I have been searching threads for some time trying to find someone writing firsthand about use of a Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) engine. My son’s ’98 Pathfinder was guzzling oil and gas and had no power. After a failed attempt at a rebuild that was its own nightmare, I decided to give the JDM a try.
All the posts I saw were second and third hand accounts. Stories of bad wiring harnesses and various lack of fit problems seems abundant, along with some encouragement about better horse power.
I talked to the guys at Tiger Automotive (http://www.jdmtigerjapanese.com ). They (actually the same guy on several calls) were more helpful and more knowledgeable than the people I eventually ordered from. Tiger explained that I would need to use the upper intake, exhaust manifolds, and wiring harness from the original motor. They also said some people to see better HP, but mainly in Honda’s.
Tiger also said the motor would come with some accessories – alternator, fuel rail, water pump, etc. The company I eventually ordered from, Soken Trade Corporation (http://www.sknengines.com ) insisted that I would get a long block only. That to me meant not water pump, intake, fuel rail, any sensors, etc.

 

I was really hoping to get some newer accessories, sensors, PVC, etc where I could, so I favored Tiger, but I read a number of bad internet experiences involving Tiger. The guy that cuts my hair ordered from Soken, but he is a real gear head and was working a project car. I just needed this thing to bolt in and work. I ordered from Soken. The mot got from north Hollywood CA to north Alabama in about 5 days. I thought that was pretty good. Cost for the VG33 was $875 plus $260 shipping.
I picked the engine up at a local trucking company. They will deliver to your home, but you have to have a way to get the engine off the truck. I opted to pick up at the shipper. They loaded the engine on my trailer and I was off. It came wrapped in plastic as you see. I cut the plastic just enough to see that it was a VG33. See more pics below

 

When I got it home I cut the plastic open. The engine looked great. I opened the valve covers. The right side looked ok. The left side looked great. I did notice what looked like crack in the lifter cover (I think that’s what its called). It was almost identical on both sides so I attributed it to casting or some other manufacturing marks. There didn’t seem to be any signs that oil was actually seeping through the apparent cracks.

 

So, on I went -- a pic of the left side cam and rockers is attached. I already had the old engine out so set about installing the new one. The guys at Tiger were spot on. I had to use the exhaust manifold from the old engine. The JDM exhaust manifold and intake look like they came from an XTerra. O2 sensors were not included and of course, no catalytic converters. Plumbing on top of the motor was different that mine so all the plumbing under the lower intake and under the upper intake was not usable. The upper intake itself was slightly different as well. A vacuum tube here and a water temp sensor there slightly different. I could have probably used the upper intake but I didn’t want the hassle.
I did pull the PVC out of it and will save some of the other sensors and solenoids. It came with the entire upper intake including the throttle position sensor, so I will keep those. The engine matched the condition that Tiger stated, even though Soken insisted it was a long block only. The fuel rail and injectors were included. The design of the fuel rail was different, so I couldn’t use it.
I could have swapped the injectors, but had already had mine ultrasonically cleaned and flowed for about $104 at Mr. Injector (Mr Injector - Home) with new O-rings, screens, etc, so I stuck with my old ones. I did change out the timing belt while the new motor was out of the vehicle. What a ridiculous procedure for setting the tension on the timing belt. I think I wound up with it a little tight. It seems to whine just a bit. That’s going to have to do. I’m not disassembling the front of the motor for that.
I really was hoping to salvage some of the wiring harness. Mine is old and crumbly. The plastic connectors seem to break every time I touch them. A cursory look at the fuel injector harness looked like a match so I installed it to the knock sensor on the block and assembled the lower intake, made all the injector connections, then installed the upper intake. It was only when I tried to make the connection to the crankshaft position sensor on the transmission bell housing that I realized the harness wouldn’t work.
So once again the guys at Tiger had told me right. Use the harness from your old vehicle. If I had the skills to remove pins from and existing connector and move them to another I might try to salvage some of the new connectors.
That little detour cost me about 3 hrs to get everything undone, fight with the water temp sensor housing, and put it all back together. I mentioned I used my old fuel rail. We got everything back together and assembled all of the accessories. The new motor came with the A/C and alternator brackets in place so I used those. Installed radiator and we’re ready to go. I already had a new radiator from the rebuild attempt. I would highly recommend a new radiator if you put in a new motor in an older vehicle.

 

Put the battery back in place and hooked up the fuel lines. It fired right up. I wish I had put some two cycle oil in each cylinder before starting just to ensure some lube on the rings. No telling how long the engine had been sitting. Anyway, it seems to be running like a champ. No lifter noise. No smoke. Seems to have a lot more power and seems to get noticeable improved mileage. I only have about 100 mi on it so we’ll keep an eye on that.
So, there you have it. Ordered the JDM motor sight unseen on the internet. Came to me better than advertised. Installed it and running great. I did have to come back and replace the rubber fuel line on the front of the fuel rail. It was leaking. The intake castings have sharp edges were the molds come apart. I had abused the fuel line a couple of times getting the fuel rail in and out so it paid me back. I probably should have swapped out the water pump when I did the timing belt. That will give me something to do later I suppose.

Good luck with your project.

 

Did you have to pull your transmisson from the vehicle to get the engine out of the car? I have a 98 also with an auto transmission and 4x4. I plan on swapping my engine out too and this is the best write up so far. I planned on using jdm but now i will be thinking twice about that.

 

No , I didn't remove the transmission, but that may be the best approach. Getting at the transmission bolts against the firewall was one of the most frustrating tasks of the whole operation. I might have been better off to remove the transmission and engine as one piece. If yours is a 98 unibody then it will have a cross beam that you may need to remove to pull the engine and trans at one time. The bolts have a tab bent into the threads so they don't back out. You'll need to cut that off or bend it out of the way. If you don't is will ruin the bolt on the way out.