Need help identifying 2011 submodel

5492 Views 17 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Throckmorton, 2 mo ago

wheelman84

Discussion Starter · Nov 4, 2020 (Edited)

Hi all, girlfriend is a new-ish Altima owner. Wondering if it's possible to discern what submodel/trim she has so I can start pricing out parts for the CVT (which recently died). From what I've seen so far, I believe it to be the 2011 Nissan Altima S 2.5L gas version.

Info from the dealership lists it as a 2.5 SD. Is there a difference between the two? What about the SL? As I'm looking at transmissions it seems I really just need to avoid the hybrids, as the gas 2/4 doors both share the same CVT. Any thoughts?

For reference, VIN # is 1N4AL2AP9BC143801. Haven't had any luck getting past that is for a 2.5L 2011 Nissan Altima though. Best place to get more specifics on my vin? At the very least, this will help me search better as I try to figure out what to do with this under-a-year-old-to-us-POS.

1 - 18 of 18 Posts

jcg0324

· #2 · Nov 5, 2020

There is no transmission information in the VIN number. As far as submodel, the second "A" in your VIN indicates a 4-door sedan. I have a 2011 2.5s with CVT. The transmission number is RE0F09B and is located on a placard on top of the transaxle housing. Your number is probably the same.

wheelman84

Discussion Starter · #3 · Nov 5, 2020

Thanks. Are you gas or hybrid?

jcg0324

· #4 · Nov 5, 2020

wheelman84 said:
Thanks. Are you gas or hybrid?

gas

Throckmorton

· #5 · Nov 5, 2020

That VIN shows:
2011 Nissan Altima 4dr Sdn I4 CVT 2.5 S
VIN: 1N4AL2AP9BC143801

VIN Decoder - Nissan Forum - Nissan Enthusiast Forums

Nissan VIN Decoder - Decode your vehicle identification number

nissanforum.com

Throckmorton

· #6 · Nov 5, 2020

2011 model year all versions of the I-4 used the same CVT. This is true of all model years of the Altima.

The V-6 model uses a different CVT, which is not compatible with the I-4.

wheelman84

Discussion Starter · #7 · Nov 6, 2020

Throckmorton said:
2011 model year all versions of the I-4 used the same CVT. This is true of all model years of the Altima.

Same CVT for gas and gas/hybrid? Last eBay dealer I talked to said no, but I didn't get a chance to get actual parts #'s.

Throckmorton

· #8 · Nov 6, 2020

Same CVT, but Hybrid was programmed differently. Nissan used the complete Toyota Hybrid system under license from Toyota, but used the Nissan 2.5 I-4 and CVT. Nissan Altima hybrids were manufactured from MY 2007-2011, it was only available in 10 states that followed California's strict energy laws..California, Oregon, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont, and was also available in Canada. After the 2011 model year Nissan discontinued the Altima Hybrid due to poor sales, due it part to the fact that the Altima Hybrid did not offer a noticable fuel economy improvement over the standard I-4, but was much more expensive to purchase.

As you can see, the Nissan Altima Hybrid is a Unicorn. I personally have never seen one, as I don't live in an area where they were sold.

Why would you want to purchase a used CVT that is 9 or more years old? Since CVT R&R is time consuming and if done at a shop, expensive, how can you be sure that the CVT being installed is better than the one being removed?

Here is a company that sells remanufactured CVT's. Lots of information here.

spprecision.com

Nissan CVT Transmission for Sale, Remanufactured Rebuilt

The Nissan CVT sale is here. Much better than a rebuilt CVT, this Jatco OEM replacement transmission is fully remanufactured with upgraded parts and torque converter.

spprecision.com

See less See more

wheelman84

Discussion Starter · #9 · Nov 10, 2020

Throckmorton said:
Why would you want to purchase a used CVT that is 9 or more years old? Since CVT R&R is time consuming and if done at a shop, expensive, how can you be sure that the CVT being installed is better than the one being removed?

Here is a company that sells remanufactured CVT's. Lots of information here.

Nissan CVT Transmission for Sale, Remanufactured Rebuilt

The Nissan CVT sale is here. Much better than a rebuilt CVT, this Jatco OEM replacement transmission is fully remanufactured with upgraded parts and torque converter.

spprecision.com

Thanks for the help. I'll be giving the Nissan dealership a call to see if I can reprogram the hybrid CVT to work in my gas Altima. Would save me some good $$$. As for investing in it, I'm just looking to get this car mobile again; it is not going to see serious miles. I'm not willing to spend $4k+ (tranny you linked + install) on a car that probably isn't worth that.

