Set the parking brake, start the engine, and then,


If an abnormal CVT noise stops once the CVT is shifted into drive or reverse, this
bulletin does not apply.
 Refer to ASIST for further diagnostic information.



If an abnormal CVT noise occurs while the CVT is in Drive (D) or reverse (R),
proceed to Control Valve (Valve Body) Removal on the next page.
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Control Valve (Valve Body) Removal
CAUTION:
 Never allow any chemicals or fluids other than NS-3 CVT fluid or suitable
cleaners to enter the CVT assembly.
 Never allow any foreign debris, dust, dirt, etc. to enter the CVT assembly.
1. Write down all audio presets.
Presets
AM
FM 1
FM 2
SAT 1
SAT 2/3
Bass

1

2

Treble

3

Balance

4

Fade

5

6

Speed Sen. Vol.

2. Place the vehicle on a lift.
3. Before lifting the vehicle, place the transmission gear selector in Neutral.
4. Disconnect both battery cables, negative cable first.
5. Raise the vehicle, and then drain the CVT fluid by removing the drain plug.


Remove engine under cover if needed.

WARNING: Use caution when looking into the drain hole as there is the risk of fluid
entering the eye.
6. Disconnect the engine room harness from the CVT.

7. Remove the oil pan mounting bolts, and
then remove the oil pan and oil pan
gasket.


Do not discard the bolts. These will be
reused during assembly.

Figure 1B

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Exploded View

Figure 2B
1. Transaxle assembly
4. Manual plate
7. Strainer
10. Oil pan
13. Overflow tube

2. O-ring
5. Washer
8. Oil pan gasket
11. Drain plug gasket

3. Control valve
6. O-ring
9. Magnet
12. Drain plug

: Always replace after every disassembly.
: N•m (kg-m, ft-lb)
: N•m (kg-m, in-lb)

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8. Inspect inside the CVT pan for any evidence of broken parts.
EXAMPLE:
 Figure 3B is acceptable for this repair – Magnets with fine debris or sludge in
any amount.
 Figure 4B is No Good (NG) for this repair - Broken parts would include pieces
of bearing cages, bearings, clutch material, belt elements, etc.
OK

NG

Bearing rollers
or bearing race

Any amount of fine
debris is acceptable.
OK

NG
Large metal
pieces

Fine debris

Figure 3B

NG

Bearing seal
(green)

Figure 4B
Proceed to the next page.
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Is there any evidence of broken parts or excessive debris?
o YES: Replace the CVT assembly as follows:
a. Document the debris found with a video (see page 145 for details).
b. Re-install the CVT oil pan gasket and oil pan.
c. Call the PCC for CVT replacement authorization (see page 145 for contact
information).
d. Refer to the Electronic Service Manual (ESM), section TM – Transaxle &
Transmission for CVT replacement.

o NO:
 If DTC P17F0 is not stored, proceed to next step to continue the repair.
 If DTC P17F0 is stored, proceed to Remove CVT from the Vehicle and
Disassemble External Parts on page 30.

9. Remove the magnets from the oil pan.
NOTE: The CVT pan may come with two (2) or three (3) magnets.


Clean the magnets.



Clean the CVT oil pan.



Reinstall the magnets to the oil pan in their original positions.

3 bolts
10. Remove the three (3) oil strainer bolts,
and then remove the strainer from the
control valve.


These bolts will be reused.
Oil strainer
Figure 5B

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Nut and washer
11. Remove the nut and washer, and then
remove the manual plate shown in
Figure 6B.




Use a screwdriver to hold the manual
plate (Figure 7B) to keep the shaft
from rotating while removing the nut.

Manual plate

Do not discard nut and washer. These
will be reused during assembly.
Figure 6B

Manual plate

Figure 7B
12. Clean around the CVT unit harness
connector to prevent foreign materials
from entering into the CVT case.
13. Remove ONLY the eleven (11) control
valve bolts circled in yellow with markings
as shown in Figure 8B.


Do NOT remove the bolts with a
single dot over the “7” (not shown).



The bolts removed will be reused.

14. Press the CVT unit harness connector
down into the transaxle case, and then
remove the control valve from the
transaxle case.

Control valve bolts
Figure 8B

CAUTION: Do not damage the CVT unit harness connector.

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Remove bolts
with this
marking
NTB17-034L

CVT Belt Visual Inspection
1. Secure the passenger’s side (RH) front wheel with a suitable strap.
a. Connect the first hook of the strap to the coil spring as shown in Figure 1C.
b. Route the strap around the center of the tire and attach the second hook through the
eyelet of the first hook that is attached to the coil spring.
c. Tighten the strap sufficiently to keep the Passenger’s side (RH) front tire from
rotating but do not overtighten.
d. This will assist in making the belt turn during the borescope belt inspection step.

Coil spring

Passenger’s
side (RH)
Figure 1C

2. Mark the driver’s side (LH) front wheel with a suitable marking.


This will assure all 360° of the belt is inspected.

