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Help Are JDM VQ37VHR engines the same spec as US engines

Old Apr 4, 2025 | 03:02 PM
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Are JDM VQ37VHR engines the same spec as US engines

Seems my Stillen boosted 2013 G37X motor has some internal failure.
Had my foot into it at triple digits on a highway, it lost power and it shut off just as I got the car off the road.
Got tired of waiting for a flatbed so I drove it home, way down on power, missing on several cyliders (sounds like a Subaru) and smoking. Got it home 25 miles like that! What a great motor!

The motor only has 34k miles (about 5k boosted, ran a 12.966 1/4 2 years ago) and the tune was pretty conservative, AFR around 10.5:1 at WOT. Always ran it on Sunoco 94 but I had Wawa gas in it this time. Not saying that's why it grenaded, but maybe.

All the used domestic motors I can find have 100k miles minimum.
I can get a 61K JDM engine for $2k or less.
Anybody know if JDM VQ37VHR engines have the same compression and cam specs as domestic motors?
There's a yard 2 hours away that imports them, and they say it's a drop-in, that I just yse my wiring harness.

Thanks in advance if you're able to shed some light.
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Old Apr 4, 2025 | 04:29 PM
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I'm actually not sure - mostly posting here to bump the thread higher in the views so maybe you can get answers from folks.
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Old Apr 4, 2025 | 04:59 PM
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Originally Posted by rotarymike
I'm actually not sure - mostly posting here to bump the thread higher in the views so maybe you can get answers from folks.
Thanks.
I just looked it up and the JDM skyline v36 (purported to be the JDM G37) had the VQ37VHR and made 330 HP, exactly what the US version made.
I think I'm gonna go for it when I get my 4 post lift freed up.
I'll do some logging when I get it back together, and watch the AFR.
Hoping I won't have to spring for a full tune as my tune is locked.

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Old Apr 6, 2025 | 09:05 AM
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tune, for the differences in gas in both countries, would be the major difference IMHO. I can't imagine the engine making the same power and having different cams or c/r.
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Old Apr 6, 2025 | 12:40 PM
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Originally Posted by rotarymike
tune, for the differences in gas in both countries, would be the major difference IMHO. I can't imagine the engine making the same power and having different cams or c/r.
That's what I believe; it costs a company a lot of money to produce different SKUs for different markets.

Pretty sure I'll just get the JDM engine, swap it in (if I get a non AWD motor I have to swap over the oil pan from mine) then log the AFRs as I gradually increase RPM range and throttle opening.

Thanks
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Old Apr 6, 2025 | 08:27 PM
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To my knowledge every VHR is the same internally.

$2000 is over $1000 than many VHRs out there.

You having an X means you could easily swap a Q50 3.7 AWD which are the cheapest VHR in the used market simply because most are 3.0

10.5 at WOT boosted is pretty ****ing rich.

Your engine blew due to a need for a tune revision simply.

You can find one of these for $800. We use these and convert them to RWD. Beautiful donors, in your case you'd benefit from not having to change much.

Still use YOUR harness.
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Old Apr 6, 2025 | 08:35 PM
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Originally Posted by BULL
To my knowledge every VHR is the same internally.

$2000 is over $1000 than many VHRs out there.

You having an X means you could easily swap a Q50 3.7 AWD which are the cheapest VHR in the used market simply because most are 3.0

10.5 at WOT boosted is pretty ****ing rich.

Your engine blew due to a need for a tune revision simply.

You can find one of these for $800. We use these and convert them to RWD. Beautiful donors, in your case you'd benefit from not having to change much.

Still use YOUR harness.
Engines don't blow up from too rich a tune.

I looked for VQ37VHRs around here and there are none for anything near $800. Where do you live, in an imaginary land?

Thanks for your "help".

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Old Apr 7, 2025 | 08:18 AM
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I'm in Atlanta and have my search radius as big as 300 miles.

I recently picked up a Q50 VHR for $500 with 70k miles (paper work of donor vehicle) I found on marketplace.

Looking at listings now (4/7 8:00am) there a Q70 VHR with 60k miles for $800 in Boiling Springs, SC. There's a Q50 VHR in Marietta, GA for $600 with 82k miles.
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Old Apr 7, 2025 | 11:37 AM
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Huh. I'll be in Greenville for most of this week with work, and will have the Escape... wonder if I should side-trip and get an engine for long-term rebuild.

My wife would kill me, but :shrug: she'll eventually kill me over something so...
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Old Apr 7, 2025 | 11:40 AM
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Originally Posted by rotarymike
Huh. I'll be in Greenville for most of this week with work, and will have the Escape... wonder if I should side-trip and get an engine for long-term rebuild.

My wife would kill me, but :shrug: she'll eventually kill me over something so...
lol, I'm in the same boat as you brother with my wife.

But I can send the links to those listings if anyone is interested. Find me on Facebook Dave "AH" Chu
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Old Apr 7, 2025 | 11:47 AM
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I would, but I don't do social medias at the moment - any of them. Well, I guess technically this forum is one, but none of the 'standards'.

Tough time to be politics-adjacent due to my work, and I've been to El Salvador in the 90s and don't want to go back.
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Old Apr 7, 2025 | 11:54 AM
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This one is in Boiling Springs , SC


this one is Charlotte, NC
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Old Apr 7, 2025 | 12:44 PM
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Originally Posted by projectpanda13
I'm in Atlanta and have my search radius as big as 300 miles.

I recently picked up a Q50 VHR for $500 with 70k miles (paper work of donor vehicle) I found on marketplace.

Looking at listings now (4/7 8:00am) there a Q70 VHR with 60k miles for $800 in Boiling Springs, SC. There's a Q50 VHR in Marietta, GA for $600 with 82k miles.
I found some engines with reasonable mileage relatively close by. I don't do this a lot so I didn't really know how to search but I found car-part.com and, as you wrote, I can do much better than $2k.
When I'm wrong I admit I'm wrong.

As for the AFR, I stand by what I wrote.
NA LS motors target AFR 12:1
FI LS motors target AFR 11.5:1
The tuner I used, who has tuned a lot of boosted VQ37VHR motors targets AFR 10.5:1. Seemed a bit rich to me but richer errs on the side of caution. Richer than optimal AFR sacrifices power for longevity.
My car has run like a scalded cat for 5k miles beating it mercilessly. Never ran it on anything except Sunoco 94 from the local high volume gas station. Was stuck with low fuel in an area I wasn't familiar with, hit a Wawa.
Not conclusive but it's quite a coincidence if something else cause it to let go on that tank of fuel. Of course it could be anything, according to the property known as entropy in physics. Everything is devolving into disorder regardless of how well we prepare for it.
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Old Apr 7, 2025 | 12:47 PM
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Originally Posted by scudzuki
I found some engines with reasonable mileage relatively close by. I don't do this a lot so I didn't really know how to search but I found car-part.com and, as you wrote, I can do much better than $2k.
When I'm wrong I admit I'm wrong.
I just wanted to help with the engine search in hopes of making a fast recovery for your project.
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Old Apr 7, 2025 | 12:49 PM
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Originally Posted by projectpanda13
I just wanted to help with the engine search in hopes of making a fast recovery for your project.
And you did, I apologize for my previous snarkiness.

You are a gentleman and a scholar (I'm old so that's supposed to be a compliment)
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