The 3.0-liter Nissan VE30DE engine (or VE30 for short) was produced for a very short time from 1991 to 1994 and was installed only on the third generation of the Maxima sedan in the J30 body, which used to be very popular in the United States.
The Nissan VE30DE engine features cast-iron block and two aluminum heads with dual overhead camshafts (DOHC) and four valves per cylinder. The VE30DE is equipped with variable valve timing on the intake camshafts, multi-point fuel injection and coil-on-plug ignition.
The VE family includes only one internal combustion engine.
The engine was installed on:
- Nissan Maxima 3 (J30) in 1991 – 1994.
Specifications
| Production years | 1991-1994 |
| Displacement, cc | 2960 |
| Fuel system | distributed injection |
| Power output, hp | 190 |
| Torque output, Nm | 258 |
| Cylinder block | cast iron V6 |
| Block head | aluminum 24v |
| Cylinder bore, mm | 87 |
| Piston stroke, mm | 83 |
| Compression ratio | 10 |
| Features | no |
| Hydraulic lifters | yes |
| Timing drive | three chains |
| Phase regulator | inlet only |
| Turbocharging | no |
| Recommended engine oil | 5W-30 |
| Engine oil capacity, liter | 3.8 |
| Fuel type | petrol |
| Euro standards | EURO 2 |
| Fuel consumption, L/100 km (for Nissan Maxima 1993) — city — highway — combined |
13.9 9.8 12.4 |
| Engine lifespan, km | ~350 000 |
| Weight, kg | 220 |
Disadvantages of the VE30DE engine
- The engine is considered to be very resourceful and often runs up to 500,000 km without major repairs;
- The exhaust manifold gasket burns out regularly, and it is not so easy to replace;
- Even when removing, the exhaust manifold studs constantly break off;
- A number of owners were faced with replacing the pump and hydraulic lifters at 150,000 km;
- Diesel noise during engine operation indicates the manifestation of the so-called VTC problem;
- But the main problem of the motor is the difficulty of finding spare parts or a suitable donor.
