OK, I hydrolocked at Rausch Creek, found a new engine, and am swapping it in this weekend.



I have not done an engine swap since, um, the '70's...and the new fangled stuff looks a bit intimidating....that, and I am having to wing this, as my work schedule has precluded normal prep work/research.

That, and I'll have to do it in my driveway, as the garage still has my house in it since the tornado...

:rolleyes:

So - any one who's done this who has advice / helpful pointers for me?

I'm putting a VG33E from an auto tranny 2003 with only 15K on it (Rolled to total), into a 2001 5 speed.

I figure the pilot has the auto tranny torque converter adapter/ thingie where I don't need it...but that the rest should just bolt on?

What stuff should I have on hand for this?

help?



(I do have the 2001 FSM - but no time to read it yet...)

Spark plugs, gaskets for any parts that may have to come off to get the replacement in (and of course if you see any suspect ones on the new motor), clutch parts if you have a manual transmission.
Also maintainance items.....how close is the new motor to needing a timing belt?

The new engine has only 15K on it, from a 2003.



So the timing belt/water pump stuff should be OK.

I'm going to try to get some new transmission cross member bolts incase the old one's are crapped.

speaking from experiance.

You will have some harness things to deal with. Nothing major.

Any examples of Harness Things?

I am in the middle of this sleep deprivation study/work thing...and details are where I could use the advice.

Good luck. I'm beginning to wish I was doing an engine swap. Not sure which is easier.

The swap might be easier/harder to screw up.

leftie tighty rightie loosey..

Its not nice to tease lexdysics.

One of the problems I ran into was that the newer engine had a few differant sensors that required me to get creative with the wireing harness.

In particular a temp sensor for the exhaust manifold.

You will need to remove out old eng and set it side by side if its not on the new motor swap it out with the old motor and can you get part of the harness so if the clips are diffrien you can change aswell if you have swapped out a motor in the past (1970`s) you will be fine .
Walt
Good Luck

What?

Where's Waldo?

I have no idea yet what condition the ECU is in...

My question, should the ECU be toast...is a replacement ECU better to be matched to the 2003 VG33E donor engine, or, to the 2001 truck its being installed into?

I would suggest the ECU be matched to the truck. You will be making the new engine the same as your 2001 (if anything needs changing).

BTW and sorry to hijack but what was the name of the stuff you used for the leaking headgasket?

figgers...Nissan says the ECU needs to match the ENGINE, not the truck...so I need a 2003 ECU from a VG33E 5 spd truck...and, the soonest I can get one seems to be monday or tuesday.

And its expensive.

Tj when i have done motor swaps i tryed to get the ECM and the harness from the other truck or car so if there where any problems diffrent clips or connectors you can swap them out but you may need to use same set up in your rig (ECM) so check with your local wrecking yard or go here car-parts.com local or national for ECM ect.ect.

If you sit the motors side by side and make the "new" motor the same as the old motor (by changing anything that is different) you should end up with a 2001 motor and be able to use your existing harness and ecm (assuming it's not bad)If there is something very different about the motors that make you use the 2003 harness that is the only time I would consider a same year ecm.

Yeah - that's the issue...they (Nissan) are telling me the harness for the 2003 and the match for the 2001 are different, so I need an ECU from a 2003 for it to work.

I would have thought the quest/frontier/xterra VG33E's were the same mechanicals, just accessorized to fit each application...and that the ECU's would be interchangeable.

Nissan says no...I figure they should know?

Maybe?

My old one was under water, looks a bit oxidized, probably iffy anyway...what the hey.

:rolleyes:

Just wondering...your dropping another 3.3 liter into it right, couldnt find a sc? Or would that just be too much work all together, i.e. hood and whatnot?

Well, its more $, and, more work, and, I want to finish in time for the NIORA Fall Run, etc.

My engine is out of a 2002 and I still use the ecu from my 2000

I think that if you swap the ecu you may have more problem because the wireing harness might not fit properly.

You would be better off just making the engine work with the existing harness and ecu.

The engine itself is not differant just a few sensors here and there.

That's what I thought too...So, we both disagree with Nissan.