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3. Using the steps on pages 16-22 inspect the entirety of the two sides of the belt that
come in contact with the pulleys (see Figure 2C).
IMPORTANT:
 Reference the pictures on pages 23-26 for comparison.
 Use borescope J-51951 with mirror attachment.
 Be sure to remove the protective film from the mirror before the first use.
 Clean the camera lens and mirror before each inspection. Use 90% isopropyl
alcohol, and a lens swab from Lens Swab packet J-51963 listed in PARTS
INFORMATION.
 Before inspecting, make sure the camera handle’s AA batteries are fresh and the
LCD monitor’s battery is charged.

Inspect these sides

Do not inspect
these sides

Figure 2C: New belt

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a. Install the Clutch Engagement Tool (J-52273) to the CVT case with two bolts where
shown in Figure 3C finger tight.
 Bolt torque not to exceed: 2.26 N•m (0.23 kg-m, 20 in-lb.)
CAUTION:
 Do not over torque the bolts. The threads are easily damaged.
 Make sure an O-ring is installed to the Clutch Engagement Tool (J-52273)
before installation.
NOTE: The O-ring for the Clutch Engagement Tool comes with the attachment. To
obtain only the O-ring, refer to PARTS INFORMATION for the part number.

Front of
vehicle

Clutch Pack

Clutch
Engagement
Tool (J-52273)

Figure 3C

b. Connect the Hand pump from Evap
Pressure Test Kit (J-42909) to the
Clutch Engagement Tool (J-52273)
and pump to 30 PSI.

Bolts

Hand pump

IMPORTANT:


Proper pressure has been
achieved when the CVT belt
moves while the driver’s side
(LH) front wheel is rotated and
the vehicle is in NEUTRAL with
the passenger’s side (RH) front
wheel secured.



Do NOT over pressurize the
system as internal damage to
the CVT could result.



Hand pump should be removed from the Clutch Engagement Tool (J-52273)
quick connect once the clutch has been engaged and the belt is observed
moving with tire rotation.

Figure 4C

 Pressure will be retained.
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c. Insert the borescope where shown in Figure 5C as follows:
I.

Face the mirror of the borescope toward the driver’s side of the vehicle (CVT
side cover).

II.

Insert the lens approximately 7.5 inches from the CVT oil pan gasket surface
as shown in Figure 6C on page 19.

III.

And then view the side of the belt that contacts the pulley.

Look through here to
help guide borescope
Front of
vehicle

Insert borescope
here at location 1

Belt

Driver’s
side

Insert borescope
here
Face the mirror in the
direction indicated by
the yellow arrow
Figure 5C

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Shown removed from the
vehicle and without side
cover for clarity, and is for
reference only

View point is on
opposite side of belt

Borescope

7.5 inches
Borescope position,
inserted from bottom

Figure 6C
d. Using the mark applied to the driver’s
side (LH) front wheel for reference,
slowly and carefully rotate the driver’s
side (LH) front wheel one full turn in
either direction to view all of the belt.


Holding the borescope (camera
flexible tube) with one hand allows
rotation of the wheel with the other
hand (see Figure 7C).



If evidence of belt slip is identified
as shown on pages 23-26, skip to
step 9 on page 30.



If the belt does not move when
rotating the driver’s side (LH) front
wheel, return to step 3b on
page 17.

Figure 7C

e. If the inspection result confirms that no slippage has occurred on the observed side,
inspect the other side of the belt as follows:
I.

Print page 20 and then shape the borescope camera flexible tube like the image
in Figure 8C.

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For the following steps print this
page as a template to adjust
the borescope camera flexible
tube to match.


Do not shrink or enlarge
sheet size when printing.

Figure 8C: Template for
borescope camera flexible tube
is shown actual size when
printed on a 8.5” x 11” sheet of
paper.

New picture
The figure is
9 inches long

4 inches

15°
Camera view
 Face the mirror in the
direction of the yellow arrow.
Figure 8C

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II.

Face the mirror of the borescope toward passenger side (engine side).

III.

Insert the borescope in the second location where shown in Figure 9C.

IV.

Insert the lens approximately 8.7 inches from the CVT case rim as shown in
Figure 10C on the next page.

V.

And then view the side of the belt that contacts the pulley.

Front of
vehicle

Insert borescope at
location 2 and also look
through here to help guide
borescope

Passenger
side
Insert borescope
here

Face the mirror in the
direction indicated by
the yellow arrow

Belt

Figure 9C

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Shown removed from the
vehicle and without side
cover for clarity, and is for
reference only

Borescope

View point

Borescope position,
inserted from bottom
8.7 inches

Figure 10C
f. Using the mark applied to the driver’s side (LH) front wheel for reference, slowly and
carefully rotate the driver’s side (LH) front wheel one full turn in either direction to
view all of the belt.
a. Holding the borescope (camera flexible tube) with one hand allows rotation of the
wheel with the other hand (see Figure 7C on page 19).
IMPORTANT: If the belt does not move when rotating the driver’s side (LH) front
wheel, supply additional air with hand pump (J-45664) to re-engage the clutch as
necessary.
b. Look for evidence of belt slip as shown on pages 25 and 26.

g. Is the inspection result OK (no evidence of slip) for 360° rotation of both sides of the
belt?
YES: Go to step 4 on page 27.
NO: Go to step 9 on page 29.

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Figure 11C New belt

Figure 12C:

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Pictures in Figure 13C and 14C were taken with borescope J-51951.
OK
OK