I'd be curious if the you have the same acceleration problem if instead of letting it drop from 180km/h to 120km/h, letting it drop to something like 100km/h or lower before trying to accelerate back up to speed or letting of the throttle completely before trying to accelerate again.

My guess is that it's probably a software quirck in the way the cvt is controlled relative to throttle position and speed. You're probably driving in a range that the software was not otimized for.

 

rpm fluctuation a software error? To whatever speed I drop it to does not matter. If I drive at high speed I still get the rpm fluctuations and what I am saying is that I would like to keep that high speed and not let it drop.

 

Maybe its actually a speed governor?

 

adiadrian-

My guess would be "self-preservation". I think the engine/CVT is limiting the speed to protect itself. Maybe even with the tranny cooler there is still a heat problem during an extended hi-speed run.

-njjoe

 

Self preservation could be it. But is it normal that the rpms fluctuate? I would expect a bit more from a car with a 3,5L engine. Speeds of 190km/h should not be problem for it. Has anyone had experience after changing the CVT fluid whether it improved the way the CVT functions?

 

I'll say it again - the RPM fluctuations sounds a lot like you are hitting the fuel cutoff for a speed governor. I know European MO's are supposed to be a little faster than US MO's (we are governed by the stock T-rated tires here, 118mph), but I don't know by how much.

 

adiadrian-

Did you always have this problem or has has it just recently started?

You indicated in your first post that you modified your MO by installing an LPG system. That is a pretty significant mod. Is it possible the LPG set-up is the root-cause of the problem?

-njjoe

 

I remember when I hit top speed on the MO the RPMs where "touch" in a sense that minor changes to the gad pedal would cause the RPMs to want to change. I thing the CVT is just trying to be more effiecient than anything else. As soon as you remove gas pedal need the CVT wants to come down.

I would be interesting to try to hit top speed again in the MO in Ds... could be a different animal.

 

Gonzo - driving in Ds stresses the CVT even more and the rpms are therefore limited even quicker.

Eric L. - the speed limiter hits in at 195km/h. The CVT when stressed limits the rpms to 3750 and I get the fluctuations at anywhere between 120km/h and 195km/h. When the CVT cools down I can drive normally without the rpm fluctuations. So no it is not the speed limiter.

njjoe - LPG has to do with the fuel that is being delivered to the engine. The rpm fluctuations I see more a problem with the CVT rather than the engine. Another aspect is that with LPG I can still switch to normal petrol and the same effects (fault) occur.
The CVT is stressed more at higher temperatures. I drove it last winter and this is when i bought it, and I had no problems back then.

I see your point with the self preservation cause when the I drive "slowly" the rpm limitation and fluctuations do not occour, or after this happens I drive slowly - I think the CVT oil cools down then, and I can stress the CVT again. However for me there seems to something wrong as such a car I would expect to be able to keep the high speeds without the CVT going on strike.


Someone in the forum mentioned once about CVT fluctuations but I can't find that thread anymore. I think that there is something when the CVT oil reaches high temperatures. Maybe there is a mechanicla part that needs to be changed. Has anyone seen any improvements in the way the CVT works after changing the oil? CVT working quieter? Being more efficient?

 

Hmmm an interesting point regarding the CVT being the limiting point. Have you checked your CVT fluid level yet?

120kmh is not even 80mph. There should be absolutely no reason why the vehicle should hesitate or feel unresponsive at those speeds. Did you try checking for possible codes?

 

adiadrian-

My guess is that the problem you are experiencing is definitely heat-related, because you indicated after the tranny-cooler was installed you were able to drive at high speeds for a longer distance before the engine/CVT began to act up. Did the tranny-cooler provide a significant improvement?

There appears to be two separate oil to water heat exchangers for the CVT. One connects to the radiator while the other connects to the heater hose. So obviously the engineers knew that heat would be an issue with the CVT.

Is it feasible to install a tranny cooler with a larger capacity? Or to put an additional cooler on the second circuit?

I'd like help you solve this problem so I will know there is a MO out there cruising the Autobahn with the big-boys!

