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09-Feb-10

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     This website was put up to document and serve as a resource for those who are interested in putting a turbo in their 2nd generation Nissan Maximas. There was quite a bit of speculation surrounding this swap. It seemed as though someone knew of someone else, who knew a guy who did it. :-)

     Since my junk yard motor in my Maxima finally gave out on me, it was time for a rebuild. This served as the perfect opportunity to attempt this swap. First impressions of such a project are that of ease. Many speculated that it is simply a weekend project. Let me tell you my friends, a weekend project it is not, unless of course your a hack and don't give a rats ass about doing the job right.

     During this swap I encountered many challenges and decisions on how best to handle those challenges. There are many things on which no expense was spared, and yet other things where I maybe should have taken the extra step (I will explain this later).

     In the gallery you will find several pictures documenting my progress. All of the pictures are clickable and will spawn a daughter window (popup) of a larger version of the image and accompanying text. Please take your time to read the tidbits on each picture as there is a lot of good information there.

     As of today, Saturday, January 18, 2003 the car is up and running and 100% functional. My first impressions are that I highly, highly recommend this swap to anyone who is interested. It is totally worth while and doesn't have to be an expensive venture. As it sits now, my boost gauge is reading a consistent 7psi. As the boost rises, there is an awesome, smooth power jump and the car pulls hard. For the most part this was a stock VG30ET rebuild/swap with the exception of the cams and the throttle body. I went with cams of .435 lift and installed a 240sx throttle body. Aside from that, everything else is stock.

     Now that the car is up and running and I am putting it through it's break-in paces, I am planning the next stages of performance mods. These include:

  1. Installation of a BOV, first not recirculated and then recirculated, I want to see the difference.
  2. Modifying the stock emergency relief valve to handle higher boost pressures and pop at between 15 - 20psi (haven't decided yet) instead of the factory setting. It will be made to be adjustable. Ah heck, maybe we'll just machine a whole new unit. :-)
  3. Serious modifying of the stock upper intake. From what I can tell, it is pretty darn restrictive inside. I am not sure of the max horsepower the stock upper intake can support, but I can well bet it isn't that great. I have about three other 300zx intakes kicking around, so one of them is going on the milling machine to be opened up. If I have time, I will bench test a stocker and compare it to the modified one. There will be another section of that project here as well.
  4. Installation of a Boost Timing Master ignition. I want to be in control of the ignition retard per pound of boost. There are several options here.
  5. Installation of a boost controller system which includes a two stage, solenoid controlled set up.
  6. Installation of an intercooler set up with two inlet pipes and one outlet pipe.
  7. Installation of an external wastegate.
  8. And last but not least, a second turbo to feed into the second inlet pipe on the intercooler. This second turbo will spool up in sequence to the first. In other words, the first turbo spools up and gives boost. As the rpms and boost climb, the second turbo's wastegate closes and it begins to spool up thereby "cutting in" and creating a second stage if you will. Apparently this is quite the ride to experience, should be fun!

     I'll bet the first thing that came to mind when you read the bit about a SECOND turbo was that it can't be done on the 2nd gen Maximas, there simply isn't enough room. Well, you're right. You're right only if you think of both turbos being mounted on either side of the engine. As you all know, there is pretty much no way to install a turbo between the engine and the firewall. Well, if you install a VG30ET (single turbo engine) like I did, as you can see, there is plenty of room for the one turbo. Guess where the second one goes . . . on a custom adapter made to fit in where the exhaust cross-over pipe is.

     Once you install the VG30ET, it does not use the gawd aweful air-injection unit the stock Max uses, so by getting rid of that unit, quite a bit of space opens up in the engine compartment. You can further this my mounting your battery in the truck (no rocket science here!). As you can see from the pics in the gallery, there is plenty of room for the second turbo and plumbing. Trust me, it's coming!!!

Donor car: 1986 300ZX Turbo
Recipient car: 1985 Maxima SE