Hello everyone,

New to the site because I was looking for any info on doing this swap if anyone's tried it. My CVT hasn't blown up yet, but I'd rather sell it while it's good at 46k and go with a manual than wait.

I've built 7 Ford Ranger 5.0 trucks over the years and even converted 4 of them to T5 manual transmissions, so this stuff doesn't scare me. Made a quick parts list and searched out availability on a lot of stuff already, but I want to be sure I'm not missing anything before I pull the trigger. Also wondering if anyone has schematics for both the CVT and manual for the 2017? I didn't see anything on this site.

Transmission
Flywheel
Clutch Asssembly
Clutch Slave
Pilot Bearing
Hydraulic Clutch Line
Clutch Master Cyl
Clutch Reservoir
Clutch Pedal Assy
Halfshafts
Torque Rod
Side Mount Bracket Left
Trans Rear Mount Bracket
Wiring Harness
PCM w/ Keys
Shift Boot w/ Bezel
Shifter w/ Cable

Thanks!

You can set this idea on the back burner right now.

I went down this road with a 2008 Cube, and ultimately spent a TON of money and failed (despite a LOT of talented, knowledgeable people involved, including 2 Nissan Master Techs). Wasted almost a year, well over $10k, and ultimately settled on returning it to stock.

The CAN BUS wiring system integrates the gauge cluster, HVAC, lighting, BCM, and a lot of other seemingly irrelevant stuff. The hard parts (trans, pedal box, etc) are the easy part - Making it all play nice with the ECU is the hard part. The entire harness has to be swapped as well, and you'll need unfettered access to whatever ECU tool they're using now (used to be Consult-2).

Also, a lot of the bits are 'one-time use only' - such as the clutch master cylinder. It's an integrated cylinder and plumbing (plastic) that is damaged beyond re-use when uninstalled (so you're buying new parts via a dealer - no junkyard scavenging). Fun to do during a supply chain shortage.

Schematics won't be readily available, as Nissan cut off public access to them in the 2016 (roughly) model year.

Your car is way newer and way more complex than my '08, so feel free to experiment, but I'd bet a car payment it won't happen successfully.

Sell your CVT car, buy the one you want, and save yourself a TON of misery.

AZhitman wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 08, 2022 9:53 pm

You can set this idea on the back burner right now.

That's extremely disappointing. I figured the most difficult part would be the ECU, but to make it that difficult seems counterintuitive as it makes building the two models more expensive as well. It's also sad because I like my Sentra, but not enough to spend anywhere near that kind of money and from everything I've read and heard from other owners, the CVTs are trash, so that means it will have to be sold to let someone else deal with the trouble down the line.

Those were my exact thoughts during my process. Seems totally counterintuitive to not make them virtually identical... but Nissan didn't.

Add to that the inability to fiddle with the ECU, and the plethora of plastic Chinese parts you will encounter (yes, made in China right on the components) and you'll be even more frustrated.

The good news is that your CVT car will command a premium right now... if you can sell and then take your time looking for a manual replacement, it's not a bad time to offload the rubber-band car.

There are some nice recent model year manual transmission Sentras.
Some with turbo engines.
They are not super common but they are out there, consider selling and picking up one of those.
You will be happier and less frustrated and less money spent that adds no value to the car (in a sale)