CVT whining near end of warranty

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My 2008 Altima has 117,000 miles and has one month left in the 10 yr/120,000 mile CVT warranty. For the past couple of years It has been whining periodically, and with even slight acceleration the RPMs jump into the 3,000s , even on level or slightly inclined roads. Sort of like being stuck in a lower gear and failing to shift (yes I know it doesn't actually "shift"). It happens maybe once or twice a month now and seems to happen more when hot. The next day it runs fine.

I plan to sell the car in the next year or two max, but don't want to turn it over to the new owner with a bum CVT.

So my questions are:

- Is this normal or a sign of trouble brewing?

- If not normal, is it worth bringing it to a dealer? Would they actually repair it with so little warranty left, or just charge me $100 to check it out and say it is normal?

- Could this be caused by the old fluid? It has not been changed but the level is good and the color light brown. The owner's maintenance manual stops at 120,000 miles with no mention of changing the CVT fluid, just checking the level periodically.

Thanks so much for any advice!

Tom
 
Whining is not a good sign. I would take it to the dealer to at least have it documented. If you plan on keeping it I think changing the fluid would be a wise move, even if the manual doesn't mention it.
 
Dealership will say it's normal to avoid expensive repair under warranty.
I suggest you look for another vehicle before CVT gives up and vehicle can no longer be driven.

Maybe you can find an honest dealer and they can repair transmission under warranty, I doubt and you'll get the run around.... in the mean time you'll putting miles on it and getting closer to end of warranty.
 
The fluid should be slightly green. The Pennzoil CVT 2 Fluid is green, and from my research is the factory fill for USA built Nissan CVT's.

Or you can use dealer NS2 fluid for a change.

In your situation, get the dealer to inspect CVT, the risk of not having them inspect is potentially quite expensive.
 
Of course there's something wrong with it that the dealer "won't" be able to find until just after the warranty expires, then they'll suddenly "find" the problem
mad.gif


Has the fluid ever been changed? If not, Advance Auto has Castrol CVT fluid at a great price $5 each when you buy in multiples of 2. Sale ends 2/21
smile.gif


Maybe it's time for PQIA to test some CVT fluids
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CVT fluid is not green after being run... My Altima 3.5 CVT was a very, very light brown after 40k miles of being run.

My car has 219k miles on it's original CVT fluid. Still runs great.

Tom... I'd bet your CVT is not well. The 2.5 version CVT has had the most issues. I believe it is because the smaller power motor does not keep enough tension on the CVT belt. The 3.5 VQ motor helps keep more tension on the belt and it is a better "fit" because of that.

Tom the "inspection" at 120k miles is with their scan tool to analyze the CVT fluid. If the deterioration number is greater than 235,000 then it will have to be changed.. I bet this issue is not a CVT fluid problem issue. It is a bad motor/transmission combination issue.

Have them perform the service.

It may well help it out a lot... Or it will be not able to do that..
 
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I follow the JATCO CVT challenges on the Patriot/Compass forums and a lot of the minor issues are fixed with a fluid change. The general consensus over there is to change the fluid and filter every 60K minimum.

Maybe a second opinion from an independent tranny shop might give you more information to go on, IF you can find a competent one that you trust.

Best of luck to you.
 
I would take in to the dealer multible times about the whining. Make the paper trail before the warranty expires.
 
Originally Posted By: spasm3
I would take in to the dealer multible times about the whining. Make the paper trail before the warranty expires.


This. It will give you a leg to stand on.
 
x2.

Or you might get lucky and they'll do it. The Land Rover dealer did about $3000 in unsolicited preventative work on my LR3 right before the warranty expired.
 
I too would at least give a dealer an attempt at it. Who knows. Maybe by some chance this warranty program on the CVT pays out to the dealer nicely and they'll jump right on it (one can dream). Doesn't the owner's manual for your model year suggest having the CVT fluid checked/measured at some point before 120K miles? I would think the fluid would now be in bad condition on a ~10yr/old Nissan/Jatco CVT.

Different Nissan, but I posted my experience with my 2016 Nissan Quest, right after we bought it "certified used" in May 2017 with ~32K miles on the ticker. I did 2 drain/fills of the CVT right away. It's supposed to be a bright blue (Nissan NS-3) and the stuff with 32K miles on it was about as black as used motor oil. No issues at all with the CVT, but I hated the look of the used fluid.

We're at 50200mi now and I'll do another 4qt drain fill soon with the 4qts I have on hand.

Yours takes the green stuff. Nissan NS-2 CVT fluid, or equiv of like mentioned above.
 
Fluid is supposed to be changed every 30k on that. Drain fill is all thats needed.

As said take it to the dealer and make sure its documented and complain about it as much as you can. Say its whining and seems like its slipping sometimes. Give them as many reasons as they can to replace under warranty.
 
No it's not supposed to be changed every 30k miles.. Not at all. Inspected every 60k miles by dealership with scan tool analyzer to determine deterioration number.
 
Originally Posted By: bbhero
No it's not supposed to be changed every 30k miles.. Not at all. Inspected every 60k miles by dealership with scan tool analyzer to determine deterioration number.


Tell that to Nissan. Its part of their "Premium maintenance" and they have denied CVT replacements when people did not follow that and had a CVT failure. Probably not as much now but many complained when they failed early and many were told it was due to not changing the fluid and using the car in a "severe" usage.

http://www.vadennissanservicecontracts.com/owners-manual/nissan/2008_N_SMG.pdf


I'm not saying that is proper, just what owners of Nissans have experienced and whats in the owners manual.
 
Take your car to the dealer to get the problem documented. The ultimate solution to your noise/flare problem is replace the transmission. You said you are not looking to keep the car. If the dealer does nothing when you take it in, then what will you do?
 
I would let them document it, then I would make sure I blew it up before the warranty was out.
 
As well as taking the car to the Dealer, I would also contact Nissan HQ to log the issue, explicitly ask if there is any safety concerns on the road/Highway and if its a known issue etc.
 
My neighbor's 2008 Altima had the CVT replaced under extended factory warranty at 45,000 miles. No questions asked by dealer. She is a gentle driver.

I had the CVT fluid drained and filled in my daughter's 2015 Versa Note at 53,000 miles this summer. Same dealership as the 2008 Altima above. Service advisor says they now recommend 30k CVT drain and fills.

I've never had an issue getting a repair authorized under an extended warranty with Volvo or Honda. Having the repairs performed increased the resale value and my peace of mind selling the car.

Sam
 
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That’s just plain sad having tranny’s die at 50000 miles. [censored] an old AMC always lasted longer than that and those were the bottom of the barrel. I would t touch one of those CTVs if you gave it to me, Nissan especially!
 
Originally Posted By: bbhero
No it's not supposed to be changed every 30k miles.. Not at all. Inspected every 60k miles by dealership with scan tool analyzer to determine deterioration number.


I don't have an Altima, but rather a 2013 Juke with AWD/CVT. Never had a single issue with anything on the car and hope to keep it that way. Last time I had a service I asked them about the CVT fluid and was told they don't even bother with it until 60K miles at which point they let it idle until the fluid reaches a certain temp, then they drain/inspect a small amount to determine if it even needs to be replaced. May or may not... at 49K miles currently on it the fluid is still green, transparent and no abnormal smell. I have the extended 8 year/120K warranty on it, so plenty of time left on that. I know some love OR hate CVTs, but the one in the Nismo Juke works quite well and I don't miss a manual OR traditional automatic after having driven this just over 4 years. FWIW I originally wanted a 6 speed manual in my Juke, but in order to have the AWD system/much better suspension you can only have the CVT. 6 speeds in the Juke are FWD only.
 
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