i have a 2009 with 107,000 miles on it. I was driving on the highway and it suddenly jumped up to 5,000 tons going 70 mph. Cruise doesn't work, I try to manually shift, there is no reaction. Won't go into different gears. Any idea what this is? Is this why my transmission is still under warranty? I do not want to go into the dealership only to pay for the diagnostics if it isn't the transmission. Please help.

 

if youre getting no gears whatsoever it most likely is the transmission. exactly why its still under warranty

 

Sounds like you CVT is failing. I'd suggest taking it in right away as you're close to the 120k cutoff.

 

have you ever changed the transmission fluid?.... and there are no gears

 

How does a CVT shift?

I thought CVT didn't shift

 

Yeah, at about 80,000 I had it drained and yeah no gears. I couldn't shift up or down manually...

 

Correct. CVT's do not shift (unless you're talking about R to N to D, etc). It ratios up and down. Since CVT's are a relatively new technology in passenger vehicles, most people still associate automatic transmissions with shifting. It's just semantics. The Maxima has a "manual shift mode" which will SIMULATE shifting.

I wouldn't be so quick to say that the transmission is toast. Just thinking out loud: line pressure controls the drive and driven pulley to control the gear ratio. The line pressure is controlled by the TCM via the solenoid valves, valve body and transmission fluid pump. Yes? Anyone else care to chime in, here?

The TCM will know if it is belt failure causing the problem (and would spit a code out for belt failure) - in theory should also know if any of the above problems are the cause and store a code.

gelly42 - was the transmission whining when it was doing this? Have you driven the vehicle since it did this? Is it still acting up? Have you changed the transmission fluid at all?

 

I didn't hear any whining. I did let it sit for about 4 hours and it didn't do it. I had a transmission flush at 80,000 miles. When I took it in a month or so ago, the technician said it was throwing a code for the transmission but it couldn't record it? I understand that it could be a number of things and figured I'd see if any of you had input. This information is great and you guys are awesome. I just didn't want to shell out another hundred for a diagnostic only to find out it was something I could have had someone fix for me. But looks like I will have to be safe. Thanks guys

 

ok so you say you've had your transmission flushed.... if you found a mechanic that actually "flushed" your tranny than they were probably dumb enough to fill it up with the incorrect fluid.... Where did you get the tranny service done? about how much did you pay for this service?... If the fluid is wrong than yes it will fail.

 

pray to god the correct fluid was put into it

 

Uh oh, OP is screwed for warranty replacement.

 

Oh no, don't say that! I had it done at the place where my tires and brakes were done? About a hundred? I honestly can't remember. So if they put the wrong fluid in, wouldn't they be held liable for it? Or no

 

If in fact the wrong fluid was put into your CVT, then they would be responsible for all damages incurred. If you paid only about a hundred, then there is a pretty good chance the wrong fluid was used as 5 qts of CVT fluid is going to run more than a hundred.

First things first, get it diagnosed at the dealership, then go from there. This could end up in court,

 

Same place as where your brakes and tires are done and for about 100USD...
For that price, I can be almost 100% certain they used the wrong fluid when flushing and refilling your transmission. By the way, the recommended procedure is NOT flushing the cvt, but a simple drain and fill.
For reference, on courtesyparts, the price for 1qt of transmission fluid is 15USD, and the CVT needs about... 5qts (I think) so that is already 75USD, not including brakes, tires, and labor.

What do I recommend?
Start looking for receipts and checking your records. You are going to need some sort of proof of your claims.
I'm not sure about how liability works without looking at the shop's policies, but if they ruined your transmission, I would assume they would be at fault and thus have to pay for your new transmission.
Take it in to the dealer as soon as possible, perhaps even tow it in, and stop using the CVT. You are going to need to pay for that diagnostic fee and and see what is wrong with it. If you are technically inclined, then take a look at the CVT dipstick and see what color the fluid is and report back to us. I do not know what the color of it is off the top of my head.

As others have said, if the wrong fluid was put into the CVT... That tranmission is failing/has failed.

 

What exactly was this shi* post supposed to achieve?

 

Most tranny fluid is light red in color, so this does not necessarily proves or disproves anything, that includes Nissan's CVT NS-2 fluid.
I do agree that using wrong fluid in the tranny voids factory warranty. The tranny dipstick has a special "mechanic" proof cap on it, with explicit warnings about the fluid.
Of course none of us really knows what failed, but it does sound like your tranny may not be happy.

Find your receipts, and call the shop that did your tranny work. Ask them what they want to do, i.e. have them propose the solution. This way they may front cost of the diagnostics, otherwise, if you pay out of pocket, you
maybe stuck with the charges or have to sue them or whatever.

Best case scenario is to do multiple drain and refills of the fluid with proper fluid and pray that it works. Worst case scenario is replacement tranny. I don't know if Nissan dealers are capable of rebuilding CVT tranny's.

good luck
Max

 

I thought NS-2 fluid is green or golden in color? I might be wrong as I have never actually seen it, only reading things on the internet.

 

It would be 1000% the lube shops fault. You better find that receipt... its worth $4k. I remember a thread i read of a murano user who went to a lube place and they put regular fluid in her tranny. The owner was not covered under nissan(why should nissan have to pay for it!?) so they had to sue for it.. In the end the lube shop paid up before the lawsuit. I think this is it:

http://www.twincities.com/ci_2241538...s-up-costing-4

It's 1000% the shops fault even though most of us on this forum are not mechanics we know not to put any fluid in it... its 2015 they should know better.

If it was a normal lube shop I wouldnt expect them to have this special fluid laying around.. they would have to order it.. so i highly doubt you have the right fluid.

 

Actually looks like my bad here. I did drain/fill tranny once, but I work on lots of cars, so forgot the color of the NS-2 fluid. I will have to check out my home stash, but it does appear to be greenish according to other pics. Should have checked before posting bad info.
However depending on whether the OP had a single drain fill or flush, the color of fluid would depend on how much original fluid remained and how it mixed with new fluid.

 

Genuine NS-2 fluid is candy apple green right out of the bottle. Light/bright green and clear.

I have changed the fluid in mine twice in 135,000 miles. The fluid on the dipstick is always a very light tan color. It has a typical transmission fluid smell. I.e., the smell isn't much different than that of a traditional automatic transmission on the dipstick. If the fluid is dark colored or has a burnt smell, you gots trouble.

Dunno why I didn't think of that - that would be the FIRST thing I look at....check the fluid. Also ensure to follow the procedure for checking fluid level. Like most other autos, engine running, shift through P, R, N, D and then back to P. Then check fluid with engine idling. The dipstick has a hatched area for checking when cold, but your best accuracy is when it is hot.

Let us know what you find out!

Travis

 

just confirmed, color is bright clear green, once again apologies for confusion