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Hello everyone this is my first post here on the forum although I’ve been lurking and taking tips here and there from people and would like to share some things and also learn some things I have a 2000 Nissan maxima vq30de automatic I got for 800$ and it had some issues
(idle air control and a leak in the hose next to the iac unit which was a coolant hose. the motor mount was barley on so when I drove the whole motor would shift and move and cause the transmission to slip so I bolted the mount and that stopped the slippage but it was still shifting funny and the transmission vent was plugged so I bought an aftermarket transmission cooler and that made it shift way smoother and my tranny stopped seeping oil)
Now I wanna manage the car and do some things like mabye learn how to tune with it and find some aftermarket headers to mabye throw on or put bigger injectors or try the apexi safc2 on it but I need to know if its worth it for an automatic for one and 2 I need good new sources and links the car is completely stock so if you have any ideas of any upgrade I should do first let me know I’m also on a budget Vq30de
You already have the best intake manifold for this engine, not much left to do except headers, catback, intake manifold spacers and a few other minor mods like a true cold air intake. You're going to be spending a good chunk of change chasing down 30 extra hp.
More fuel (ie bigger injectors) does not equate to more power. You need more air and a proper tune to go along with bigger injectors. Without forced induction, it's really challenging to get the "more air" part of the equation.
You already have the best intake manifold for this engine, not much left to do except headers, catback, intake manifold spacers and a few other minor mods like a true cold air intake. You're going to be spending a good chunk of change chasing down 30 extra hp.
More fuel (ie bigger injectors) does not equate to more power. You need more air and a proper tune to go along with bigger injectors. Without forced induction, it's really challenging to get the "more air" part of the equation.
any recommendations for the intake and the headers, also my buddy was wondering if it would be worth it to manual swap with a 5spd or a 6spd
any recommendations for the intake and the headers, also my buddy was wondering if it would be worth it to manual swap with a 5spd or a 6spd
As someone who just did the 5spd swap on my 97, The swap is fairly straight forward. Getting the automatic stuff out and cutting the hole for the master and clutch was the hardest part.
These cars are so much fun with a manual transmission. I am not great at shifting my own gears yet but its been a great time and fun to tackle with my brother.
If I recall the 6spd swap does take a bit more work, but there are much more experienced people here that can confirm this. The forum is a great to learn.
not bad for $800. I'm sure going with a manual tranny will be a lot more fun. I drove a friends auto Infiniti I35 and the automatic sucks , 95-03 uses the same auto from what I remember. it felt way slower than when my 3.5 6 speed was stock.
Honestly, your best bet is going to be finding a 6-speed car. The stock 3.5 has more power than a modded 3.0 and the tranny is already there. The 3.0 with the stock 5-speed is a nice car too.
If you're dead set on a 6-speed swap find a unit from a 6th gen car and get one with HLSD. The 04+ fixes the weak 3rd gear syncro in the earlier units and the HLSD option is WAY better to drive. HLSD really turns it into a different car. Swapping my open diff 6MT for an HLSD 6MT was the biggest improvement of all my mods.
Be prepared to spend some money. You're going to need the tranny, axles, flywheel, clutch, pedal assembly, cables, cable bracket, shifter, master, slave, hydraulic line, starter, TOB, bolts for the clutch and flywheel, mounts and bushings. I'm sure there's more. This is just off the top of my head. The ECU may or may not need some work as well. Not sure if that applies to the 3.0 cars.
If you're looking for performance you're going to want to ditch the 30 pound stock flywheel for a 15 pound replacement. You'll actually have to do some research to get the proper flywheel. If the pickup for the crank sensor is in the wrong spot it won't run.
Given how rare these cars are becoming you're probably going to be sourcing parts from all over the US.
Some of these parts will be tough to find since they're not typically pulled by salvage yards before crushing.
Not saying it can't be done. Just that it adds up really quickly. I would start by building a complete parts list. Put a source and a price (with shipping) on each part before you commit to anything.
Last edited by Derrick2k2SE; Dec 11, 2023 at 08:11 AM.
