9/148

NTB20-036a

SERVICE PROCEDURE
IMPORTANT: Repairs performed for this bulletin require CONSULT-III plus (C-III plus)
Diagnostic result reporting function-Setting be turned ON and Diagnosis (All
Systems) be performed. If not done, it may result in a repair being non-warrantable.
Precautions when Disassembling a CVT Assembly
IMPORTANT:
Transmissions are vulnerable to particle contamination (dust, metal, lint, etc.).
When disassembling a CVT, make sure your work environment (shop, workbench, etc.),
transmission area (sub-frame, oil pan, harness connector, etc.), and your hands are free of
any contamination.
It is essential that any foreign contamination be kept out of the CVT internals. Disassembly
and re-assembly shall be carried out under the following conditions:
To prevent possible drivability concerns, cover all air breather and
drive shaft holes to prevent water intrusion.












Wash and clean the exterior of the CVT assembly prior to disassembling.
Work in a covered indoor room to prevent contamination of the CVT.
Work on clean stainless drain table.
Avoid debris from dropping into the converter housing, side cover or CVT case.
Remove any sealant remaining on bolts or mating surfaces of the converter housing,
side cover and/or the CVT case using a scraper, and then clean with lint-free paper
cloths.
Store removed parts separately to prevent mix-up. (i.e. small cups)
Do not use cotton gloves or woven cloths. Latex or rubber gloves are recommended.
 Only lint-free paper cloths.
Apply rust penetrant to locator / dowel pins on torque converter housing and side
cover of CVT and allow to soak as needed.
Only disassemble those parts which are mentioned in this bulletin.
Make sure all parts are clean prior to assembling / installing.
 Brake cleaner is acceptable to remove remaining CVT fluid and residual sealer.
 Unpack service parts just before installation.
Use only specified sealant material.
Parts cups



Store the related parts that have
been removed separately to prevent
being mixed up; small cups can be
used.

Figure 15
10/148

NTB20-036a

Non-warrantable damage to the CVT may occur if the
steps in this procedure are not followed in order.
Inspection for Abnormal Noise
HINT: If DTCs are stored, abnormal noise may be present.
Listen for any abnormal CVT noises under the following conditions:
Set the parking brake, and start the engine.


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.

11/148

NTB20-036a

Control Valve (Valve Body) Removal




To avoid damage to the CVT, never allow any chemicals or fluids other than
NS-3 CVT fluid or suitable cleaners to enter the CVT assembly.
To avoid damage to the CVT, 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

Treble

2

3

4

Balance

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 the engine under cover if needed.

To avoid the risk of minor personal injury, 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 16

12/148

NTB20-036a

Exploded View

Figure 17
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)

13/148

NTB20-036a

8. Inspect the inside of the CVT pan for any evidence of broken parts.
EXAMPLE:
 Figure 18 and Figure 19 are acceptable for this repair – Magnets with fine debris
or sludge in any amount.

OK

Fine debris
Figure 18

Any amount of fine
debris is acceptable.

OK

Fine debris
Figure 19

Continue to the next page.

14/148

NTB20-036a

 Figure 20, Figure 21 and Figure 22 are No Good (NG) for this repair - Broken
parts would include pieces of bearings, clutch material, belt elements, etc.

NG

Bearing rollers
or bearing race
Figure 20
Large metal
pieces

NG

Figure 21
Bearing seal
(green)

NG

Figure 22
Continue to the next page.

15/148

NTB20-036a

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 148 for details).
b. Re-install the CVT oil pan gasket and oil pan.
c. Call the PCC for CVT replacement authorization (see page 148 for contact
information).
d. Refer to the Electronic Service Manual (ESM), section TRANSMISSION &
DRIVELINE > TRANSAXLE & TRANSMISSION > CVT: RE0F11A > UNIT
REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION 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 33.

9. Remove the magnets from the oil pan.
HINT: 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.

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

3 bolts

These bolts will be reused.

