CVT Transmissions

(Continuously Variable Transmission)

Amanda Young
Autotech 2
12/11/2015
The continuously variable transmission (CVT) is a transmission that instead of having
gears, it just has two pulleys. There are 2 pulleys that can grow or shrink in diameter in order to
achieve the right speed. The belt size must stay the same so as one pulley grows the other
pulley shrinks or else the belt will break or will come loose. Some enjoy the smooth feel of a
CVT transmission when accelerating however some people miss the rev of the engine and the
feel of the gears shifting. By not having fixed gear ratios, an engine can run at its most efficient
revolutions per minute (RPM) for a range of different speeds.
One of the pulleys is turned by the engine, and the other pulley connects the rest of the
transmission to the wheels. When the car starts off, the engine pulley is small, but as the car

gains speed, that pulley smoothly gets larger and the other pulley smoothly gets smaller. This
allows the car to gain speed but the driver does not feel shifting gears, it is smooth as they gain
speed. A car with a CVT transmission accelerates 25% faster because the transmission
converts every point on the engines operating curve to a corresponding point on its operating
curve. The continuously variable transmission is said to have 88% efficiency which while it is
lower than a manual, some justify that by how inexpensive the transmissions are to
manufacture.
Both of the pulleys are made of two twenty degree cones facing each other to form a V
that the belt sits in. There are different shaped pulleys but pulleys making a v-shape are
preferred for CVTs for the increase in frictional grip that they allow. Metal belts are favored over
rubber belts because they are more durable so therefore can stand up to more torque from the
engine. The metal belts are quieter as well.
Leonardo da Vinci gets the credit for the first design of the CVT transmission in 1490.
Next, Milton Reeves built a CVT transmission for saw milling in 1879 and he applied it to his
first car in the year 1896. Zenith Motorcycles built a bike with a CVT transmission in 1910. The
Ford Fiesta and Fiat Uno were the first CVT transmissions mainstream European cars.
Throughout the 90s, Nissan, Honda and Toyota also began putting CVTs into some of their
vehicles. Many different car companies are beginning to put CVTs into their cars. It is amazing
that this idea that is being used today first came about in 1490. Ford first began offering a CVT
in 2004.
Below is a picture of a CVT transmission from a 2014 Toyota Corolla. The top pulley is
connected to the engine. The bottom pulley connects to the rest of the transmission. Between
the two pulleys is a belt so that as the engine turns one pulley the other pulley is turned by the
belt. The picture on the left is high gear because the pulley connected to the engine is large
and the pulley connected to the transmission is smaller. The picture on the right shows low gear
because the pulley connected to the engine is smaller and the pulley connected to the

transmission is larger.

Glossary
Belt- The belt has a simple but important job. It connects the two pulleys. As the pulley
connected to the engine spins, the belt turns the other pulley connected to the transmission.
Variable Input Pulley- The variable input pulley is the pulley that is connected to the engine.
This pulley spins as the engine turns.
Output Pulley- The output pulley is connected to the wheels. As the variable input pulley turns,
this pulley turns and therefore the wheels turn.
There is common maintenance that needs to be done to CVT transmissions. Some very
important maintenance that needs to be done, is the transmission fluid needs to be checked. It
is recommended that the CVT fluid be checked at least every 5,000 miles, although it never
hurts to check any fluid levels more often. When checking the fluid be sure that it does not
smell burnt and that it is at the correct location on the dipstick. To little transmission fluid could
cause catastrophic damage to the transmission.
The fluid on CVTs needs to be changed more often than normal transmissions. CVT
fluid should be changed every 30,000 miles. The interval of when the fluid needs to be changed
varies a little bit by the type of driving. In situations needing high torque, towing, or driving slow
up mountainous areas, it will need to be more frequent. This is because the transmission gets
warmer. The reason why these fluid changes are needed so much is because the fluid only
lasts for so long and once it is past a certain amount of use the belt will begin to slip since the
surfaces are not properly lubricated. When the transmission gets warmer fluid deteriorates
quicker.
CVTs use fluid that is different than normal transmission fluid. Keely Stults brought her
Nissan to Jiffy Lube get a transmission fluid change. A little bit over a year later her

