CVT newb ?

[AltimaJA10]

Picked up Altima 2.5 S (SL) last week. Love the car so far, and glad to have found NICO!Maybe someone can answer this-Nissan Owner's Manual says to run car 30sec after start-up before driving, and to let car idle 2-3 min before shut-down. Never remember this advice with other cars I've owned. Is this advice intended to warm/cool down the CVT?

[Throckmorton]

You are just a little confused, but at least you have read the manual. This has nothing to do with the CVT. This is talking about a cold start. From the owner's manual:

Starting and driving 5-9

Warm-upAllow the engine to idle for at least 30 seconds after starting. Do not race the engine while warming it up. Drive at moderate speed for a short distance first, especially in cold weather. In cold weather, keep the engine running for a minimum of 2 - 3 minutes before shutting it off. Starting and stopping the engine over a short period of time may make the vehicle more difficult to start.

[AltimaJA10]

You are just a little confused, but at least you have read the manual. This has nothing to do with the CVT. This is talking about a cold start. From the owner's manual:

Starting and driving 5-9

Warm-upAllow the engine to idle for at least 30 seconds after starting. Do not race the engine while warming it up. Drive at moderate speed for a short distance first, especially in cold weather. In cold weather, keep the engine running for a minimum of 2 - 3 minutes before shutting it off. Starting and stopping the engine over a short period of time may make the vehicle more difficult to start.

You're right that I am confused- confused as to the logic behind Nissan's advice. I've owned over a dozen cars before from various makers (most bought new-inc. Nissan clone Mercury Villager) and never run across this advice for a non-turbo. I can understand idling a turbo for a few minutes to cool down. Since there are no stock turbo Altimas I was guessing (perhaps wrongly) that the advice might be connected to the CVT.

[Throckmorton]

You're right that I am confused- confused as to the logic behind Nissan's advice. I've owned over a dozen cars before from various makers (most bought new-inc. Nissan clone Mercury Villager) and never run across this advice for a non-turbo. I can understand idling a turbo for a few minutes to cool down. Since there are no stock turbo Altimas I was guessing (perhaps wrongly) that the advice might be connected to the CVT.

Forget completely about the transmission, either manual or CVT. This advice has nothing to do with transmissions, or when the engine has reached normal operating temperature. This is why it is in the owner’s manual section under WARM UP.

Again, you are reading too much into this statement: In cold weather, keep the engine running for a minimum of 2 - 3 minutes before shutting it off. Starting and stopping the engine over a short period of time may make the vehicle more difficult to start.

Maybe if it read like this, you would better understand it: : In cold weather, keep the engine running for a minimum of 2 - 3 minutes before shutting it off after a cold start, and before the engine reaches normal operating temperature. Starting and stopping the cold engine over a short period of time may make the vehicle more difficult to start, because during a cold start, and before the engine reaches normal operating temperature, the fuel mixture is different than when the engine is at normal operating temperature.

I hope this helps you understand the logic behind Nissan’s advice.

[AltimaJA10]

Temp-related fuel-air mix makes sense. Guess I've been lucky never to have run into that "difficult to start" issue Nissan mentions even during Midwest winters.

Thanks for your insight!