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Pulleys for VG30E accessories on a VG33E engine


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I Just Bought a VG33E out of a 98 pathfinder and I will be putting it into my 92 pathy which has VG30E accessories ! Were should i start looking for ONLY the Pulleys ? Will the pulleys off of the VG33E accessories Bolt up to my VG30E accessories? Please Help. This is my Daily driver, I need her up and running ASAP.

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This has been covered a lot but when I put in my 97 pathfinder 3.3 I made the 3.3 accessories work in the 93. Made a custom bracket to move the power steering pump closer to the block to clear the frame rails. The 98 alternator is 90 rather than 60 amps of the 92. Also the newer power steering pump is stronger.

 

If you want to keep your 3.0 accessories you need to either take apart the whole motor or use a crank adapter from Mr.510 on this forum. Crank adapter is by far the fastest and easiest way to do the swap if you need it done ASAP.

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When I did the swap, I had a machine shop bore out the main crank pulley from a VG30 engine. I just grabbed one from the local junk yard. I took them both the crank pulley from the VG33 and the one from the VG30 and told them I wanted the VG30 pulley to match the hole in the one from the VG33. After that all of my accessories bolted right on, no changes needed. I've had no problems since.

 

Here's a link to my write-up, hope it helps! vg33swap.pdf

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When I did the swap, I had a machine shop bore out the main crank pulley from a VG30 engine. I just grabbed one from the local junk yard. I took them both the crank pulley from the VG33 and the one from the VG30 and told them I wanted the VG30 pulley to match the hole in the one from the VG33. After that all of my accessories bolted right on, no changes needed. I've had no problems since.

 

Here's a link to my write-up, hope it helps! vg33swap.pdf

 

I've read of a couple cases where people did this and the balancer cracked because there wasn't enough meat left around the keyway. This cost them each a crankshaft when the balancer worked loose. I was going to offer re-machined new harmonic balancers to adapt VG30 accessories to VG33 cranks until I read about these problems and looked at how little material is left when you bore out a VG30 balancer. The adapter hub I'm producing replaces the harmonic balancer and accepts the VG30's six bolt steel crank pulleys. It's a fully CNC machined anodized aluminum unit for $75.

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I just got my VG33 setup on the engine stand and am working on removing lines and wiring harnesses not needed. Just cleaning it up pretty much to get it ready for the swap. Would be easier if the wife and family would let me work on it...instead of gettting volunteered to babysit. Dang wifey. Mr.510, put me in for one. No swapping the cranks then, correct?

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I've read of a couple cases where people did this and the balancer cracked because there wasn't enough meat left around the keyway. This cost them each a crankshaft when the balancer worked loose. I was going to offer re-machined new harmonic balancers to adapt VG30 accessories to VG33 cranks until I read about these problems and looked at how little material is left when you bore out a VG30 balancer. The adapter hub I'm producing replaces the harmonic balancer and accepts the VG30's six bolt steel crank pulleys. It's a fully CNC machined anodized aluminum unit for $75.

 

Mr.510,

 

Do you have a picture of this adapter Hub? and how it fits on the Crank Pulley?

 

William

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Mr.510, put me in for one. No swapping the cranks then, correct?

 

Correct. The adapter fits on the VG33 crank just like the stock harmonic balancer did. One of the biggest reasons I decided to make the prototype for myself was so that I could retain the vastly superior VG33 oil pump. These pumps are the only gearotor-type pumps used on sohc VGs. The rest are "gear inside ring-gear" for lack of an actual term for this type of pump. When run hard at high RPM the VG30 pumps are known for cracking the ring gear and losing oil pressure. Being able to keep the VG33 crank with it's much larger snout is a good thing too, though it was only the very early VGs that were known for the crank snout snapping off.

 

And this is a good idea?? I can't imagine it would do the crank and bearings any favors...

 

B

 

In theory removing the balancer could increase wear. In practice many people have run lightweight aluminum "power pulleys" on Z31Ts for hundreds of thousands of miles with no known increase in wear to any engine components. A VG has a very short, stout, yet light weight fully counterweighted crankshaft. If there's any crank that should live a long and happy life with nearly no mass bolted to it's ends it's the VG crank. Would I delete the balancer on a straight six or an American V8? No!

 

Mr.510,

 

Do you have a picture of this adapter Hub? and how it fits on the Crank Pulley?

 

William

 

This is the prototype that's on my VG34. Production parts will be anodized for corrosion resistance. The spot drilled dimple at the top of the pic is TDC. Nissan should have put a mark here on the stock balancers so you could easily tell how to index the crank pulleys!

 

2011-09-25_06-07-43_584.jpg

 

 

Here it is installed on the crank:

 

2011-10-05_21-56-45_322.jpg

 

 

And with the VG30 pulleys bolted on:

 

 

2011-10-05_21-59-43_46.jpg

 

 

The pulleys are in the exact location they would be with a VG30 crank and balancer.

