I have 2 questions I would like to ask.
1. Is there a software upgrade to help with the herky jerky motion on acceleration on a automatic cvt 2002 justa R50?
2. The past couple days I have noticed a kind of growl/whining sound on the front left side. It does not do it when I have the car in neutral and rev the engine, only while driving. Seems to get louder the faster I go. Any ideas on either of these two questions would be greatly appreciated. TIA!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

1. I don't know.
2. Wheel bearing.

 

Well the wheel bearing doesnt sound good. Any suggestions where to buy a replacement from? Should I just do both while its in the shop?

 

I think I got my replacement from pelican parts. I'd go with NSK or OE. If you can change brake discs, you can change the wheel bearing out. They come in a hub assembly so there's no packing with grease or anything like that.

From what I remember the hardest part was loosening the 32mm axle nut, my wheel speed sensor was already toast, but I think getting that out with out breaking it can be a bit tricky too. Might be worth ordering one just in case things go south.

If you have an impact wrench, that'll loosen the axle nut. If not, what I did is pop out the center cap of my wheel. Firs you need to bend out the tab that gets dented in on the stub axle to keep the nut from coming undone, then with my brand new long 1/2 inch driver breaker bar and my brand new 32mm 1/2 inch drive socket, I cranked on that nut and got it nice and loose. Then jack the car up, pull off the brake caliper and disc, remove the old bearing (there's 4 13mm bolts on the back of the hub I think) and replace it with a new one. Also you're supposed to replace the axle nut. I think it's only a few bucks so it's not a bad idea. I've reused them once or twice with no problems but ymmv.

 

We offer wheel bearings, but I would verify that is your issue before getting parts as none of us can diagnosis a noise without hearing it.
https://www.waymotorworks.com/wheel-...0-r52-r53.html

Bad news on the CVT is they were never vary good and common to fail. There was some software updates over the years so that is worth a shot to try. But if that doesn't work it may be a sign of a future fail.

 

To confirm if it's a wheel bearing a great test is to turn the vehicle side to side. The most obvious would be a howling or grinding noise from a front wheel while in motion. This noise would get louder when you steer side to side (putting the bearing under load). If worse when steering to the right, the left side bearing is usually at fault and the opposite holds true for when steering left. You can check for a noisy wheel bearing with the vehicle stationary too. Jack the front of your vehicle and rotate the front wheel; while rotating, place your hand on the front coil spring. You should be able to pick up a vibration in the spring. There may also be free-play in the bearing. You can check for free-play by jacking the front of your vehicle and wiggling the wheel up and down. If there is any free-play, replace the bearing.

NSK or Genuine (as mentioned above by Racingguy ) http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/...pg4.htm#item11

For the transmission, check out the NAM threads below for some info:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-take-off.html
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-problems.html

 

1. I've noticed that changing the trans fluid to a Redline CVT fluid makes a noticeable difference in how the CVT operates, more so a difference over the software changes. We've had quite a few cars come in with poor shift feel and leave feeling worlds better just in changing the fluid over to the Redline CVT.

Detroit Tuned CVT flush kit

As for the noise it could be a number of things:
The CVT itself (dying woes)
A wheel bearing
Tire
Alignment

You'll need to find out which of them it is, slaloming back and forth will either pronounce the noise or decrease it (wheel bearing). Rotate the tires, does the noise go away or lessen?

If you've cleared those steps the next thing I would point to the noise being would be the trans.