Nissan 2.8L (172 cu in) firing order — diagram & guide

Being one of Nissan’s most renowned engines for its reliability, the 2.8-liter powertrain became widely regarded as one of the best engines of its time. Featured in iconic cars like the Datsun 280ZX, it’s said that it can go more than 200,000 miles when properly maintained.

Considering the age of these engines, it’s no wonder that you may need some assistance. So, our team created this all-around guide on the Nissan 2.8L (172 cu in) firing order to help with that. Through this article, we’ll dive into the exact firing sequence of the engine, cylinder layout, and related specs that could help you with maintenance.

Nissan 2.8L firing order

The first and most important thing to note is that the Nissan 2.8L firing order is 1-5-3-6-2-4. Moving on, we have to say that this engine is a straight-six which is different from modern-day six-cylinders in a “V” configuration that Nissan uses.

We’ll get to that and the cylinder numbering in a bit, but for now let’s stay on-topic with the firing order. Due to the age of the engine and a variety of different versions of it being released so far, drivers are often wondering if the firing sequence is the same for each version,

There’s the turbocharged 2.8-liter used in the Datsun 280ZX as well, so it’s important to state that the firing order for all the versions of Nissan’s L28 engine is the same.

Nissan 2.8L cylinder diagram

The next key point you’ll need to know about is the cylinder layout of this engine. For the L28 engine, the cylinders are laid out in a straight-six configuration. This means that cylinders are arranged from the first to the sixth in a straight configuration.

This makes it easier to track each cylinder and the easiest way to do the cylinder numbering is to start with the first one that’s located near the radiator at the front of the engine. From there, the cylinders go to the sixth one in sequence towards the windshield.

Nissan 2.8L vehicle applications

As we already mentioned, this engine was in production for quite some time and it lived through several upgrades and versions which means it was used in a variety of cars. So, here’s a list of all the Nissan vehicles equipped with the L28 engine:

• Datsun 280ZX
• Nissan Patrol
• Nissan Skyline
• Nissan Maxima
• Nissan Gloria
• Nissan Laurel
• Nissan Cedric

So, if you own any of these produced from the 1970s to 2002 when the production of a 2.8-liter Patrol was seized, the firing order for your engine is 1-5-3-6-2-4.

Our take

Now that we’ve gone through this guide on the Nissan 2.8-liter engine’s firing order, we hope we at least helped you a bit with your vehicle’s maintenance. Remember to always inspect the cylinders in their exact firing sequence to find the source of the problem.