Engine rebuild - What else to do along the way?

You gotta Love these old VG30E/i powered beasts, raw truck DNA to the core.

Moderator: volvite

volox
Posts: 43
Joined: Sat Jan 29, 2011 6:35 pm

Engine rebuild - What else to do along the way?

Postby volox » Sun Apr 30, 2017 10:59 pm

I've pulled the VG30e out of my 95 and am working on the rebuild. I'm going to get some degreaser and clean things up in the engine compartment, but I'm looking for suggestions on what else I should do while I'm doing the engine rebuild.

Here's what is on the list presently:

- New Radiator (that's what started this fun)
- Water pump
- Thermostat
- Rings (which obviously means rod bearings)
- Head machine w/ new valve seals
- Timing belt
- Timing belt tensioner

I think the recommendation is to replace the head bolts when re-installing; is that just an excuse to sell parts? or is it really a good idea?

Good chance I might replace the wiring harness that runs from the battery to the starter since the oil over time has done a number on that.

Should I proactively replace the oil pump? strainer? or any other of the 'deep' parts?

The fuel injectors look gunked up; should they get replaced? or just solvent dipped?

It looks like there are some aftermarket engine mounts; are these better than stock? Even if I'm going to stay OEM, should the existing mounts be replaced to avoid failure from fatigue?

I also noticed that there seem to be a couple different brands of rings / gasket kits / rebuild kits out there; anyone have experience or recommendations on which one is the best choice?

Any other parts, bolts or stuff I should look at along the way?

Any recommendations on good cleaning techniques, products, etc. is also appreciated; I've got a lot of black goo to clean up.


User avatar
smj999smj
Site Admin
Posts: 6054
Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2012 11:13 pm
Location: Prospect, VA

Postby smj999smj » Mon May 01, 2017 7:39 pm

One of the first things you should do is measure the cylinder bores to make sure you can get away with just honing and new rings or if you'll need boring and pistons. There's no sense of going through the labor and expense if there is an out-of-round or excessive taper issue with one or more of the cylinder bores.

Rockauto has several options from a master rebuild kit to gasket kits. I would recommend a new oil pump, but there's no reason to replace the pickup unless there is damage (make sure you install a new gasket on the pickup tube. I would also install new head bolts...or, check them per the factory service manual specs.
If you have a company near you that services fuel injection components, you could have your injectors cleaned and flow checked. When I got my '03 Frontier with almost 200,000 miles in it, I replaced mine with a set of Autoline remanufactured fuel injectors. Rockauto sells them for $24 each, but I think I got mine through Advance Auto Parts online using a "TRT30" discount code.
The aftermarket mounts are definitely not as good as genuine Nissan mounts. FYI, the factory mounts are hydraulic. Whether you need them or not depends on what kind of condition there are in, which I can't answer for you from where I'm at.

volox
Posts: 43
Joined: Sat Jan 29, 2011 6:35 pm

Postby volox » Sat May 25, 2019 10:26 am

Is it just me, or is the o-ring for the oil pickup tube look way smaller than the groove. Everything is telling me I have the right part, but it doesn't look like it's the right size.

Also is there supposed to be a gasket in addition to the o-ring? I

love how the gasket kit has all this stuff in it that basically looks the same but they don't tell you what's what.

User avatar
smj999smj
Site Admin
Posts: 6054
Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2012 11:13 pm
Location: Prospect, VA

Postby smj999smj » Sun May 26, 2019 9:12 pm

volox wrote:Is it just me, or is the o-ring for the oil pickup tube look way smaller than the groove. Everything is telling me I have the right part, but it doesn't look like it's the right size.

Also is there supposed to be a gasket in addition to the o-ring? I

love how the gasket kit has all this stuff in it that basically looks the same but they don't tell you what's what.
It's just the "O" ring for the pickup...and I do seem to remember them being a little on the "small-ish" side. Make sure you lube it with a little bit of petroleum jelly or clean motor oil during assembly.


Return to “1986-1995 Pathfinder (WD21)”