Gid day
I'm looking if anybody out there has any any experience with getting hold of VQ30DD parts and anything I should watch out for when I do the work. Hopefully this post might be useful to others out there since I've had quite a mission trace down the issues I'm having with mine and harder still find the replacement parts.
I have an Nissan VQ30DD engine in my Stagea, it seems to have the common nissan issues:
Noisy timing chain
Broken VTC pulley/gear
?Direct injectors starting to play up?
I went to Nissan New Zealand for parts and they're trying to sell a timing chain kit for $1050 and another $1150 the new eVCT kit.
Over the past 3 months the timing chain has been making far to much noise for my liking, so I researched a bit and found the guide plastic on the tensioner has failed similar to what is all over the internet. So I need to fix this one at least.
The LHS VCT on the exhaust pulley has been playing up causing the engine to knock in the rev range 1600-2100 rpm. Apparently the springs fatigue and the pulleys need to be replaced. I have a datascanner and seen the cam timing bouncing on the LHS and with the knocking. So either the actuator system is playing up, or the sensor is wrong. Based on the reputation of the engine, and the knocking I'm very much leaning towards an issue with the actuator.
I have had the VTC covers off in the past and there was no sign of a damaged spring and both sides “felt” similar but I guess their could be an internal spring or mechanism has crapped it pants.
I have had the VCT unplugged for the past year because I couldn't be bothered spending the money or the time to fix it. Since I now need to do the cam chain (plus I really miss the ponies and fuel economy) I might as well do it with the timing chain.
Lastly I suspect the direct injectors are starting to go, but that can weight for now(clicking noise).
So I have some options:
Is ordering UAE parts off Amayama a good idea? This totals 620USD for basically a timing chain kit and replacing the faulty pulley. I'm a little concerned about just handing over that amount of money that while it is probably legit, it does have a little russian gang/scam feel about it.Do the VQ35DE engine parts fit (not HR) at VQ30DD engine? I'm soon traveling through the states and I suspect the parts I'm interested in are identical to those used for the 8 odd years of VQ35DE production. Concept Z performance seems to have the parts I need and at a good price considering I don't need shipping and will get away not paying GST. The deck height and pulley teeth counts should be the same, so the timing chain kit should match. The VTC cover looks identical except for the different colour plugs. I actually think in this case ConceptZ have the VTC cover by mistake because by my understanding, the normal VQ35DE only varies the intake cam, whereas the exhaust is varied on the VQ30DD and VQ35HR engines(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CVTCS). The VQ35DE exploded views all seem to show the engine with a fixed exhaust pulley. The VQ35DE VTC seems to closer match this model http://cdn.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/uploads/monthly_05_2014/post-63525-0-39886800-1399023986_thumb.gif - being the intake, which is not how it works on the VQ30DD. Chain Kit http://www.conceptzperformance.com/Cart/description.php?II=9248&Car_Type=NIS350&UID=20140810184955121.75.44.98
VTC Kit http://www.conceptzperformance.com/Cart/description.php?II=8898&Car_Type=NIS350&UID=20140810163715121.75.44.98
Has anybody else done a cam chain after the crappy designed tensioner slipped? I should do the whole lot, but in this case it more the main tensioner and chain that needs to be replaced rather than a gradual wearing out of all the parts. I'm wondering if the rest of the parts are actually in the state that is worth the money and time.When I originally tracked down the VTC over a year ago, ConceptZ did have a NISMO replacement for the exhaust pulley allowing the wider angle at $400 USD for the pair. These were not the intake pulley you can easily still find. Does anybody know a place where you can still get these? (It seems a better idea than replacing one VTC kit for the same price)Cheers,
Mike