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Thread: CVT Maintenance Question

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    Exclamation CVT Maintenance Question

    So, my Mirage has 74,000 miles on it, and I'm 99% sure the CVT fluid has never been changed. I purchased it at 30-40,000 miles. I know now that Jatco CVTs have to be meticulously maintained or they will end themselves, and financially end their negligent owners as well. I used to own a '94 Corolla with 250k on it and was told not to change the transmission fluid in it since it had possible never been changed before. Does this apply to CVTs as well?

    My question is, is 74k too many miles to change the fluid? Will I get slippage if I change it at this point? I noticed it's struggling to downshift to the equivalent of "first gear" when I'm stopping so I've been decelerating a lot more slowly since I noticed this. I have the fluid and both filters ordered from eBay and they will be here next week.

    I'm also new to actually knowing things about cars, so any explanations of fundamental misunderstandings I may have are certainly appreciated.



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    There's 2 dipsticks under the hood. The one to your left is to check your oil. The one to your right is the CVT dipstick. Check your cvt fluid. It should always be an opaque green, not brown and definitely not black.

    Go ahead and change your fluid. I recommend Aamco. More likely than not, you're fine. How's she drive? I've talked to Mirage owners who didn't even know they had a cvt and they were putting around just fine after 100k miles, but definitely get it done pronto! If possible, stay away from Mitsubishi service centers.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dirk Diggler View Post
    There's 2 dipsticks under the hood. The one to your left is to check your oil. The one to your right is the CVT dipstick. Check your cvt fluid. It should always be an opaque green, not brown and definitely not black.

    Go ahead and change your fluid. I recommend Aamco. More likely than not, you're fine. How's she drive? I've talked to Mirage owners who didn't even know they had a cvt and they were putting around just fine after 100k miles, but definitely get it done pronto! If possible, stay away from Mitsubishi service centers.
    I've checked the fluid, it looks like a light honey color. I ordered new fluid and filters already, just have to find a decent pan gasket and crush washer. I have a decent torque wrench as well. I will definitely not be going to a dealership to get it changed, but I thought about checking if the AAMCO down the road could hook me up with a good gasket.

    Any word of advice on the pan gaskets? I'm skeptical of the fiber ones. That means they're just paper right? Do they work well with a thin layer of RTV?

    I have spent the last 2 hours trying to find a decent quality gasket that isn't 40 dollars using Nissan's part number as well as JF015e.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Princess_Bishi View Post
    I've checked the fluid, it looks like a light honey color. I ordered new fluid and filters already, just have to find a decent pan gasket and crush washer. I have a decent torque wrench as well. I will definitely not be going to a dealership to get it changed, but I thought about checking if the AAMCO down the road could hook me up with a good gasket.

    Any word of advice on the pan gaskets? I'm skeptical of the fiber ones. That means they're just paper right? Do they work well with a thin layer of RTV?

    I have spent the last 2 hours trying to find a decent quality gasket that isn't 40 dollars using Nissan's part number as well as JF015e.
    I don't wrench on my Mirages at all. For $200 Aamco does an OEM CVT fluid change and they clean the magnets in the drop pan. For $250 they do the aforementioned plus change the 2 filters in the CVT. Save yourself the headache and chance of screwing up your CVT by going to a trusted transmission shop and doing the preventative maintenance every 30 to 50k miles. If you insist on doing it yourself, I'd reach out to Fummins on here. He's a master mechanic that has been maintaining a fleet of CVT Mirages for a delivery service for years.

    Besides JATCO engineers, there's probably only a couple of dozen of mechanics, world-wide, that know as much about the INVECS III programmed JATCO CVT7, as Fummins. This guy has completely stripped units down and diagnosed flaws in the design. He's also funny and buys milk out of a bag like a lot of Canadians.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dirk Diggler View Post
    I don't wrench on my Mirages at all. For $200 Aamco does an OEM CVT fluid change and they clean the magnets in the drop pan. For $250 they do the aforementioned plus change the 2 filters in the CVT. Save yourself the headache and chance of screwing up your CVT by going to a trusted transmission shop and doing the preventative maintenance every 30 to 50k miles. If you insist on doing it yourself, I'd reach out to Fummins on here. He's a master mechanic that has been maintaining a fleet of CVT Mirages for a delivery service for years.

    Besides JATCO engineers, there's probably only a couple of dozen of mechanics, world-wide, that know as much about the INVECS III programmed JATCO CVT7, as Fummins. This guy has completely stripped units down and diagnosed flaws in the design. He's also funny and buys milk out of a bag like a lot of Canadians.
    I've seen many many posts of his, he really knows the Mirage like few others do. I wonder if Canadian gas cans are also bags...

    Also, I've decided not to mess with RTV. I checked out this powerpoint presentation about the CVT7 and the high clutch pressure switch in the JF015 transmission is .03" inches in diameter. I can't risk some weird silicone making its way into that. I found a good gasket at O'Reilly that I can order when they open.
    Last edited by Princess_Bishi; 04-19-2022 at 11:15 AM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dirk Diggler View Post
    There's 2 dipsticks under the hood. The one to your left is to check your oil. The one to your right is the CVT dipstick. Check your cvt fluid. It should always be an opaque green, not brown and definitely not black.

    Go ahead and change your fluid. I recommend Aamco. More likely than not, you're fine. How's she drive? I've talked to Mirage owners who didn't even know they had a cvt and they were putting around just fine after 100k miles, but definitely get it done pronto! If possible, stay away from Mitsubishi service centers.
    Opaque GREEN? 2021 Mirage in my carport is so clear it is hard to see on the dipstick. Wassup, over.
    Karl

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    Quote Originally Posted by CROSSBOLT View Post
    Opaque GREEN? 2021 Mirage in my carport is so clear it is hard to see on the dipstick. Wassup, over.
    Examine it against a bright white surface, it's either green or in some cases, orange IIRC.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dirk Diggler View Post
    Examine it against a bright white surface, it's either green or in some cases, orange IIRC.
    Well, when you say "opaque green" I envision heavy green paint. Now we are really taling about "translucent" or "transparent" greenish tint, aren't we?
    Last edited by CROSSBOLT; 04-19-2022 at 11:32 PM.
    Karl

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    Quote Originally Posted by CROSSBOLT View Post
    Well, when you say "opaque green" I envision heavy green paint. Now we are really taling about "translucent" or "transparent" greenish tint, aren't we?
    This is opaque green. Perhaps it's a tinge darker against the white paper towel in certain light. Name:  10351_2048x.jpg
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    Quote Originally Posted by Princess_Bishi View Post
    I'.
    get a large measuring jug, ideally 4 to 5 litres/quarts, i got 4.1 litres out of mine on level ground, then you don't have to really worry so much about getting the level right because you know exactly how much came out, as it's quite hard to see the level on the dipstick and youre supposed to get the tranny hot to check it which is a pain, driving around for a bit in B helps with that

    my cvt had a metal gasket on it which i believe was original, i got a rubber one with my pan filter so i used that with service manual torque, no sealant on either, no leaks 25k km since

    have a mirror on hand, itll help with doing the paper filter, lining up things/bolts, checking for leaks, unless you plan on taking off the wheel shroud

    i think i noticed less bucking after chucking a new 4l bottle of lube in



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