Oil Strainer
Figure 23
16/148

NTB20-036a

Nut and washer

11. Remove the nut and washer, and then
remove the manual plate shown in
Figure 24.


Use a screwdriver to hold the
manual plate (Figure 25 to keep the
shaft from rotating while removing
the nut.



Manual plate

Do not discard the nut and washer.
These will be reused during
assembly.
Figure 24

12. Clean around the CVT unit harness
connector to prevent foreign materials
from entering into the CVT case (picture
not shown).

Manual plate

Figure 25
13. Remove ONLY the eleven (11) control
valve bolts circled in yellow with
markings as shown in Figure 26.


On this model transaxle, Do NOT
remove the bolts with a single dot
over the “7” (not shown).



The bolts removed will be reused.

Control valve bolts

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

Figure 26

Transaxle damage may
occur if care is not taken when handling
the CVT unit harness connector.

17/148

Remove bolts
with this
marking

NTB20-036a

CVT Belt Visual Inspection
15. Secure the passenger side (RH) front wheel with a suitable strap.
a. Connect the first hook of the strap to the coil spring as shown in Figure 27.
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 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
side (RH)
Figure 27

16. Mark the driver side (LH) front wheel with a suitable marking.


This will ensure all 360° of the belt are inspected.

18/148

NTB20-036a

17. Inspect the entirety of the two sides of the belt that come in contact with the pulleys
(Figure 28).
IMPORTANT:
 Reference Figure 40 through Figure 48 on pages 26 - 29 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 on page 140.
 Before inspecting, make sure the batteries in the camera handle and LCD monitor
are charged.

Inspect these sides

Do not inspect
these sides

Figure 28
a. Install the Clutch Engagement Tool (J-52273) to the CVT case with two bolts, finger
tight, where shown in Figure 29 and Figure 30.


Bolt torque not to exceed: 2.26 N•m (0.23 kg-m, 20 in-lb.)

 Use care when tightening the bolts as damage to the bolts/CVT could occur.
 Make sure an O-ring is installed to the Clutch Engagement Tool (J-52273)
before installation as this could lead to improper/incomplete testing.

19/148

NTB20-036a

HINT: The O-ring for the Clutch Engagement Tool comes with the attachment. To order
additional O-rings, refer to PARTS INFORMATION on page 140.

Bolts

Front of
vehicle

Clutch
engagement tool
(J-52273)

Clutch pack

Figure 30

Figure 29
b. Connect the hand pump from Evap
Pressure Test Kit (J-42909) to the
Clutch Engagement Tool (J-52273)
and pump to 30 PSI (Figure 31).

Hand pump

IMPORTANT:


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

Figure 31



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



The 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. Pressure will be retained.

20/148

NTB20-036a

c. Insert the borescope where shown in Figure 32 as follows:
i.
ii.
iii.

Face the mirror of the borescope toward the driver side of the vehicle (CVT
side cover).
Insert the lens approximately 7.5 inches from the CVT oil pan gasket surface
as shown in Figure 34 on page 22.
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

Figure 32

Driver
side

Belt

Insert borescope
here
Face the mirror in the
direction indicated by
the yellow arrow
Figure 33

21/148

NTB20-036a

View point is on
opposite side of belt

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

Figure 34
d. Using the mark applied to the driver
side (LH) front wheel for reference,
slowly and carefully rotate the driver
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 (Figure 35).



If evidence of belt slip is
identified, as shown in Figure 44
through Figure 48 on pages
28 - 29, skip to step 26 on page
33.



Figure 35

If the belt does not move when rotating the driver side (LH) front wheel, return to
step 17b on page 20.

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

22/148

NTB20-036a

For the following steps print
this page as a template and
then shape the borescope
camera flexible tube like the
image in Figure 36.


Do not shrink or
enlarge the sheet size
when printing.



The template shown is
actual size when
printed on 8.5” x 11”
paper.

The figure is
9 inches
long

4 inches

15°
Camera view: Face the
mirror in the direction of
the yellow arrow.

Figure 36

23/148

NTB20-036a

i.

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

ii.