transmission failed. Jiffy Lube used red fluid instead of the green fluid required for CVTs. She
had to get a new transmission which cost $4,288. She was told twice by the store manager that
there is only one type of transmission fluid. Of course that is not true and the reason why her
transmission failed is because the wrong kind of transmission fluid was used by the mechanics.
The woman tried to have conversations with the Jiffy Lube managers and customer service
managers both where she took the vehicle and also nationally. None of the managers would
take her seriously. Wondering if mechanics will even be able to work on you transmission or not
is something to keep in mind when buying a car with a CVT. Since CVTs are still fairly new
many mechanics may not be very familiar with them.
Besides checking the fluid and changing the fluid often CVT transmissions do not require
very much maintenance. Though they dont require much maintenance, it is crucial to perform
the maintenance that they do require in order for it to run correctly and last for a while.
One malfunction that there have actually been recalls for is the drive pulley shaft
breaking. Sometimes there is high pressure in the system. The shaft on one type of vehicle
was made with a metal that was softer than it should have been. The pressure and the softness
of the metal combined have caused the drive pulley shaft to break. That shaft breaking could
cause the front wheels to lock up or not receive power.
There have also been complaints of electrical sensors on the transmission failing. One
of the sensors that can fail is the transmission speed sensor. This sensor monitors how fast the
pulleys are spinning and send that to the transmission control module. The TCM also receives
information from the wheel speed sensors. That information is then displayed on the
speedometer. To change this part the mechanic must remove a cylinder head cover and part of
the air cleaning system.
The metal belts on CVTs have been known to wear because the pulleys are constantly
changing size. There have been reports of belts needing to be replaced as early as 50,000
miles. Changing belts on a CVT is not like changing a serpentine belt. It is a very difficult and

expensive process. The main reason for this is because the belt is under enormous pressure to
prevent it from slipping.
CVT transmissions still have a long way to go in their reliability. However they have
come a long way. These problems may still occur but as the technology gets better, these
problems will be solved and probably will not occur as much.
Safety is always very important when doing any job. Working on a CVT is no different. When
working on a CVT, the mechanic should always wear safety glasses. Most likely he will be
working underneath the car which many times causes dirt, rust, or debris to fall. Getting
materials like that in your eye is not fun and wearing safety glasses is a quick and easy way to
prevent that.
The mechanic is going to have to lift the car if he is going to be working on the transmission.
Lifting a car is something that can be tricky sometimes because every car is different. When
lifting the car the mechanic needs to lift by the frame or the lift points. If he lifts by the frame, he
needs to make sure that the arms are as wide as they can be so they have more of the car's
weight in between the lift arms instead of outside them to prevent the car from teetering on the
lift. After the mechanic has assured the lift arms are in the appropriate spot he needs to
announce that the lift is going up. Also, the mechanic must check when the lift makes contact
with the car that it is in the appropriate place and then do a shake test by pushing on the
bumper when it is a few feet of the ground to make sure it wont fall off the lift. Once the car is
raised to the desired height the lift must be locked. Lifting a car is necessary for most jobs and
it is very important that it is done safely.
When performing a job such as changing the transmission fluid there are a few things that the
mechanic needs to be sure that he does. For one, he needs to make sure that the fluid goes
into the proper storage container. This does not mean catching it in a pan and pouring it down
the drain. This means catching it in a pan and pouring it into another container and disposing of
it properly. Also, the mechanic needs to clean up any fluid that may have spilled on the ground

in the process of the job. Spilling is inevitable and that is fine it just needs to be cleaned up. If
fluid is left on the ground it can be a slipping hazard. Also people will walk through it and it will
get tracked all throughout the shop. Fluid also needs to be cleaned up because if the mechanic
cleans up all the fluid and the floor is clean, then he notices a few minutes later that there is fluid
on the floor, he will know that he needs to check for leaks. Spilled transmission fluid can just be
cleaned up by spraying some Simple Green, then mopping and squeegeeing the area. Properly
disposing of materials and keeping a clean workspace is very important when working on any
part of a car.
When working on a CVT the mechanic also needs to be sure that he torques any bolts that
he has removed. The mechanic needs to look up the torque specs then torque the bolt down
the specified amount. If there are multiple bolts he needs to go in a crisscross pattern to assure
that the part is tightened evenly and is flush against the surface that it is against. If a bolt is not
torqued to manufacturers specifications, the part could fall of which could be very dangerous for
both the driver and the car.
Continuously variable transmissions are definitely something that will take some getting used
to for everyone. The mechanic will have to learn how to work on this new type of transmission
and the driver will have to learn to drive with this transmission that feels completely different. It
seems that they will only get better as the technology increases. The transmission is great for
saving gas and having a smoother ride, however not so much for somebody who likes to hear
the engine rev and the gears shift. Whether or not somebody will enjoy a CVT really depends
on what kind of feel the person operating it prefers.

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