Fix Engine or Buy a New or Rebuilt Engine or Scrap Car?

buy a used engine off of ebay.... I have seen them as low as 350 bucks. That is the way I would go if my Max. engine took a dump....Then you could certainly get your money back out of the car! (if you do the work yourself)

just my 2 cents worth.

Bitsbucket

I just checked, there are several Maxima engines for that price range, one with LOW miles too, but it has a cracked timing cover, but you could use yours, I believe it had about 28K miles on it....anyway like I said, there are several in the 350 buck price range... Bitsbucket

There are the older ones available too.......even cheaper...if that is what he needs. I was going on HIS statement, that a Max motor is what he needed, if he needs the SOHC or the later DOHC both are available. Prices are right too! bitsbucket

The engine in your Quest/Villager is indeed a VG30E.

The engine is similar to the one used in the maxima in most respects.

If the timing belt breaks in a Maxima it will definitely bend the valves , if it happens in a Quest/Villager it won't bend valves.

The story goes like this.

When ford and Nissan got together to build the vehicle, Ford made it clear to Nissan that they did not want an interference engine to be used. So Nissan caved to Fords wishes .

I have dealt with the broken cams on Quests before, If it broke the front cam (one nearest the radiator) the head does not need to come off to get the cam out. Just replace the cam and install a new timing belt and you'll be good to go.

That engine isn't worth fixing, throw a used one in and and next time change the oil every once in a while. BTW that "car" with a blown engine

-might- be worth $500 at best.

I have to ask the obvious question here that every one seems to have forgotten.

and that is.

Why was a compression check done to it when it has a broken cam and or stripped teeth on the timing belt.

Of course the thing will show no compression, the freaking cam is broke and the valve train is out of time , what were you expecting to see , 130 plus p.s.i per cylinder. IT AIN"T GUNNA HAPPEN with a broken cam and or a stripped belt

Get a cam and a timing belt, replace the broken cam , put the valve train in time, install the timing belt and then check the compression.

Let me know you results.

Remember what I wrote before, the Quest/Villager engine will NOT bend the valves if the timing belt or cam breaks.

Hey NissTech, Will the Maxima engine bolt into a Quest and visa versa? Or are tranny and engine mounts a problem? Thanks

The other -obvious to me- question is why did the cam break to start with? Does this model have a history of bad camshafts? The only time I've seen cams break is from oil starvation and throwing another cam in will just create another broken cam unless the oiling problem is solved.

But yea someone was clueless for checking the compression with a broken camshaft! :-)

Well first off it would turn over -really- weird sounding if the cam was broken. Second it wouldn't have any spark because the cam was broken, third it wouldn't have any fire because the cam was broken.

But it wouldn't have fire or fuel. Just listening to the engine you'd know from the uneven sound several cyl or more have no compression and since the dist wouldn't be turning, that would be another big clue.

Thanks for letting me know the engine is non interference. I meet with the owner of the dealer tomorrow. We wants to see my oil change records as the camshaft area is "waxy" around the cover. Fortunately I have all oil change records (even used Mobile 1 Synthetic a few time going back to when I bought the car two years and 40,000 miles ago. Oil was changed regularly and I only used name brand stuff. Perhaps the previous owner was not so religious about oil changes but would'nt the failure have occurred before?? My Synthetic uses must have also been benifical. The camshaft failing at the overhung moment bearing one month after a timing belt change is where I am hanging my hat. If it was oil starvation, I'm told the bearings would go and not the shaft. I'll let everyone know the outcome of the meeting with the owner. Hopefully we can reach some kind of agreement.

Well put Steve.

hey do you want to come to Florida , we could open up a Nissan specialty shop and make some real jack.

Been there done that. Owned a nissan/honda shop for about 10 years, made enough money to pay off my house, 'bout had a heart attack from the stress and am taking it easy now, letting someone else stress out over running the place. :-)

Nope.

Not really. I'm not so sure switching back and forth didn't help cause this.

Wrong, the "bearings" are they cylinder head itself, that are machined into the head. There are no "bearings" so when the cam journal gall, it siezes and snaps the cam or the belt. It ruins the head and many times the oil jets in the block are also plugged up. Who ever told you "the bearings would go" is used to working on american V8's.

Again it's not their fault, it's not their car and changing a timing belt isn't going to cause a camshaft to starve for oil and seize in the head. I'm sure you'd like to -make- this their fault because they were the last ones to touch it but it's not right to even go there.

I agree the timing belt change does not affect the oil. However, overtightning the belt (even using the wrong belt as there are two P/Ns) or using the wrong tool (perhaps an impact one, wacking the cam pully by mistake, etc) may have caused the camshaft to bend slightly such that it goes in compression/tension with each rotation and cause a fatique failure at the first bearing support. If it was oil starvation, I would expect to see signs of high temperature on the shaft. I am going to propose that a professional lab (3rd party) confirm the mechanics of the failure. If the dealer is not inserested in this approach, then I need to go up the ladder or small claims court. More to follow.

Nope, that wouldn't break the cam, it would cause a VERY noisy belt and shred it first. Seen that happen a couple of times from owners doing their own T-belts.

You have any idea how much force it would take to -bend- a camshaft? Obviously you don't. Or that it would break before it bent anyway.

Puleeeeze. You're dreaming up senerios to make this not your fault. The only thing that's going to break a camshaft in that engine is oil starvation caused from poor mantainace. Given you bought it used, you have no ideas what was done before you bought it.

And spend what doing this? $1000, $5000? Have you actually even seen the parts? Are -you- going to pay to have it disassembled and tested to prove this theory or is the mechainc guilty until proven innocent?

Translation: I'm a typical american and want to make someone else responcible for my problems. You're the same guy who trips over his dog's leash in front of my house and then sues the home owner...

Please take them to court. I've been dozens of time defending myself against people like you who won't accept responcibility for their problems and trust me, you WILL lose.

Thank you for the very emotional and entertaining response. What is lacking in this case is objective criteria. Until the suspect part is pulled from the engine and evualuted everything is speculation. I'm told by the experts (I work at a company that provides failure analysis services) that the camshaft will tell the story (temp or fatique failure) without much effort. I'll post a follow up later for other interested parties. I hope you're wrong but at least I'll keep an open mind.

And you -assuming it's their fault- is objective? Yea you have no vested interest in this. :-)

I just get sick of people who won't accept responcibility for their own problems/actions. Your -used- car has over 100K and an unknown history, has an oil related failure and you want someone else to take care of your problem so you don't have to.

Yep and who should have to pay to have the part removed to be evaluated? You make it sound like this part just slips out of the engine. You dream up this "They bent my camshaft" which isn't even possible. Less the 1/4 inch is sticking out of the engine, how could they bend a cast shaft supported in bearings? You could hit the part sticking out with a sledge hammer and it wouldn't bend the camshaft. I've seen a dozen brokens cams and every time it was oil related and trashed the journals in the head too. How many broken camshafts in these engines have you inspected?

If you aren't doing the work removing the part it isn't much effort.

I won't be and we realize you hope you can make someone else take respocibilty from your lifes problems. Like most people, you don't get that you have the burdon of proof. If taken to court, you have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt they caused this failure. Even if there is no heat damage and the part failed from fatigue, it's got over 100,000 miles and you think a judge will believe this isn't enough miles to cause fatigue on a part? But then again many people will waste their time and others in hopes of not having to take care of themselves.

Thank you for your constructive much earlier comments regarding the NFE (I did not know). The dealer owner and I are working together on creative win-win solutions to the camshaft faiure and I expect a positive outcome. Sorry for boring other readers with this long exchange.