Have you checked the level of transmission fluid? That comes first.

 

If the gear on the instrument gauges is correct when shifting D <--> R and the transmission fluid level is o.k., the car not moving when in gear probably means the CVT just sh!t the bed, unfortunately.

 

I had someone look at it and they said take it to a transmission shop as that what it sounds like. Just curious if it is the CVT transmission what's the cost looking like? If it were replaced would the car run like new or is it time to move on officially?

 

When you say it will rev up, do you mean it revs in D, L and R, or that it only revs in P and N? If it only revs in P & N, I would try replacing the throttle body first, even with a cheap aftermarket one. It happened twice to my 2003 AWD and a trouble code was never produced. I'd probably try that anyway, just in case, unless there's a clear indication of a CVT failure either due to smell, sound or vibrations. I would also make sure the battery leads (especially the NEG battery wire to the chassis ground) aren't loose, stiff or corroded (internally or externally) to the two grounding points beneath the battery tray.

Replacing the CVT will likely cost $4000-$5000, but I don't know what garages are charging these days. If you can do it yourself, it might cost you about $1500 for a good CVT, and then it's all on you to install it. How many miles?

 

When you say it will rev up, do you mean it revs in D, L and R, or that it only revs in P and N? If it only revs in P & N, I would try replacing the throttle body first, even with a cheap aftermarket one. It happened twice to my 2003 AWD and a trouble code was never produced. I'd probably try that anyway, just in case, unless there's a clear indication of a CVT failure either due to smell, sound or vibrations. I would also make sure the battery leads (especially and NEG battery wire to the chassis ground) isn't loose, stiff or corroded (internally or externally) to the two grounding points beneath the battery tray.

Replacing the CVT will likely cost $4000-$5000, but I don't know what garages are charging these days. If you can do it yourself, it might cost you about $1500 for a good CVT, and then it's all on you to install it. How many miles?

It revs in all positions (P,D,R,N etc). When I have it towed I'll just tell them the car won't do anything but rev up and see what they say. Is there a way on my end to check if it's the throttle body? My car is over 200k miles, I think near 230k but I'll have to double check. I'll check out the battery leads as well. The only smell I get is from a burnt oil smell from oil leak. Not sure what sound or vibrations I should be looking for for a bad CVT. It makes so many sounds at this point lol. I know it was driving very smooth when tank is full of gas on a nice paved road.

 

Was your check engine light on or any other trouble lights, such as battery?

I went through a bunch of various things with my 2003 over 18 years, the main issue was with the CVT, and the second was throttle body and CATs. In my cases, some of the failing CVTs had a burnt rubber smell, or a chinking chain sound when accelerating, or an obvious fluid leak, etc. I never encountered a shudder or judder. In two instances, when stopped at the top of the hill, the car would no longer accelerate and would only roll back - zero drivetrain ability but engine revved normally. In all eight CVT failures I had, the CVT dummy light never came on.

When your car failed to move, did you ever turn it off, wait a minute, then restart the car and try again? I know it sounds basic, but my 2003 lost drivetrain ability twice, where I had to coast into the breakdown lane, shut it down, wait a minute before starting the engine again, and then that solved the issue for the rest of my trip. Of course, the CVTs eventually needed to be replaced. Maybe I just got lucky.

 

Was your check engine light on or any other trouble lights, such as battery?

I went through a bunch of various things with my 2003 over 18 years, the main issue was with the CVT, and the second was throttle body and CATs. In my cases, some of the failing CVTs had a burnt rubber smell, or a chinking chain sound when accelerating, or an obvious fluid leak, etc. I never encountered a shudder or judder. In two instances, when stopped at the top of the hill, the car would no longer accelerate and would only roll back - zero drivetrain ability but engine revved normally. In all eight CVT failures I had, the CVT dummy light never came on.

When your car failed to move, did you ever turn it off, wait a minute, then restart the car and try again? I know it sounds basic, but my 2003 lost drivetrain ability twice, where I had to coast into the breakdown lane, shut it down, wait a minute before starting the engine again, and then that solved the issue for the rest of my trip. Of course, the CVTs eventually needed to be replaced. Maybe I just got lucky.