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In theory removing the balancer could increase wear. In practice many people have run lightweight aluminum "power pulleys" on Z31Ts for hundreds of thousands of miles with no known increase in wear to any engine components. A VG has a very short, stout, yet light weight fully counterweighted crankshaft. If there's any crank that should live a long and happy life with nearly no mass bolted to it's ends it's the VG crank. Would I delete the balancer on a straight six or an American V8? No!

 

Ahh, ok, I suppose that makes sense then, especially if it is a proven mod. Yeah, I always understood that you would likely trade short term gains for long term problems...

 

B

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Correct. The adapter fits on the VG33 crank just like the stock harmonic balancer did. One of the biggest reasons I decided to make the prototype for myself was so that I could retain the vastly superior VG33 oil pump. These pumps are the only gearotor-type pumps used on sohc VGs. The rest are "gear inside ring-gear" for lack of an actual term for this type of pump. When run hard at high RPM the VG30 pumps are known for cracking the ring gear and losing oil pressure. Being able to keep the VG33 crank with it's much larger snout is a good thing too, though it was only the very early VGs that were known for the crank snout snapping off.

 

 

 

In theory removing the balancer could increase wear. In practice many people have run lightweight aluminum "power pulleys" on Z31Ts for hundreds of thousands of miles with no known increase in wear to any engine components. A VG has a very short, stout, yet light weight fully counterweighted crankshaft. If there's any crank that should live a long and happy life with nearly no mass bolted to it's ends it's the VG crank. Would I delete the balancer on a straight six or an American V8? No!

 

 

 

This is the prototype that's on my VG34. Production parts will be anodized for corrosion resistance. The spot drilled dimple at the top of the pic is TDC. Nissan should have put a mark here on the stock balancers so you could easily tell how to index the crank pulleys!

 

2011-09-25_06-07-43_584.jpg

 

 

Here it is installed on the crank:

 

2011-10-05_21-56-45_322.jpg

 

 

And with the VG30 pulleys bolted on:

 

 

2011-10-05_21-59-43_46.jpg

 

 

The pulleys are in the exact location they would be with a VG30 crank and balancer.

 

Maaaaaannnn (end whine) Why is it all the cool stuff comes out after I get done with the project? :headwall:

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What type of aluminum?

 

6061-T6

 

Maaaaaannnn (end whine) Why is it all the cool stuff comes out after I get done with the project? :headwall:

 

Well, technically it hasn't come out yet as the first production run is in the works now...

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Well I now have my VG33E and i do have all of the accessories with it . The engine is out of a 96 pathy going into my 92 I am using the VG33E Crankshaft pulleys on . But i find myself at this point were if i switch sides of my alternator and power steering pump to sit under the hood in the same spot . I need to make a bracket to extend the alternator out toward the front about 1 inch more . and more to come Guarenteed

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what all have you guys came up with while installing your VG33E ?

stripped it down to the shortblock

cleaned

new gaskets and seals

swapped the mounting brackets from the vg30 to the vg33 so all my accessories mount up in the stock locations. I didn't have to build or modify any bracketry.

swapped the crank from the vg30

swapped the oil pump

4x4 water pump from a 95

cams from the vg30

intake from the vg30

installed oil filter stud and little ball thingy that I can't remember the name of that goes next to the stud.

orginaly I used the vg30 fuel rail but switched to the vg33 fuel rail and changed out the clips. I wouldn't bother with this again cause the flow rate of the injectors is the same.

 

basicaly made a bigger bore vg30.

It was great to learn from and is giving me a great foundation to build from. If you look at my engine everything is in stock wd21 locations all my wireing harnesses are stock so all the manuals still apply with out any futzing around.

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  • 2 weeks later...

If you look at my engine everything is in stock wd21 locations all my wireing harnesses are stock so all the manuals still apply with out any futzing around.

 

Have you had to get it smogged yet since your swap? This is pretty much the route I am going to take, short of ordering a crank pulley from Mr 510 so I dont have to swap the crank. Then when I have to get it smogged every 2 years it'll just look like a regular VG30 Pathfinder.

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Have you had to get it smogged yet since your swap? This is pretty much the route I am going to take, short of ordering a crank pulley from Mr 510 so I dont have to swap the crank. Then when I have to get it smogged every 2 years it'll just look like a regular VG30 Pathfinder.

Passed the visual inspection no problem. While you have the whole thing apart do yourself a favor and replace all your hoses. I had a couple cracked ones and had to chase a vacuum leak. Make sure you keep your entire intake from the vg30 little baffles and everything. I had taken my baffles off and it was pulling to much air in. My hydrocarbons were non existent while my NOX was around 1500. The issue may have also been caused by a problematic Mafs wire but I wont know till I get it smoged again in a couple years.

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