Noise when driving - CVT?

[HarryN]

I recently acquired a 2016 Murano with 121000 miles on it. When running on the flat at a steady speed (30mph, 40mph) their is a very slight hum, buzz, rubbing - not sure how to describe it. It is very quite and no-one else notices it. Of course I am worried about the CVT; has antone got an explanation for this. There are no codes in OBD. It could be the engine running a bit rough but I have no miss-fires reported in OBD. I guess the transmission case is also a question - I don't see a way to disengage AWD. I don't have the maintenance history but I do see that the engine oil was changed every 7 months. The previous owner seems to have taken good care and the average trip is recoded in OBD as about 80 miles - though I don't imagine that is right??? However I do think this was not driven in town so much.

[VStar650CL]

The final drive gearboxes on the '10E/'10H/'10J CVT's generally whine a bit even when they're perfectly healthy. If you don't know the service history for the transmission, get some fresh fluid in it ASAP. If you change it with a brand that's known for quieter operation like Eneos or AMSoil, you may find it shuts up completely. Regardless of what fluid you choose, it should be spill-and-filled every 30K on an ongoing basis. The transmission cases hold a remarkably tiny quantity of lubricant, so I'd change that too unless you have a history for it. I recommend 50~60K on that to my customers.

[HarryN]

VStar,
Thanks, I was going to get the stealer to do it since it's all new to me. Not sure what oil they use (don't think they'll know either!) I have booked it in for them to check since they should be used to hearing it if it's normal. I will check to see if those oils are available here (Amazon???) and I may use my favourite Lube shop. I think Nissan must do digital invoices so I don't have any of theirs.
This is a really beautiful car - Platinum and almost like new. But the CVT where I am would be $11,000 so I am not sure I would be doing that - maybe drive it down to Pheonix??

[HarryN]

I see that AMsoil is thinner that Eneos so living in the frozen North I am wondering if The Eneos will be harder on the transmission in the cold? Reminds me of guys putting heavy oil or even sawdust in their gearbox if they were selling a car that slipped gears!!! I would guess that the thicker oil should run quieter but will the AMSoil be as quiet? I can get that here and I think that would be my choice if I can get someone to change it for me. My Lube Shop doesn't do a Flush on CVTs, do you think I should flush it?

[VStar650CL]

AMSoil is very quiet, viscosity isn't the only reason those fluids run quieter than Nissan NS3. Didn't know you lived near Santa Claus, AMSoil's cold pour is definitely superior to most of its competition. That would be my choice in a very cold climate. The dealer will use Nissan NS3, which is a good fluid but very noisy. If you let a lube shop do it, make sure they know what they're doing. Overfilling is a CVT death sentence. The surest way to prevent that is to measure what's removed (a transmission bucket that can be marked works fine), then replace that exact amount.

[VStar650CL]

PS - Big no on the flush. CVT's should never be power flushed, and never, ever back-flushed. If you want to remove the majority of the old stuff, do more than one spill-and-fill with a couple hundred miles in between.

[HarryN]

VStar,
Fantastic, that's really helpful advice for a (old) Newbie like me. I am not going to crawl under it myself but I am still thinking that I should try to get it flushed so that I am not mixing oils??

[VStar650CL]

No worries about that, all the name brand CVT fluids are 100% miscible with NS3. I have several customers who have switched variously to Eneos, AMSoil, Idemitsu, and Valvoline without the slightest issues.

[HarryN]

Thanks again, glad I found you and VERY grateful.

[VStar650CL]

[HarryN]

Took it in to let the Experts check it out for me. They can't seem to track it down. Doesn't occur on the hoist - only when the wheels are on the road, suspension loaded and running. They are hanging on to it thru' the weekend and will have another look Monday. They seem to think it is wheel related - Bearings seem OK but might be a driveshaft???
Anything but the CVT would be good news.