1. Yes, My check engine like comes and goes with the catalytic converter code. It has been doing that for at least 5 years now.
2. The only fluid leak I see is from the oil stains on the driveway but I do have to check my CVT fluid and replenish it so I know there is a leak somewhere.
3. I did try turning it off and starting it back up and it gave the same response. I haven't tried driving it since yesterday when it occurred but I may give it a try tomorrow to see if any changes took place. I did notice a few days before this event that I had to use a screwdriver on my shift lock to switch gears. It wouldn't shift out of park without me doing it and then it went back to normal a day or so later. Not sure if that is a sign for anything.

 

If your engine revs normally in response to you pressing the accelerator pedal but NONE of the power from the rotating engine is being TRANSMITTED to the wheels, there's a 0% chance it's your throttle body. I don't know what's causing your problem, but I'm certain it's not the throttle body.

 

As far as what you can do yourself, I'd get the CVTz50 app hooked up to the car and see what your transmission is doing. You'll probably find something very wrong in that data. Until you get some data, you're just going to be guessing. And the same dongle you use to connect the CVTz50 app to the car will let you connect an app to read the live data available from the car and you could confirm your throttle body operation is correct as well.

 

Thanks, I'll try to get some screen record of the data. I use the "Car Scanner" app but I see the CVTz50 app is 4.99. Is there a section I need to go into from that app once I purchase it?

 

It doesn't matter if the engine is in limp mode. At idle, there is enough torque being transferred to the wheels so that the car should still move (creep) when in D or R. The car isn't moving at all when in gear, even when the engine is revved. This is highly likely to be a broken CVT belt. Rather than guessing or messing around with apps, I'd suggest dropping the oil pan and looking for pieces of the metal belt to confirm (...or draining the oil and sticking an inspection camera up into the drain plug hole). If you find metal, time to get rid of the car. I personally wouldn't spend any substantial amount of money trying to put a 1st gen Murano back on the road. If you prefer another Murano, go with the latter years of the 2nd generation or skip to the 3rd generation (2018+) if you can afford it. This is actually a good time to be in the hunt for a new Nissan because that company is in dire straits and inventory is piling up on dealership lots.

 

Car scanner can read the CVT parameters too. It just doesn't put them all on one convenient dashboard for you like CVTz50 does. I can look at all the CVT parameters before you have the CVT fluid drained. If you don't find a broken belt or some other obvious defect, you'll have to fill it back up with new fluid to collect any data. Just seems logical to me to collect data before you drain it and open it up. No matter what order you do it in, you have a serious problem.

 

I can't imagine that metal belt breaking apart and the driver not feeling and hearing it happen. I think that would be unlikely, but I've never experienced it, so who knows. I suppose the belt could simply be slipping, but I would think if that were happening you'd still be able to feel the CVT trying to variate and move forward or back with a little kick/jolt.

Since the car is revving in all shifter positions, it's possible it's not a problem with the throttle body or its controller. But, given the high mileage it's possible something happened to either the TCM (Transmission Control Module) or the throttle body controller that's not allowing the correct information to be communicated between them and so the proper "gear" isn't being selected/engaged, if at all. So maybe the belt is spinning at the wrong place and not doing anything. I'd say it would be a fairly inexpensive thing to try if no trouble codes are present and there's nothing obvious going on with the CVT.

When you start it and run through each drive selection (particularly from P/N to D, or D to R, do you feel any sensations from the drivetrain to indicate the CVT is engaging for a moment? If so, perhaps that could mean the belt is intact and maybe something inside the valve body fried. Aside from using the CVTz50, I'd say send in a boroscope via the CVT fluid fill-tube, as already suggested, to see if there are metal fragments/elements in the pan.

Is this an AWD Murano?

 

IT's a FWD (2 wheel drive murano). My murano had been giving issues when going trying to go in reverse say from parking at a shopping plaza. It would go forward a bit before jerking back into reverse as if it wasn't catching/shifting gears. Since it's been colder weather here whenever I first started the car it would do the same thing when going into drive. It would rev up before finally jerking forward (as if catching something)and driving. The shop I'm taking it to can't look at it until the 27th but it is looking like CVT from what you guys are describing. I've had the car for over a decade and over 100k miles so at least I got my usage out of it if it is DOA. I'm just pissed I filled the tank up the day before it died.

 

I want to echo the recommendation to look only at 3rd gen Muranos or newer if you need to replace it and want another Murano. 22 years is a pretty long run for a Series 1 Murano, and the forecast sounds bad for the CVT.

