Poor little CVT! Change your fluid!
- Thread starter webfors
- Start date
If that CVT survives another 50k this will be a story for the ages! I'm going to offer another dump and fill and have him man the wrenches in a couple of months. Just waiting for that Transmax sale on Amazon again.This thread is giving me flashbacks of my wife's 2008 Nissan Versa with a Jatco CVT! Despite doing a spill and fill every 30k miles it began to die at 140k. Squealing sound at startup and would go into limp mode...it would move under idle only. It threw a code and it was something like "Low transmission oil pressure".
Replaced the filter, it had a pan filter and a cartridge filter...both were nasty. It ran good for a couple weeks and the squealing noise came back and so did limp mode. Another spill and fill got it quiet enough to get it to the dealer and trade it in for a Mazda CX-5.
I have trust issues when it comes to CVT's now.
Sounds like a good plan! If it looks like this might turn into a long term fix you might want to consider changing the filter and cleaning the magnet if it has one. All that fresh new fluid can sometimes knock loose a bunch of grime that's built up over time.
Was researching the CVT filter when this notification came in! The good news is that the filter is a cartridge style outside of the CVT housing, accessible from the top after removing the battery and intake hose. Smart design IMO. I'm scared to see what that little filter looks like! I'll swap it out this weekend. I have a quart'ish left of Transmax, so can top up any that comes out from the filter housing.
Love that Castrol Transmax. I'm running in that in the all the cars I have right now.
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- Dec 7, 2024
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Agreed. Brake job coming up no doubt. The good news is she doesn't drive in that "piece of junk" according to her. Princess likes her mint maintained ATS with Brembo's
I used Valvoline CVT fluid for 40k mile changes in my 2012 Outback. Passed it along to my DIL last Fall. Still going strong at 300k.
I’ve used Castrol transmax CVT fluid in her 2015 Altima since around the 50K mile mark. Did a 3X drain/fill initially then a single drain and fill around 75K mile mark and did another drain and fill around 100K mile mark. Currently at 107K miles on car
I believe the transmax atf/cvt has taken the place of their cvt fluid. I have 3 quarts of the cvt fluid left for the next d/f, if I can’t get another quart will just use the atf/cvt fluid to top it up and just use the atf/cvt for the long haul.
I’ve used AMSOIL cvt fluid since 32K on my accord sport with a 3X d/f initially and a single d/f every 30K since. At 95K miles on car and running as it should
I believe the transmax atf/cvt has taken the place of their cvt fluid. I have 3 quarts of the cvt fluid left for the next d/f, if I can’t get another quart will just use the atf/cvt fluid to top it up and just use the atf/cvt for the long haul.
I’ve used AMSOIL cvt fluid since 32K on my accord sport with a 3X d/f initially and a single d/f every 30K since. At 95K miles on car and running as it should
And if the CVT breaks it's on you?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.
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A lot of CVT are not that easy to change the fluid. I do not think the Crosstrek has a dipstick
You'd have to be pretty determined to make a case with me lol. I'm the type of person that would just say "well, it is what it is, take care".
Well the Crosstrek has a 100K mile warranty on the CVT. I would be surprised if wife does not get another car way before that
Did ur daughter’s BF reimburse the costs of the fluids or at least buy u lunch?Thanks Dad, good job!
Yep, good kid. Good eye opener for him cause he asked the dealer and he figured the car was done for.
My 2017 accord sport and her 2015 Altima do not have a dipstick, just a check bolt. One of her daughters had a 2012 Rogue and it has a dipstick.
I find it easier with the check bolt, whatever excess just comes out
When did becoming dad included servicing ur daughter’s car and now ur daughter’s BF car? It never ends. Lol
My brother does six ocs, buys the filters and the different viscosity grades. I told him to standardize to 5w-30 and call it a day. He does the oc for a Honda Pilot that he donated to a niece, our sister’s mini van and then another niece’s car. And then he has three cars in his family.And my wife’s, and mom’s and sister in law’s
Busy garage!
At one point he didn’t do oil rebates until I told he had to minimize his out of pocket costs.
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