Five ways to determine whether it's a CVT or an automatic.

Category: Secrets of your car.

The main types of transmission include manual transmission, classic automatic transmission, robotic transmission (including a robot with two clutches - DSG, which was discussed in detail here) and a CVT. We'll talk about the latter today.

CVT or, more correctly, CVT from English. Continuously Variable Transmission - a continuously variable transmission designed to improve driving comfort. But CVTs have not become a popular option - owners complain about the peculiarity of their operation and low reliability.

The variator owes its appearance to the great Leonardo da Vinci, who proposed this mechanism back in 1490. But they took up the new type of transmission seriously only at the beginning of the twentieth century. By the 50s, the enterprising Dutchman Hub Van Doorn created the first such transmission, calling it Variomatic, installed it on the DAF 600 sedan, and sold it to Volvo. And he himself continued to experiment with the CVT, founding a company that has been part of the Bosch family since 1995.

Having assessed the idea, since the 80s. Many automakers began to equip their cars with continuously variable transmissions.

What is a variator

The main difference between a CVT and other transmissions is the absence of fixed gears. In CVT gearboxes, the gear ratio changes smoothly and imperceptibly for the driver, resulting in extraordinary smoothness at even engine speeds.

This is achieved due to the design features of the variator.

To transfer torque from the engine to the wheels, it uses a steel belt or chain instead of classic gears. The belt moves between two pairs of bevel wheels, forming a pulley.

The wheels are located on the input and output shafts, each pair moves closer or further away from each other, thereby changing the radius of the pulley.

This makes it possible to smoothly change the torque transmission ratio from the engine to the wheels. The result is the absence, in fact, of “gears” and the car’s extraordinary smoothness.

The most common brands and parameters

It is generally accepted that the best transmission oils for Nissan Tiida are produced by companies that are part of the American concern General Motors. Transmission oil is marked ATF, Dexron, Mercon and Type F.

As for choosing a brand, it is better to use original Nissan oil for Tiida. In addition, Elf and Total are included in the list of certified brands.

Experts and experienced motorists recommend Nissan ATF Matic Fluid J, which is considered the best option for Nissan Tiida.

pros

The movement of a car with a CVT transmission is a smooth increase in speed and the absence of jerks and jolts. With a CVT you will not hear the “growling” of the engine, acceleration will be quite fast and smooth.

In this case, the engine operates in a lower speed range. This not only has a good effect on the service life of the engine and its parts, but also allows you to save fuel and reduce emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere.

Practical advice on choosing oil in a Nissan Tiida automatic transmission

Many novice car enthusiasts who have recently purchased a vehicle ask me what kind of oil to fill in the automatic transmission. I advise you to use only the original fluid that is poured from the factory; in extreme cases, you can use an analogue, if available.

Original oils have the technical properties that are included in them by the manufacturer. They are designed to work exactly in those automatic transmissions into which they are filled. Engineers calculate the maximum viscosity, boiling and freezing temperatures at which they can work. If you pour counterfeit goods into an automatic transmission, the automatic transmission may go into emergency mode due to a mismatch of properties and a drop in pressure in the system.

Read

Do-it-yourself transmission oil change in a Chevrolet Lacetti automatic transmission

Original oil

To change the oil in a Nissan Tiida automatic transmission, you need to use the following original oil:

• Idemitsu CVT Type N. Only this lubricant is suitable for the Nissan Tiida CVT gearbox.

Transmission fluid has technical properties that increase the smoothness of the transition to a particular gear while driving and during start-up. Idemitsu coats mechanical parts with a protective film that prevents rapid wear and tear. The grease does not foam and freezes only at record low temperatures.

Write in the comments, do you fill the Nissan Tiida Idemitsu CVT Type N automatic transmission?

Analogs

If your city does not have original oil for Nissan Tiida, you can purchase analogues. All lubricants with NS 2 approval are suitable.

