(2004 coupe)
(I'll have more info to add here, but i'm hoping to tap into the wisdom of the forum as i plan wth i'm going to do)

Story: So my car's got like +170k miles on it and after i paid to get the timing chain replaced last year, it seems like two months later i started hearing more problems until one day i was driving around and hearing the wildest loudest knocking sound i've ever heard. Took it back and my mechanic says most likely the engine bearings were going bad. The timeline of events would suggest that it probably had something to do with his work on the timing chain, but what could i really prove on my own. He suggested an engine swap would probably be cheaper than diagnosing and repairing something like the bearings.

Another auto shop quoted me $2424 to do the engine swap if i source the engine. So here I am shopping on ebay for as close to the exact model as possible. I can afford up to $1500 for one. This car is more of a daily driver so my ideal outcome is reliability more than anything.

Any advice, recommendations, or Do's and Don'ts? All tips are appreciated. Also, i 3d print so maybe the best help i get here could be on my list of people to test prototypes of stuff i make for this car in the future. I'll share it in another thread eventually. Pics coming soon.

 

Best thing is to check the website for your local foreign engines importer and see how much they can get a VQ35DE non-revup for. Needs to be from a 350Z, G35, FX35 or M35. The ones that came in the Maxima/Altima are transverse mounted and will not work, motor mount locations are in the wrong spot.

Fortunately that is a very common engine and you should be able to find one at a good price.

From what you described your current engine is probably rod knocking, probably unrelated to the timing chain install, normally that's caused by not checking the oil level and letting it get too low. These engines do drink oil so it's pretty common for people to ruin their motor that way.

If you live on the west coast check out northwestjdmmotors.com I picked up a Toyota engine from them last fall, they only charge $200 shipping for pretty much anywhere on the west side (they're in Sacramento, I live in Washington State). Engine was exactly what it was supposed to be and I feel comfortable recommending them to folks.

 

Firstly though check your oil level, if the oil is full and it's still making those terrifying sounds take a video and post it to youtube then put the link here.

 

ok i'll just address everything you mentioned via bulletpoint:

- *googling "foreign engines importer near me" now*
- i'm in New york.
- So because i don't know better, i'm convinced that anything outside of the exact engine model replacement for that car could cause trouble during installation or big electrical issues down the line. Do you think it's necessarily that big of a deal? Because if not, yeaaa it would be cool to have a lower-mileage but also maybe a slightly better model. i might just put up with some minor issues if i knew beforehand
- i've been historically decent on checking oil levels, but i think there was a month or two where i was just NOT on top of it, which happens to be around the same time i started having problems originally. i'll do an oil change and report back with more info.

 

No need for the oil change in my opinion if it's already tapping.

Stick with the oem engine for your year and you'll be fine.

 

Yeah the engine importer will do all the motor interchange stuff so you don't get the wrong one. Typically you will just tell them what car YOU have and they'll tell you what they have in stock that will work.

There were no differences in the VQ35DE from one vehicle to the next as long as it's not the rev-up (easily distinguished and the importers probably never get them anyways because they were VERY uncommon to import). It was literally the same engine in all the platforms it was used, they came from the same assembly plant in Japan. The only differences mechanically were some things like which revision Hitachi sensors they were equipped with and other peripheral stuff, whoever is doing the engine swap is just going to use the long block. You will keep all your existing sensors, motor mounts, injectors, coil packs, etc.

Don't do an oil change, just pull out the dipstick and see if it's low. If it's low add oil to get it back to full and see if the problem still exists, if it does then an oil change won't fix it.

You can drive an engine that's rod knocking for quite a while usually, eventually it will spin a bearing but just keep it up on oil and drive it until you can afford the swap.

EDIT: If it is rod knocking and you decide to drive it just make sure you're warming up the engine before getting on the throttle hard.

 

Where in NY are you located ?? I have a shop that can do the labor for $1,000 and get you the motor for less than $1,500, they're real good they just swapped the m45 v8 in my car a couple of months ago

 

Looks like my reply never went through. Westchester, ny.

 

[update]

So I decided to check out the the contact info i got from this thread and bought an OEM engine/transmission combo for $1450 (65k miles) from a foreign engine importer in NJ (JDM engine Depot). Tax brought it to $1546. And THEN i had that delivered to route 80 auto specialists to do the swap after i towed my car there the same day. They charged me $850 (but needing to replace the power steering pump and alternator brought it to $1183). so $2729 total with an oil change. I dropped it off on a Thursday and they told me it was done that Saturday (i picked it up that following Monday).

I don't know if that was a good or bad deal compared to the rest of America, but i'm super happy about that price compared to the quote i got from the local shop nearby me. They wanted $2424 for just the labor. just.. for the labor. I got in it and drove it home from the shop and it was already behaving like a whole different car. The steering was a little stiff but that might just be me (i was driving an SUV for months in the meantime).

So thanks to everybody for the tips and advice and all that. All comments and criticisms on how i did are totally welcome. Hopefully i won't be back on this thread any time soon looking to sell this with a freshly blown engine.

 

That's a really good price on the swap, glad everything worked out for you.

As for the tight steering you should probably shoot some WD40 into the steering u-joint down at the rack&pinion to see if it loosens up, if so then that u-joint is starting to fail. You can limp it along with the WD40 trick for several months.