Nissan Problems

Unless your B17 Pulsar has the optional manual transmission fitted, then it definitely has a CVT. The reason Nissan (and many other carmakers) still use the old PRND symbols for the gearshift are because that’s what people understand, so there’s no confusion.

In any case, even though it’s a CVT and not a conventional automatic, the CVT still has a Park position, a Neutral and both a Drive and Reverse position, so the symbols are entirely consistent with that anyway.

In conventional automatic transmissions, a delay when selecting gears (often reverse) indicates worn internals and the need for a rebuild. Your Nissan is fitted with a CVT transmission rather than a conventional auto, but it still operates on the basis of hydraulic control. Which means that the problem could still be one of internal wear. A transmission specialist is likely to be your best point of contact for this problem.

The first thing to do, though, is check the level of fluid in the transmission. A level that is low can mean delays when selecting gears and even slipping of the transmission under load. However, if the level is low, there must be a leak somewhere as these are sealed systems and should not require regular topping up.

It could be a fuel problem, but it could easily be something electrical, or perhaps something from left-field such as a blocked exhaust system. Perhaps a sensor somewhere in the driveline is functioning properly until it gets hot and then shutting down, causing the engine to stall. Perhaps you have a bad earth point or loose electrical contact. Maybe the fuel pump is on its last legs and unable to supply enough fuel to keep the engine running.

It’s all a bit of a guessing game, but fortunately, modern cars have on-board computers which detect problems and log them until the car can be scanned. At that point, the glitches and problems should be revealed and you can start to plan how to solve the problem.

If your can manually force the shift then there’s probably nothing wrong with the actual gearbox and its mechanicals. Instead, the problem is likely to be an electronic one, perhaps with the speed sensor that tells the computer the car’s road speed and tailors the gearshifts to reflect that. Don’t forget, however, that gearboxes like the Nissan’s with many gears, often won’t select higher gears at low speeds. So if the car refuses to select sixth or seventh gear at urban speeds, that’s possibly just the calibration Nissan has fitted to it.

If this is an actual problem (and not just a characteristic) this is a very new vehicle and would be covered for this sort of problem by the factory warranty.

It depends on which engine your Navara has. If it’s a D22 with the 2.5-litre engine, the oil-change capacity is 5.6 litres. If your car has the three-litre engine, it will need 6.7 litres to complete an oil change. If your car is the later model D40 version, the 2.5-litre engine will require 6.9 litres. Those amounts should allow for an oil-filter change as well.

In each case, the recommended oil is a 5W40 semi-synthetic.

Fan belts and other rubber drive belts can squeak or squeal if they’re not correctly adjusted for tension. Usually, a too-loose belt will be the cause, and to fix it, you need to slacken off the adjuster and tighten the belt to the correct tension.

In some cases, though, you may find the noise is coming from a partially seized or worn bearing in one of the pulleys. You could try a little squirt of penetrating fluid on the bearings to see if that makes the noise go away. If the bearing is really worn, however, it will need to be replaced.

Sometimes the noise will be caused by coolant or water getting on to the rubber belt. Check the radiator and its hoses for leaks that could be allowing fluid on to the rubber and making it squeal.

This fuse on the battery is there to protect the entire electrical system (and indeed, the car itself) from damage due to a short-circuit. It’s a good idea, particularly in a four-wheel-drive where you might be running a lot of electrical gear such as extra lighting and a fridge.

The problem with this system, though, is that because it protects the whole car, just about any electrical system on the car can cause the fuse to blow.

If the starter motor is the most recent change to the car’s electrical system, then that’s where to start looking for a short-circuit. However, the problem may not have anything to do with the starter motor. An auto electrician should be able to pin-point the problem and fix it without resorting to simply replacing components one at a time.

Some markets have indeed experienced problems with the Nissan CVT transmission as fitted to many of the brand’s vehicles. It doesn’t seem as widespread in Australia, but some faults have been identified.

That main problems seem to be overheated CVTs which can cause juddering when driving and premature wear inside the transmission. According to some in the trade, the fault is caused by a problem with the way the transmission fluid is cooled, and when it gets too hot it can cause warping of the metal parts inside the unit.

Ultimately, the solution would be to fit an external oil cooler for the transmission fluid, but otherwise, a close eye on the level of transmission fluid and correct servicing is the key to making the CVT last.

This could be caused by any number of things, and an electronic scan of the vehicle will surely reveal some of its secrets and may point you towards the fix. It almost sounds as though the car is going into limp-home mode when you first start driving it, but then reverts to proper operation once the engine has warmed up a little. But this could also suggest a turbo-boost leak somewhere in the system that is closing up and disappearing once there’s some heat built up.

If there’s oil around the intercooler hose, you may have oil in the intercooler itself. This can cause all sorts of problems and is often caused by a worn turbocharger. I’d definitely be having a close look at the turbo unit, checking for wear and damage as this could be the root cause.