These oils have excellent oxidation resistance and are thermally stable. Protects metal parts from wear and deposits.

Attention! Original oil for Nissan Tiida green.

Minuses

CVTs cannot withstand the high power of modern cars, because their chain and, especially, the belt cannot transmit high torque. Therefore, continuously variable gearboxes are installed on cars with a torque of up to 350-400 Nm. As a rule, these are small and medium class cars.

Another disadvantage of the CVT is related to the driver’s psychology. Many people don’t like that the variator always maintains one speed range. So, when accelerating, the variator behaves unusually - instead of “spinning” the engine, it immediately reaches maximum speed and operates at it with a monotonous hum. As a result, the driver does not actually feel the acceleration. And it seems to him that the box is “slowing down”. To solve this problem, many companies began to use CVTs with a mode for manually switching virtual “gears”.

Thus, Audi cars began to be equipped with a new type of CVT – the Multitronic gearbox.

In normal mode, a classic CVT; when selecting the “sport” mode, it imitates the operation of a classic automatic transmission, that is, it supports the virtual “gear” selected by the driver (using the steering wheel paddles). This switching mode is carried out using electronic control units and resembles the operating principle of a classic “automatic” or DSG robot with two clutches.

But perhaps the most significant drawback of the variator is the high cost of its maintenance and the fragility of the transmission.

The design of the variator itself, for all its advantages in terms of efficiency and smoothness, is not designed for long runs and high loads. CVT does not like traffic jams, off-road conditions and high speeds and rarely reaches 200 thousand km.

Few people know that the variator needs to be serviced regularly . Moreover, simply changing the oil (and it is much more expensive for a CVT than for other gearboxes) will not solve the problem.

It is also necessary to change the filters and flush the radiator in it, preferably with its disassembly and flushing every 50-60 thousand km. If you don’t do this after 100 thousand, the risk of the variator breaking down is very high. And sometimes much earlier.

As a rule, two things fail in CVTs. A belt that connects the drive and driven shafts, and its rather complex electronics. Moreover, electronics can fail much earlier.

If a belt breaks and falls into shreds (its average life is about 100-150 thousand km) and disables the entire box, simply replacing the belt is no longer enough. Most likely, you will have to have it repaired by an official, and post-warranty repairs there will be very expensive.

Robotic gearbox

Robotic gearbox (robot) is a mechanical transmission in which the functions of gear shifting and clutch control are automated. This role is played here by two drives, one of which is responsible for controlling the gear shift mechanism, the second for turning the clutch on and off.

The robot is designed to combine the advantages of a manual transmission and an automatic transmission. It combines driving comfort (automatic), as well as reliability and fuel economy (manual).

Design and principle of operation of the robot

The main elements that make up a robotic gearbox are:

• Manual Transmission;
• clutch and clutch drive;
• gear shift drive;
• Control block.

The principle of operation of the robot is practically no different from the functioning of conventional mechanics. The difference lies in the control system. This is done in the robot by hydraulic and electric drives. Hydraulic elements provide fast switching, but require additional resources. In electric drives, on the contrary, the costs are minimal, but delays in their operation are possible.

Robotic gearbox device

The robotic transmission can operate in two modes: automatic and semi-automatic. In automatic mode, electronic control creates a specific sequence for controlling the box. The process is based on signals from input sensors. In semi-automatic (manual) mode, gears are switched sequentially using the shift lever. In some sources, the robotic transmission is called a “sequential gearbox” (from the Latin sequensum - sequence).

Advantages and disadvantages of the robot

The robotic gearbox combines all the advantages of automatic and manual transmissions. However, this cannot be said that it is without shortcomings. These disadvantages include:

1. Difficulties in adapting the driver to the gearbox and the unpredictability of the robot’s behavior in difficult road conditions.
2. Uncomfortable driving around the city (sharp starts, jolts and jerks when changing gears keep the driver in constant tension).
3. Overheating of the clutch is also possible (to avoid overheating of the clutch, it is necessary to turn on the “neutral” mode when stopping, which, in itself, is also tiring).
4. “Thoughtfulness effect” when changing gears (by the way, the same disadvantage of the variator). This not only irritates the driver, but also creates a dangerous situation when overtaking.
5. Inability to tow, which is also inherent in the CVT.
6. The ability to roll the car back on a steep hill (with a CVT this is impossible).

