Low Pitch CVT Hum

[Keita101]

Hi All. I was researching the internet for Nissan CVT issues, and found a very informative post about CVT whines on the Rogue forum here. I however, have a different CVT noise, and though I would run it passed you all to see if it's anything to worry about.

My 2011 Juke has around 58k miles on it. Recently, I noticed my CVT was making a low pitch hum sound. It sounds very different to the high pitch whine that sounds similar to supercharger whine. The noise is noticeable around 2500-3200 RPM. Is this humming sound something that needs to be looked at or is it normal? I tried to get a video of it, but you can only hear the noise when the window is rolled down, and road/wind noise makes the noise virtually impossible to hear on my cell phone camera. I have had the fluid changed at 55k miles, so the fluid is new in there. I also had the dealer look at the fluid level of the CVT, and they said the fluid condition/level looked fine.

Thank you all for your help.

[Keita101]

Am I the only one who has noticed this or has had a problem?

Bump for more visibility.

[lne937s]

Where did you get the CVT fluid changed? Did they use flush machinery?

The reason I ask this is that flush machines used for automatic transmissions will contain some residual Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) which is not compatible with CVT fluid. Even a small amount of ATF contamination can cause serious issues with a CVT... even if the CVT fluid "looks" ok. Many people on here will opt for home drain and fills to avoid potential damage from flush machinery.

Also, are you sure they used the correct fluid-- some generic CVT fluid does not meet NS-2 standards.

[Keita101]

Let me clarify, I had a drain and fill performed at the local dealer. They did use genuine NS-2 fluid. It is getting cold here in CO, and is most audible when the engine is 2-4 bars warm on the temperature gauge. The noise is there at full operating temperature, but it is much less audible.

Edit: Also when I had the fluid drain and fill, the fluid was a half quart low. I took the car to a different dealer when I learned that the dealer in town kind of has a shoddy service department. The new dealer inspected the fluid, and said it was NS-2 fluid, it was just a half quart low. I was informed it didn't look contaminated at all. Once they topped the fluid off, the noise was quieter, but it is still there. I'm wondering if all CVTs make this noise, but the low cvt fluid made it more noticeable, and now that I know what it sounds like my mind is playing tricks on me. As of now, I've put about 1000 miles on my car since the incident (happened at 57k), and the noise has not gotten any worse. I should probably take it in though, I scheduled an appointment to see if there is a problem. If they drop the pan, I'd have to pay for another fluid change, but I'd rather have that than a CVT replacement along the road

[Shoeless356]

I'm wondering what's up with our 2011 Juke CVT too. My husband was driving it today on the highway (on cruise control) at about 70mph. He had been driving for about 15 minutes and it wasn't cold or hot weather...I'd say about 50 degrees Farenheit.

Anyway, all of a sudden, his rpms start dropping and he's down from 70 mph to 45 mph in a matter of seconds on the highway. He couldn't get the rpms to come back up again and could go no faster than 45mph. He didn't report any of the high pitched whining sound as I have heard others experience when it's in run-safe mode from overheated / foamed transmission fluid.

He pulled off the road, turned the engine off and then started it back up again and it ran fine the rest of the way to the airport (about another half-hour). Any ideas??

Thanks!!
Shoeless