[MrRogers757]

Hello all,

About six months ago, I purchased this 2017 Altima. I had no issues besides the ECU not recognizing the TPMSs (still unresolved) and it going into limp mode; I installed an external transmission cooler which seemed to solve that issue. Fast forward to last week, and I started noticing the RPM idling high, bouncing, and shooting up while causing the car to jolt forward. This has never happened while driving day to day, but this was a mini road trip with me traveling about an hour's distance. I got home and figured maybe it was the throttle body about to go, so I purchased a new one along with new spark plugs, coil packs, oil, oil filter, and basically everything for a tune-up. Completed the maintenance and drove it around town with no issues. The next morning on my way to work, the high RPM issue presented itself but worst. With all the jerking forward and revving going on, I figured it was best to pull over asap; on the way to the next gas station, the car stopped accelerating even with the pedal floored. I coasted to the gas station and turned the car off. Waited about ten minutes and turned it on, and it went into drive and reverse with no issues for about a minute, then back to no movement at all. Got it towed home, bought a $200 scanner from amazon, and scan the car. I got a current code, P17F0, a judder code. After looking up here, I see this is referenced as the "Death Code." My question is, what is the solution? Purchase a new transmission? How much is that? Does Nissan not cover this? The car has 115,000 miles.

 

[VStar650CL]

With 115K, you're probably out of luck with Nissan unless you have a good relationship with a dealer and can show maintenance records (the dealer Service Manager has the greatest say in goodwill claims and will need to go to bat for you). There was a warranty extension on the '17's from 5/60 to 7/84, but you're way past that. A used tranny is your best bet, but try to get the donor TCM along with the trans. That has two huge advantages, 1) you can plug it into your car before installing the tranny and make sure it didn't have problems of its own, and 2) the IP Char values will already be correct for the new trans and save you a bunch of dealer reprogramming. I'd also aim for an '18 or late '17 production date on the donor, the '16's and early '17's had a known materials issue with the Valve Bodies. You can also get a reman from NissanPartsDeal or another online Nissan outlet for about $2700, and I think they can deliver to your local dealer and save the shipping. However, then you'll be into a full dealer reprogram after installation, they rarely work right before having the IP's loaded.

 

[MrRogers757]

With 115K, you're probably out of luck with Nissan unless you have a good relationship with a dealer and can show maintenance records (the dealer Service Manager has the greatest say in goodwill claims and will need to go to bat for you). There was a warranty extension on the '17's from 5/60 to 7/84, but you're way past that. A used tranny is your best bet, but try to get the donor TCM along with the trans. That has two huge advantages, 1) you can plug it into your car before installing the tranny and make sure it didn't have problems of its own, and 2) the IP Char values will already be correct for the new trans and save you a bunch of dealer reprogramming. I'd also aim for an '18 or late '17 production date on the donor, the '16's and early '17's had a known materials issue with the Valve Bodies. You can also get a reman from NissanPartsDeal or another online Nissan outlet for about $2700, and I think they can deliver to your local dealer and save the shipping. However, then you'll be into a full dealer reprogram after installation, they rarely work right before having the IP's loaded.

Thanks for the quick reply. Guess it's time to search for a certified nissan dealer online for a new/reman trans.

 

[VStar650CL]

NissanPartsDeal is my personal go-to because they're a consortium of Nissan dealers. Their database and drawings are identical to Nissan DPiC, so if you feed it your VIN, you'll get exactly the parts your ride was built with.

 

[MrRogers757]

NissanPartsDeal is my personal go-to because they're a consortium of Nissan dealers. Their database and drawings are identical to Nissan DPiC, so if you feed it your VIN, you'll get exactly the parts your ride was built with.

Yeah, I'm on there now. 3161.73 for a new one, but it says it needs to be programmed. So does that mean I need to purchase a new TCM?

 

[VStar650CL]

Yeah, I'm on there now. 3161.73 for a new one, but it says it needs to be programmed. So does that mean I need to purchase a new TCM?

No, but it does mean your existing TCM needs to have fresh firmware (that's the only way to erase the judder codes) and have the IP Chars loaded in. That's pretty much a dealer-only operation, and it's possible you'll need to tow it there. They'll usually drive-but-crappy with the wrong IP's, but a small percentage don't drive at all.

 

[Creammotors]

Hey, try changing the valve body in your car first before buying another transmission. Valve bodies range from 500 to 900, part only. It may need to be programmed but the distributor will let you know at the time of purchase. Good luck!