From the above, we conclude that a robotic gearbox is still far from the comfort of an automatic transmission. Let's move on to the positive aspects of the robotic transmission:

1. Low cost compared to the same automatic or CVT.
2. Economical fuel consumption (here the manual transmission is even inferior, but the CVT is better in this regard: smooth and stepless shifting allows you to save more fuel).
3. There is a rigid connection between the engine and the drive wheels, due to which you can “gas” the car out of a skid or perform engine braking.

Robot with two clutches

Due to the numerous disadvantages inherent in a robotic gearbox, the developers decided to go further and still implement the idea of ​​​​creating a gearbox that would combine all the advantages of automatic and manual gearboxes.

Dual clutch robot DSG

This is how the dual-clutch robot developed by the Volkswagen concern appeared. It was called DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox), which translated from English means “synchronized shift gearbox.” Preselective transmission is another name for the second generation of robots.

The box is equipped with two clutch discs: one includes even gears, the other – odd ones. Both gears are always on. While the vehicle is moving, one clutch disc is in constant readiness, and the other is in a closed state. The first one will engage its gear as soon as the second one opens. As a result, gear changes occur almost instantly, and the smoothness of operation is comparable to a CVT.

A box with two clutches has the following characteristics:

• it is more economical than an automatic machine;
• more comfortable than a simple robotic box;
• transmits more torque than a CVT;
• provides the same rigid connection between the wheels and the engine as mechanics.

On the other hand, the cost of this box will be higher than the cost of mechanics, and the consumption will be higher than that of a robot. In terms of comfort, the CVT and automatic still win.

Total

The variator is a continuously variable transmission that ensures smooth operation and guarantees careful operation of the engine. For Audi cars, a special type of variator is used - the Multitronic transmission, with the function of selecting and switching “virtual” gears.

The main disadvantages of the variator include the peculiarities of its operation, complexity and high cost of maintenance. The variator is not designed for high loads and long mileage.

Find out which 5 VAG cars you shouldn't buy here.

Specifications

Looking ahead, we will say that this car is more suitable for calm drivers who are in no hurry to press the gas pedal. Under the hood of the Audi A4 there is a 1.8 liter turbocharged petrol engine with a power of 160 hp. and 250 Nm of torque. The power unit is paired with a Multitronic continuously variable transmission, which in turn transmits all power to the front wheels. Thanks to which the car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h. in 8.6 seconds, top speed is 225 km/h.

Manufacturers recommend refueling AI-95, as for consumption:

• in the urban cycle, consumption is 9.9 liters;
• on the highway during quiet driving the figure is 5.5 liters;
• in the combined cycle the declared consumption is 7.1 liters.

Vicin01 › Blog › Resource of automatic transmission, variator, robot

But don’t rush to clap your hands, this is not the case with all machines! Often, many owners neglect operating conditions, do not change the oil, filter, or flush the cooling radiator. Therefore, some automatic transmissions may not live to 100,000! It all directly depends on you, how you will take care of this unit, what kind of ATF fluid you will pour, etc.

In fact, it’s as if it doesn’t exist! However, now more and more often you can find so-called maintenance-free machines, supposedly they are filled with oil for the entire service life, like - the resource is huge. And more and more manufacturers are starting to use such automatic transmissions on their cars!

Autoforum of Rostov-on-Don

The most common CVT on the Lance! Nissan Qashqai, X-Trail, Peugeot S-Crosser, etc. If the oil with filters has been changed and not killed, it will last the same amount of time. My father has a 2007 Lancer with a mileage of 210 tons km, it works without any problems, although the oil and filters are every 50 tons km and the driving style is calm.

