Seattle CL: 82 Maxima D sedan 5-spd & 84 Maxima D wagon

[redmondjp]

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/pts/221712923.html

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Reply to: sale-221712923@craigslist.org
Date: 2006-10-16, 11:31PM PDT

[snip]

1982 Nissan Maxima diesel. Two available. Both run great and have the LD28 6-cylinder diesel. One is a parts car with a 5-speed transmission. Tires are shot and it is not licensed, but with a little work you could limp it home. Would be a neat drivetrain for a Datsun Z-car or a smaller SUV. Engine is worth about $1000 - make offer. . The other car is a 1984 station-wagon wth an automatic. Runs and drives prety well but needs a good vacuum and windshield replacement. Asking $1600.

You can view any of the above Tuesday and Thursday evenings (5:30 to 8:00 PM) or Saturday 9:30 to 5:00 at 1112 North 98th St. Some photos are available by clicking the image above or HERE.

Adam
http://dieselHead.net
dieselhead inventory

this is in or around North Seattle

[asavage]

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/pts/221712923.html

The other car is a 1984 station-wagon wth an automatic.

It might be an '84, but if so it didn't come with the LD28, not in the US. Also, the dash is a gasser dash, and the shift console is brown, while the rest of the interiour is grey.



The paint scheme looks like 1984 too.



but the alloy wheels were (TTBOMK) never offered on the Wagon, so those are likely Sedan wheels.

Looks like an '84 grille, and it has the sunroof option.



Ouch! I don't have one of these fenders!



Wrong ductwork, usual GP wiring bypasses, EGR disconnected, A/C compressor missing . . . looks like a diesel conversion into an '84 Wagon.

[83_maxima]

Interesting...it's got to be a conversion. Definitely a gasser dash and grille and NO diesels in 84 to boot. No badges on the front fenders too.

[glenlloyd]

It looks like the gasser air intake tube also, it stops at the battery instead of curving around to the front as with the LD28's. No diesel badge either, at least on the passenger side.

steve a

[lacolocho]

It is a diesel conversion into a gas car. They say that on the website.
Can anyone tell how well it was done from the photos?

[asavage]

A better conversion would change the front struts & springs too. I'm sure the gasser's tach won't work. What about the water-in-fuel minder? One big Q would be if the gasser or diesel version of the L3N71B trans was used, the diesel version being beefier -- but still, no overdrive. Driveshaft is the same on gasser/diesel models. '82 still uses leaf spring rears on the Wagons. The gasser doesn't (I think have a torque damper, not that that's a big issue.

If you're looking to run WVO, the SD with the inline Kiki-Diesel IP is a more robust selection, and is a LOT easier to work with the IP; the LD28 (as installed in the Maxima) has troublesome access to the IP. And the SD doesn't have an IP belt to break

Mechanically, the LD28-into-gasser-chassis is simple. However, the ancillary systems are a nightmare: electrical and vacuum and cruise control and EGR (if retained). The Maxima is not an electrically simple car, even by today's standards. You can make it run easily (any of those old diesels require little to run: GP + IP solenoid wire), but to actually make the instrumentation and warning bits work is another story.

If you have a complete donor car, it can be done, and indeed has been done, at least three times that I know of. However, I can't imagine that a swap (done well) would be any easier than just spending the extra money to buy a diesel version -- even for a thousand-dollar premium, you'd still be money ahead, unless you just happened to have an LD28 laying around (with a $350 crankshaft in it).

But I wouldn't run away from a half-done conversion either. It can still be driven, you only have to keep in mind the limitation(s) of the conversion.

[lacolocho]

Well, now you got me confused as to whether I want to buy it or not.
I don't really know enough about the Diesel Maximas to know how and what to look for going wrong with the conversion.
The engine only has 80k miles on it, though.

[asavage]

Well, now you got me confused as to whether I want to buy it or not. I don't really know enough about the Diesel Maximas to know how and what to look for going wrong with the conversion.

The LD (Maxima, etc.) and SD (720, etc.) engines are completely different, I doubt any part except bolts interchange.

The SD22 is 61 HP and is pretty "agricultural" in feel; the LD28 is 80 HP and is silky smooth (for a diesel of that era). (The gasser Maxima is 120 HP, BTW)

The fuel mileage of the Maxima diesel is about 25-35 -- and you're not going to approach 35 MPG with that trans, only with the '83 trans or with a 5-spd. IOW, the mileage is not something to write home about. Power is decent or better to me. The 720 diesel returns 30-40 MPG consistently, most folks getting about midway between those. The Maxima gets about the same mileage on B100; the SD's mileage seems to drop one or two when running soy biodiesel.

The SD22 (except when starting) pretty much does not emit visible smoke from the tailpipe, even under full load, if it's running right. The LD28 is a smoky engine under load.

The SD22 is not rev-happy, and likes low RPMs best; the LD28 is happy at a much wider range of RPM. Even running w/o OD, you can cruise at 75 MPH and not feel like it's going to explode, which is not the case with other diesels.

The seating position of the Gen1 Maxima has the accel pedal too far left, and you can't have a straight right leg due to the trans tunnel shape, and that's why I don't drive mine daily: it makes my back hurt, esp. on long trips. I took to bracing my right knee with a rolled up bath towel, against the shifter, to alleviate some of the pain.

The noise level of the Maxima diesel is relatively low for a sedan of that vintage. The 720 diesel is not very quiet in the cab at speed.

The 720's brakes are adequate for normal usage, and the rotors/calipers can be upgraded to later ones that are vented. The Maxima's brakes are undersized for the weight and must be kept in good working order to maintain safe braking. The Maxima Wagon's rear brakes have non-std auto adjusters that tend to seize if not maintained and used.

Buying a conversion is buying someone else's piecework. How do you ascertain whether they came anywhere close to the way Nissan put it together? I'd do the same thing I'd do with any used car purchase: get a pre-purchase inspection. We used to charge $35 to perform one, and they were not money-makers for us, but we'd pick up the repair business if the car sold, so it paid off that way.

The engine only has 80k miles on it, though.

How can you tell? You are almost never in a position to take a seller's word for mileage on an engine that has been swapped.

An LD28 with 80k on it will run much like one with 180k (I know: I bought my '82 with 86k documented miles from the original owner; my '83 has an indicated 199k on it). You can't hear loose internals on a diesel until it's very bad. You don't know if the seller has 30W (the 'W' stands for Winter grade, BTW) or the correct 15W-40 multi-visc oil in the crankcase, or even motor honey in it, so a lack of blue smoke does not necessarily mean a tight engine.

I do not know how to tell if a particular L3N71B is the gas or diesel version, without taking it apart.

The best cheap test of the condition of a diesel is an unassisted cold start. I refuse to buy a diesel that I can't start stone-cold. If it's been warmed up before I arrive, I walk, or I buy it as a core. The less-expensive check is a compression check, which ain't cheap if you don't do it youself.

Hope this helps.