-njjoe

 

Eric L. - CVT fluid level is ok, as I had to add CVT Fluid after installing the cooler. Codes I can not check as the Nissan dealer is pretty incompetent concerning the Murano - they even do not have the service manual. My mechanic who has the service manual does not have at the moment the software to read the codes. So unfortunately I can´t check them yet.

njjoe - The cooler definately improved the functioning of the tranny. Come to think of it you could be right with there being a second circuit that needs to be cooled. As now after the transmission cooler I get mostly the second effect (see my first post in this thread): namely keeping the foot on the throttle keeps the rpms high but does not convert the rpms to acceleration. A slight reduction in throttle causes the speed to drastically decline.
My guess is that the tranny cooler cools only one part of the transmission and that is why I can keep the rpms higher for longer periods. The second circuit might not convert the rpms into speed as it is not properly cooled. The question here that arises is where is the second circuit!??

thanks for the support and please keep it up, so I can finally drive normally

 

Seems like changing the CVT fluid and reseting the tranny has solved all problems. My dealer used NS-1 CVT fluid. Can someone please tell me if it will harm my CVT?

 

Seems like changing the CVT fluid and reseting the tranny has solved all problems. My dealer used NS-1 CVT fluid. Can someone please tell me if it will harm my CVT?

I thought the CVT took Nissan NS-2 fluid!

Read this and call your dealership to confirm immediately!

http://www.nissanhelp.com/Ownership/Bulletins/Nissan/2002/NTB02-114.htm

 

That is what I thought so too and it is also specifically written in the manuals to only use NS-2. My dealer does not know what the difference between NS-1 and NS-2 fluid is.

 

That is what I thought so too and it is also specifically written in the manuals to only use NS-2. My dealer does not know what the difference between NS-1 and NS-2 fluid is.

NS-1, from what I can tell is the fluid for the smaller CVTs used in 4-cyl engines on other Nissans. NS-2 is the CVT fluid used on the V6-mated CVT in the MO, Maxima, Altima, etc... - since the bulletin says NS-2 must be used, I would insist they switch the fluid.

 

Eric will NS-1 harm the CVT in the Murano?

 

Eric will NS-1 harm the CVT in the Murano?

I'm not a Nissan engineer so I cannot say for sure, but if you read that TSB I linked above, it does say that you should *only* use NS-2. I think an official Nissan document like that is enough to convince me that NS-1 is probably not a good idea.

 

Seems like changing the CVT fluid and reseting the tranny has solved all problems. My dealer used NS-1 CVT fluid. Can someone please tell me if it will harm my CVT?

adiadrian-

What makes you say your dealer used NS-1 fluid? Hopefully he did use NS-2 fluid and simply jointedly wrote NS-1 on the work order.

Either way I would contact your dealer ASAP and question him. If, in fact. they did use the incorrect fluid I would demand that they purge the incorrect fluid and replace it with the NS-2. I would also demand that they provide me with an extended warranty on the CVT.

Let us know what you find out.

-njjoe

 

I was present when they did the oil change.

The situation is actually a little more worse.
Around 2 weeks ago I went in for a CVT fluid change where they only changed half of the CVT fluid. Why only half? Because they were too incompetent to read the service manual. I noticed this only on the invoice. I complained, but they couldn't do a full fluid change, because they did not have any more CVT fluid. I would have to wait 2-3 days for them to get some.

2-3 days turned out to a over a week. Today I know that I drove around a 1500km with a mix of NS-1 and NS-2 fluid.

If you would like to read the whole story below is an email that I sent to Nissan customer complaints department:


-----------------------------------------------------
Dear Sirs,

I am issuing a comlaint as the quality of service at the authorised service stations is very poor.

Not such a long time ago I wanted to change the CVT fluid in my Murano. As there was only one authorised service (Nissan Adamus) in Krakow, Poland, I went there. They wanted to put in Dextrone III fluid into the CVT. My private mechanic said that the authorised service is wrong to put use Dextrone III and therefore I resigned servicing my Murano there.

Recently a new service opened called Nissan Japan Motors in Krakow, belonging to PGD (Polska Grupa Dealerow). I went there in hope that this dealer would be more competent. I was wrong!
What happened is that after the servicing of my car I received an invoice where it was written that only 5L had been used for the CVT fluid change. Luckily I had read the service manual (after the incident with Nissan Adamus).
I asked the customer service manager of whether they had reset the CVT deteriation value. The reply I received was a clear NO, to which I asked why! The customer service manager went to ask his colleagues from the Ford customer service department. Well I did not know that Ford customer service managers know anything about Nissan cars. I was right they do not know!
My customer service manager came back and said that the CVT in the Murano does not have "monitoring", to which I replied that he is wrong.
I then asked him whether he has a service manual for that car. He said "yes, somewhere!" I kindly asked him to get it out and take a look. He was very hesitant and told asked what will he get from me if he is right. I was shocked, but replied that if he were to be right and me wrong I would get him a beer. He left immediately and his colleagues from Ford were laughing at the whole situation. ( I guess a beer motivates some people to work properly?!)
The customer service manager came back with a service mechanic and they started to open the service manual on the web. In the meantime I told the customer service manager that I will increase my bet to a whole crate of beer.
While the service mechanic opened the service manual I asked him whether the engine was running when he changed the oil. The service technician said NO. I pointed out that they were wrong as it is written something different in the service manual. I also told them that they only changed half of the CVT fluid.

