CVT fluids

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mahanddeem

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I'm looking at several options for Nissan CVT fluids. Nissan OEM, Idemitsu, Amsoil, etc....

What property should I be looking for so I can identify which one warms up faster?

It's a pain in the a** for these trannies to warm up at anything colder than 40F weather.

Until this time I had only Nissan NS2 fluid drain and fills, 3 times so far. Last round was in July 2020.
 
Most CVT fluids have a 100C viscosity of around 7.3 cSt, so there is no such thing as a cVT fluid that will warm up faster.

How fast an engine warms up depends on the ambient temperature and the temperature controls, whether it be mechanical thermostats or ECU controlled.

My 4.0L Frontier warms much faster than does my 3.5L Pathfinder.
 
What does it do when it's cold? Rev high or slip more or what?

Is this an in-radiator cooler? Maybe blocking off the radiator at the bottom, to slow down cooling. Although I wonder if the transmission has a thermostat of its own.

Actually I wonder if this might have a coolant line down to the transmission, for heating. I mean, every setup can be different; my truck has an ATF cooler with a thermostat *and* a coolant loop to another heat exchanger on the side of the transmission (not sure if that has a thermostat too). Point being, maybe something is wrong--perhaps there is a thermostat stuck open here?
 
MolaKule said:
How fast an engine warms up depends on the ambient temperature and the temperature controls...
Click to expand...

Also how much load is put through them. An engine working hard will warm up significantly quicker than the same engine idling. Some diesel engines will not warm up at all at idle - a previous car of mine with the VW EA189 engine would cool down below optimum if it idled for any length of time in cold weather.

For a CVT I would suggest the same - get some load through it to help warm it up - not too much load whilst it is cold but give it a job to do. This would require being able to control the CVT in some way - setting a 'sport' mode or manually controlling the ratios.
 
I can monitor temps with real-time data from the ECU. In say 38F morning, I start the car when coolant and CVT temps are around the same ambient temp, 30sF. Coolant start to warm up quickly idling. I usually launch when coolant is about 120F. By that time CVT is around 55F (about 5 minutes time). After starting driving, it seems not to lock the torque converter until CVT temp is around 73F to 74F. I hear a lot not worry alot if RPMs are a little higher in the warming phase but I always feel nervous about driving this transmission with higher than usual RPMs.

I sometimes wonder if some genius can "tweek" the TCM parameters and do some custom programing to control its behavior.
 
Hmm. The engine is modified to make more power, yet is run into a CVT. Methinks the trans temperature is the least of the worries.

I get the notion that you'd like the TC to lock up sooner, but I don't see a problem here, not unless if max mpg is the concern. Unlocked means it's making a bit more heat.

I'm not sure what is worse here. Higher rpm means lower input torque, for the same amount of output torque (force to move the vehicle). Lower rpm thusly means higher input torque. Which is a worse stress?
 
Nissan NS3 fluid has a viscosity of 6.2cst, NS2 is 7.2cst.
The only fluids with a 6.2cst that i know of are Idemitsu N3 and Eneos ECO CVT.
Castrol and other major brands are around 7.3cst. Except Valvoline which is 5.6cst.
 
Like other vehicles, the RPM's are kept higher to decrease engine/trans warm up times, it's all in the programming. Here's my observation with my Nissan from a cold start:

As I drive off slowly within 60 seconds, (I don't idle for longer regardless of temp, -4c here yesterday morning at take off) engine speed is elevated often reaching 3000 RPM depending on accelerator pedal position. Within a few minutes, I'm on a road doing about 60 KMH on cruise control and climate control set to 24c on AUTO. Less than 2 mintues later the blower motor speed begins to drop and then a few seconds after that the RPM's drop to about 1500-1800. It's like clockwork and normal operation (remember this is all happening on cruise control so driver input is not a factor). My previous Toyota was similar albeit without a CVT. It would delay shifts until a target coolant temperature is met in order to decrease warm up times; same as the Nissan with CVT.
 
Our 19 Sentra definitely keeps the revs up and won't lock the torque converter until it hits a certain temperature. It will shift into high range, though.

Is there anything damaged by driving with one cold?
 
I'm not sure I understand. What do you mean by it shifts into high range? Is yours a CVT? I wouldn't suspect that any damage is occuring but hopefully someone who knows more about this will chime in.
 
GSCJR said:
I'm not sure I understand. What do you mean by it shifts into high range? Is yours a CVT? I wouldn't suspect that any damage is occuring but hopefully someone who knows more about this will chime in.
Click to expand...
I think he means it does "shift" or change ratios for a CVT but at highet RPMs compared to warmed up state.
 
Noobie said:
Nissan NS3 fluid has a viscosity of 6.2cst, NS2 is 7.2cst.
The only fluids with a 6.2cst that i know of are Idemitsu N3 and Eneos ECO CVT.
Castrol and other major brands are around 7.3cst. Except Valvoline which is 5.6cst.
Click to expand...
Good data! I'm curious how some CVT fluid makers (Amsoil, Castrol, Valvoline, Idemitsu....) claim one fluid type they make can cover all requirements? Example Amsoil CVT fluid claims it covers both Nissan NS2 and NS3...
 
Bumping this thread since it seemed to fade early. Need to change DiL’s 2018 Rogue - has 78k on FF CVT ATF.
OEM fluid is pretty high … any good stories with Castrol CVT or Valvoline CVT ?
Both synthetic and +/- $7.50/quart
 
Very impressed with Idemitsu that I used on an old Toyota that had 160k on the FF. Did about 4 drain and fills with it spaced out every few months or with an oil change. Acceleration was so much quicker afterwards.
 
4WD said:
Bumping this thread since it seemed to fade early. Need to change DiL’s 2018 Rogue - has 78k on FF CVT ATF.
OEM fluid is pretty high … any good stories with Castrol CVT or Valvoline CVT ?
Both synthetic and +/- $7.50/quart
Click to expand...


Eneos CVT fluid is a good option too 4wd....

It helps my car operate quieter.

That's another possible CVT fluid to try. It's $ $11.49 a qt at Napa near me.
 
4WD said:
Bumping this thread since it seemed to fade early. Need to change DiL’s 2018 Rogue - has 78k on FF CVT ATF.
OEM fluid is pretty high … any good stories with Castrol CVT or Valvoline CVT ?
Both synthetic and +/- $7.50/quart
Click to expand...
Just serviced my friend's '15 Altima today. 3 qts Valvoline and 1 qt Castrol.
147K. Car asks for nothing. The strippie Altima was an abused Hertz rental for the 1st 80K miles. Trans never serviced until I got ahold of it.
I expect many thousands of miles on this car. It has been perfect. 200K easy; maybe 250 or 300? Dunno; we'll see.
I like the Castrol a little better, but that is probably just in my head.
 
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