Looking to swap the motor on my girls 2002 Pathfinder. It has 198k on the dash. I was originally going to pull and reseal, but I feel like it’s more worth while to throw in a new (to us) motor. I know this isn’t quite worth it, but she absolutely loves her car so please work with me on this one a little.

Where would you source a motor? Ideally a motor and trans combo but it doesn’t seem horrible trying to re-mate the motor in the bay? It’s a 2wd rig so no transfer case or 4wd in the way.

So what options would y’all choose?
1. LKQ yard motor and reseal and throw in
2. eBay “JDM” motor turn key
3. Any better options?

Would love to get a parts car but space is very limited.

Thank you.

BlueL82 wrote: ↑

Fri Jan 20, 2023 9:14 am

It’s a 2wd rig so no transfer case or 4wd in the way.

A 2002 Pathfinder LE has an All-Mode 4WD transfer case. How did it come to be a 2002 LE with only rear wheel drive?

Not sure. No sign of it ever having 4WD. Has all the other LE features

My bad. I thought wrong. Not all LE models are 4WD. (obviously)
I've read many posts over the years about fit-up detail issues with regard of Japanese market built JDM engines retrofit into US market vehicles. Hopefully, someone else here on this forum can better advise you on those details to make a successful JDM engine swap if you go that route. I've never dealt with that before. A good low mileage used engine that has already been picked and cleaned up, like from LKQ, could be an easy swap option with no foreign configuration surprises to deal with, like in a JDM swap.