I should also mention the other "classic" JF011E problem, which is an extreme sensitivity to the fluid level. Over filled by as little as 8-10 ounces, could cause all sorts of crazy issues. I suspect due to excessive fluid aeration. (Many were found to be overfilled this much from the factory.)
Nissan issued a TSB, with a very meticulous fluid check / adjustment procedure for the JF011E in the Altima/Sentra/Rogue (NTB12-057). Some of the early models even required the dipstick to be replaced, so that they showed corrected levels (NTB09-044).
I believe the ultimate solution for Nissan (to date) was careful monitoring of the fluid level, combined with the addition of a supplemental CVT cooler on some vehicles (Rogue: NTB14-002a, Sentra: NTB13-095, Altima: NTB13-079a, possibly others)
Of course, the Kizashi already has a supplemental CVT cooler, so I would hope that is a non-issue for us.
10' Kizashi CVT FWD transmission update???
Found this today...
CVT Transmission Issues. (Fail safe, Whining, Temps, & FIX!)
Postby Ddflosrt » Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:11 pm
I'm gonna start off saying that I work at a Nissan dealership and I'm gonna explain what I see on a daily basis and I will give you input from a dealer perspective. Fail safe happens when the transmission overheats. That's what it's designed to do. Cvt fluid level is a huge factor. I don't know if this has been covered but there is a special way to check the fluid. We use consult 3 and monitor a temp count. After the temp count is where it should be the fluid is set. The fluid is not set at the full mark though. If its set there it's overfull and will cause it to whine and go into fail safe. Usually when it whines it's because the fluid is aerated. The fluid is usually set in the middle of the crosshatch marks to 3/4 depending on fluid temp. This is why we see so many people with transmissions that are over full. Coolant protection is also a factor. There are tools out there to check freeze protection. Nissan recommends -34 degrees for proper cooling of the transmission. I seen some overheat at -48 degrees. I live in Colorado so it usually doesn't get that hot. The hotter the climate the easier the transmission will overheat if the coolant protection isn't set right. If your doing it yourself try to mix the coolant and water to -25 degrees. That would be more ideal. Seems to cool a lot better. And so everyone knows This is for all cvt equipped nissans. Rogues aren't the only one with these issues. Altimas and sentras have the same issues. Now if anyone has been in a front end collision And the radiator replaced make sure it's a Nissan radiator. Here is an example. Customer came in had the transmission replaced 30k miles ago. Transmission kept going into fail safe and whining. Level was good on the transmission but coolant protection was off. Set freeze protection where it should be and took on a long test drive. Same issue. Found out that it was in a front end collision 6 months earlier and a aftermarket radiator installed. Aftermarket radiators don't cool as well as oem ones. We replaced with a Nissan radiator and problem never came back. Now I have a 2005 Nissan altima. You better believe if my radiator cracks I will probably replace it with a aftermarket radiator because I don't have a cvt transmission. These transmission are so sensitive to heat its crazy. Now there are always times that it may need a transmission and if that's the case then it will be replaced. Usually when this happens a check engine light comes on or there are some codes stored In the ECM.
Now I want to talk about aftermarket fluids. Don't use them. There are some fluids out there that are suppose to be compatible but I wouldn't trust it. Talking to some of the engineers I have talk to said these aftermarket fluids Dont have the same qualitys and will cause the transmissions to overheat and or damage it. Plus at my dealership if you have different fluid and a transmssin concern you can kiss that warranty goodbye. Now I know people think that most dealerships think of ways to get out of warranty repairs. Well that's not all true. There are def some out there though. I get paid for warranty work. If I could replace a transmission daily under warranty I would. Thats how we get paid. Now nissans calls these things back to inspect to see what has failed. . If you cover something under warranty and Nissan calls it back then it had better have some sort of failure. If nissans finds out that it not they kindly send it back to us and charge us for the repair. It's really s*** sometimes even when it's Nissan fault. I see a lot of chrome pieces have tiny rust spots on them on a lot of armadas and pathfinders and Nissan won't warranty it. Nissan has charge the dealership I work for numerous times stating that it's not a defect when it clearly is. What I'm trying to say is that not all dealerships are trying to get out of warranty work. We do however have to protect ourselves so we don't get charged back for repairs. I hope the people on these boards can find trustworthy dealerships. From hearing some the of the stories on here it's no wonder why dealerships have bad names. In the meantime if anyone has questions own anything feel free to message me anytime.
http://forums.nicoclub.com/rogue-cvt-is ... 63940.html
CVT Transmission Issues. (Fail safe, Whining, Temps, & FIX!)