 

No, I'm staying away from CVT cars lol. NOt sure what I'll get but whatever is cheap and runs right now. At worst a new kia isn't looking too bad lol

 

The problem with small repairs to the 1st Gen CVTs is, there's no guarantee that replacing the stepper motor, or a solenoid, or the TCM, or the entire valve body will actually solve the problem for good. People have had those things done, only to have the same problems return. What percentage is unknown. The only full cure is to replace the entire CVT (if the CVT is indeed the problem) and hope you got a good used one or could afford a new/refurbished one.

Did you notice if the shifter position matched the drive selection on your fuel gauge? There was a 1st gen that recently had a TCM issue, and while looking into that the "park/neutral safety switch"(or something like that) was discussed, which had me thinking that if that switch went bad maybe that would prevent the car from actually shifting out of or into any "gear," making it remain in park or maybe neutral? When your car had the problem, were you able to push it off to the side of the road or was it stuck in the road where it died? The day you stopped and then couldn't move forward, had you shifted during that time, or was it just you stopped in traffic or at a stop sign and then tried to accelerate forward?

I don't know if that brake switch solenoid lock thing could actually go bad and prevent the CVT from shifting wholly into the selected gear. If so, maybe what you described about trying to go in reverse and having it go forward and then jerk back could be a result of that part going bad or being loose.

Unless the car is cherry and you love it, it might not be worth sinking much time and money into it.

 

Your car may still be driveable and have trade-in value, so don't let the garage just have it. Be sure they're not charging you a daily fee to have your car on their premises.

When I was just 16 and my first car was towed to a garage after a major accident, I found out the hard way after they tried to charge me $300 in order to get my car back. Since I had only paid $250 for it, I told them to keep it (it was totaled anyway). It was later towed to someplace far away from where I lived, and I had forgotten something special to me that was still inside the car. So one night I had a friend drive me to the place where I heard the garage owner lived, where there I saw my smashed up car all alone in the middle of a large yard under a large tree. I reached in and snatched my custom made Iron Maiden steering wheel horn cover and made off into the night... I used that horn cover on my next few vehicles.

 

I still have my car. The garage said I wouldn't be able to drop it off until the 27th. I'm looking at cars right now in case the news is bad. If it's too much to repair I plan on using it as a trade in for a new car. I'm glad you were able to get your Iron Maiden steering wheel cover back .

 

I would at least try disconnecting the NEG wire to the battery, reconnecting it, firing up the car to see what happens. That's solved a lot of glitches on my 2003 and 2021. If it's just sitting there, might as well try a few easy things.

 

Absolutely!!!

 

And I might also shift through the drive selections aggressively multiple times to possibly shake the CVT back to life. But, really, I would also try that...

I'd probably also drop in a quart of CVT fluid, just in case. I overfilled my 2003 CVT and it took a lot to do it. I think 4-5 quarts.

 

Well, I just tried your suggestion of disconnecting the neg battery terminal for a bit and reconnected it. Now the car won't rev up (rpm) past the 1. I floored the pedal and it won't go all the way to 8 like before (last night) when I tested it. Also I ran the diagnostic code on the app and it's now throwing up these 3 codes

 

It sounds like your car is still in limp mode, for whatever reason. The codes you showed are "pending," which I believe means that aren't actually the cause of anything happening, but they were suspected of being a problem while the car was running. I think they have to trigger twice or for a certain duration before the ECM/TCM locks them as a true DTC. Is your check engine light on? If so, maybe they are real trouble codes, or perhaps the CEL is due to codes in the TCM that need to be read.

Just disconnecting the NEG shouldn't have caused limp mode. I'm guessing the act of eliminating power flushed something out of "memory" and made it start from scratch, where now different parameters are being set that maybe are more accurate to whatever problem your car has. The only advice I would offer is make sure the battery is fully charged and the alternator is working and try again. And maybe download the beta CVTz50 to see if there are codes in the TCM.

 

It sounds like your car is still in limp mode, for whatever reason. The codes you showed are "pending," which I believe means that aren't actually the cause of anything happening, but they were suspected of being a problem while the car was running. I think they have to trigger twice or for a certain duration before the ECM/TCM locks them as a true DTC. Is your check engine light on? If so, maybe they are real trouble codes, or perhaps the CEL is due to codes in the TCM that need to be read.

