# 5th Gen CVT Questions



## TheRealChallenger (May 14, 2018)

new on this forum and new to forums in general actually, just picked up a 2013 altima sv @80k miles.


I was hoping to get some tips and tricks about the CVT in this car (what to avoid etc.) which is notorious for unreliability.

Also just general tips and tricks for the car itself and average warm rpm for the car at idle.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you


----------



## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

If you plan to ever replace the CVT fluid, use only Genuine NISSAN CVT Fluid NS-3. Do not mix with any other fluid. Using CVT fluid other than Genuine NISSAN CVT Fluid NS-3 will deteriorate the driveability and CVT durability, and may damage the CVT, which is not covered by the warranty.

With the engine fully warmed up, the idle speed while in park/neutral should be 650 ± 50 rpm.


----------



## TheRealChallenger (May 14, 2018)

rogoman said:


> If you plan to ever replace the CVT fluid, use only Genuine NISSAN CVT Fluid NS-3. Do not mix with any other fluid. Using CVT fluid other than Genuine NISSAN CVT Fluid NS-3 will deteriorate the driveability and CVT durability, and may damage the CVT, which is not covered by the warranty.
> 
> With the engine fully warmed up, the idle speed while in park/neutral should be 650 ± 50 rpm.



will do, thanks for the heads up.

Anything else, like driving habits to get the maximum possible mileage out of the cvt?


----------



## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

Here's a few driving tips with CVTs:

a. Starting from Idle, accelerate gently

b. Once you gain some momentum and want to rush ahead, slightly release the gas pedal and then push it, doing so will give you better acceleration. If you just floor the gas pedal when the car is idle, the car will remain in high engine rpm but lower wheel speed (i.e. lower speed ratio).

c. The CVT system has a rubber-band effect inherent to it (or so it feels) because the engine rpm will increase first and wheels will follow later. There may be a small lag but still a seasoned driver can feel it. 

d. One advantage, there is no need to worry about continuously shifting gears at certain slow speeds. As opposed to the sequential Automatic transmission (metallic gears), a CVT will not hunt for the right gear since it has no fixed speed ratio.

e. When cruising at highway speeds e.g. 50 mph, if you floor the pedal, it will immediately accelerate. This is opposite to the sequential transmission systems which give superb acceleration from idle start but have to work hard to accelerate from highway speeds.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - 

I have a 2012 Altima 2.5 S with a CVT and I can attest to the above points. I learned to drive with a stick shift, had many cars with sticks and A/Ts but at this point I like the CVT best of all. As far as longevity, just make sure not to overheat the CVT like in snow or mud; just like any other A/T. When you're ready to service the CVT according to schedule, have a Nissan dealer do it. There is no dip stick for the CVT that makes it easy to check the fluid level, however there is a special procedure to do so.


----------



## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

A friend of mine just bought a 2016 Altima 2.5 with 45,000 miles. About two weeks later, it started having problems with the CVT transmission slipping and a triggered code for the B-shift solenoid. Turns out there is a service bulletin on it. The fix depends on the inspection of the steel chain, so will either be a replacement of the control valve body or replacement of the control valve body and subset (steel chain and related parts). Programming may also be needed. Removal of the CVT is required for the repair and it applies to 2015-2016 Altimas and some other Nissan models that use this transmission.


----------

