I will be the CVT Guinea Pig........

[WMSmotorhead]

Ok, I've talked about this before... and I'm going to be the Guinea Pig...

The Ford CVT in the 500... AWD version is the car... and this is the STUFF.

http://wolfshead.com/specsheets/cvt.pdf

At one point, WH had a "Everything including CVT" fluid.... we put that in several cars and it worked fine (not cvt's)... NOW, there's two...

A Synthetic for everything but CVT's, and this stuff... a Synthetic specifically FOR CVT's... The Everything Including CVT stuff is no longer made... I remember it smelled like a farm yard.

It will be a little while longer before the job is done, but I'm getting the supplies ready, since the filter doesn't grow on trees around here. I had to order it online...

I'll be the first to let you all know if there's a transmission melt-down... but somehow, I doubt that will happen.

For some oddball reason, everyone is CVT Phobic. I love driving that car, and I don't see that the Filter/magnet cleaning/whatever pours out of the pan replacement is going to make the world explode. It never has before in my experience.

I am glad I didn't prep for this job sooner though... It's good that there's been a few fluid revisions. I think it just keeps getting better.

 

[jake88]

Looks like good stuff. I would be weary of oil that "CVT and everything else" claims. The friciton modifiers in MV ATF fluids would probably cause some serious belt slippage and wear in CVTs.

Also, I did drive the new fusion with the CVT not too long ago - I dig it. I ended up with the fiesta with Fords double-clutch transmission. I like it more than most people, but sometimes it does not really get what I want it to do.

 

[Rican]

I wish you luck and come back with results. I just ordered an Infiniti JX35 for the wifey and it is CVT with AWD as well. Kinda skeptical about a mid 200 hp engine mated to a CVT.

 

[NHGUY]

Amalie oil company is the company that makes WH.Their own Amalie labeled product also used to say it was a "dynamic fluid" that met nearly all the needs of every transmission in the world.Dont know what happened,because they also issued a CVT-only fluid a couple years later.I believe they claimed it was because CVTs kept changing and getting more high tech constantly.

 

[WMSmotorhead]

Yeah... both Amalie and Wolf's Head (One in the same) had the One Size Fits almost all... Including CVT's...

We used it at my Garage, but not on a CVT... smelled like a pig pen... worked great!

Both WH and Amalie labels have the two New formulations.. I've never had an issue with any Amalie family products, so I'm feeling positive about this.

 

[Bruce T]

Originally Posted By: WMSmotorhead
Ok, I've talked about this before... and I'm going to be the Guinea Pig...

I'll be the first to let you all know if there's a transmission melt-down... but somehow, I doubt that will happen.

For some oddball reason, everyone is CVT Phobic. I love driving that car, and I don't see that the Filter/magnet cleaning/whatever pours out of the pan replacement is going to make the world explode. It never has before in my experience.


WMSmotorhead, I did much the same thing with the CVT fluid in my 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid. Everyone from the hybrid forums to BITOG said it would be disastrous to use anything but Honda CVT fluid -- not that you shouldn't be cautious about using a compatible fluid. I've heard all the ominous warnings about the transmission failures that would happen if I failed to use the manufacturer's fluid.

Well, as soon as the transmission went out of warranty, I had the dealer install Red Line H-Type CVT fluid. I didn't lose any sleep over it. I have complete trust in Red Line's reputation, formulation, testing, etc. Guess what? Like every other transition I've made to RL fluids, it was smoother and quieter. There is little doubt in my mind it was a superior fluid. No, I'm not a big risk taker. In fact, I only considered it to be a mildly risky proposition. I just wanted you to know you're not the only person in the automotive world who isn't scared of their own shadow. You're right. Everyone is CVT phobic.

 

[WMSmotorhead]

I'm just glad to see the aftermarket finally hit with a specific CVT fluid, and have actually tested it in the Ford trans. Now I've got zero worry about it. Amalie's tech team already did the testing, so I'm not their test subject.

BITOG die hards would freak to know I didn't put a genuine motorcraft oil and air filter on my car...

 

[dwcopple]

Originally Posted By: Rican
Kinda skeptical about a mid 200 hp engine mated to a CVT.
Nissan has been doing it for years with the Maxima and others that use the 3.5L

 

[Bruce T]

WMSmotorhead, it's nice the aftermarket finally provided you with a specific CVT fluid. I don't like being locked into the manufacturer's fluid choices, either. I want higher quality options.

 

[Trex101]

Are you able to get Eneos CVT fluid instead? it seem to met most CVT spec.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: WMSmotorhead
Ok, I've talked about this before... and I'm going to be the Guinea Pig..


Nice! Keep us posted.

FWIW, another happy CVT owner here.

Joel

 

[KCJeep]

If it melts down I don't know that you'll be able to point at the fluid. An associate at work has a low mile Freestyle he bought new and it's on it's third CVT.

He loves the car, hates the transmission.

 

[WMSmotorhead]

I ended up with Amalie's branded fluid. It's the EXACT same as the Wolf's Head... it will be awhile.. I have 3000 miles left til the car goes on ramps for an oil change.. so I'll do the service then.

The Amalie CVT fluid actually has the transmission's NAME right on the bottle as a recommended for.... so I am confident.

Amalie products have been of very good quality.

I get to service the transfer case and rear axle too... hooray. The 75-90 gear lube smells like a farm yard.

 

[JOD]

Originally Posted By: WMSmotorhead
I ended up with Amalie's branded fluid. It's the EXACT same as the Wolf's Head... it will be awhile.. I have 3000 miles left til the car goes on ramps for an oil change.. so I'll do the service then.

The Amalie CVT fluid actually has the transmission's NAME right on the bottle as a recommended for.... so I am confident.

Amalie products have been of very good quality.

I get to service the transfer case and rear axle too... hooray. The 75-90 gear lube smells like a farm yard.



you're a brave man! I'm way too afraid, given the cost of this transmission. I actually have 2 fluid changes worth of the Motorcraft CVT fluid on-hand.

As far as the reliability of the transmission, while there are a few out there that failed early, overall they seem both reliable and durable. I'm at >130K on mine so far, and there are quite a few out there with that are >200K.

One thing: if you haven't changed the Haldex fluid and filter, I'd strongly recommend doing that as well while you're doing the transfer case and rear differential.

 

[WMSmotorhead]

Good news is, I'm not the first in my region to start using this stuff. the supply house has sold a good amount of it, and no bad reports.

Here's the "sauce" I have in my Garage...

http://amalie.com/files/Amalie_Universal_Synthetic_CVT_Fluid_Flyer.pdf