Just disconnecting the NEG shouldn't have caused limp mode. I'm guessing the act of eliminating power flushed something out of "memory" and made it start from scratch, where now different parameters are being set that maybe are more accurate to whatever problem your car has. The only advice I would offer is make sure the battery is fully charged and the alternator is working and try again. And maybe download the beta CVTz50 to see if there are codes in the TCM.
[/Q

Yes, the check engine light is on which is why I rant the diagnostic code test on the car app. What is the TCM in CVTz50?

 

Generally speaking, any scan tool can read codes from the ECM/ECU (Engine Control Module), but most can't read codes stored in the TCM (Transmission Control Module) of the CVT, so your check engine light could be related to trouble codes stored in the ECM or the TCM, but if you don't have the correct scan tool or app (such as CVTz50) you'll never know what may be wrong with the CVT. And when I had CVT trouble, the Check Engine Light never came on, nor did the CVT light (in my 2003). I'm not sure if that ever changed or if my car had a glitch.

I don't know if Torque Pro can pull codes from the TCM. I think a few members here use that.

 

I ran the app and took some screenshots. Can you direct me on where/what to do? Thanks

 

And you can tap the three dots in the top-right to see other options and decide what things you want to monitor.

I don't have any codes in my 2021, so I have to draw from memory using it on my 2003.

Once the app is connected, at the main function screen...

- CVT Data monitor - tap the button to connect - if there is a yellow box or a red box (or both) where the clock usually is, press that boxed area and you'll be taken to the trouble codes section.

OR

- Read/clear CVT DTC - tap this button to read CVT codes, if there are any.

- Read/clear engine DTC - tap this button to read CVT codes, if there are any.

I don't recall where I used to see the last five inactive (pending) trouble codes. It may have been at the start-up screen when the app is connecting, but I'm not sure. Maybe try the CVT information button.

Here are two snaps from my 2003 AWD...

No trouble codes...

A CVT trouble code(s) is stored...

 

Thanks. I was able to run through each option and these were the results. I see it has added another error code on this app so now it's 4 total.

 

I just noticed you said prior to this problem you had to use a screwdriver on the shift-lock to shift. That combined with everything else could easily still point to a battery/charging issue. Lack of power or intermittent power can cause a slew of problems for the Murano CVT. I don't think there's an easy or clear answer.

Replace the valve body? If the battery and charging system are having issues, you should still have the same problem.

 

If the battery was bad wouldn't the car not start or run at all? I guess when the shop gets it next week they will have a slew of problems to combat. I'm looking at cars just in case so as of right now I'm considering it DOA. I did notice while the car is running all the instrument lights on the vehicle flicker continuously while running but this has been going on for a long time.

 

It all depends... If the battery has enough juice to keep the engine running but not enough (due to a charging issue) to also make the CVT and support components operate, you might be stuck in limp mode. It's also possible you have random satisfactory charging. The problem with the battery/charging scenario is, if either of those is really dying, you should be getting some dummy lights to indicate it.

The headlights on my 2003 flickered a bit, but never the gauges. That might mean you have some bad grounding points or a loose wire or malfunctioning voltage regulator, etc. It's possible that any of those problems might not trigger the appropriate dummy lights.

 

My question to you is do I take it to a mechanic shop or a transmission shop? The place I plan on taking it to is just a transmission shop since that was what was relayed to me. I really wish I could get a mobile mechanic to come look at it.

 

The throttle body cannot cause the transmission to slip but the valve body sure can. Put the transmission shift lever in the "N" position then push it to the left towards driver, and pull it back into the manual shift position. If the car will move in the manual shift position, the valve body is fouled. Most early model Nissans and other car makes up through 2018 suffer CVT failure at less than 80k miles. (<Moderator note: this is NOT TRUE.) There is a lawsuit settlement that covers the cost of repair/replacement if the mileage is within the listed range. I would not waste my money buying a used CVT. Do yourself a favor and get the transmission rebuilt by a dealership or by a reputable transmission repair shop with a written nation wide mileage warranty guarantee. (<Moderator note: most dealerships DO NOT rebuild Nissan CVTs, and almost no independent shops do.) CVT transmissions must be properly flushed and have new oil installed every 40,000 - 60,000 miles depending on OEM recommendations. I wonder if the Nissan Pathfinder non-CVT transmissions could be adapted to install in a Murano as they are good for over 200k miles of service.

 

Moderator note: the above post was not deleted but I felt it necessary to point out some false or misleading statements. Take this post with a grain of salt.

 

Thanks for the help over the years. I'm officially no longer a MO owner but will cherish the past 13 years and memories.