Postby Ddflosrt » Mon Sep 10, 2012 9:11 pm
I'm gonna start off saying that I work at a Nissan dealership and I'm gonna explain what I see on a daily basis and I will give you input from a dealer perspective. Fail safe happens when the transmission overheats. That's what it's designed to do. Cvt fluid level is a huge factor. I don't know if this has been covered but there is a special way to check the fluid. We use consult 3 and monitor a temp count. After the temp count is where it should be the fluid is set. The fluid is not set at the full mark though. If its set there it's overfull and will cause it to whine and go into fail safe. Usually when it whines it's because the fluid is aerated. The fluid is usually set in the middle of the crosshatch marks to 3/4 depending on fluid temp. This is why we see so many people with transmissions that are over full. Coolant protection is also a factor. There are tools out there to check freeze protection. Nissan recommends -34 degrees for proper cooling of the transmission. I seen some overheat at -48 degrees. I live in Colorado so it usually doesn't get that hot. The hotter the climate the easier the transmission will overheat if the coolant protection isn't set right. If your doing it yourself try to mix the coolant and water to -25 degrees. That would be more ideal. Seems to cool a lot better. And so everyone knows This is for all cvt equipped nissans. Rogues aren't the only one with these issues. Altimas and sentras have the same issues. Now if anyone has been in a front end collision And the radiator replaced make sure it's a Nissan radiator. Here is an example. Customer came in had the transmission replaced 30k miles ago. Transmission kept going into fail safe and whining. Level was good on the transmission but coolant protection was off. Set freeze protection where it should be and took on a long test drive. Same issue. Found out that it was in a front end collision 6 months earlier and a aftermarket radiator installed. Aftermarket radiators don't cool as well as oem ones. We replaced with a Nissan radiator and problem never came back. Now I have a 2005 Nissan altima. You better believe if my radiator cracks I will probably replace it with a aftermarket radiator because I don't have a cvt transmission. These transmission are so sensitive to heat its crazy. Now there are always times that it may need a transmission and if that's the case then it will be replaced. Usually when this happens a check engine light comes on or there are some codes stored In the ECM.
Now I want to talk about aftermarket fluids. Don't use them. There are some fluids out there that are suppose to be compatible but I wouldn't trust it. Talking to some of the engineers I have talk to said these aftermarket fluids Dont have the same qualitys and will cause the transmissions to overheat and or damage it. Plus at my dealership if you have different fluid and a transmssin concern you can kiss that warranty goodbye. Now I know people think that most dealerships think of ways to get out of warranty repairs. Well that's not all true. There are def some out there though. I get paid for warranty work. If I could replace a transmission daily under warranty I would. Thats how we get paid. Now nissans calls these things back to inspect to see what has failed. . If you cover something under warranty and Nissan calls it back then it had better have some sort of failure. If nissans finds out that it not they kindly send it back to us and charge us for the repair. It's really s*** sometimes even when it's Nissan fault. I see a lot of chrome pieces have tiny rust spots on them on a lot of armadas and pathfinders and Nissan won't warranty it. Nissan has charge the dealership I work for numerous times stating that it's not a defect when it clearly is. What I'm trying to say is that not all dealerships are trying to get out of warranty work. We do however have to protect ourselves so we don't get charged back for repairs. I hope the people on these boards can find trustworthy dealerships. From hearing some the of the stories on here it's no wonder why dealerships have bad names. In the meantime if anyone has questions own anything feel free to message me anytime.
http://forums.nicoclub.com/rogue-cvt-is ... 63940.html
Open your eyes, look within. Are you satisfied with the life you're living?
There is a similar complicated procedure in the Kizashi service manual for checking the CVT fluid level. Requires using the Suzuki scan tool (which none of us has) for checking fluid temperature as part of the sequence.
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
)
1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top (
sold)
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
) 1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top (
sold)You should be able to check the CVT temp with any decent OBD2 scan tool / software. That's what the Nissan owners do. When I get home I'll plug in my cheap Bluetooth OBD2 adapter, and see if I can pull it up in the Torque Pro app on my phone. At worst it should be a matter of finding the right custom PID to query if it isn't built in for the Kizashi.