Car Squeaks Then Jerks

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My daughter has a 2013 Nissan Rogue. It has started to make intermittent squeaks under neath the car when the car is in motion. When it does squeak, the car jerks. I have changed the CVT fluid at 60,000 and 90,000 (a few weeks ago). The checked the CVT fluid level and it appears within the recommended level. Am I facing the dreaded CVT belt/chain slippage = CVT about to die?

[TheRogue]

I'm not too mechanical, so don't put a lot of weight into what I say.

But our 2011 Nissan Rogue had squeaking underneath the car, and it turned out to be the U-Joints on the driveshaft.

viewtopic.php?t=629176

Is your 2013 Nissan Rogue All-Wheel-Drive?

More recently . . . it sounds like this Rogue owner came up agains the same issue.

squeek-under-acceleration-in-morning-t634977.html

'as I've often seen asked . . . can you post a recording of the sound?

Take care, TheRogue.

[VStar650CL]

^ This.
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If it's an AWD then you almost certainly have a bad U-joint in the driveshaft.

[[email protected]]

It is a 2013 Nissan Rogue with 90,000 miles and FWD.

[VStar650CL]

Squeaking would be a pretty weird symptom for a CVT. Other things to check would be CV joints and the halfshaft carrier bearing on the passenger side, engine mounts, and subframe bushings (those can let the whole engine cradle drift around). Those are all common issues on gen1 Rogues and can all cause jerking and squeaking in one way or another.

[[email protected]]

I did the circling the car test for CV joints. No sound, silent. I will check the other items that you mentioned.

[VStar650CL]

With CV's, the circle test only checks the outers. The inners aren't affected by turning and can pretty much only be checked with the car jacked.

[[email protected]]

With the car jacked up, how do I test the inner? The passenger CV axle was replaced 20,000 miles ago while the driver side was replaced 10,000 miles ago.

[VStar650CL]

I use a big channelloks and shake the s#it out of the axle in different directions. The tripod joint is allowed to move in-and-out but it should have zero play side-to-side. The halfshaft bearing on the passenger side should have zero play period.

[[email protected]]

Thanks for the info. Most of the information I found for testing CV axle is for the outer. Since I am underneath there, I am also going to take a look at the engine mounts, and subframe bushings. What are the tests or signs for bad subframe bushings?

[VStar650CL]

The subframe bushings are hard to inspect visually because most of them have huge fender washers covering the rubber. So you need to either R&I the bolts one at a time to look for cracked rubber or put a big prybar on them to see if the cradle moves when forced.

[[email protected]]

Update - I tested the inner CV axles. They were solid with no movement.

New discovery - When I turn on the AC, the squeaking happens. It may be a loose belt due to a defective tensioner. Will a loose belt cause a car to jerk?

[VStar650CL]

No, but the load from the A/C combined with bad mounts or an out-of-tune engine could.

[[email protected]]

I replaced the tensioner and a new belt. What a PITA removing the tensioner. But I was successful using a long handle flex head rachete. I did not have to lower the engine like what the shop manual suggested.

The squeak and jerk are gone. I suspect the tensioner was failing badly especially under extra load from the AC compressor. The belt may be so loose that not only did it squeak but also it affected how it was gripping the crankshaft pulley. That may be affecting the car’s power and hence the jerk.

[VStar650CL]

If the bearing was seizing momentarily but the belt had traction, it might have been almost stalling the engine. That might well be perceived as jerking. Good job.

[AZhitman]

Nice work!

THIS is why I love this community. Go have a cold one, you've earned it!

[[email protected]]

If the bearing was seizing momentarily but the belt had traction, it might have been almost stalling the engine. That might well be perceived as jerking. Good job.

Now that you mentioned it. I agree with you 100%. The car did felt more like stalling especially when I give it gas to go up a hill and I can hear the squeak, squeak noise. Excellent diagnosis. The belt was slipping at the crankshaft pulley too causing it to almost stall.