engine swap for a 1993 300zx

[Guest fergie_z]

I need to change my 1993 300zx A/T N/A engine and am trying to find one locally but there aren’t too many around in China. The Engine model is a VG30DE and I have found out that the following Nissan cars also use this same model: Cedric 1991-94; Brougham V30 Twin Cam 1991-94; Gran Tourismo SV V30E 1991-94;Gloria 1991-94; and Infiniti J30 (Leopard) 1992-96. Would these engines work well in a 300zx ? Would I have to change the ECU or other equipment ? Some people say that these engines are SOHC but I thought all VG30DE engines are DOHC like the Z32 VG30DE. Maybe they're mixing up with a VG30E (i.e. no 'D' ..... I guess D means Dual ?)

 

Lastly, is there any way to tell the age of the donor engine from the engine number ? Cheers. Fergie

[Guest fergie_z]

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[Guest fergie_z]

Previously, as a result of driving without enough engine-coolant (the temp gauged showed normal temp!) my engine was steaming when I came off the highway. After it cooled down and on re-starting, it was missing, i.e. seemed to be running on 5 cylinders, water leaking from the head gasket and a worrying rattling noise from the bottom end. So the mechanic pronounced it ‘dead’ and in need of a replacement engine. Hence my previous posts on searching for a new engine. However, today we fired up the engine and after a while the engine missing and rattling noise disappeared. Drove it around for a while and it seemed smooth as silk. We’re really really mystified as to the sudden full recovery !??? The oil smelled pretty cooked. He noticed that there was a water leak from a tube and the bottom part, and someone had bypassed the heater system and plugged those tubes up (don’t know why). The mechanic will run a tube across to let the engine coolant circulate, and it may need just the heads to be skimmed flat, new head-gaskets and a new radiator. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and hopefully my quest for that elusive donor engine in China has ended ! BTW, the coolant temp sensor apparently does not register temperature changes if there is no coolant touching it and may read normal so beware if you’re low on coolant ! A very bad design indeed. Anybody no a good fix for this to prevent future re-occurrence? Is there an after market sensor that works of the engine body or perhaps a coolant level gauge?

 

Fergie