But I ordered a ECU from a manual 2003 anyway...according to the FSM, the jacks are the same...and according to my eyes, the old ECU looked to have been really soaked/showing corrosion...and was most likely fried anyway.

:rolleyes:

BTW - I removed my skid plates from the front end of the X to make access for the swap...and discovered that the tow truck driver had sheared off one bolt end from the d side LCA.









My skids were a bit banged up too...





I have to say though, the Skid-Row plates are bashed in pretty good, they get a work out, but, they took all the hits, not the truck...so, they did their job!



I AM worried I won't be able to get them back on though...most of the bolt heads were converted into security bolt heads by various rocks, etc.

Jesus! That's a lotta bashing!

Dremel or grinder and new hardware TJ

Wow. Who would have thought a 5000lb+ truck would bend up skidplates like that when driven over rocks at 30mph.

I did notice in that one video TJ posted that he's a bit heavy on the skinny pedal

I'll be the next to say....Damn! I never seen skid plates fubar-ed like that before....even the pic of your LCA is all banged/bent in...wow man! You might as well do a SAS with your engine swap then you don't have to worry about the sheared bolt and banged up IFS

Just an unhappy word of warning on the LCA .. That back bolt bushing can be a real BITCH to get out (hope you are much luckier then I was)... I had to take a cutting torch to the arm (and pull things out in pieces), then burn the bushing out then, torch the sleeve out .. Then press in a new bushing and put in a new arm and all new bolts etc ..

Basically a major major major SNAFU, type job

I doff my cap to you sir, you've done us all proud.

Well, figure I whhel for work...and then go play too...so a few years worth of wheeling is a lot of rocks.



I am picking up two LCA and bolt assemblies at the wrecking yard when I get the engine tomorrow...as I already figured the LCA in question was FUBAR.

Well, on the truck scale, it was more like 5,700 lb.

And - to be fair, running through those rock gardens, that's about as slow as the cruise control can go.

And you are running a 33" tire?!
My truck must be closer to 6k lbs with the 35's I can't imagine what SASed X's would weigh. ugh.

I've been wondering about that. I don't expect it'll be a whole lot heavier than it is now, really. The axle weighs a lot - but then so does a lot of the stuff that it replaces - especially my 100lb center skidplate.

The 33's might weigh around 80 lb each on the Al rims...the stock set up was probably around 50 lbs/tire, so tire weight might be 150 over stock?

35's in the same make probably add around 20 lb/tire, at most, over the 33's, so another 100 lb (Assumed 5 tires on truck)



Besides, weight down on the ground is great...its what the suspension has to support that I worry about.

TJ, how thick are those skid row plates?

I'm dually impressed as well

The Skid-Row plates are 3/16" thick steel.

Notice that the powder coat held up too, despite a few scratches, they are not rusty.



I had skid row plates on my jeep before the X, and those held up great too.

holy hell man, hahah.

You'd think if you hit hard enough to bend those like that, you could also bend your frame too.

*note to self, never let TJ drive my truck*

Well, no, the point is that the SKIDS take the impacts, PROTECTING the frame and all those low hanging fruit under there.



Plus, the skids tie the frame points together, much the same way the floorboards tie together the framing on a house...increasing the overall strength/ridgidity of the truck.

Now I kinda wanna see what the floorboards of your house look like too

Damn, TJ. THat's a hell of a beting on 'em.

Next is a set of skids for me.

New engine arrives in Jerimies Fronty - Steve Grins


New engine on stand...So Shiney...


Pulling the old engine


Truck's too tall, hoist can't get it out of bay, w/o lowering the front of the truck...(made it)


Cheli growling at pulled engine


Cheli demonstrating how to milk an X


Andy kicking ass under truck

Flywheel - clutch pilot bearing area - shop buggered me - rammed ol pilot instead of putting in the new one


Detail of pilot/buggering


Where most of my clutch went due to pilot rip off


Tranny relaxing on driveway


old and new engines on stands, exchanging stories, awaiting their various fates...

Wow - so has this been a good experience so far... or are you sobbing on the ground wishing you'd bought a Toyota?

