CVT issues avoidable with proper maintenance?

[zengshengliu]

Good thing it is covered under warranty, otherwise that is going to be an expensive repair

[zengshengliu]

Got my car back
This is what it said on the paper:
Isolated noise internal to trans with chasis ear. Performed line pressure test - found low at 68 psi in drive mode. Remove pan to find fluid burnt and debris present - Internal CVT failure
Replace constant variable transaxle assembly: flush cooler assembly, and reset TCM
My question is (hopefully not stupid question)
Is it normal that the coolant is nearly empty in the reservoir? (car off for half hour)
Also, its seems like right now there is noise whenever accelerating
(Louder when I first start the car when its cold on pick up, like humming noise)

Also I found a white cap setting on top of a section of the CVT
It has the serial:
TPE
P1A10 00030
4
Is it something that is important?

Sorry for the multiple questions. When I called the service department of the dealer, the guy said reservoir suppose to be empty, and he hung up on me

[TrevorK]

My question is (hopefully not stupid question)
Is it normal that the coolant is nearly empty in the reservoir? (car off for half hour)

Your coolant system is one that will need top ups on occasion of additional fluid. If you do not top it up then your reservoir will be empty. The way the reservoir works is that the fluid level is higher when hot and lower when cold, so when the car is cool it is possible the reservoir will be empty yet when the car is hot the reservoir will not be empty.

I would recommend only filling your coolant when the engine has cooled off and fill it to the appropriate line.

It is perfectly normal to have a loss of coolant over years. It is not normal to lose say, 1 litre of coolant, in a year.

Do you know when the coolant was last checked and about how much you have lost since then? This would help us speculate if it is normal evaporation or potentially something worse.

[zengshengliu]

The thing is, then they do the transmission replacement, they actually frush the coolant. And I remember clearly that it was at the near max line before the service (engine hot)
But after they did the the replacement, it was nearly empty when engine hot.

[ImStricken06]

i suggest opening the radiator cap and filling the radiator up (when cold). tap & gently shake to release bubbles. and then topping off the coolant bottle.

check for cracks in the coolant bottle = its kinda common.

[TrevorK]

The thing is, then they do the transmission replacement, they actually frush the coolant. And I remember clearly that it was at the near max line before the service (engine hot)
But after they did the the replacement, it was nearly empty when engine hot.

If there were air pockets introduced into the cooling system and those air pockets were not removed, you will need to keep topping up the coolant until they work their way out (or you bleed the system yourself).

[RogueSeeker]

I'm looking into getting a Certified Pre-Owned 2010 Nissan Rogue S with 50,000 miles on it. It's my first car, don't have anyone I can ask for help, and will be driving this thing on a few 800+ miles trips in the next few months so hoping you guys can help relieve my worries because I don't want to be stranded anywhere...

I read nothing but good reviews about this car but then I found one about the CVT issue and that seemed to open a can of worms. Considering I couldn't find to many negative reviews I'm hoping these CVT issues, although somewhat common, are isolated. It seems people recommend changing the CVT fluid every 30,000 miles or so and to also keep an eye on the temperatures of the fluid to make sure it's not over-heating.

If the car has been taken care of and I make sure to change the fluid every XXXX miles as required, only use factory fluid, only have it done by Nissan retailers, will I run into these CVT problems? Do they not happen if you take care of the car or is it just a crapshot.

I live in the Midwest/Colorado if the type of climate will matter. Thanks!

I don't think so. I lost the CVT in my 08 Rogue and it was properly maintained. It was only 13k miles outside the extended warranty and Nissan did nothing. I'll never own a Nissan product or any car with a CVT ever again. Totally flawed technology in my opinion.

[ras_oscar]

Everybody has an opinion, here's mine:

I have a 2012 Rogue I purchased new, currently with 70,000 miles. The service manual indicates CVT fluid changes every 60K for normal service, or every 30K for severe service. The dealer also has a computer program called CONSULT that can evaluate the fluid and indicate how much life is remining. Since I don't consider my driving severe, I elected to first change the fluid at 60K. I also asked the dealer to run the consult program and advise me how much life was remaining, to help inform my future maintenenace cycles. Fluid that reads below 220,000 should be replaced. Mine read 1600. In the future I plan to change every 30K miles. To be clear, I had NO issues with the CVT. No limp home mode, no rough shifts. Just a quiet whine that went away when I changed the fluid. If the OP is purchasing the vehicle from a NISSAN dealer, I would redcommend prior to purchase that you require the service department to run the consult program and give you the print out.

[jtehh]

Everybody has an opinion, here's mine:

I have a 2012 Rogue I purchased new, currently with 70,000 miles. The service manual indicates CVT fluid changes every 60K for normal service, or every 30K for severe service. The dealer also has a computer program called CONSULT that can evaluate the fluid and indicate how much life is remining. Since I don't consider my driving severe, I elected to first change the fluid at 60K. I also asked the dealer to run the consult program and advise me how much life was remaining, to help inform my future maintenenace cycles. Fluid that reads below 220,000 should be replaced. Mine read 1600. In the future I plan to change every 30K miles. To be clear, I had NO issues with the CVT. No limp home mode, no rough shifts. Just a quiet whine that went away when I changed the fluid. If the OP is purchasing the vehicle from a NISSAN dealer, I would redcommend prior to purchase that you require the service department to run the consult program and give you the print out.

Yep. This was pretty much my experience. I had a 2008 SL and bought it used with 78,000 miles. Shortly after, noticed the whining noise when accelerating. No actual mechanical issues or problems, just the noise. At the 100k service they flushed the CVT fluid and the thing ran like a charm with no noise until I traded it in at 114k.