Normal CVT Sounds

[kerrton]

I've noticed some somewhat unusual sounds from the CVT, and I was wondering if anyone else notices this as well. First of all, I'm NOT referring to the crazy loud rattle that those with transmission problems are dealing with (well I sure hope not anyway).

What I notice is when I'm slowing down, using the brakes right when I'm almost stopped I'll hear a VERY brief, split second subtle rattle sound. Usually if I let off the brake at the last moment before I'm stopped, this causes the noise. It is so subtle that I hesitate to call it a noises, but I'm sure it's there. It is almost overshadowed by the sound of the engine, which is a little raspy sounding sometime too, but I'm sure that is normal.

Anyway, the question is: is a little bit of occaisional, brief noise like this the result of normal CVT operation, or might this be an indicator of a problem that is developing and will get worse? I tried to research this to determine if the CVT should make any sounds or if it should be whisper quiet at all times, and I didn't come up wtih anything. Phil, you mentioned in a previous post that you sometime notice some sounds coming from your transmission, is this similar to what you were referring to? Thanks.

[daytrippr]

...What I notice is when I'm slowing down, using the brakes right when I'm almost stopped I'll hear a VERY brief, split second subtle rattle sound. Usually if I let off the brake at the last moment before I'm stopped, this causes the noise. It is so subtle that I hesitate to call it a noises, but I'm sure it's there. It is almost overshadowed by the sound of the engine, which is a little raspy ...

Kerrton, I don't know if you have the AWD or FWD, BUT, this is exactly the type of rattle sound scenario that we started with. We were on a road trip and as we came to stops we heard that faint rattle just as the cvt was downshifting. As time went by it definitely got louder and louder and more noticable at higher speeds.

Good luck

[kerrton]

I have a FWD Rogue. The noise is so subtle that I often wonder if I'm imagining it, or it is just the sound of the engine as it almost has that "rattle"-type sound to it.

Anyway, I'm not that worried about it, even if it is a rattling transmission problem that will get worse with time, I've got 5 year powertrain warranty so I'm sure the problem will work itself out within that timeframe.

The weird thing is that all Nissan vehicles except the huge SUV's have the CVT now, so it should be a pretty good technology considering the faith Nissan has in it. But, regular transmission's fail too, so maybe the rattling ones are just a very uncommon occurance.

[tellurian]

I remember reading a quote from one of the Nissan 'talking heads' (a VP of 'something important' but I can't remember what or who) about CVT rattle. He mentioned that it is normal for the slack side of the belt to rattle from time to time at given frequencies. At startup and especially at low speeds, also there is a normal 'chudder' that any transmission will give when the gear ratio is too high. I have a FWD model and notice all of the above sounds from time to time (but frankly only because there has been so much talk about them). A startup rattle (just after the engine starts for a second or less) is very common on my Rogue but I like others I am not concerned as I expect that the power-train warranty will take care of any problems. All vehicles have idiosyncrasies. So far no sounds I have heard on my Rogue has given me cause for concern. The CVT is new for most of us so there is little to go on in terms of whar is a normal noise. If it is loud, persistant, and quite noticeable there may be a problem. If you have to listen carefully and methodically perform specific actions (especially at low speeds or tall gear ratios) to get a hint of a rattle / viabration then I suspect it may be normal activity.

... or at least that is my view on various noises.

[ilinimud]

I agree with you tellurian. If i have to strain my ears to hear something, or do specific things with the vehicle just to hear it, it doesnt bother me. I havent bought my Rogue yet, but i did mention it on the test drives and tried to make it do it. I could never get it to, but i have heard the problem doesnt come up untill later.

Im not saying this about anyone in this thread, or this forum, but some people hear of something that is wrong with the vehicle they bought, and get it in there head that theirs must have it. Then they do whatver they can to convince themselves that thier car has the problem. I try to be a little more subtle. When something it obviosly wrong or broken, i fix it.

[kerrton]

You guys are right, thanks a lot for the different perspective. And yes, I'm one of those people who worry and then start to imagine that I might have the problem. For something as major as a transmission problem, I can't help it, that is serious, but I know you guys are right.

I'd be interested to hear the reference to when a Nissan VP stated that the CVT sometimes makes a brief rattle at low speeds and this could be normal. Anyway, nothing to worry about I'm sure. I still love the Rogue, it is by far the best vehicle I've ever owned!

[daytrippr]

Kerrton, and all those others with FWD, I wouldn't worry about the infamous rattle. I think it is obvious that it's an AWD issue only. And, BTW, I wouldn't stress about listening for it, regardless...as it progresses to the 'all the time, annoying' phase, you will KNOW if you have it...it's unmistakable.