Looks like it could go either way depending on your attitude

Well, there are a lot of wires and hoses and doo flickies that just were not present the last two swaps I did back in the '70's...but the basics are similar.



Most of the plugs and connectors thankfully on the new engine were intact, and so far, seem to correlate to those on the old engine....except they are mostly much cleaner and not mud colored.

I spliced and heat shrink sealed the few cut plug wires that were not intact.

The exhaust manifolds are different...the '03 has a built in Cat, the '01's is a separate piece.

My secondary cats are toast...platinum iron oxide soup.

As I don't live in CA, I can replace those sections with Federal straight pipe sections.

Believe it or not, the MOST frustrating part of this project so far is the damn sheared LCA bolt.

As soon as I get more acetylene, that F'er is TOAST!

I'll do that part this week...the rest of the swap will resume this weekend.

yah - I've heard a few horror stories about LCA replacement... that can suck.

yeh tj, Im in the market for a new oil pan... I see you got one in pretty good shape there.. By any chance you think I could take that thing off your hands?? Let me know how much you want, and how much it weights..

do you think you could also take some pics of where the bolts are on that bad boy.. thanks a bunch..

I'm giving the entire old engine to a bud to re-build.



I can take pics of the oil pan bolts though before it leaves.

and just FYI for anyone else swappin a auto tranny motor into a 5spd truck, that bearing(pilot i believe;behind the fly wheel) is a real PITA to get out. it took us for ever to get that bearing out. we sawzalled, chizzeled, air hammered, tried pulling it and broke the puller; got a new one and after a few tries it came right out. everytime they unplugged a hose on the old motor, water came out.

TJ, i still think you should line the interior for future water. maybe a snork too, or just maybe remember to close the airbox next time.

ETA: also, when dropping the tranny, dont lay under or close to it when lowering it. when they dropped it, it fell off the jack.

Yeah - that's why I went to PepBoys and borrowed that Pilot Bearing Puller...which took it right out.

did you ever get that back to them? thats a very nice slide hammer set.

Yeah - I returned it last night so I could get some groceries.

Good luck with the swap. Be sure to change that back plug while its easy to get to.

we checked all the plugs. they look almost brand new. no need to change just yet, but would be nice while its out.

It was funny to see the acursed #6 plug in its native habitat, w/o the firewall blocking a direct view.

The engine only had 15K on it...so the plugs should be good for a while yet.

Passenger side


Drivers side


up at oil filter area


Along oil filter to rear

Hope that helps!

thanks a bunch.. Damn those things are up there.. I would prob have to drop the front diff and the cross member just go to to them..

I'm sure... but dropping the diff isn't really a big deal. There are only 4 bolts that hold the two crossmembers in place that the diff sits on - and then the bolts to undo the half shafts from the diff (6 per side?). You should be able to get it down in about a half hour.

Just be careful and use a jack (and jack stands to support the vehicle)... the diff is too heavy for you to hold/control without a jack.

The accursed number 666 spark plug in its natural habitat, w/o the fire wall in the way, etc.



Well, the engine is in the bay, and, pretty much all hooked up.

I need a flywheel...the one off the '03 is for an automatic, and the one on the '01 was scored due to a bad installation job of the clutch...and I'm replacing the clutch when I get the flywheel.

The exhaust from the cat's back, to where the cross over goes, is on.

The front shaft slides in/out like a champ, and the rear is itching to go back in as well.

The tranny is still laying on the driveway pending said flywheel/clutch install.

I also baked my old ECU in the oven for a while...just in case.

The '03 ECU I ordered never showed up.

I'm thinking of Heculining the interior given the microbial impact to the sound deadening materials in the OEM floor carpeting, etc....maybe stripping off the insulation, and reinstalling the carpeting over the Herculiner?

I STILL haven't gotten the damn LCA off...and when I was burning out the bolt last saturday, and it still was stuck (Bad angles...), I just decided to screw it, so I'm replacing the whole thing with either the one I got before I started at the junkyard, or a spare LCA/knuckle assembly.

:rolleyes:

So - Another Saturday mod party.



The optimal performance ratio seems to be 5:1, about 30 beers for every 6 pizzas.

