1st & 2nd Generation Maxima (1981-1984 and 1985-1988)Learn more and share information about the 1st and 2nd Generation Maximas.
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I just bought a used motor from a wrecked '88 to put in my 1987 Max. I removed it from the car myself, so I was able to hear it run first, and it seems to run good. It was a six hour drive from where I live, and was getting dark, so in my haste to finish up I forgot to look at the data plate in the drivers door jamb to get the build date of the car. I think it would be good to have this info for future reference since I know there are two different gasket sets depending on the build date. I think the cutoff is around 4/87. The VIN from the vehicle is JN1HU11P6JX222854. Does anyone have an 88 with a VIN near this one who could tell me their build date, so I can hopefully figure out when this one was built? I've contacted the seller several times asking for the build date, but he hasn't come through yet.
Also, what is the difference between the pre and post 4/87 built engines? Externally my new one and the old one look the same. I'm pretty sure the head gasket sets are different depending on the date. Is there any way to tell by looking at something on the engine to know which one I have?
JN1 - That means that it is a passenger vehicle made by Nissan in Japan.
H - That means that it is a VG30E engine.
U11 - Code that means it's a Maxima.
P - Automatic seatbelts.
6 - That's a check digit to determine if it's a valid VIN, differs depending on the VIN.
J - That's what signifies that your car is an '88.
X - That's a code that says which plant the car was manufactured at.
I'm not sure which plant X is. Mine is T which means that it was made at
Oppama, Japan.
The last six digit number is the vehicle's serial number.
I'm not sure what the differences between the '87 and '88's are, but I'm sure there are a few minor ones like the ECU.
There is no difference between the 87-88 unless you count the orientation of the EGR valve, but that depends on when your car was built. There is difference between 85-86 and 87-88 engines, and that is the ECU are different. Also I've heard that there was a slight revision in the lower end of the engine, I believe it has something to do with the oil pan casting or something like. Other than that, they are mechanically identical.
Originally posted by pkfinn I just bought a used motor from a wrecked '88 to put in my 1987 Max. I removed it from the car myself, so I was able to hear it run first, and it seems to run good. It was a six hour drive from where I live, and was getting dark, so in my haste to finish up I forgot to look at the data plate in the drivers door jamb to get the build date of the car. I think it would be good to have this info for future reference since I know there are two different gasket sets depending on the build date. I think the cutoff is around 4/87. The VIN from the vehicle is JN1HU11P6JX222854. Does anyone have an 88 with a VIN near this one who could tell me their build date, so I can hopefully figure out when this one was built? I've contacted the seller several times asking for the build date, but he hasn't come through yet.
Also, what is the difference between the pre and post 4/87 built engines? Externally my new one and the old one look the same. I'm pretty sure the head gasket sets are different depending on the date. Is there any way to tell by looking at something on the engine to know which one I have?
Thanks
As long as it's the original engine, it is the later build date engine. There were some minor revisions in the bottom end, for the crank, the oil pan casting, etc...but all of this is dependant on that being the orignal engine. If it was swapped into the car you pulled it from, it could be anything.
Okay, all the info to decode the VIN is useful, but that's not really what I was asking. I guess what I should have said was: I need a few people with 88's to post the last six digits of their VIN and their build date (from the placard in the drivers door jamb). From there I should be able to figure out when the car I got the engine out of was built. Some of the gaskets such as the oil pan are different depending on the build date. It's not that big of a deal, I would just like to know for future reference.
I did notice that the crankshaft pulley and retaining bolt is different between the 87 and 88 motors. The timing marks are in the same place, but the 88 pulley is "thicker" where the bolt goes through it and the bolt itself is a larger diameter on the 88. I was going to measure the diameter and exposed length of the crankshaft nose, but I forgot and already put the pulley on and torqued the big bolt. Maybe I'll pull it off before I drop the engine back in the car and compare the measurements to the 87 crank on the old engine. I'll post it to this thread.
Thanks to any 88 owners who can give me some info about their VIN's and build dates.
Plus if you have a 1 where the P is for the Seat belt indicator
1 means it has manual seat belts.
I have read that 1 means Manual seat belts; P means auto seatbelts. Mine has the letter "S" at that position ...U11S.... I have manual seatbelts, so what is "S". The FSM only mentions 1 and P. Do I have a typo or a super weird car?
Plus if you have a 1 where the P is for the Seat belt indicator
1 means it has manual seat belts.
What does "S" mean? in this VIN location. I have manual seatbelts and was expecting a "1" in this location. To my surprise, it is an "S". Anyone know what gives? PS. I checked the VIN on the firewall, door, and title and it's the same.
Nissan does keep some records an maybe able to tell you more if you contact them. I think that the records are better for 80's and 90's+; the records for the older cars are not as good as they could be. Just call 1-800-Nissan1 and ask if they can pull all the available records for your car and see if they will send them to you. I may try this with my 910's.
With the older cars they may tell you a date of something like 1/1/72, when the car was really built 3/72. I think this is due to the date when Nissan ordered production for that year or something. The records I am talking about are at Nissan HQ USA, but if you sent a letter to Japan, you may get even more info, maybe.
i think nissan didn't start keeping a data base till the 90's I know when I called my car wasn't in the system and the same went for the 87 max I had years ago.
as for the changes look at the oil pump on is u shaped and the other is v shaped irrc other then that look at the casting numbers that will give you more info then the vin there is also 2 different timing belts one has square teeth and the other has rounded teeth.
so when you call for info I would give them the casting number just in case the motor has been swapped before or if the car is not in the system
__________________ Butthurtness at it's best, is when someone's feelings get hurt over something said on an internet message board and they type in big letters.
I JUST INHERITED MY DADS 1985 MAXIMA LIKE 3 YEARS AGO AND I DIRINT KNOW IT EVEN EXISTED HE HAD IT IN A STORAGE FOR LIKE 7 YEARS ... I WANT TO FIX IT BECAUSE THE MOTOR IS NO GOOD AND I WANT A BETTER AND FASTER ENGINE... I WANT TO KNOW WHAT ENGINE CAN I SWAP INTO THIS CAR ?...
ANYONE WHO WANT TO GIVE ME AND ADVISE AND/OR AN OPINION PLEASE FEEL FREE<<
THANK YOU
Butthurtness at it's best, is when someone's feelings get hurt over something said on an internet message board and they type in big letters.
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