4.8L came out of the CVT drain plug, what next?

[razz88]

1. Does CVT transmission oil expand in volume if it is old and dirty?

I've ran the car till operating temp and drained 4.8L, was expecting around (3.5 L, 3.7 US qt) as per manual.

2. Does draining the CVT when warm darin more oil than when cold?

My 2017 civic now has 190K km on it, and bought it used with 30K km on the odometer. First CVT oil swap I'm doing and think I may had my car slanted forward as when I drained the oil, 4.8 litres came out.

3. Can I just drain and fill the same amount which came out?

Now I only have 4 litres to refil the car with. Do I simply use the 4 litre and add 0.8L of the old oil I've taken out? I don't know if the old dirty oil expands in volume. And I'm hesitant to use the check bolt if indeed the CVT volume expands or the car is not leveled properly.

What do you think? Here is my setup.

4. To ensure the civic is level, can one measure the distance form the jack stand points on both the front and back of the car to the ground? I assume the distance from the ground to the front-jack-point and ground should be the same as the back-jack-point to ground?

Cheers,
Rev

 

[D60]

If there's a check bolt, use it.

I have no idea of the procedure for yours, but follow it. It should involve checking at a specified fluid temp.

Simply replacing the amount that came out is not considered best practice. It seems quite often factory fills are over or under (which, granted, might suggest fluid level is not that critical)

Sorry, but you're asking for permission for shortcuts. Only you can give that to yourself. It's your vehicle, good luck!

 

[jhellwig]

Find the procedure and refill it as it says to. Some transmission have the level checked at a specific temperature.

Unless you have a certification of accuracy for whatever container you are using it is just a general estimation of volume.

 

[I<3oil]

Find out what the replacement fluid spec is and put that in. Amsoil usually has a very accurate information portion to vehicles on their site.

 

[2002 Maxima SE]

What is Honda's procedure for drain and fill of CVT?

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Oops! If you are DYI CVT I recommend always doing it at ambient temp (cold/not run) unless you have specialised tools.

This way the bottles of new fluid (which should be stored near the car away from sunlight) and the drained fluid are both at the same temp.

I can't tell you for certain what to do at this point, but if there is a specified trans temp for hot fill check I would use that. Put in the 4L to get the transaxle to temp (requires scan tool) and check level - if this is the written procedure.
HTH - Arco

 

[D60]

I have not searched but I imagine there's a dozen vids on YT for a '17 Civic. IOW, the info is out there and God helps those who help themselves.

 

[JTK]

Transmission fluids themselves do not change in volume any appreciable amount when heated. Of course they do as part of fluid dynamics laws, but measuring it in quarts? Nope.

Transmissions pump fluid differently based on temperature, which is why fluid temp is added into the equation of level checking procedures.

I've probably done 40+ drain/fills on CVTs in Nissan products alone at this point. If I feel the need to use the level check bolt and appropriate procedure, I will on the first go around. From then on, I add back the amount I took out and I will round up to the nearest quart if it's very close. I've done them hot, warm and cold. The same amount comes out and goes back in, regardless of being hot/warm/cold.

Same with my GM transmissions that have a drain plug and a fill cap. If ~3.8 quarts comes out, 4 goes back in.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Transmission fluids themselves do not change in volume any appreciable amount when heated. Of course they do as part of fluid dynamics laws, but measuring it in quarts? Nope.

Transmissions pump fluid differently based on temperature, which is why fluid temp is added into the equation of level checking procedures.

I've probably done 40+ drain/fills on CVTs in Nissan products alone at this point. If I feel the need to use the level check bolt and appropriate procedure, I will on the first go around. From then on, I add back the amount I took out and I will round up to the nearest quart if it's very close. I've done them hot, warm and cold. The same amount comes out and goes back in, regardless of being hot/warm/cold.

Same with my GM transmissions that have a drain plug and a fill cap. If ~3.8 quarts comes out, 4 goes back in.

My 2014 Nissan Qashkai CVT would go from off the bottom of the dipstick freezing to 1-2 cm over the Hot line after a rigorous 35km commute.

And given the coefficient of expansion of mineral oil and the unit capacity you could easily see a .5 litre of volume change. from Normal ambient to 105c

But not a worrisome difference you might think.

 

[razz88]

My 2014 Nissan Qashkai CVT would go from off the bottom of the dipstick freezing to 1-2 cm over the Hot line after a rigorous 35km commute.

And given the coefficient of expansion of mineral oil and the unit capacity you could easily see a .5 litre of volume change. from Normal ambient to 105c

But not a worrisome difference you might think.

So sounds like a 10% difference when one is doing an oil level check hot vs cold.

Anyone with a 10th gen Civic confirm if they check oil levels when the car is cold or hot?

 

[eljefino]

I think you're misreading others' comments and using them to justify your own psuedo-science.

Traditional cars with pumps and torque converters and whatnot have a "check hot" requirement on the dipstick because oil is being pumped, flung around, and slowly (or quickly) draining back to the pan. The procedure for those cars is for those cars, as well as the explanation for the missing pint.

Your car has a fill hole, check hole, and drain hole. You are to check it per procedure for your car, not anyone elses. Fluid doesn't "expand" as much as you're expecting.

If I were in your unprepared pickle, I'd stop now, research your particular car, then put the four quarts in, hope it's enough, and follow procedure to check the level. Maybe stick a zip tie in the hole if you don't get a drip, to see how low you are.

 

[razz88]

I primed the gears, and went for a short ride around subdivision. I checked my cars street- reference-level using the cars door jam. I've jacked up the car again using the ramps in front and jacks in the back and more less leveled to my street-reference-level. Here is what my cars level looks like.

I've then cracked the CVT check bolt and 400 mL came out. So originally I removed 4.8L from the CTV, then added 4529 mL, then drained 400 mL via drain bolt. So after everything I've readded 4129 mL after removing 4.8L. Is it possible I've been driving my 2017 civic with an extra 700 mL of CVT oil without any issue for 160K km?

1. Or should I prime the CVT gears again, and add more HCF2 fluid to see if any more oil can go in the transmission?

2. There any warning signs for CVT transmission over-fill or under fill? Any warning signs?

3. There a cheap way to monitor transmission temps via the OBD2 interface?

Thanks for all youre help.

Cheers,
Rev

 

[I<3oil]

You’re severely overthinking this.

 

[MolaKule]

2. [Are there] any warning signs for CVT transmission over-fill or under fill? Any warning signs?

Cheers,
Rev

Generally speaking, Overfilling can seriously mix air into the fluid in a condition called, "air entrainment." Air is not a good lubricant.

Underfilling can result in misshifts.

 

[1000MPH]

I just posted this on the transmission fluid change thread I got 6.8qts out when I was expecting about 4qts on our Honda HRV. It’s only been serviced by the dealer and they did the CVT recall on it, but no mention of adding fluid in the recall or on the work order. We will see what happens