By the way, TJ, that formula you gave me worked well. In almost a year, I have no odor or problems at all. Even in the hot summer heat.

No problem...its what I do for a living.

nice to see someone who know how to turn a wrench doing their own work. Good luck with the flywheel, clutch etc. i think i would have paid a shop!

Thank god I have freinds who know how to do this, its more work than I would have taken on myself...too much down time, and not enough experience with the new engine crapola....and, oh, yeah, not enough money to fix it...so I would have had to quit wheeling.















I don't have pics with everyone so far...but there's a good sized cast....Great people.

yea I've been helping a friend with his toyota engine rebuild and we just put the engine in last week.. now we are having trouble figuring out where the hell all the vacuum lines go.. I would definitely be nervous about doing an engine rebuild by myself.. Especially with all the electronics...

It helps to:

Take pics of both engines, before yanking the old one out, to see what ran from where

Put the engines side by side on engine stands, and do a connection by connection comparison...for example, I had a few more connections hanging off the '03 engine than the '01 had.

Swap the parts on the old one onto those missing from the new one (Used engine, some paerts had been sold off by the yard already, etc...)

If you do it one at a time, methodically, one for one, its harder to lose track of what a harness was for/went to, etc.

Have help from people who actually KNOW what those pesky hoses and wires are SUPPOSED to do, so you can find the equivalent version on the other engine, as they move them around from time to time.

So do we have an update?? Is she running yet?

Nope.



I need a new flywheel...so I can finish the clutch, so I can install the tranny, so I can put the rest of the exahust back in, etc...

I might have it on sat though...

The damn ECU never arrived either...might get here today.

Once the flywheel is in, at least I can test start it.

I will feel much better when I hear that engine roar to life.

I feel your pain.



I hope you get it working soon. The feeling you get when it starts for the first time is fun.

LOL

Yeah, that's some fun I could use about now.



It seems flywheels are an endangered species or something...the damn thing won't arrive until next week...and the ECU was sent to the wrong address, so now IT won't arrive until next week either.

Great pic btw!

Good luck. Hope you have it done today. Hopefully you have less troubles than I had with the headgasket change. I'm chasing an intermittant PO300 that only occurs at idle.

Hopefully your ECU is good because I still say that since you have made the new engine back to the 01 specs you should use an 01 ECM.

Yeah - the ECU thing bugged the hell out of me.

My initial thought was the same as your's, the engine is just a hunk of metal that a computer tells what to do, and as the 00-04's all have the same engine, it should not matter what ECU, other than for manual or automatic, 4wd/2wd, 4 cyl or V6, etc.

Nissan told me no, the SENSORS on the engine that TELL THE ECU what's going on have different resistance ranges and so forth, and if I use my '01 ECU on the '03 engine, it would throw codes at me all the time, or not even run.

So, I baked the old one in the oven in case I might need it...but ordered the new one for a manual '03 V6...and will drop that one in.

I MIGHT try to use the '01 ECU first, just to see if it works or not, as I'm into the experimenting thing...if I have the time.

Before you throw your old ECU in the trash if it doesn't work try soaking it in buckets of distilled water. Now that it's been baked this may take several long soakings. Change the water each time.

This is what we were told to do if we dropped electronic instruments in the dirty water that accumulates in the bottom of manholes.

isopropal alcohol also works great. it'll bond with other liquids (unless its oil) & help them evaporate. they also can be used to wash dirt & other crud out. dries up pretty fast. thats what we do when our avionics gets to much salt build up or exaust carbon & oil deposits when under way

how many hours do you figure you have into it?

Not sure how to count them...

On the swap itself, 2 days...the rest is collateral, as in hey, while its out of action anyway...lets do the bla blah blah.. type stuff.

TJ-

Don't forget the lower control arm.......

Or the heater core....which will take longer than the engine swap.

Stone

Yeah - I'm doing that LCA NOW, speaking of collateral damage.

so whats the update on this..

In Oct, my wife started having a series of strokes and brain seizures...and these are STILL on going...I am back and forth to the hospital, doctors, tests, even work sometimes...but no time to work on the truck.