[HarryN]

Well, the "Experts" had it for 2 days and can't figure out what it is!!! They had the Foreman drive it and he says it's "normal"! Funny nobody else thought that? I figure either he just wants it out of the shop or it is the CVT and he just doesn't want to tell me (in case I never pick it up!)
He offered to go for a test drive with me but Winter arrived yesterday; the cold will make the oil stiffer and the roads are too bad - probably wouldn't hear anything but the ice crunching under the tires.
I ordered some AMsoil and will see if that makes a difference. Hoping, of course that it doesn't!! If it does it will mean that the CVT is worn. It'll make a very pretty Boat Anchor!

[VStar650CL]

I ordered some AMsoil and will see if that makes a difference. Hoping, of course that it doesn't!! If it does it will mean that the CVT is worn. It'll make a very pretty Boat Anchor!

Not true. NS3 is very noisy stuff, and as I mentioned earlier, most of the '10E/H/J final drives whine a little right out of the factory. If AMSoil quiets it down, it probably just means you needed quieter fluid.

[HarryN]

Thanks again, You do cheer me up! But it's the vibration that bothers me. I don't think I mentioned that before. It is only slight and I only think I can feel it on my butt, but I can definitely feel a slight vibration on the wheel that corresponded to the rubbing noise.
"A pessimist is never disappointed!"

[VStar650CL]

If you feel it in the seat of your pants and not the wheel or pedals, it's coming from the rear and not the front. The most likely culprit for that would be the viscous coupler for the AWD.

[HarryN]

I haven't driven it enough to really tell but I feel it on the wheel. I will have to drive it more and get a better feel for where it might be coming from. Usually I can tell but not used to this car yet. It's still in the shop and no one is calling me to pick it up. Roads are too bad - not for me but there are some really dumb drivers out there!!!
What is involved in changing the Viscous Coupler? Might be worth doing that if it is suspect!

[VStar650CL]

The coupler is located on the nose of the rear diff, it's not a difficult job. I wouldn't guess at it, you can find out easily if anything in the rear is causing the vibration by temporarily removing the driveshaft. If the vibration goes away when it's operated FWD then you know it's a bad U-joint, bad coupler, or something in the rear diff. However, first try just disconnecting the coupler electrically. If the vibration disappears when you pop the the connector, it's definitely the viscous coupler causing the issue.

[HarryN]

I don't see any way to disengage AWD purposely. The geniuses at Nissan did not provide a switch to do that! It was one of the first things I looked for and I just checked the manual again. Might talk to my Indie about taking the drive shaft out!

[HarryN]

Actually, I would expect the vehicle to switch to FWD when I am cruising on a flat surface, yes, no?? That is when the rumble occurs!

[VStar650CL]

That's why you drop the driveshaft. It's a viscous clutch, and it won't necessarily disengage if it fails. That depends on how it fails. It can also lock or partially lock when it shouldn't. Disconnecting the rear drive forces the car to be FWD whether it likes it or not.

[HarryN]

I'll definitely report back. Soon as winter lets up a bit - big rush for tires - hard to get service anywhere right now. Thanks again.

[HarryN]

SOLVED!
Sunridge Nissan had it for a week, they checked everything. Drivetrain, engine, suspension... A search of the Nissan database showed a number of instances of this complaint and in some cases adjustments where made and parts changed but nothing cured this problem. I went for a drive with the foreman and he thought it is because the CVT always tries to be in a higher range so as soon as you settle to a steady pace the CVT shifts as high as it can and the the ENGINE LABOURS! This is quite normal!!
This morning I was out and whenever the noise occurred I shifted to manual and shifted down a gear - sure enough it stopped making the noise.
I am quite disappointed with Nissan's engineering at this point as apparently this is quite normal and I just have to add it to my growing list of silly and unexpected errors like putting the Manual Shift on the wrong side of the shifter and paring a 3.5L V6 with a CVT in the first place!!!
THANK YOU, and thanks to a diligent Nissan Service Dept. I hope this helps other Murano (and Rogue) owners in future.