I've been looking at my options recently and I think it can be done for around ~$16-1800 from what I've sourced. That would include something like this:

www.ebay.com

07 08 09 10 11 Altima Hybrid Automatic Transmission 2.5L 136K Miles OEM LKQ | eBay

LKQ SKU: LKQ740 ~187399593 TRA50514. We do our best to prevent these issues from happening and apologize for any inconvenience it may cause. Nissan Altima 2007-2011 A.T.; (CVT), 2.5L (4 cyl), Hybrid.

www.ebay.com

Second option is to grab a non-titled, same year Altima and swap the CVT in. Would bump my cost up a bit pulling it out of the other Altima, but could recoup a little parting out the rest of the car. Thoughts?

Throckmorton

· #10 · Nov 10, 2020

Again I ask...why would you take a chance on buying and installing a used CVT that has 136,000 miles on it?

Good luck with your project.

wheelman84

Discussion Starter · #11 · Nov 10, 2020

I'm not really sure what other direction to go here. Very open for suggestions. For the ~$16-1800 I've estimated, I don't know what else I could do. Don't think selling this without a transmission will net me very much either..

V_Veil365

· #12 · Dec 17, 2020 (Edited)

Have you checked the VIN using a decoder? (sorry, maybe I missed some info) I mean it's very simple and fast to do. I didn't know that before last spring when my friend was going to buy a new Nissan Rogue and asked the seller to send him the car's VIN. He showed me that you can check it using an ordinary VIN decoder, like Vingurus, and find out the whole history of the car.

wheelman84

Discussion Starter · #13 · Dec 17, 2020

Yeah, VIN decoder was mentioned above. Didn't help in identifying submodel though. And I'm still stuck not sure what to do with this. Was offered $1500 for it, listed at $2500 about a month ago. Going to slowly drop the price until someone bites unless I can figure something else out.

No response from either donor CVT or those on ebay (where hybrid CVTs are by far the least expensive)

Throckmorton

· #14 · Dec 18, 2020

In 2011, Nissan made the Altima in the following trim levels.

1. 2.5
2 2.5S
3. 2.5SL (Leather Seats)
4. 3.5SR

The dealer can call it an SD, but Nissan did not use that name as a trim level. I have no idea why you are so worried about what submodel you have...as it makes NO difference. The CVT is either a V6 CVT, or an I-4 CVT.

The reason hybrid CVT's are cheaper on Ebay is because they only work in the Hybrid Altima, there is little to no demand for them. On the other hand, I-4 CVT's are being replaced daily.

davidjohn

· #15 · 8 mo ago

wheelman84 said:
Yeah, VIN decoder was mentioned above. Didn't help in identifying submodel though. And I'm still stuck not sure what to do with this. Was offered $1500 for it, listed at $2500 about a month ago. Going to slowly drop the price until someone bites unless I can figure something else out.

No response from either donor CVT or those on ebay (where hybrid CVTs are by far the least expensive)

hop you will ge you desire question and if you want to know about the car you can get the relevant information of the car through Vin decoder

Throckmorton

· #16 · 8 mo ago

@davidjohn...By your responses, it is apparent that you have not read the previous posts in this thread.

Let's not forget, this thread is almost two (2) years old.

JoshuaMartin

· #17 · 2 mo ago (Edited)

Based on the information you provided, it seems that the dealership lists your car as a 2.5 SD. Without more information, it's difficult to say for certain what the difference is between the SD and SL models. However, it's possible that the SD is a specific trim level for your car, while the SL could be another trim level or package. Regarding the transmissions, you mentioned that you should avoid the hybrids and that both gas 2/4 door models share the same CVT. It's always a good idea to do your research and compare the different transmission options available for your car to determine which one best suits your needs and sometime I need license plate lookup which I check https://vincheckfree.com/license-plate-lookup site always. Overall, it's important to consider all the factors that are important to you when deciding which car to purchase. This may include things like price, fuel efficiency, reliability, safety features, and more.

Throckmorton

· #18 · 2 mo ago (Edited)

A wonderful, well thought out response to a thread that is 2 1/2 years old.

JoshuaMartin said:
Without more information, it's difficult to say for certain what the difference is between the SD and SL models. However, it's possible that the SD is a specific trim level for your car, while the SL could be another trim level or package.

It is obvious that you either did not read previous posts in this thread, maybe you did read them and could not comprehend what is written.

Where would you find what the differences are between the make believe SD trim level and the SL trim level? What reference material would you use since Nissan NEVER made an SD model of the Altima?

Throckmorton said:
In 2011, Nissan made the Altima in the following trim levels.
1. 2.5
2 2.5S
3. 2.5SL (Leather Seats)
4. 3.5SR

JoshuaMartin said:
It's always a good idea to do your research and compare the different transmission options available for your car to determine which one best suits your needs.

What??? Where did that come from?

JoshuaMartin said:
Overall, it's important to consider all the factors that are important to you when deciding which car to purchase. This may include things like price, fuel efficiency, reliability, safety features, and more.

Another WTF. Correct me if i'm wrong here, but the poor soul who owned the Altima and asked the questions does not own the inoperable 2011 car 2 1/2 years later.

Reactions: 1

1 - 18 of 18 Posts