Poor little CVT! Change your fluid!

[webfors]

Daughter’s boyfriend is over and as he pulls into the neighborhood I hear this screech, like someone is killing robot babies off in the distance.

It gets louder and louder and as a car turns onto our street I can hear it in stereo. Like a high pitched turbo sound revving up and down.

Boyfriend pulls up and says “somethings not right, it’s slipping and making weird noises”.

That poor CVT. 2012 Lancer with 2.4 Mivec has 245,000 kms, could be original fluid. Kid bought the car for cheap couple years ago.

I pull the tranny dipstick it has a terrible smell. Like burnt plastic…

I offer to dump and fill his CVT a couple of times and see if it settles down.

I pull the plug and some pretty nasty fluid comes out and the smell is awful. I can’t imagine this transmission tolerating much more abuse!

I dump it first time and it drops 3.5 litres. I add 3.5 litres and take it for a drive. First takeoff it screeches… then STOPs within 10 seconds! I drive it for 10-15 kms and noticed the sound only when I’m on the throttle at speed, but it’s low and not very noticeable.

I drop the fluid a second time, same smell, ugly, but better than first.. barely.

Taken it for another drive and another big improvement. Really grabs on takeoffs, high load at speed grips, no slipping.

I decide to drop the fluid one more time and it drives like new again. He’s so grateful and says “drives better than it ever has”.

… other than those endlinks and bushings, but yeah. Drives great

Put 10.5 litres of Transmax ATF/CVT through it and we did an oil and filter change with ST 5w30 and ST7317.

Kid is over the moon and he learned something.

 

[webfors]

Might be something to that “smooth drive tech”

 

[oilstained]

Good job dad. Now with your help, the Lancer’s trans is going last a long time. Your daughter and BF, maybe not so much. Oops, did it write this out loud.

 

[Zee09]

What was the material tab?

 

[webfors]

I had to PB Blaster and scrub until I saw the semblance of the hex edges of a drain plug. Rusted a mound right over the plug.

Squirt, tap tap, scrub, scrub repeat.

Eventually the PB uncovered a bolt the socket could grab. Gave that drain plug a good cleaning and new crush washer and BoltMark’d it for quick check next time he’s over.

 

[webfors]

What was the material tab?

Trans:
$100 for 12 litres of Transmax.

Engine:
$22 jug of ST5w30
$6 ST filter.

Around $128 CDN, $90 USD total.

 

[Zee09]

Trans:
$100 for 12 litres of Transmax.

Engine:
$22 jug of ST5w30
$6 ST filter.

Around $90 USD total.

Good deal and job
Mitsubishi recommends 30k cvt drain and fills these days.

 

[webfors]

Now that it’s all cleaned up under there it’s a crazy easy job to do a dump and fill.

Not like my ATS with no drain plug!

 

[samven]

Great job, and not to change the subject just wander a little, can someone explain how 1 fluid can be used in an Automatic and a CVT. I was under the impression that the fluid had opposite jobs in each of these. 1 to slip and 1 to grab.

 

[factorytuned2012]

Great job, and not to change the subject just wander a little, can someone explain how 1 fluid can be used in an Automatic and a CVT. I was under the impression that the fluid had opposite jobs in each of these. 1 to slip and 1 to grab.

owning cvt equipped vehicles that is a very very good question. probably us cvt owners are being duped in buying unicorn tears for our cvt's lol jk

 

[Hirev]

Interesting! Has anyone tried Transmax on subaru CVT? Asking for a friend.

 

[daves87rs]

Good save!

 

[CharBaby]

Thanks Dad, good job!

 

[97prizm]

Daughter’s boyfriend is over and as he pulls into the neighborhood I hear this screech, like someone is killing robot babies off in the distance.

It gets louder and louder and as a car turns onto our street I can hear it in stereo. Like a high pitched turbo sound revving up and down.

Boyfriend pulls up and says “somethings not right, it’s slipping and making weird noises”.

That poor CVT. 2012 Lancer with 2.4 Mivec has 245,000 kms, could be original fluid. Kid bought the car for cheap couple years ago.

I pull the tranny dipstick it has a terrible smell. Like burnt plastic…

I offer to dump and fill his CVT a couple of times and see if it settles down.

I pull the plug and some pretty nasty fluid comes out and the smell is awful. I can’t imagine this transmission tolerating much more abuse!

I dump it first time and it drops 3.5 litres. I add 3.5 litres and take it for a drive. First takeoff it screeches… then STOPs within 10 seconds! I drive it for 10-15 kms and noticed the sound only when I’m on the throttle at speed, but it’s low and not very noticeable.

I drop the fluid a second time, same smell, ugly, but better than first.. barely.

Taken it for another drive and another big improvement. Really grabs on takeoffs, high load at speed grips, no slipping.

I decide to drop the fluid one more time and it drives like new again. He’s so grateful and says “drives better than it ever has”.

… other than those endlinks and bushings, but yeah. Drives great

Put 10.5 litres of Transmax ATF/CVT through it and we did an oil and filter change with ST 5w30 and ST7317.

Kid is over the moon and he learned something.
View attachment 278539View attachment 278540

I always thought that atf and cvts used very different transmission fluids?

 

[Zee09]

Transmax is a bargain. I'm usually not one of those but under warranty I'd stick with oem to avoid dealer drama... I'd like to use it but.....

 

[webfors]

Transmax is a bargain. I'm usually not one of those but under warranty I'd stick with oem to avoid dealer drama... I'd like to use it but.....

Got 6 quart case for $49 CDN, or about $35 USD per case.

When I ordered from Amazon the ad did NOT say it was ATF/CTV Universal, but I figured it was cheap and Castrol has never done me wrong.

 

[webfors]

I always thought that atf and cvts used very different transmission fluids?

Yep, this is one of those products that make you go "hmm....". It's definitely a lighter viscosity than what came out... but for all I know what came out was oxidizing for a decade with abuse.

They have figured out how to build a fluid that supports both, which could be the topic of a 100 page thread if it was Amsoil, or Redline or HPL

 

[webfors]

Great job, and not to change the subject just wander a little, can someone explain how 1 fluid can be used in an Automatic and a CVT. I was under the impression that the fluid had opposite jobs in each of these. 1 to slip and 1 to grab.

Wild eh. We're going to need smarter folks than me in here to explain that one

 

[Learn Ya]

Kid is over the moon and he learned something

Good lesson for the lad. Things work better and last longer with clean fluids!

I decide to drop the fluid one more time

Good call. Three drain-and-fills should get most of it. I would avoid doing a professional power flush on a high-mileage transmission. I've heard those flushing machines can dislodge goo from the innards.

 

[D60]

Interesting! Has anyone tried Transmax on subaru CVT? Asking for a friend.

Yes, just did the second spill 'n fill last night on an SJ Forester. I haven't finalized the level or driven it yet. It was fine after the last time -- maybe a year ago.