The variator is a good thing. And it lives a long time, but not everyone drives it correctly. This type of gearbox is made for comfort when driving around the city and on the highway. It is absolutely not worth burning on it. Not long ago I faced the same choice and came to the conclusion that since I don’t know how the previous owner(s) drove the car, I’ll take the pig in a poke. I refused this option. Just one colleague burned the CVT as best he could, due to ignorance. As a result, tow truck + full repair = 50,000 rubles. Recently, a friend had a two-liter X on a variator in the service center with the diagnosis - the box needs to be replaced, it’s cheaper, about 25,000 rubles, a replacement one, but it’s also a pig in a poke. In short, used Varick, nafig, nafig. IMHO

06 Jan 2020 uristland 128

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Checking the level

This type of automatic transmission has a dipstick to check the oil volume in the automatic transmission. I advise you to check it once every 10 thousand kilometers. It is during this time that the oil volume in the automatic transmission decreases greatly.

Verification procedure steps:

1. Warm up the Nissan Tiida automatic transmission.
2. Press the brake pedal and move the gear selector knob through all the CVT gears.
3. Then place the Nissan Tiida on a flat surface.
4. Stop the engine and open the hood.
5. Unscrew the plug with the dipstick and wipe the tip with a lint-free cloth.
6. Screw the dipstick 180 degrees back into the hole.
7. Take it out again and look at the grease level on the dipstick. If it corresponds to the “Max” risk, then you can continue driving the car without risking the health of the automatic transmission. If it is less, then you should add transmission fluid.

Read

Do-it-yourself complete and partial oil change in automatic transmission Nissan Pathfinder R51

At the same time as checking the level, pay attention to the quality of the lubricant and color. Pay special attention to this on older cars, where the oil can become dirty after every 20 thousand kilometers driven.

If you see a black spot on the rag, with a burning smell or metallic glitter, then immediately change the lubricant.

How to find out if the gearbox is a CVT or a regular automatic

I'm going to buy a car and I've read a lot about how CVTs (CVT transmissions) can break down after 100k kilometers. At first I was looking for a Honda Fit, but since I understand that most (or all) Fit's from Japan use a CVT transmission, I decided that I was better off looking for a Toyota.

Now I want to understand how you can immediately find out if a Vitza or an Ista has a regular automatic transmission. Is there a way to immediately see this somewhere? Or do you have to drive it to find out what kind of transmission the car has? Or perhaps one of you can tell me if all Vitz in Russia use CVTs?

How to determine a variator or automatic

Visually identifying two automatic transmissions is almost impossible. That is, if you look inside the car, the automatic and the variator will have the same set of modes - gears on the panel behind the lever. I mean the letters P, N, D and so on, read the article for more details. There will be one shift lever, there will be no additional levers, so the differences, as you can see, are minimal.

“Good afternoon Sergey. Firstly, I would like to say thank you for your site, it is very useful for novice drivers like me. Secondly, I really liked the article where you discussed two automatic transmissions (CVT and automatic). My question is, is it possible to identify these two transmissions purely visually, looking out the car window? Or this is not possible. Thank you in advance. Anna"

Materials for a comprehensive oil change in a Nissan Tiida automatic transmission

Materials you will need when changing the oil in a Nissan Tiida variator:

• original oil for CVT;
• gasket and seal for the pan and drain plugs;
• filter device. The fact is that different models of Nissan Tiida cars are equipped with four different CVTs. Therefore, find out the catalog numbers in the automatic transmission manual;
• funnel for filling fresh transmission;
• container for draining lubricant;
• gloves;
• carbocleaner and sealant;
• wrenches, ratchet with heads;
• rag.

Having prepared these materials, proceed to replacing the lubricant in the Nissan Tiida automatic transmission.