[generator]

I have a problem with the Ds position on my shifter. The car does not leave 1st gear. I can ramp the RPM's all the way up with no apparent ratio or gear changes. Regular D mode seems to be working though. Any thoughts here?

 

[Eric L.]

If you are driving enthusiastically in Ds, it will hold a ratio and let you rev it to redline (and hold it there).

Are you saying that even if you let off the gas, the RPM's do not drop?

 

[dklanecky1]

Mine does the exact same thing, put it in Ds, floor it and it runs all the way up to redline and will hold there until I move it to D.

I think that's the designed purpose of Ds. Your in charge of changing to D, only when (and if) you want to.

What were you expecting it to do when it hit the redline?

If you want it to change the ratios for you, I think you have to put it in D.

Sounds perfectly normal unless your experiencing something other than I described?:2:

 

[generator]

Well the way I see it Ds should be driveable. I thought Ds was just a different driving/torque curve. Typically I would see an average of 2k RPM's when driving in D at highway speeds. I thought that Ds tried to take that average higher by 1000+ RPM's to utilize a different different power band and sacrifice fuel economy. In other words I thought Ds would shift thru the gears like the other mode, just at higher RPM's. With my handle in Ds, and at a full stop, I could not see myself being able to go more than 40-50 miles per hour before the engine would be revving too high for comfort. Isn't the S suppose to mean SPORT mode. Well surely even in sports mode it should go thru gears 1,2 and 3. I may be going nuts but I think I remember the manual stating this same thing as well, with more engine braking present. I also could have sworn I drove my car in Ds when I first got it to see the results and I dont remember Red-Lining at highway speeds. (Just to clarify I am not nailing the gas pedal either-just normal driving)

 

[Eric L.]

Actually Ds does shift through the gears, just at a much higher rpm. It should not stay at redline if you let off the gas and just coast. The reason why you don't really feel Ds shift through the gears is what makes the CVT so special, it can hold high RPMs to give you maximum acceleration. Now, if you are able to rev it and hit the rev limiter in Ds (I think thats around 6750rpm) then there is something wrong with the CVT computer.

 

[generator]

Lets face it, as smooth as the CVT shifts, I can still tell when a shift should occur. I guess to make my description a little easier to understand try imagining this. You have a Ford explorer and you put the shifter in the 1 (or L on some models) position. You can step on the pedal soft, hard or whatever you want and you are never going to leave 1st gear even when you hit the rev limiter. This is what I feel when I drive in Ds now. I know it was not like this before. Hence I was asking if I was possibly in some kind of limp mode.

 

[Eric L.]

The FSM does not give any description of limp mode other than "the CVT will continue to operate at reduced performance" if the CVT overheats or throws a code. I believe CVT overheating will turn on the CVT light on the dash, and a code will be stored if the CEL is on. Since no repair info exists on the CVT (even the FSM says any defect, replace the whole thing), if your Ds is stuck as you say, take it to the dealer for diagnosis.

 

[hfelknor]

You should never feel the CVT shift gears because it doesn't.
That's the continuously variable part.

Go to http://tinyurl.com/teca

to see a graphic illustration of the way it works.

There are no gears.
There are just decreasing width pulleys and a rubber/steel belt.
The transmission is completely computer controlled.

In D there is never a gear shift, however both pulleys vary based on demand. In essence, the computer is trying to operate the Engine pulley and the Differential pulley in the most efficient manner.

In the Ds Mode the computer "profile" is changed to allow for the most power to be delivered to the drive wheels. Therefore the engine is run up to a constant high RPM (Higher than it should be by a few hundred RPMs IMO) so that you are at or near the power band at virtually any speed.

Your Ds is not stuck. That's the way it is supposed to operate. Trust me it will do a lot more than 40-50 MPH in Ds.

You need to forget how a Ford Explorer shifts. That has nothing to do with a Continuously Variable Transmission.

Some people don't like it. Some do.
To me, it makes the MO feel like a very powerful electric car.

Homer

 

[generator]

I think you guys (or gals) are missing my point. Yeah I know the CVT has no gears...blah blah blah. And yeah I love the way it feels BUT please do this in Ds Mode. On a flat road at a complete stop do this. Go from 0 to 50 at normal acceleration and then stay at 50-55 miles per hour (set cruise control). Now when you cars speed has leveled off at 50 miles per hour what are your RPM's at. I bet in Ds it about 2500-3000 RPM. For me its about 5000 RPM and it stays there ( and i am not on any inclines or hills). My gears (or if you want to be precise, my pulleys ratios) are not changing at all in Ds. I only used the reference of the Ford Explorer to convey what I am feeling in my car. I am well aware that the transmissions are two completely different animals. For those of you that have ever driven a stick-shift, it feels like trying to get on the highway in first or second gear with no more gears left to shift up. In fact I at this point I am scared to use Ds because if I do reach highway speeds of 55-65 MPH my engine will be screaming the whole time.