Concluding they changed 5L (I was of course charged for this) of fluid instead of the 10.2L, did it in the inappropiate way and did not reset the CVT monitor. Could you please explain to me how this is possible that I as a customer know how to service my car and the authorised Nissan dealer does not?

Of course I did not receive a beer from the customer service manager, but instead was informed that they do not have any more CVT fluid on stock and that I would have to wait 2-3 days before they would get some more.

2-3 days turned out to be more than a week as only today I had the fluid finally changed. Not trusting the service mechanic I insisted on being present when the fluid was changed. I don't thínk that it was done the correct way as the mechanic kept on switching the engine on and off while changing the fluid. Also the engine did not run for 10minutes prior to the change. The mechanic drained the CVT and he did not replenish it with new fluid at the same time. To my knowledge if the CVT fluid goes below a certain level it will harm the CVT - like running an engine without oil! 15L was used, but that is only because I said that an additional 30%-50% is needed and that I have a transmission fluid cooler.

In addition to all the above today I found out after looking in my service manual that they used the wrong fluid. They used NS-1 instead of NS-2 fluid! So I called them to ask whether they used the wrong fluid to hear that they don't know and that they would call me back. As this did not happen I called the Nissan Hotline in Poland. The lady on the other end of the line also did not know which fluid is to be used and told me to get in touch with my local dealer. I informed her that both Nissan Adamus and Nissan Japan Motors (PGD Group) do not know and therefore I am calling the Nissan Hotline. She replied that I should go back there again and ask the dealer to find out. I told again that they do not know to which she said that she can not do anything.

My next step was to call the Nissan Sales Central & Eastern Europe in Hungary (supposedly responsible for the Polish market) and the result of the conversation is that I am still clueless and am writing this complaint.

Dear Sirs, I am the managing director of a company called V.I.P. Drinks GmbH from Vienna, Austria which is part of the US holding company the United Companies Corporation, of which I am also a shareholder of. Next year, for the management, although we drive BMWs we were planning to buy 3 Infiniti FX45. After all the problems with servicing I am thinking to cancel the order and switch to Toyota\Lexus. The Murano is really liked by the high management, but if it can not be serviced properly then what should we do. Please understand that I do not see a solution in going to the press or changing brands, but am asking you what I should do.

 

adiadrian-

Those guys at Nissan Japan Motors in Krakow are a bunch of total idiots. They should not be allowed anywhere near a car.

Nissan owes you an apology, full refurbishment of your CVT, and an extended warranty. I would settle for nothing less.

Good luck.

-njjoe

 

adiadrian, my hat is off to you.
A fine letter.

Makes my few problems with Nissan (4 CD players, two trips to tighten the steering rack, etc) seem inconsequential.

Complete incompetence.
I wish you luck.

njjoe is right.
Except they still owe you a crate of beer too.

Homer

 

Thanks Njjoe and Homer.

I'm wondering what Nissan Europe will now do/reply. If they say that NS-1 is ok then that will mean that they have been bullsh...ing about the NS-2 fluid "MUST". The question then arises whether an NS-1 and NS-2 fluid mix is not harmful for the CVT.

If the NS-1 is not ok, or also if the mix is not ok, do I get a new CVT? How can I know that 1500km driven so far on a CVT fluid mix will not shorten the life of my CVT?

Total incompetence!

Most people don't read the service manual!

 

Ok now it makes sense why the dealer used NS-1 fluid - its the fluid most Nissan CVT (in smaller Nissans) in Europe use.

Its still the wrong fluid though, and I would get it changed with NS-2.

BTW, 5 quarts is not incorrect for a CVT fluid drain and refill. Unless they *FLUSH* out the system, there is no way to change 10 quarts. If you just open the drain plug, ~5 quarts will drain out (the rest remains in the torque converter and various passages). I know this because I changed my CVT using the drain and refill method, and it took around 5-1/2 quarts.

 

Eric I have not seen a CVT in a small Nissan in Europe.

5 liters or quarts is ok for a semi change, but if you are changing the fluid then why not do it properly. That is like just changing only half of the engine oil. It does help but is not the real thing.