CVT "Issue" question

[Infinite-T]

I just spend the last hour or so searching around the web on this and remembered I had a membershipp here at NICO! I searched around NICO and couldnt find anything specific to this, so here goes;

Well, It has been quite some time since I posted here, mostly due to the crappy economy killing my industry. So needless to say my money has been called else where rather than toys for the car, hence I have had little to post about.

But I have a question and thought I would run it by you fine folk to see what any of you might have to say about it.

So, roughly 2 months ago, I noticed that when idling in drive (CVT Trans) the engine would sometimes bog down as it pulled against the breaks as I had them on at a stop light. I remembered from years ago (well a decade or so) my last auto trans did this when the transmission fluid was low. So one night, I checked the CVT fluid. It was kinda dark out and the fluid seemed almost clear with just a very slight yellowish tint to it, but it appeared to be at the propper level ( Yes it was warmed up and I followed the instructions for checking it) as far as I could tell. So I just kinda forgot about it and got in the habit of popping into neutral at lights.

A few weeks later, (I actually had the stereo down low enough) I noticed the transmission was making kind of a whining sound, almost like an electric motor does. I know it was the trans because it wouldnt do it when revving in neutral or costing in neutral, only when I accelerated in gear. I again checked the CVT fluid and from what I could tell, it was propperly full. Still VERY clear, slight yellow tint and the consistancy of surip.

I knew I was getting close to my 30k service, so I figured I would have it checked out then.

Well, Last week I noticed that the sound seemed a bit louder and almost sounded like rushing water. Still not tremendously loud, but could be heared over the road noise (our cars are horrible for that) with the stereo off. So I broke down and figured, "s***, i better have this looked at, even if I am a few K early for my 30k. When I took it to the dealer the lady there told me what they do for the service and mentioned that the CVT isn't generally serviced until 100k. I asked them to check the fluid level and she said they would.

The car has a certified Pre-Owned warrenty on it so hopefully, if something is wrong with it, it will be covered. Even so, no one likes car trouble and having the inconvenience of having it worked on.

I know what a CVT is and generaly how it works and all but I dont know alot about their servicing and such. So my question is, does anyone out there have any ideas of what might be going on, what to check, how etc? I would hate to get a phone call tomorrow (when they work on it for the 30k) and have them try to railroad me and tell me all kinds of s*** and have me spending my hard earned (and much needed) cash.

Thanks!

[mmx23z]

not a hundred pecent sure if its the same thing but heres a thread about the whinning sound, hope it helps

when-i-go-over-80mph-t508536.html

[LongBeachCoupe]

100k on the CVT transmission... check the thread mmx posted!

[Infinite-T]

Well, thanks for the suggestions and the link, I did bump into that thread several times in my search, I seem to remember even reading thru it when it first was being posted. I do lurk around here and read stuff from time to time even if I havent posted in a while.

I am pretty sure it is not the same sound. The sound I am hear begins the second I start to drive and continues to the second I stop. It is audible at all times and changes pitch with the speed of the transmission. The transmission pulls against the breaks at stoplights. It has increased in volume and the sound has changed from the "electric motor whine" to more of a whirring, like road noise comming from the transmission itself.

I just got it back from the dealer today from its 30k service. They said the fluid level was fine, the fluid looked good, and that the computer diagnostic checked out just fine.

So maybe Im just going crazy or something? I took my wife for a quick spin to let her see if she could hear it. She did, and she said it sounded pretty bad, like a "cloths dryer full of marbles".

Well I guess i just need to read up on my warrenty info and make sure its covered incase it decides to crap out soon. If it gets worse I guess Ill take it to a different dealer and have a mechanic drive with me and listen to it, or maybe have them drive it... I just thought with all the AC owners here maybe someone has experienced this besides me and had some feedback.

I must say I am not too impressed with these CVTs Nissan is so proud of. Not only does it feel kind of weak, but I keep reading and hearing horror stories about peoples going out after only 50k miles or so... too bad the manual trans ones are nearly impossible to find. When I was in the market for mine, there wasnt a single manual in the state!

[Ranga14]

I thought the 120k warranty was on all of them? Just rag on it hard until it dies then have it replaced under that warranty, lol

[mmx23z]

If it gets worse I guess Ill take it to a different dealer and have a mechanic drive with me and listen to it, or maybe have them drive it...

