BlackMacks

iTrader: (3)

All my searching came back with VQ35 swaps into 4th gens or performance modifications to the VQ35, not really what I'm looking for......

Tomorrow I'm going to pull my BHG'd VQ35DE out of my 02 and drop in another VQ35DE and am looking for tips/hints/tricks from the ones that have been there and done that before.

It doesn't look incredibly difficult, just time-consuming. Any particular "watch-outs" y'all wanna throw at me?

As far as I can tell, I disconnect all the lines and hoses, accessories and belts, exhaust and intake, then radiator and fans and ball joints and axles. Move on to engine mounts and finally lower cross member.

Engine comes out the bottom with trans still attached. I just bought the car a month ago, and in my quick glances around the engine bay, there really doesn't appear to be a lot of harness to this thing- or am I not seeing it?

Thanks in advance,

Scottwax

iTrader: (8)

Take a lot of pictures before you pull the engine to make sure you can hook everything up properly when putting the new engine in. You will have to do relearns for the idle and maybe a few other things once the new engine is bolted it and started up.

I've only done engine replacements (and one swap) on older RWD drive cars so I can't comment on the specifics of a Maxima engine R&R, but the best advice I can give you is to take your time, and make sure everything is disconnected and out of the way before you pull the old engine. Double check all connections once the new engine is in (trust me, one missed connection can ruin your day and be tough to track down), make sure you have oil in the engine, coolant in the radiator, etc before firing up the engine the first time.

BlackMacks

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for the reply, Scott, but as the other day unfolded, I quickly realized the wiring harness would be the least of my problems, hah.

Car must have spent some years of its life up north- the corrosion was absolutely awful. I had to grind/cut the bolts off the cat to seperate the exhaust from the car. The belt tensioner bolt snapped when I tried to loosen it, various fasteners and little bolts just snapped when I touched them, etc.

I could not figure out how to get the pass side CV axle out of the car until I removed the power steering pump, that damn hanger bearing interfered with what little space was in there. And speaking of the power steering pump, the engineer responsible for that little jewel oughta have his head lit on fire and I volunteer to put it out with a hammer

I ended up with the engine/tranny basically just held in by the lower crossmember, I'll get back to it this weekend.

Augustus Maximus

iTrader: (6)

I did it like two months ago. No idle relearn was necessary at all. Prep the new engine with crank seals, replace the rocker cover with 04 version, do spark plugs. Drop the engine out the bottom with cross member and y pipe still attached. No need to pull ball joints just pull the axle out to the hubs. Strip what you need off old motor. Real easy to do.

BlackMacks

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for the reply, Aug, I didn't end up popping the lower ball joints, the upper two strut bolts and the tie rod end provided the clearance I needed. Shoulda noticed the ABS harness before allowing the hub to tug against it, but I think I dodged that bullet. I removed the other side sensor before the strut bolts

The engine going back in only has 28k miles on it, so I'm not going to touch the seals or plugs, but what's this 04 rocker cover you speak of?

Augustus Maximus

iTrader: (6)

04 valve cover apparently solves the problem of engine oil leaking into certain spark plug tubes. It's also cheaper than the 02-03 type. Good investment while the engine is out. Call it preventative maintenance.

BlackMacks

iTrader: (3)

Aug, I shoulda mentioned the engine I'm dropping in came out of an '08 Quest, so I guess there won't be any valve cover issues with it, but there are others so far that I'm picking up on.

Looks like I'll have to fab up a fuel inlet line and there's a pair of connectors at the upper left corner of the engine, the one on the right is different than mine, so I'll be tracking that electrical circuit to see what the difference is. Really don't wanna have to pull the intake manny, but there might not be any way around it....

pepox369

hey potentialnoob!! how is ur engine replace coming along?

BlackMacks

iTrader: (3)

Hey Pep, I gave up on it last saturday just about ready to drop.

I kept breaking/uncovering more items I needed to order and have ready and didn't, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to get done tomorrow, but hopefully if all goes well, I'll have it out and swap the manifolds and re-attach the trans and all the accessories and have everything plugged in and bolted in and only have to deal with the differences in the fuel line and wiring harness to make it ready to drive.

The 08 quest engine I got from Afterlife has a different fuel inlet (no big deal, just not a plug-n-play) as well as a difference in some engine wiring that I can't determine yet, so after I drop it in and plug everything up, I'm gonna yank the intake manifold (which means new gaskets I didn't have) and just swap whatever components that harness feeds over onto the new engine.

I think I should be in business at that point, we'll see.

Scott LaRock

iTrader: (5)

So a 04 value cover gasket stops the leaking issue that the 02's have? I'll make sure to pick one up.

Augustus Maximus

iTrader: (6)

Valve cover...not gasket, though you'll need new gaskets as well when you put on the 04 valve cover. Get it?