# Maxima engine swap



## frank5079 (Oct 23, 2003)

I have an 01 Maxima which I have had for two years. It has about 240k miles and I change the oil and filter every 3000 miles. The automatic transmission is starting to act up. From a dead stop sometimes it seems like it's slipping then it will shift hard right into second. Anyway, the transmission is the least of my worries. The car has a really bad case of rust. So here's my question. I have found an 02 Maxima SE 6 speed with a blown motor. Would it be possible to swap the 3.0 out of my current car and drop it into the 02?


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

Well, "anything is possible." But unless you are into swapping out the ECM and wiring harness among other things, then you probably won't want to get involved in such a swap. The VQ35DE of the 2002 with it's variable valve timing is quite a bit different than the VQ30DE of the 2001 Maxima. It'll certainly fit and bolt up to the transmission, it's just not a "drop it in and go" direct replacement swap.


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## frank5079 (Oct 23, 2003)

smj999smj said:


> Well, "anything is possible." But unless you are into swapping out the ECM and wiring harness among other things, then you probably won't want to get involved in such a swap. The VQ35DE of the 2002 with it's variable valve timing is quite a bit different than the VQ30DE of the 2001 Maxima. It'll certainly fit and bolt up to the transmission, it's just not a "drop it in and go" direct replacement swap.


Well if money were no object, then sure.....but since I have a good running engine in search of a better body and transmission, I'm just trying to work with what I have....


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

In that case, it's best to stick to 2000 and 2001 model years, but you can probably get it to drop into 95-99 models by swapping the intakes. Also, keep in mind there were some differences in California and Federal emission vehicles, so you may have to swap intakes even on 00-01 engine swaps.


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## angelsuicidalminds (Jun 16, 2021)

i need help i got a 2000 nissan maxima se manual n i got into an accidnet n bent the chassis n some other parts of the frame but my motor n trans are working perfect i just got a 02 nissan maxima cuz i wanted to do an eging n tranny swap i got the car for cheap cuz the owner said it wasnt working been sitting in his front yard for some time got a bit of rust on the rotors from the rain but wen i got the car home i tryed to start it n it turned on but has some isssues with it like it wants to turn on had to push the gas a bit so it can stay on but isee that the engin has newer parts like a better intank n other stuff i was wondering if i could swap some parts from the engine im new to this but i love to work on cars n this is the first time i got two of the same cars what should i do


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

They were the same engine family, but there were a lot of differences, too. "Some parts" should swap, but you would really be better off getting the correct engine for the 2002 (which had the VQ35DE as opposed to the VQ30DE) unless you want to go through the headache of swapping and integrating the 2000's ECM and harness with engine to your 02 Maxima.


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