Engine Complete Assembly for 2016-2017 Nissan Altima - Upper Front

A quick look at your own vehicle makes sure the right engine shows up:

• Verify the 4th digit of the VIN is 'A'
• Confirm the vehicle is Front-Wheel Drive (FWD)
• Verify the vehicle has the 2.5L 4-cylinder engine (QR25DE) and not the 3.5L V6

What the install really takes — plan and budget with confidence:

Special tools this job needs:

• Engine hoist/crane with heavy-duty load leveler
• Subframe adapter or support jack
• Flat-ground E20 External Torx Socket (modified to prevent stripping shallow flexplate bolts)
• Torque wrench
• Torque angle gauge
• Harmonic balancer puller

Budget for these consumables at install:

• Engine Oil (4.9 to 5.1 quarts of 0W-20 synthetic motor oil)
• New spin-on engine oil filter
• Nissan Blue Long Life 50/50 Pre-Mixed Coolant
• 4 new NGK Laser Iridium spark plugs (Part #DILKAR7B11, pre-gapped to 0.044")
• New intake manifold gasket
• New exhaust manifold gasket
• New valve cover gasket and spark plug tube seals
• New oil drain plug crush washer
• New thermostat and water outlet gaskets
• New serpentine drive belt
• Replacement O-rings for accessible components (e.g., oil pump housing)

What your vehicle’s computers will need after the swap:

What’s involved: Crankshaft Position (CKP) Sensor Variation Relearn, Idle Air Volume Learning, and Throttle Valve Closed Position Learn

A Crankshaft Position Sensor Relearn is required to sync the new engine with the computer and prevent false misfire codes. Idle Air Volume Learning and Throttle Valve Closed Position Learn are required to correct high or surging idle. While manual pedal-dance sequences exist, a professional bi-directional scan tool or Nissan CONSULT tool is highly recommended.

Pro tips for a smooth first start-up — hand them to whoever does the install:

• The Flexplate Bolt Trap: Do not use a standard chamfered E20 Torx socket on the shallow flexplate bolts. You must grind the face of the socket completely flat to prevent stripping the heads.
• Torque Converter Seating: Ensure the torque converter is fully seated in the CVT fluid pump before tightening bellhousing bolts. Forcing them together will crack the pump and destroy the transmission.
• Sensor Swapping: Always transfer your original, known-good camshaft and crankshaft position sensors to the replacement engine to avoid start failures or immediate trouble codes.
• Fragile Catalytic Converter: Handle the integrated exhaust manifold/catalytic converter with extreme care. Internal ceramic damage can cause debris to be sucked back into the engine, causing catastrophic failure.
• Fragile Oil Pan: The thin stamped steel or aluminum oil pan is easily damaged during removal and installation.
• Torque-to-Yield (TTY) Bolts: Cylinder head bolts are TTY and must be replaced if the head is removed.

Easy to get right once you know them:

• Stripping the shallow E20 flexplate bolts by using the wrong socket or an impact wrench.
• Crushing the CVT fluid pump by failing to verify torque converter alignment before bolting the engine to the transmission.
• Leaving used, unverified sensors on the replacement engine instead of swapping over known-good original sensors.
• Assuming a high idle after installation means a bad engine, rather than performing the required Idle Air Volume Relearn.
• Ignoring CVT health and misdiagnosing transmission hesitation/stalling as an engine issue.
• Reusing old consumables like the thermostat, spark plugs, and critical gaskets.
• Mismatched Engine Versions: Buying a QR25DE from a Rogue, Sentra, or older Altima assuming it will fit without modification.

Not issues with the units on this page — the manufacturer documented these for every engine of this family, wherever you buy one. Handy for your installer: