Hi all...
I've visited this site off and on for awhile now and finally got around to joining. I am the proud owner of a 2010 Kizashi SE AWD which I purchased with 9,000 miles 3 years ago. The car just turned over 60,000 miles. I just returned from a 2,000 mile road trip and the car was excellent as always. With a full load and the a/c on constantly, I got 32-34 mpg on the highway portions of the trip. This car has been amazing...absolutely no mechanical issues aside from a burned out headlight (not a great design with having to drop the bumper to get to it...I replaced ALL of the bulbs at that time to save the hassle again in the near future) and recent replacement of the rear brakes (fronts still have about 50% left...seemed odd that the rears went first). I live in extreme northern Michigan (the Upper Peninsula) and the car has started in temps. down to -30F and is great in the snow...great heater also. At 60,000 miles it still runs and drives beautifully. I considered selling the car at one time (after the NA bankruptcy announcement) but would have lost my shirt (and a great car). I've decided to keep it for the long haul. I have a few questions for the group and need some input.
I've never changed the CVT fluid in the car and was wondering if I needed to consider having that done. I considered doing a couple of drain and fills myself but am concerned about improper filling/contamination, etc. The dealership I spoke with (over 200 miles from here...local dealer went under before the bankruptcy after 30 years in business) quoted me a price of $270 (seems a little steep). Also, is the Shell/Suzuki Green fluid a synthetic?
The differential and transfer case fluid was changed at 10k miles and is overdue for another service. I'd like to drain both and replace with a full synthetic fluid (Redline). Is changing out the fluid difficult?
I'm a little concerned about availability of parts in the future (hopefully the car will continue its great service with no issues) but am determined to keep it as long as possible. I'm pretty easy on the car and don't "flog" it...need to make it last. How is everyone else making out with replacement parts and service on their Kizashi? Thanks in advance...
Kizzy owner observations and questions
The CVT fluid is not cheap, but you should be able to do a drain and fill yourself for under $100. You do have some options for fluid. In addition to the Shell and Suzuki fluids, the other manufacturers that use the JF011E JATCO transmission should provide an identical fluid under their own brand. (Nissan NS2, Mopar CVTF+4, Mitsubishi, etc) There are also aftermarket CVT fluids that claim themselves to be acceptable (Eneos, Amsoil, Redline, Valvoline, etc.) I would guess that you will need about 6 quarts. There is a drain bolt on the CVT pan, and you fill with a funnel through the transmission dipstick tube. If you do it yourself, just be careful about putting the fluid back to the proper level. The JF011E is sensitive about the fluid level being to high or too low, and needs to be checked at proper operating temperature.
The diff and transfer case are relatively easy to do if you have a good way to get the car up in the air level. The plugs take a 10mm square drive, but a short 3/8" extension will probably work OK. Always make sure you can remove the fill plug first. You will also need a transfer pump to fill them with new fluid, each takes just under a quart.
As far as parts go, I wouldn't worry about general service parts (brakes, belts, filters, fluids, shocks, bushings, etc.)
Some of the more uncommon replacement parts may be harder to find down the road, but should be easy enough to find in scrap yards or order through an importer for a long time to come.
The diff and transfer case are relatively easy to do if you have a good way to get the car up in the air level. The plugs take a 10mm square drive, but a short 3/8" extension will probably work OK. Always make sure you can remove the fill plug first. You will also need a transfer pump to fill them with new fluid, each takes just under a quart.
As far as parts go, I wouldn't worry about general service parts (brakes, belts, filters, fluids, shocks, bushings, etc.)
Some of the more uncommon replacement parts may be harder to find down the road, but should be easy enough to find in scrap yards or order through an importer for a long time to come.
Thanks for this info. I'm changing the factory fill in the transfer case and rear diff soon and I'm glad I don't have to get another obscure drive. I'm thinking about Mobil 1 Syn Gear Lube LS (75w-90 GL5).bdleonard wrote:The CVT fluid is not cheap, but you should be able to do a drain and fill yourself for under $100. You do have some options for fluid. In addition to the Shell and Suzuki fluids, the other manufacturers that use the JF011E JATCO transmission should provide an identical fluid under their own brand. (Nissan NS2, Mopar CVTF+4, Mitsubishi, etc) There are also aftermarket CVT fluids that claim themselves to be acceptable (Eneos, Amsoil, Redline, Valvoline, etc.) I would guess that you will need about 6 quarts. There is a drain bolt on the CVT pan, and you fill with a funnel through the transmission dipstick tube. If you do it yourself, just be careful about putting the fluid back to the proper level. The JF011E is sensitive about the fluid level being to high or too low, and needs to be checked at proper operating temperature.
The diff and transfer case are relatively easy to do if you have a good way to get the car up in the air level. The plugs take a 10mm square drive, but a short 3/8" extension will probably work OK. Always make sure you can remove the fill plug first. You will also need a transfer pump to fill them with new fluid, each takes just under a quart.
Also, what's a good change interval for CVT fluid? I don't think there's an official recommendation. My manual says to just inspect it every 75k km.
I used Redline GL-5 75w85 in the diff and transfer case as a bit of an experiment, since I plan to change every 30k miles anyway. I've had no issues, but I would say that any high quality full synthetic GL-5 75w90 would be an excellent choice. For peace of mind I would probability do a drain and fill on the CVT every 5yr/50k miles, but that is personal preference (to a point, the idea of "lifetime fluid" is ridiculous).bootymac wrote:Thanks for this info. I'm changing the factory fill in the transfer case and rear diff soon and I'm glad I don't have to get another obscure drive. I'm thinking about Mobil 1 Syn Gear Lube LS (75w-90 GL5).
Also, what's a good change interval for CVT fluid? I don't think there's an official recommendation. My manual says to just inspect it every 75k km.
If you look at some recent threads regarding CVT failures, noises, replacement, etc., simply draining and refilling yourself may not be that wise a decision. It appears there's a direct correlation between temperature, fill level, CVT whine and failure. Nothing concrete as of yet mind you, but there appears to be a relationship there. The procedure for checking level/filling/topping off is more involved than it should be if you go by the service manual's procedure. I'm beginning to believe in the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mentality regarding the the CVT. WESHOOT has not done a thing to his CVT if I'm not mistaking. He's put a lot of hard miles on his car and it's still going strong. I had planned on servicing my CVT at around 50-60k, but now I'm seriously considering letting it go. I have no issues other than a slight whine during accel, if that can even be considered an 'issue'. Seems the nature of the beast to me.
Ron
2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded
)
1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top (
sold)
2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded
) 1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top (
sold)The CVT is definitely finicky when it comes to the fluid level. I'm the one who posted much of that information during some of the previous discussions.
The biggest problem is that it really really does not like to be overfilled even a little bit. To the point that the expansion of the fluid when it warms more than usual on an extended trip (or during hard driving) can push the level high enough to cause issues. The basic updated procedure for Nissan is to warm the CVT up to operating temperature, and make sure that the fluid level is in the bottom half of the "hot" range. This allows adequate room for fluid expansion. Some Nissan owners have even found that their CVT was slightly overfilled from the factory.
Fluid over heating should be less of a problem on the Kizashi since they are all fitted with a relatively substantial secondary fluid cooler in the lower grille opening. Many of the Nissan vehicles lacked a secondary CVT cooler, and only recently (early 2014) have tech bulletins and a retrofit kit come out to add a secondary cooler to Nissan vehicles that have been having issues with this back to at least 2008.
In one of the other threads, somebody mentioned a dealer saying that there was an updated CVT pan/filter/dipstick for the Kizashi intended to help combat these issues. However, last I checked they never posted any further information, so I'm taking the whole story with a grain of salt. Nissan did produce a similar "fix" years ago for several of their early CVT vehicles, so I'm not ruling it out entirely.
The biggest problem is that it really really does not like to be overfilled even a little bit. To the point that the expansion of the fluid when it warms more than usual on an extended trip (or during hard driving) can push the level high enough to cause issues. The basic updated procedure for Nissan is to warm the CVT up to operating temperature, and make sure that the fluid level is in the bottom half of the "hot" range. This allows adequate room for fluid expansion. Some Nissan owners have even found that their CVT was slightly overfilled from the factory.
Fluid over heating should be less of a problem on the Kizashi since they are all fitted with a relatively substantial secondary fluid cooler in the lower grille opening. Many of the Nissan vehicles lacked a secondary CVT cooler, and only recently (early 2014) have tech bulletins and a retrofit kit come out to add a secondary cooler to Nissan vehicles that have been having issues with this back to at least 2008.
In one of the other threads, somebody mentioned a dealer saying that there was an updated CVT pan/filter/dipstick for the Kizashi intended to help combat these issues. However, last I checked they never posted any further information, so I'm taking the whole story with a grain of salt. Nissan did produce a similar "fix" years ago for several of their early CVT vehicles, so I'm not ruling it out entirely.
I'll be heading to the old zuk dealer / service center soon to get the wife's seat cushion replaced under an recall on her SX4. I'll get with the parts manager and see what we can find out about any part number changes and/or 'upgrades'.
Ron
2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded )
1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top ( sold)
2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded
) 1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top (
sold)I finally got around to ordering 2 quarts of Redline 75W90 for the transfer case and rear diff. I have a pump so could do it myself but don't have any way to lift the car level...would have to use my ramps to access them. Should it matter if the car isn't level when changing out the fluid for the diff. and transfer case?
As far as the CVT goes I've recently noticed a little whine at low speeds. At 63k miles I really want to change out that fluid. I'm nowhere close to a former Suzuki dealership that still works on these (about 200 miles away) but there is a Nissan/Honda dealership about an hour away. I may just call and see if they can service the CVT and what they charge. I'm leery at this point about trying to drain and refill it myself.
The only other thing I need to consider is changing out the factory spark plugs. What kind of plugs did Suzuki put in these out of the factory? Is it really necessary to change them out at 60k miles?
Appreciate any input...thanks in advance.
As far as the CVT goes I've recently noticed a little whine at low speeds. At 63k miles I really want to change out that fluid. I'm nowhere close to a former Suzuki dealership that still works on these (about 200 miles away) but there is a Nissan/Honda dealership about an hour away. I may just call and see if they can service the CVT and what they charge. I'm leery at this point about trying to drain and refill it myself.
The only other thing I need to consider is changing out the factory spark plugs. What kind of plugs did Suzuki put in these out of the factory? Is it really necessary to change them out at 60k miles?
Appreciate any input...thanks in advance.
I wouldn't worry too much about the car being level for the gear oil change. After all, for things like the rear diff, you pour in oil until it starts to drip out of the fill hole. Not sure about the transfer case set-up on the Kizashi, but I imagine it's somewhat similar. I replaced my manual trans fluid myself while the car was on ramps.kizzy1 wrote:I finally got around to ordering 2 quarts of Redline 75W90 for the transfer case and rear diff. I have a pump so could do it myself but don't have any way to lift the car level...would have to use my ramps to access them. Should it matter if the car isn't level when changing out the fluid for the diff. and transfer case?
As far as the CVT goes I've recently noticed a little whine at low speeds. At 63k miles I really want to change out that fluid. I'm nowhere close to a former Suzuki dealership that still works on these (about 200 miles away) but there is a Nissan/Honda dealership about an hour away. I may just call and see if they can service the CVT and what they charge. I'm leery at this point about trying to drain and refill it myself.
The only other thing I need to consider is changing out the factory spark plugs. What kind of plugs did Suzuki put in these out of the factory? Is it really necessary to change them out at 60k miles?
Appreciate any input...thanks in advance.
I'd agree that at 60K, the CVT fluid should probably be changed especially if you are starting to notice abnormalities with the performance or sound.
The factory spark plugs to my knowledge are NGK Laser Iridiums. These are long-life iridium spark plugs that generally have a life of 75,000 to 100,000 miles. At 60k, you'll probably gain some restored performance by changing them out, but it's not overdue.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)