...sigh. Here's the deal, my oil low light came on last night. i decided to take it to change the oil today. started the car this morning and noticed a wierd sound from the engine, like u could hear the rockers from waaaay low oil. i went right down the street to grab some oil and throw it in. (the oil light had just come on last night, so im thinking wtf) I get 20 feet from the station and ~poof~ car dies..... wont start, wont turn, nuthin.... Have it towed to the Stealership where my boy works and yup, guess a rod got f*kd and tore the engine up.. im so pissed right now i cant see straight. my question is this: Where can i get a new engine cheaper than what they quoted. they quoted $1200 for an engine with 80k on it. that sounds waaaaaay too much man. and to think my engine only had 60k on it >< Anyway i know there might be stuff in the sticky's but sob im too pissed off to look atm. any fast info would be great. Thank you very much -Steve '99 Maxima R.I.P


p.s. They quoted me $1500 for the labor to put the new engine in. now i dont know it may sound either high or decent to alot of you but i have no choice.. i live in joe bob billy BFE arkansas. the only place i can take my nissan maxima with even a hint of trust is the Stealership. If i had a Ford or sumthin it would be different but i have no choice... Again, ty everyone for any input u may have

 

I'm wondering if your engine isn't toast - but that's just me - I don't trust mehcanics.

You can get an engine $350-800 depending on how low of milage you want at www.car-part.com

Hell - I just looked for you:

1997 Engine Nissan Maxima(VQ30DE, VIN "C", 4th digit)--U65KF424P
$550

Arkansas Foreign Car Parts
USA-AR(North-Little Rock) Request_Quote
1-800-445-6730 Request_Insurance_Quote


J and J Auto Parts USA-AR(North-Little Rock) E-mail 1-800-433-6196

Although you have a 99 - and I remember there were differences in the 99.5 Model year engine sensors and such....maybe someone else can answer that for you.

 

Thx, ill call and look into it. god i wanna cry.. lol

 

I believe 1995-1999 Engines are all the same - but there may be some differences on the 1999.5 model year IIRC.

I'm hoping someone else knows the answer to that.
I'm pretty sure all the differences are EVAP and Sensors and not actually Engine Block.

There's TONS more Engines on www.car-part.com - I just picked a location near you. You can get better rpices than that if you want to ship it.

 

$1200 for an engine with that many miles is ridiculous either way.
Labor isn't too shabby - but I still think it's a little off.

Order a new engine and have some buddies come over for beer and snacks and do it yourself with a Factory Service manual and a Chiltons.

 

Maybe we should ship Sarin over there.

 

I don't loan my Tools out to strangers.....

Besides, he's actually flying down to Bend OR tomorrow to help Eric with his motor swap!

 

No shat?! wow..

 

Yep - the man's a machine.

 

You would think he would work on his own pos first. hehe

 

whats years are compatible with my '99? 97+? Mine is a '99 nissan maxima SE. Sry for the questions but u guys (and girls) are like my Maxima Now-how family. Ive been calling around and so far i have found a '98 engine with 35k on it for $700 +$650 for install.

 

Sounds much better. Any idea on what caused the damage? Were you leaking massive amounts of oil for a long time?

 

wow thats a horrible story, i wish you the best with finding another motor.
were you driving on little to no oil for a little while, then you noticed the oil light on? or it just kind of turned on then you noticed that you had low oil?

 

Get one from a 2000 or 99.5 if you have a SE-l, less of a chance to have some emission related problems.

 

not that it matters now but did you actually check the oil once the light came on? and if it wasnt even showin up on the dipstick i would of just turned the car right off or not even started it until you put oil in it

im not tryin to call you dumb or anything im just curious into knowing more of the story

 

Just as a reference for anyone else if your oil pressure light comes on STOP YOUR CAR

 

how about this when you oil presure light comes on it has nothing to do with how much oil is in the car it has to do with the oil pressure in the car which is dangerous low.. it could mean that the engine needs rebuilding.

 

This is true. It might also mean that some o-rings in the block need replacing.

 

I would go with an 00 also....

 

If this is your daily driver and you need the engine to be fixed quickly and be reliable, then let the dealer (or another trusted mechanic) install a same-model-year junkyard engine. Source the engine yourself if you want to - borrow a pickup and drive to your local junkyard etc but consider the implications on any warranty they may offer...

Don't mess with an engine that is not an EXACT fit as it would cause you MANY problems.

Ie, two engine swaps that I did: '95 Ford Taurus, identical model year engine, swap took about 6 hours with two friends helping. '97 Rav4, wiring harness was not identical and caused electrical gremlins. The engine swap took about 15 hours (alone, and the engine had to come out the bottom!) and I spent another 10 hours chasing up electrical issues and modifying the new harness.

$1500 is a lot of money for the labor. That assumes about 20-22 hours of labor I guess? Is that a fixed price or would they charge you less if it only took them 8?

