Ok, I've got a question for all you MC CVT owners.

My car is a December '02 build, with about 26,000 miles on it. About a month ago I read on this forum about CVT owners that began having a rash of problems with the tranny. It prompted me to have a closer look under the car at the bottom of the CVT for any sign of leakage and sure enough, I had a drip of fluid on the "cap" on the very bottom side of the CVT. I think this is the same spot where the fluid is flushed out and the new stuff is put in.

I had inspection #1 done last August and I assume they flushed out the original (old) fluid and replaced it with the new stuff, as it says they did on the invoice. I also noticed what appeared to be a bit of "wetness" along the underside of the car, aft of the CVT unit, like along the PS fan. Not much, but enough to make the surfaces there appear glossy. The fluid looks new (red), smells fine, and the car shifts a-ok.

This drip is barely big enough to put a spot the size of an erasor head on my finger. I notice it about once or twice a week. I have NEVER seen any on the floor of my garage. I know that there is no way to check the actual level of the fluid, so I am wondering if it was slightly overfilled and this is just a little overflow coming out, or if maybe the plug "cap" down there isn't tight enough. My concern is just how much have I lost, given the apparent splashing I have seen on the PS fan. Before I take the car in for this, I wanted to get some feedback from this forum.

Thanks everyone!!!

 

I had a similar problem about a year or so ago and took mine to the dealer twice before they determined the tranny had been overfilled at the factory, and the pan edge had been slightly bent in the process, causing it to spill slightly. They corrected what they found, and, since then, there have been no more problems. However, it will be interesting to see if the problem reoccurs, since I am due for inspection #1 in about a month [it's a 9/'02 build].

 

I took my 03 MC in for service about a year ago and had to have the tranmission output seal replaced (leak was found during routine service.). I saw no leaks on the driveway and was shocked to hear from the mechanic that the tranny fluid was very low. I realize that it is a sealed unit but there should be a way of checking the fluid level. I try and eyeball the fill /drain area.