OK question on vh45 swap?

[kool-aid54]

I go to search on car-parts.com and it asks these options:

(4.5L, VIN N, 4th digit), front wheel steering, Q45 (w/o full active susp), w/o Traction Cont(4.5L, VIN N, 4th digit), front wheel steering, Q45a (full active susp)(4.5L, VIN N, 4th digit), 4 wheel steering (Q45t)(4.5L, VIN N, 4th digit), front wheel steering, Q45 (w/o full active susp), w/Traction Cont

Does it matter which on i use for my swap. Also I search under the year 1994 Q45. Any info and advice would be awesome.

[tmorgan4]

That would depend on the part you're trying to use.....

[kool-aid54]

Sorry I should of specified, I'm looking to do the now popular "vh45" engine swap into my 93 240sx. And I didn't know if there was a huge difference in terms of fitting into the chassis. The prices do vary between them though.

[SuperHatch]

Sorry I should of specified, I'm looking to do the now popular "vh45" engine swap into my 93 240sx. And I didn't know if there was a huge difference in terms of fitting into the chassis. The prices do vary between them though.

Any motor will work.

Traction control motors have throttle bodies with dual butterflies for the traction control, but if that actuator is left disconnected you're fine.

4 Wheel Steering motors have HICAS PS Pumps. If you plan on using the Mazworx PS kit, you will need to find the brackets and pump off of a 2 wheel steering car.

Active Suspension cars have a PS pump that has a high pressure hydraulic pump built into it for the hydraulic active suspension system. You will again need to find a 2WS pump and bracket. Edit: You will also need a 2WS/4WS crank pulley, tensioner, and belt since the active cars used 7 rib belts on the PS pump and the non-active cars used 4-rib belts. You can probably put the 4 rib belt on the 7 rib pulleys, but it might not be worth the risk.

If getting the pump and bracket isn't an issue for you, than any motor is fine.

No active suspension motors in the US have traction control.

Traction control was a popular option on Q45t models, which all have 4WS.

Traction control was a less popular option on base Q45 models, so most 2WS motors don't have traction control. But not all, my Q was a base with traction control.

Thats probably a lot more info than you need to know. Long story short, any motor can work, PS is the only issue.
Modified by SuperHatch at 2:13 AM 8/15/2009

[kool-aid54]

thank you and that was plenty of useful info. Thanks bud. Now if I can just figure out how to rebuild a vh. I'm afraid if I buy one and put it in and blow it up. What kind of things should be taken care of before putting one in that was bought from a salvage yard?

[Carl H]

buy a running car that has a good service history.cheaper than getting a junker engine.

[SuperHatch]

thank you and that was plenty of useful info. Thanks bud. Now if I can just figure out how to rebuild a vh. I'm afraid if I buy one and put it in and blow it up. What kind of things should be taken care of before putting one in that was bought from a salvage yard?

Re-read my post, added something I forgot.

Take Carl's advice, that's what I did.

[kool-aid54]

So try to find one that doesn't have HICAS, right? What other parts are swappable over to the S13 chassis if I buy a running car? I know that the runner will be more expensive than just a motor, so I'd like to know if there are any other benefits other than the piece of mind that the motor is good cause the car you bought runs.

[SuperHatch]

So try to find one that doesn't have HICAS, right? What other parts are swappable over to the S13 chassis if I buy a running car? I know that the runner will be more expensive than just a motor, so I'd like to know if there are any other benefits other than the piece of mind that the motor is good cause the car you bought runs.

Front and rear brakes, rear hubs for 5 lug swap if you upgrade to the Q rear and axles as well. A lot of other parts from the car can be sold on the forums for q guys, fuel pump, fuel pump control unit, trans, trans ECU if its 93 or newer, lots of other stuff.

[kool-aid54]

Are the fronts brakes 4 pot and the rear 2 pot like the Z's? And the axles aren't too long?

And wow you know alot.

Thanks and I hope I'm not annoying the hell out of you. The whole q45 is brand new to me. I was just getting use to "what swaps from a Z32" over to an S chassis.

And it sounds like it would be worth it to buy the whole car.
Modified by kool-aid54 at 7:47 PM 8/17/2009

[SuperHatch]

Are the fronts brakes 4 pot and the rear 2 pot like the Z's? And the axles aren't too long?

The front brakes are the same diameter as the Z brakes, but 28mm thick rotors as opposed to 30mm, and the calipers are 2 piston sliding instead of 4 piston fixed. Brake torque is the same, but pedal feel will be slightly worse than the Z brakes due to flexy sliding calipers.

The rear brakes are the same diameter as the rear Z brakes as well, but solid rear disks the same thickness as stock 240 brakes and a single piston sliding caliper. Again, same torque, not the same pedal feel. The rear brakes also used the identical drum brake setup as the Z cars.

Both front and rear brakes are still an upgrade over stock 240 stuff.

And wow you know alot.

I still learn new stuff every day

Thanks and I hope I'm not annoying the hell out of you. The whole q45 is brand new to me. I was just getting use to "what swaps from a Z32" over to an S chassis.

And it sounds like it would be worth it to buy the whole car.

Not annoying at all, and if the price is right it's definitely worth it.

As far as the axles being the right length, they're not. You can use one of the Q axles, but for the other side you need to get one axle out of a twin turbo Z. I've gotten them from junk yards for around 50-75 bucks. There is a sticky thread on www dot fresh alloy dot com 240sx advanced forum that has step by step instructions for install, and it explains why each part is needed.

The Q rear is a R200 unit with larger axles, higher spline counts in the diff and the hubs, and a 3.54:1 ratio that compliments the torque of the VH better than a 4.08 ratio does.