GD will probably be early March.

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

QX is located in the UK

Anachronism

The MEVI does not raise HP levels anywhere near the levels of the 2k/2k1 Max. The 3.0 5th Gen makes 32 more peak HP then the 4th gen with power shootng up after the VI switchover (5000 RPM), and a little more across most of the power band. The 4th Gen VI prevents power from dropping off after 5500 RPM but only makes a couple more peak HP (less than 10) and actually looses some HP through the midrange. The MEVI doesn't even begin to show an advantage until 5500 RPM. Average HP is nearly the same for both intake manifolds. The MEVI has a slight advantage at the track and on the highway but for normal street driving the regular intake manifold has the advantage. I would rather have everyday power and better acceleration after 100MPH would be of no use to me. With the raised rev limiter of an aftermarket ECU you can get more use out of the higher RPM power. There is no aftermarket ECU available for my car and even if there was I would rather have the low RPM power of the USIM. If someone figures out how to put a 5th gen intake Manifold on the 4th Gen and it shows close to 5th gen power levels at a reasonable cost I will definatly be getting one. But I do not have the time, money, knowlege, or alternate transportation to be a pioneer in this.

Nealoc goes on to say that the MEVI has a slight advantage at the track because you are accelerating in a higher RPM range and avoid the 3-4 shift. He also says that after the 1/4 mile the MEVI Max would seriously pull on the USIM Max. Again I like my car to have streetable power and acceleration after 100 MPH would not be any use to me.

Here are dynos that show 4th gen vs 5th gen and 4th gen vs VI 4th gen courtesy of SteVTEC. Supporting links are below.




http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....hreadid=179644

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....hreadid=169219

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....hreadid=179680

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....hreadid=156548

Stephen Max

iTrader: (59)

The MEVI makes power in the higher rpm range, as you state very well. But you don't have to be going over 100 mph to be running at high rpm.

Anachronism

Right, but the MEVI advantage is only about 1000 RPM long (5500-6500) and the MEVI is just starting to make more power at 5500 RPM, it is another couple hundred RPM before the MEVI makes significantly more power. In first and second gear you would only be in this RPM range for a fraction of a second and third gear would not reach this RPM range until 90+.

Even in second gear the MEVI will not be showing an advantage until 60+MPH (I think).

Max_Gator

On the 5th gen, the variable intake makes several tenths of a difference at the track and a few mph (around .3-.5 and 3-5 mph)

I've run mine both ways in the same session and that's what I've seen.

To get the most out of the 5th gen variable intake, I believe it must be launched around 5k or so. Too many times I've launched at 4k, gotten a better 60 ft and run slower than a 5k launch.

The goal on the 5th gen is to get to upper 3rd as quick as possible.

There is no doubt, though, that the true benefit of the variable intake is not seen until 5500 - 6000k rmps in 3rd and 4th. It just flat pulls in those ranges.

Anachronism

Compare this to the difference of the MEVI vs. USIM, almost no difference in 1/4 mile time (some have seen ~.1 sec improvement) and ~1-2MPH higher trap speed. The identical times yet higher trap speed indicate that the MEVI is showing it's advantage at higher speeds and the USIM at lower speeds. I would rather have the advantage at lower speeds.

The .3-.5 second difference with the 5th gen VI is much more significant.

Max_Gator, when you say the (5th gen) VI does not show its true benefit until 5500 RPM it's a bit decieving. With the VI working the 5th gen is already making ~20 more HP at 5500 RPM , The 4th gen MEVI is just starting to show an advantage at 5500 RPM. The 5th Gen VI begins to show more power imediatly at 5000 RPM. Someody please figure this swap out

Here is Max_Gators dyno showing VI working Vs. VI Not working (hope you don't mind me linking it) - http://web.tampabay.rr.com/maxgator/oldVSrecent.BMP

Don't get me wrong, for some people this mod might be worth it (especially if you can get an ECU upgrade), but for the way I use my Max I would rather have the stock inake manifold even if the MEVI was free