Is it worth changing CVT fluid?

[nissanversa08]

Hi all,

About a year ago my 08 Nissan Versa had a sporadic loss of power while on the interstate and, immediately after that occurrence I began to hear a grinding noise upon acceleration (at all speeds) which would go away when I slightly let my foot off the pedal once at cruising speed. Now, the grinding generally only happens at low speeds and is more pronounced when the engine is cold. Despite this, the vehicle runs fine.

From what I've read, this appears to be a common issue with Nissan's CVT. I brought it in to the dealer last January or so and the tech, unsurprisingly, told me they couldn't duplicate the issue. Now, I'm over 120k miles so it's no longer under (extended) warranty. Is it worth changing the transmission fluid in the hopes it could help this issue or is it basically a lost cause?

Thanks.

[nissanversa08]

P.S. I can't seem to get the CVT dipstick out. I've been poking and prodding all over the place with a flathead since I'm guessing there is a clip holding it in place somehow, but I can't seem to get the darn thing free. Is there a trick to doing this?

[kc5f]

Maybe you've seen this video on changing the CVT fluid. The "Premium Maintenance Upgrade" schedule includes CVT Fluid replacement every 60,000 miles/72 months. We've had three of our four get over that mileage, and generally have it replaced at the 105k or 120k service without problems. We've never had transmission problems with any of the four we've had.

[kennethbokor]

Great video. I took my 2008 versa 1.8L with CVT for a CVT Oil Change to the dealer about a year and a half ago. At about 130,000KM's, the oil was very black. The approved Nissan CVT Fluid is green when new, so I knew it was time to change.

I'm not sure if I would use OEM fluid like Valvoline for my CVT, considering it still has some warranty left on it (to 180,000KM's here in Canada).

Main thing is yes you should change it when needed. Check the fluid level and colour and change when required.