[Rocket J Dawg]

It takes a bit to get used to a CVT. There are different noises and quirks associated with them. It could be that because the belt is a metal belt, some people refer to it as "chain". Being metal would account for some noises if in fact the belt were to have an excessive amount of deflection between the pullies. It could also be that for some reason, both pullies open out at the same time causing slack on the belt. I found a couple of interesting links about our transmission while doing research on the noise/clunk issue. Originally called the Variomatic, this transmission has been around since 1958.Check it out....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8AzqtomwD0 DAF Transmission at work

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variomatic Wikipedia explanation of a CVT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...lated A Jatco transmission - I think it is the one that Nissan uses


Modified by Rocket J Dawg at 10:36 AM 8/26/2008

[tikus]

I am very much agree with you. The problem is the timing of hydraulic system to make the pullies changing the diameter together and so no play for the BELT. I have heard the noise when slowing down.

[paulvanharte]

I was one of those people who also thought some of these noises were "made up" and that it was not a real problem. When I first read the original post on the rattle, I tried to make the rattle appear and all I would hear was some slight noise, which really did not seem to be an issue.That was around 2500/3000 km. You could not hear it at normal driving with the radio on. However, the rattle did seem to get progressively louder and now with 12000km on it, it so loud that when I drive into a drive through and slow down the rattle can be heard outside bounicng of the walls of the drive through. This rattle is real and my dealer is aware of it and has at least 6 or 7 owners with the same rattle. I can assure you this is not a normal sound associated with the CVT operation

Paul

[Rocket J Dawg]

Don't get me wrong Paulvanharte, I do believe that there are some transmissions out there that have the dreaded "rattle". And I feel bad at how some of these owners have been treated by their dealers. I can't blame Nissan as some owners have had their transmissions replaced no questions asked, and this is probably a $5 - 6K fix.

Now having said that, I also believe there are some owners who are not used to the way a CVT operates and are possably hearing things that are perfectly normal for a CVT. I worked around heavy equipment for many years and am used to "Hydrostatic" transmissions which after they get worked in, are very whiney and make clunking (cavitation) sounds when you stop.

I believe that there are a bad batch of transmissions out there which would explain why some get the rattle and some don't. And the problem may be the hydrolic synchronization of the pullies which would account for the rattle as the belt could be going slack (the belt is actually made out of steel). This condition could only be effectivly solved by replacing the entire transmission.

[kerrton]

So the take-away message, RocketDawg, is that "yes", the CVT does make some noises under normal operation, such as a brief "chatter" at low speeds, when coming to stop, for example. As long as this chatter doesn't get worse or change over time, it should be nothing to worry about?

It is strange because neither the salesmen nor the service tech's ever seem to be able to give a straight answer to this question "should the CVT make any noises under normal operation, such as a brief chatter/rattle". I just want to make sure because normally noises like this indicate friction and abnormal wear, but perhaps the CVT is a little different. Thanks for the feedback everybody.

[gkwilkes]

Yes I have had my Rogue in the shop 5 times with the CVT making rumbling sounds. I was just told by Nissan that they would replace the transmission. This sounds odd because there is no gurantee that the sound will not appear with the new transmission. This is new car and I'm not sure at this point what to do.Geoff

[gkwilkes]

Kerrton did you read my reply?Geoff

[kerrton]

Hey Geoff, thanks a lot for the input. I too am just looking for peace of mind with this expensive purchase that I rely on for the safety of my family. I'm still not totally sure if any type of noise is normal with this transmission or not.

That is great that they replaced your transmission, and if I were you I'd assume that the reason the first transmission failed was because it was flawed from the factory, or had a faulty install and it was not because of an inherant design flaw. I'm sure the new transmission will not repeat the same problems, but even if it does you still have the 5 year warranty.

How many miles did the original transmission have before it was replaced, and is it an AWD or FWD?

[BLPet]

I find it amazing that once Nissan finally admitted that they may have had a bad batch of transmissions, that they are now replacing trannies!

I will hopefully get my Rogue back tomorrow or Wednesday. They approved to replace my transmission on August 21st. When they took the old one out last week, they found some metal shavings and gelled trannie fluid...

I hope the sound goes away w/ the new CVT!

[gkwilkes]

kerrton,I have FWD vehicle and the CVT sounds started after about 1200 miles. I have since found out that this is larger problem than Nissan is willing let on to. A very good friend who is a Nissan rep has told me that the CVT problem, noise and failure are across all Nissan vehicles with CVT transmissions. Some fail completely others leak and then fail. Also if you check other blog sites you will find that there are other complaints from Nissan owners with CVT transmissions. I'm now perusing every legal avenue I can to get Nissan to take the vehicle back. I strongly feel that Nissan was well aware of this problem and sold the vehicles hoping to quietly take care of them one by one. I think they under estimated the power of the internet to find out what is really going on. Good luck with your vehicle.Geoff,

[gkwilkes]

BLPet,I hope that this solves the problem for you however, what I found it does not.

