Cvt ; why some fail while others keep going

Ask technical questions or post on problems/issues related to the Kizashi under this topic. Symptoms and pictures of your problem are a good idea.
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LPSISRL
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Joined: Tue Jun 18, 2013 12:49 pm
Location: Chesapeake, Virginia

Not mine. I have 122K on mine but the tranny was replaced under warranty at 76K. It was noisy so I brought it in to be checked. I was making a "whooshing" sound that over a long period was getting louder. I could really only verify it by driving a much lower mileage Kizashi and noticing the difference. The Suzuki tech noticed metal in the pan (ball deterioration?) and Suzuki replaced it with a new one.
2011 Kizashi SLS CVT (silver)
2005 Honda Odyssey
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Ronzuki
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Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2010 5:33 pm
Location: Lancaster County, PA

old tech wrote: Their recommendation was not to do the pins because it would slow the reaction time of the pulleys letting belt slippage leading to premature belt failure. I thought for a while and wondered , am I just lucky on the ten trannies I rebuilt using long pin And another ten used units that I converted also.
I'll can buy in to that line of reasoning, however, I would think you would have noticed a difference in the operation especially w/ the number of Kizashis you've driven before during and after...what say you? Could it be my over-use of the paddle shifters is of benefit here? More instantaneous crisper simulated shifts? I always though that my constant manual-mode driving would be the death of my trans. I would also think that keeping on top of, and possibly more frequent, fluid changes would aid in reducing the effects of any added friction/resistance by the pin conversion. Again, either way, the inevitable is in your pictures.

I also really believe that harsh directional changes in the vehicle (shifting while not completely stopped) then mashing the gas before the thing is even fully engaged in its new directional change, as sooo many Americans are accustomed to w/ conventional ATs, is a big culprit. Shock loading. Incredible the amount of extreme damage I've seen out off-roading due to shock trauma. The rock crawling I loved to do is by far the worst. Drive in the rocks like you drive on the street and you're in for a really short expensive day. I'm hard on the Kiz while it's moving and driving, but it has never seen an ounce of operational shock trauma from my driving and operation. It is stated very clearly in the owner's manual, bold print, NOT to shift directions while the vehicle is moving, at all, or damage WILL occur. Of course they don't specify the what or the why exactly. I am constantly on the wife about this issue w/ her SX4. She's still drifting backwards after rolling up and out of the driveway ever so slightly and then shifts to drive, never putting her foot on the brake all the while. She's slow, steady and gentle about it, but she's not completely stopped either. Her current 2011 SX4 has the CVT and not the conventional AT her 2008 SX4 had. That said, she doesn't immediately mash the gas, however, many people do. I seriously wonder if this habit isn't a possible root cause of at least some of the problems. It's a pain because the Kiz is slow in directional change in that regard...I've simply trained myself to stop, wait, shift wait, and then accelerate slowly away from the dead stop.
Ron

2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded :D :D )
1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top ( :| sold)
SamirD
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Mental note to add transmission fluid change asap on my Kizashi work list.

What fluid would you recommend old tech if money was no object? I want the very best stuff I can put in as I may have to go longer than 30k. I've used redline, royal purple, and amsoil in my other cars.
old tech
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Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 1:51 pm
Location: n/w pennsysvania

This is the cvt fluid that I use. It is very good quality stuff and it’s also is very inexpensive buying it in 6 gallon boxes. I think you’ll be able to find it for less than seven dollars a quart this way . Also it doesn’t smell like your cats litter box is on fire like some of the other brands. The important thing here is changing out the fluid . Cleaning off the magnets and pickup screen to make room for more wear partials. Adding magnets would be a good thing. Every trans I work with gets another 5 in addition to the factory 2 . And inspecting the pan floor for debris. I don’t think there is a fluid out there that can lube and keep the ball from peeling while not interrupting the belt grip on the pulleys.Image


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LPSISRL
Posts: 991
Joined: Tue Jun 18, 2013 12:49 pm
Location: Chesapeake, Virginia

old tech wrote:This is the cvt fluid that I use. It is very good quality stuff and it’s also is very inexpensive buying it in 6 gallon boxes. I think you’ll be able to find it for less than seven dollars a quart this way . Also it doesn’t smell like your cats litter box is on fire like some of the other brands. The important thing here is changing out the fluid . Cleaning off the magnets and pickup screen to make room for more wear partials. Adding magnets would be a good thing. Every trans I work with gets another 5 in addition to the factory 2 . And inspecting the pan floor for debris. I don’t think there is a fluid out there that can lube and keep the ball from peeling while not interrupting the belt grip on the pulleys.Image


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Thanks for this. Do you have a source?
2011 Kizashi SLS CVT (silver)
2005 Honda Odyssey
Priors:
2009 Suzuki SX4 Cross AWD 5-speed Tech package (vapor metallic blue)
old tech
Posts: 699
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 1:51 pm
Location: n/w pennsysvania

Advantage Auto Supply is where I get it . I know the local home heating oil supplier can get it for me too.
SamirD
Posts: 3066
Joined: Thu Dec 05, 2013 4:07 pm
Location: HSV and SFO
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old tech wrote:This is the cvt fluid that I use. It is very good quality stuff and it’s also is very inexpensive buying it in 6 gallon boxes. I think you’ll be able to find it for less than seven dollars a quart this way . Also it doesn’t smell like your cats litter box is on fire like some of the other brands. The important thing here is changing out the fluid . Cleaning off the magnets and pickup screen to make room for more wear partials. Adding magnets would be a good thing. Every trans I work with gets another 5 in addition to the factory 2 . And inspecting the pan floor for debris. I don’t think there is a fluid out there that can lube and keep the ball from peeling while not interrupting the belt grip on the pulleys.Image

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Thank you for the details! Where would you suggest getting magnets and where do you try to place them? I know stock pans usually have a dimple or something like that to keep them in place.
old tech
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Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 1:51 pm
Location: n/w pennsysvania

These are the magnets I use . The shallow pan used on 2010 and 2011 may be a little fussy on where you place them but later12 and 13 models aren’t.Image


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old tech
Posts: 699
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2018 1:51 pm
Location: n/w pennsysvania

These are the 6mm rods I get to convert only the primary to long pin . I cut them in lengths of approximately 1.4 inches long then machine the ends on a valve grinding machine ( stem side) to make ends smooth then chanfer them slightly. After this, each primary gets a taylored fit by sanding the pin while chucked up on a drill and each of the 3 pins get equal time Imagegetting sanded until unit slides perfectly. I have never used the short pin that the suppliers sell . I would guess that they are on the small side in diameter too since they drop in. It’s my recommendation that the secondary be left stock with the balls since it’s job is to provide the clamping force on the belt after the computer has selected desired ratio by moving the primary first


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Ronzuki
Posts: 2382
Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2010 5:33 pm
Location: Lancaster County, PA

I've obtained those small RE disc magnets at the local True-Value hardware store for kids' science projects in the past.
Ron

2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded :D :D )
1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top ( :| sold)
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