I would deff do that then... especially if it sounds like marbles in a dryer!

good luck tho & hope all goes well

[CoupeVQ35CVT]

They got smart (or wanted to stop those lawsuits) and extended a warranty for all CVT trans they have in their current line ups to 100k or 120k miles. If it's used/pre-owned that shouldn't matter if it IS the transmission. Definitely a PITA to have to deal with and knowing that there is "something" wrong with the car you enjoy driving so much otherwise. I'd make sure the mech drives with you or you drive with them in the car and make sure to point out any odd noises you have described. Often they have a habit of taking it out for a test drive alone - and coming back to say - "I dun hear nothin" and basically sneak out of any warranty / repair claims.

[crayzitalian3]

I'm not trying to thread jack this thread (I just thought that making another CVT issue thread would be annoying to some) but I just dropped my car off at the dealership because I think my CVT is acting up

about 2 weeks ago my CEL came on and I started to notice a weird sound every time my car stays around the 2000 RPM range. it sounds like something metal keeps banging into other metal objects. the sound has gotten worse ever since then and i figured that i'd bring it down to nissan since they gave out the 10 year CVT warranty.

when i got to the dealership, the service guy over there saw my car and the first thing he said was if your car is modified it voids the warranty, i kept arguing with him saying I dont have anything done to the transmission so I shouldn't have to worry about it. but he kept insisting on arguing to me about that. so i still had them check out to see if there is any serious problem.

my question is how does the CVT warranty work exactly? Where can I find official information on it so I can read the information and inform myself with whats up

thanks for your help and sorry again for posting this on your thread, i didnt want to make another one cause i figured it would have been annoying to some

[rcboy514]

yea the dealer is full of it. They can't reject you for warranty work unless they can prove that your stillen fascia caused the transmission prob lol

[lavon_andy]

moss magnum or w/e act of 1975 protects you

unless they can prove your mods caused the damage then they cant void the warranty

[crayzitalian3]

thanks for the help guys
i mean the fascia did add about 23 whp but that shouldn't have any affect on the transmission lol

if they try to deny me coverage from the warranty should i print out this act or something and show it to them lol, how do i go about confronting them if they try to not help me out

[crayzitalian3]

i forgot to mention i do have engine work (header, exhaust, intake) but that shouldn't have any affect on the transmission (well any huge affect). this crap pisses me off, is there any dealerships on Long Island worth going to that will try to help me out with this situation. I have always had a problem with Habberstad, but like an idiot I keep going back to them because they are closer to the house

[Ranga14]

i forgot to mention i do have engine work (header, exhaust, intake) but that shouldn't have any affect on the transmission (well any huge affect). this crap pisses me off, is there any dealerships on Long Island worth going to that will try to help me out with this situation. I have always had a problem with Habberstad, but like an idiot I keep going back to them because they are closer to the house

Go somewhere else.

[jahn surf irie]

i forgot to mention i do have engine work (header, exhaust, intake) but that shouldn't have any affect on the transmission (well any huge affect). this crap pisses me off, is there any dealerships on Long Island worth going to that will try to help me out with this situation. I have always had a problem with Habberstad, but like an idiot I keep going back to them because they are closer to the house

Go somewhere else.

+1, they range from chill and helpful to greedy liars who will deny anything is ever wrong... reviews online can be fairly helpful if you do some local research as well (google, bbb, angie's list, etc.)

[DLO310]

the 2003-2006 murano was notorious for CVT issues... i owned one (2003) and the CVT gave out at 130k i've tried repairing it to keep away from paying $4500 for a new transmission, and never could seem to fix the problem. it is very sluggish in traffic, and has a total power loss after 30+ miles on the highway. only option i have now is a new transmission... sucks, i only hope my recent purchase of a 2011 AC wont lead to the same issues a few more years down the road.

[big_rig]

My car has started to make the noise around town also. The thing is, i noticed that when i go over any sort of incline, my car makes the noise pretty loud and then i lose power. The same thing happens when i push my car. For some strange reason I decided to race an s2000 to sacramento and once i hit elk grove, i had to pull over because i feared for my car's life. I was pushing the car at or over 4k rpm and losing speed, at about 80mph. My transmission (i assume) was making a butt load of noise. i let it cool off for about 20 minutes and it was fine.

bottom line: our cars are only pretend sports cars, you gotta drive it like it is your grandmother's dodge stratus or else our "superior" cvt's will drop on the pavement.

[zilla19]

My transmission (i assume) was making a butt load of noise.

[Hussain]

I decided to race an s2000 to sacramento and once i hit elk grove, i had to pull over because i feared for my car's life. I was pushing the car at or over 4k rpm and losing speed, at about 80mph.

why didnt you call me? I live on Elk Grove blvd