[paulvanharte]

I was on the phone again with Nissan Canada, still no update. I told the customer relations lady, I wanted a Nissan tech rep to call me back and that I was going to keep phoning the customer relations number until this thing gets resolved. I am getting very frustrated with the lack of any update on this issue.

Paul

[minitrucker]

Just wondering is this happing in all types of rogues or jsut the FWD OR WHAT? Cause i now someone that bout the rogue when it first came out and they have not had any problems yet, but there is a awd i know the transmission really dont have anything do with the drive but maybe its built different or somthing. So Really is the problem rogue wide or just a select few?

[158814997]

Hi Geoff: i am FWD Rogue,too. finally i know i am not the only FWD rogue have the same "rattle" issue. The CVT sounds started after about 500 miles, and only happenes when you have a more than 10 miles drive.I took it it to the dealer once and has been told is normal. But now the sound is getting loud and i am getting frustrated with it. You said"I'm now perusing every legal avenue I can to get Nissan to take the vehicle back." Could you please share some information about how you perusing this? thanks

[Bibbers]

I bought my Rogue brand spankin new (AWD)in march and started hear the CVT Noises about a month ago (August). It sounds horrible, especially when your slowly driving through a parking lot with a brand new vehicle and it sounds like an old beater from the 80's.I've need to bring my rogue in for service next week and i'll see what the deal is, and if they try and shaft me.Untill then I guess i'll have to crank the tunes even louder!

[minitrucker]

Could this "rattle" be located to east coast buyers and canada? Cause i have noticed that everyone with this "ratttle" is a east coaster or a midwester, i might be wrong but i am pretty sure like dodge one factory does west coast and part of the midwest and then there a factory for other half of midwest and east coast. give me some feed back, still no problems with my rogue, that my wife has said anything bout atleast.

[daytrippr]

Could this "rattle" be located to east coast buyers and canada? Cause i have noticed that everyone with this "ratttle" is a east coaster or a midwester,...

Sorry, trucker, we bought ours near Seattle and live near Bellingham.

In my researching of the VIN numbers, it appears that all Rogues are built at the same factory...in Japan, where they also assemble Muranos. The real question is: "where are the cvts produced? More than one factory? And...are the defective ones all from one lot?"

You would assume that Nissan is researching this...

[minitrucker]

Sorry, trucker, we bought ours near Seattle and live near Bellingham.

In my researching of the VIN numbers, it appears that all Rogues are built at the same factory...in Japan, where they also assemble Muranos. The real question is: "where are the cvts produced? More than one factory? And...are the defective ones all from one lot?"

You would assume that Nissan is researching this...

So what are the results of the VIN numbers? Are all cvt trannys having problems even the ones in the altmas?

[daytrippr]

So what are the results of the VIN numbers? Are all cvt trannys having problems even the ones in the altmas?

I dunno bout that. I just thought that maybe there were multiple Rogue plants...just one aparently

[kerrton]

The Altimas and Versas seem to be fine. You can research it yourself from this Nico forum. Nissan now includes this transmission on the Maxima which is a very expensive car and they wouldn't stick crappy components on it I'm sure.

Anyway, this thread has gotten off topic. This topic is about NORMAL CVT noises. To discuss the abnormal noises including rattling trannies and replacements, there are at least 2 existing topics for that. My original question was: "Does the CVT make some strange noises under normal operation, that would not be indicative of a problem?" Thanks

[philipa_240sx]

What I notice is when I'm slowing down, using the brakes right when I'm almost stopped I'll hear a VERY brief, split second subtle rattle sound. Usually if I let off the brake at the last moment before I'm stopped, this causes the noise. It is so subtle that I hesitate to call it a noises, but I'm sure it's there. It is almost overshadowed by the sound of the engine, which is a little raspy sounding sometime too, but I'm sure that is normal.

Kerrton,

I get this noise as well. Very faint and it was noticeable shortly after the break-in period (> 5000km). It has never gotten worse.

BTW, just completed a big road trip to the east coast of Canada... Quebec, New Brunswick, PEI, Nova Scotia. Covered over 5500km in 2 weeks including 20 hours non-stop (approx 2000 km) from Halifax NS to Kitchener, Ont. The Rogue performed very well.

[Pescakl1]

BTW, just completed a big road trip to the east coast of Canada... Quebec, New Brunswick, PEI, Nova Scotia. Covered over 5500km in 2 weeks including 20 hours non-stop (approx 2000 km) from Halifax NS to Kitchener, Ont. The Rogue performed very well.

I look like a little player with my 1.850 km trip to Philadelphia and back with a close to non-stop (fuel and baby stops are mandatory) 10h drive on the way back.

This part of the country will be for next summer. How much time should I take off to enjoy the trip, two or three weeks?

Now, a little more than 12.000 km on the Rogue, no complain at all. Works nicely, fuel efficient (even a little bit better than my previous manual RAV4) and comfortable for long trips.