I'm currently swapping the old blown engine for a lower mileage vq35de on my awd g35 sedan. For the life of me I cannot get the awd engine and the automatic transmission to sit flush. it get's to about 1/4 inch away. Please let me know if you have any ideas. I've been stuck at this point in the swap for a week now and I'm ready to pull my hair out!!!

 

What did the engine come from EXACTLY. Sounds like it came from a 6MT and has the wrong pilot bushing installed in the crank.

 

That's possible. All I know is that it had the rwd lower oil pan on it and I switched those out. Is it pretty easy to switch out the bearings?

 

Yeah it presses into the back of the crankshaft, you should always replace the pilot bushing with a new one when dealing with a used motor.

There's a couple tricks people use, they make a special puller for pilot bushings but you can pack it full of bread or thick grease and get a tight fitting drift (or bolt) and hydraulically push it out. Look up some youtube videos on removing pilot bushings and you'll see what I mean. The bread trick works great btw.

No this isn't some kind of joke.

 

On one of the facebook groups, I saw a guy grind down the pilot bushing until it was flush.... sketchy but I guess it worked
I've seen guys use soap as well as bread to get bushings out of blind holes.

 

I definitely wouldn't recommend that, the pilot bushing is there to keep the transmission input shaft in line exactly with the motor. You can destroy the clutch or torque converter, the crank main bearings, or the entire transmission by doing stuff like that.

It's a $5 part that's easy to replace, readily available at any local Nissan (or almost every parts house), and it has the potential to cause catastrophic damage. Just replace it.

The one on the G35 is so cheap because it's just a bushing, not a bearing. You can upgrade to the NISMO needle bearing one though which costs like $15, your choice, I've always just ran the brass stock bushing ones though.

 

Searched for a pilot bushing I couldn't find anything different from the new engine and the original engine that was previously mated with the same transmission that im working with now. Any other ideas?
p.s. I'm trying to post pictures but it stops at 90% upload so I'll post some as soon as i figure that out.

 

You're reusing the same flex plate and torque converter right?

 

same tc. I'm am not using the same flex plate however. They look identical to me. Is there something that could be different about them?

 

Many times you will think the torque converter is seated correctly but it isn't. In the FSM it shows the distance the torque converter sits inside the bell house, measure it to make sure it is installed correctly. I have had this problem before. If the torque converter isn't clocked correctly it will not fit in the pump slots and be 1/2" to 3/4" further out.