Also consider going to a different mechanic. I wonder how many engine swaps the dealer does? When I needed to have the rear main seal on my Taurus fixed within 24 hours (failed the day before I moved house!) I took it to AAMCO because I knew they could pull a transmission in no time at all. labor was like $300.

First time I pulled a maxima tranny it took me 5 hours. Last time I did it it took me 1.5 hours. If you can find a machanic or shop that has more experience in pulling engines then the labor should be lower - partly through cheaper labort rate, and partly because it won't take them as long.

 

That is the oil pressure light, not the oil level light. Once you lost oil pressure, your engine was probably doomed within a few seconds. Maybe not within a day, but when oil pressure is too low, you are just grinding your motor to bits.

 

ya i didnt relize that when that light comes on it means your car is DANGEROUSLY low on oil. i checked the oil and it was halfway between the low line and the end of the stick. my parts place to get oil is like 200yards down the street so i thought it wasnt that bad. i thought that light didnt mean what it actually did. i thought it ment the oil was just low enough to a point where u need to get it changed or put more in real "soon" ~Wrong light;; >< ...sigh i guess u live and u learn. sometimes u gotta learn about things the hard way. garentee u this tho, ill be checkin that sht every morning before going to work for the rest of my natual life lol -Steve

~still on the max engine hunt~


btw thx for the good questions to ask when i go to the dealer Scruit. And what emissions problems could i run into with a different yr model engine Dave?

 

What is a '99.5 model year IIRC? will that affect anything with an engine swap if i just replace the block which is rly all im going to have to do?

 

horible story...1200 is way way to much for that motor, im puting one in mine next week with 17k miles on it, granted i get it cheaper cuz i work there but even the list price is 700 on it and they have like 5 other ones on the shelf with around 50k between 300-500 bucks...
check them out if your still lookin toms4n.com they've got them on ebay too for like 300 bucks and their warrantied

good luck man

--Dan

 

I'd check www.car-part.com you'll find some good engines with low miles for a good price.

Dont worry this is a good chance to get a nice low milage engine in there.




On a side note, not sure of your Mods but if you have them do it or who ever you have do it, this would be a good time to get a y-pipe, cause they'll have to put the stock one back on, so you hand them the new pipe and tell them to put that back on instead of the stock, they cant charge labor cause they have to put it back on anyway. just a side note, but all your money may be going to the new engine.

 

Why would a 99 with 60k have that problem? Beats me. I dunno if Arkansas is different but dealers don't install used motors as a general rule. They could never warrant something like that cost effectively, as the majority of used motors have are in an unknown condition, and there's no way to verify that condition because there is no fuel or cooling system hooked up to them in the dismantler. It's not even the 2nd tier of the automotive food chain that does that, it's more like the bottom.

Again, it's beyond me why a 99 could have problems with a connecting rod. There is simply no reason whatsoever that a Maxima could be low on oil. What I am saying is that even if a person went 10,000 miles between an oil change, there's no reason that it would be below the "low" level, period. If that motor was 60k, it should be replaced under warranty.

 

The 99.5 has some differences from the other year Maximas.

I'm 99% sure it's just emmissions and manifold related. The Engine block itself is the same from 1995-2001. But I'm not 100% - so I suggest you speak to anyone else on this board who's done an engine swap on a 99.

Also, I know the changes went into effect after June, 1999. Check the sticker on your door - if it was manufactured before June 1999 - then there shouldn't be any question a 1995-1999 Engine will fit fine.

IIRC means: If I Recall Correctly.

 

A Toyota dealer in Cleveland quoted my friend $3500 to put a junkyard engine in her 97 RAV4, warranted for 30 days. Some dealers will do it.

Of course as soon as they gave her that quote a guy from sales started talking to her about het buying a new car... I wonder if the stupidly high quote was put together by Service, or Sales...?

I got a junkyard engine (found it on car-part.com, went and picked it up) for $650 and spent about 20-30 hours doing the swap. Her car drives 100% now.

 

Just another question. The above said to put a y-pipe in while i get the engine changed, (I have pretty much all the bolt on's u can do: Y-pipe,full exhaust, intake etc..) and that got me thinking. What about new engine mounts? Is there a better mount i should get than stock and install them while im getting this motor installed? btw how would my 99 motor still be warrentied??

 

Seriously if my oil light ever comes on I'm pulling over and shutting the engine off immeadiatly, and not starting it again until I know exactly what's going on.

Sorry to hear that Seximus, good luck finding a new motor. They're definetly trying to rip you off...are they offering you any kind of warranty on their work? On the replacement motor? How many miles are on your existing engine?

 

Had like 65k on my existing motor. replacement motor warranty is about 90 days eveywhere i call and ask. Dont know about warranty on the work.

 

dam only 65? it was still a baby man. sheit that sux bro

 

I've always wondered what happens to the odometer and title of a car when you swap the engine. Should the odometer read the new engines mileage? Also is the title of the car still valid, since now the engine has a different VIN than the rest of the car?