 

[hfelknor]

" Now when you cars speed has leveled off at 50 miles per hour what are your RPM's at. I bet in Ds it about 2500-3000 RPM"

No. As I tried to explain, it doesn't work that way.

On my Mo at an exact steady 50MPH it is an exact steady 4000 RPM.

Homer

 

[Eric L.]

I think we can conclude here that if that is indeed happening to generator's Murano, the CVT is acting funky and he should take it in to the dealer for them to look at.

Please post an update after you have visited the dealer - this is a very interesting problem and I would like to hear how the dealer resolves it! Thanks.

 

[Doombringer]

I would argue that the CVT isn't perfectly smooth. That, or perhaps I am hypersensitive. I can notice when the engine's power changes during certain types of acceleration and decelleration.

Starting from a stop, if I take it real slow, everything is pretty silky smooth. If I get on it a bit, the change from 'gear' to 'gear' is a little more pronounced, the RPMs going up to their predetermined points then dropping down again and all. If I really punch it from a stop, the car revs harder and everything is pretty darn smooth again.

If I'm going up a hill, holding 2k RPM all the way, when I reach the top (flat surface) the Murano kicks down a 'gear' to about 1.5k RPM. I can feel the change, sometimes more often than not.

Normal?

 

[GMTURBO43]

Doom - I feel the same thing you speak of. I have a sensitive "seat of the pants."

Ds works the same way in my M. The RPMs are 1.5-2K higher than what they are in D. I consider this normal.

 

[Eric L.]

On my way to school today I did a little test with Ds and L. Accelerating from a stop, Ds reads a steady 4000rpm at 50MPH once I stopped accelerating. With L, I could tell the CVT was adjusting ratios to keep the RPM around 4000 while I was cruising, regardless of speed. So, all seems ok with my car.

 

[Doombringer]

What the heck is L for, anyway?

Everytime I hear "L" I think of "Low".. as in 4 wheel drive low, best used for traction. I can't imagine it's the same in the MO.. since people are using it around 50 MPH...

 

[----------j----]

The L is for Laser Fast. I love playing with those settings. From I complete stop to 50MPH I like to start in low and shift up. No need to check your speed before shifting up. The CVT controls itself and will not let you go over redline. I think what the other guy was trying to get accross is that the Sport mode on the M-O is not really a Sport Mode it just makes alot more noise coming from the engine reving higher. If you play with it enough you will find where it revs down in certain situations. It doesnt always stay at one RPM level. Just delivers enough power to keep you going.

 

[generator]

Thanks for all replies.....This morning I tried the Ds mode again BUT this time it acted normal. Shut the car on and off 2 or three times to see if it would come back. Now my car does not rev in the 5000-6000 rpm range. It sort of coasts around 4000. I dont know why my car was acting weird before. It may be because I was driving for over two hour to Six Flags before I played with the shifter. I was almost at my destination when my passenger asked me what the S was for and I attempted to show it. Thats when it got scary. All seems OK for now.

 

[jaak]

Strange, hopefully it won't come back!

I flip between modes often and haven't experienced anything weird. I've actually been very impressed with how well it deals with the changes.

What's strange for me now, is getting in a conventional automatic!

 

[Eric L.]

Thanks for all replies.....This morning I tried the Ds mode again BUT this time it acted normal. Shut the car on and off 2 or three times to see if it would come back. Now my car does not rev in the 5000-6000 rpm range. It sort of coasts around 4000. I dont know why my car was acting weird before. It may be because I was driving for over two hour to Six Flags before I played with the shifter. I was almost at my destination when my passenger asked me what the S was for and I attempted to show it. Thats when it got scary. All seems OK for now.

I would still take it to the dealer to see if they can pull a code. With the CVT, I would not take any risks.

 

[eager]

L is for Low

Granted the Murano is not designed for heavy off road use and for most use I don't know that it even needs a LOW setting but I think this is a hold over from old four wheel drive thinking. The low setting probably will not make much difference under acceleration from a standing start and in fact I don't think there is a lot of difference between D and DS or low from a standing start Rpm climb seems to be equal for all "gears" if you have the pedal to to the metal the DS setting does hold up rpms by about 2400rpm over D mode up once at speed delivering faster response at speed and more engine breaking.

The Low setting will provide increased engine braking for going down hills while using the four wheel drive lock. Or "Granny" low as we used to call it

Because of the nature of the CVT this can be the only reason for having this option.

By the way my CVT is so smooth and quiet that while traveling down the hwy at 60mph you can barely feel it when I shift from d to ds up or down truly an amazing piece of engineering the tach jumps and that is the only indication anything has changed. My passengers have been amazed by the demonstration.