Engine swap for Xterra

The 2000 Xterra I bought has a VG33E in it. The engine is dead (hydrolocked).

I'm searching for another engine to put into it. I have to keep it ODBII emissions legal.

Am I stuck with the VG33E, or is there another engine that will bolt in and run on the factory ECU?

I'd say stick with the VG33. I've never heard of any swaps on those, although I'm sure someone somewhere has shoved a 302 or something in it.

The VG33 was the largest of that series but the VQ engines come up to a VQ40 and the VK truck V8's up to 5.6. None of them will run on your stock ECU.

LS

Rotary.

Alright, I expected "LS" but rotary, Evan? Really? If I did that, it would have to be a 20b. If I bought a 20b, it would go in my RX-8.

Let's broaden the scope a bit. All I really want to be able to do is pass an emissions test. Even California will let you put a later model engine into a car provided that all of the emissions go with it.

How about the VG33ER, which was offered from the factory in later years. That would be plenty of power.

Setting aside the stock ECU, can you run a VQ on a later model Xterra ECU in an earlier body?

Cough VG30ETT cough

But seriously, the only way you could perform an easy swap would be a VG33ER, but I don't know if it would run on the stock ECU. And those engines are pigs. I know they are rated higher than a plain VG33E, but they don't feel any stronger when you drive on the street.

For a VQ, the simplest solution would be to source a VQ35DE out of a 2001-2004 Pathfinder or a later VQ40DE from a x-terra/Pathfinder/etc...Still pretty sure they wouldn't run on a stock VG ECU.

Apparently a Diesel swap is possible, too.

There's an LS6 swap into a 2001 xterra. That should be fun, and mostly easy to keep OBDII legal.

I hope you got this truck really cheap because the only easy option (given your mundane but surprisingly tricky goal) is another stock motor and i'd resent spending the effort to put something as boring as THAT stock motor back in.

Best of luck to you!

Passing emissions inspection pretty much means doing the Diesel swap, putting in a slightly later VG33E or going bonkers somehow.

Used VG33E engines seem to go for at least $1000. If I throw one of those in, I'd have $1350 in the truck. I'm also open to doing a rebuild, but I shudder to think at the damage that might have been done. A junkyard engine is probably the fastest and easiest way to get this thing moving again.

Diesel swap: http://www.clubxterra.org/forums/showthread.php?t=35198

Honestly, if the rest of the truck is in good shape, I would find a cheap used engine and replace it, and then sell it. These trucks hold their value extremely well. We had a 2002 Xterra SE and we actually made our money back that we paid for it, plus a little extra. And we honestly very much regret selling it for our 2004 Grand Cherokee Limited. That truck was a tank and took me back and forth on my weekly commutes from Boston to NYC for over a year. I see 2000 Xterra's with a lot of miles still selling all day long for over $4k around the NY area.

redhookfern wrote: I see 2000 Xterra's with a lot of miles still selling all day long for over $4k around the NY area.

I just picked up a 02 w/ only 70k on it for $4k. It's in amazing shape but unfortunately, the NY salt got to the rear leaf spring and it just broke in half last week before I could put it away for the summer. Ironically, the body is 99.9% rust free. I plan on doing an overhaul of the full suspension/steering/brakes and drive everybody skiing for the next 10 years with it or if the money is right flip it make make a couple G's.

My advice on an engine is just find another VG33 and stick it in. You won't win any races or MPG award but they're pretty much bullet proof. Swaps are fun but if you sell it the only person who'd buy it is someone who knows exactly what you did and how to work on what ever you put in.

I dislike the vg33 enough that i had completely written off my passing interest in Xterras until i discovered the existence of the 2.4/5spd model, which i really liked!

This does not contributed to this thread at all.

Can somebody tell me if the VG33 used in the Quest and the one in the Xterra have the same bell housing pattern?

(edit) found the answer. The engines are not a direct swap.

Interesting, I am in the same predicament. Yet I was considering a 4.0 inline 6 from a Jeep. Jeep is known for using Japanese transmissions.

In reply to mrjoshua77:

That would be an awesome swap if it can be made to fit.

What about the supercharged v6 in some of the xterras? is it the same engine with a small blower strapped to it?

tjbell wrote: What about the supercharged v6 in some of the xterras? is it the same engine with a small blower strapped to it?

if i remember right i think you still have to swap the ECM to do the engine swap.

redhookfern wrote: Honestly, if the rest of the truck is in good shape, I would find a cheap used engine and replace it, and then sell it. These trucks hold their value extremely well.

This. I sold my 2000 xterra with 270k miles for $2600. granted it was probably the cleanest car I have ever owned, the body and frame looked like they didnt have a mile over 50k.

In reply to Brett_Murphy:

Do the regulators check your ECM with a code reader, or just check for CELs.

Wow, thread back from the dead.

In NC, it's an OBDII scan for emissions inspection.

I wound up using a later Xterra 3.3 with the earlier intake manifold on it. Trying to use the later intake caused a smog fail, even though everything hooked up. I later found that some of the sensors were different and wouldn't talk to the ECU properly, so I had to put the earlier one on there.

I wound up selling it after I had it running and bought a 4Runner instead.

I just picked up a Frontier with the VG33E. Its just about the most de-tuned state of the engine you could put together. The VG30 cams are a good upgrade (248 duration, 0.393" lift), Z31 even better (252) if you can find them. VG33E is 240 int and 244 exhaust with 0.366" lift. The exhaust manifolds are atrocious and headers are dirt cheap. I haven't done any of this yet but from reading it's a pretty impressive bump, especially in the top end. A bit more can be squeezed with some adjustable cam gears and a tuner but at that point you probably aren't passing any inspections.

As for the 3 rotor, the FD RX7 and the Xterra share the Jatco RE4R01A auto trans. You're half way there!

edit: oh you sold it. Ok a little less than half way there.

Brett_Murphy wrote: I wound up selling it after I had it running and bought a 4Runner instead.

I can't hold that against you.

Since you had both the xterra and a 4 runner (similar vintage?), which one do you prefer. The Xterra's up here are dirt cheap compared to the 4runner.

Lol, I thought "sell it and get a 4runner", but I thought it'd be dickish to say it. Looks to me like you made the right choice.