CVT whine at startup and acceleration

[JHerrington]

Good Afternoon,

As the title states, my 2015 A4 with the CVT has a loud whine upon startup after sitting for a while, but after maybe two seconds, it stops.

This same whine is heard, although quieter, while driving around. This happens in auto mode or manual mode. Does not occour while reving in neutral.

It sounds like a power steering pump is low on fluid/going bad. Does the CVT have a fluid pump? Is there any way I can check the fluid level? I've got an Autel code reader.

Is the Transmission failing and I need to give it to a dealer as quickly as possible?

Yes yes, I know the CVT has had some problems. I realized these problems AFTER I bought the car.

82K Miles. Was a lease vehicle before I purchased it. I have never changed the CVT Fluid.

Thanks for your help.

[audrobotic]

Contrary to popular belief it is not common to have major issues with the B8/B8.5 CVT. Like any transmission it can have issues though. Worst case you can get a used CVT for not a terrible cost. But it could be that the fluid has never been changed. It could be leaking. It could be a failing transmission. It could be something else entirely besides the transmission. I would look for a german specialist.

[JHerrington]

I'm going to try to do a little bit more diagnosing. If I can narrow it down to the transmission, I will change out the fluid and see if that fixes the problem.

For shits, the fluid part number I need is G052516A2, confirmed with a local AUDI dealer.

[OnyxCobra]

I have a CVT from a '13 if you end up needing one, ID NDV. Hopefully the fluid fixes your issue though.

[JHerrington]

I have a CVT from a '13 if you end up needing one, ID NDV. Hopefully the fluid fixes your issue though.

Thanks, I beleive thats my transmission code as well.

I purchased some AUDI CVT Fluid (referenced the PN in post #3.) for only $10 per liter off of ebay. Not sure if the guy selling it stole it or what, but its better than the $25 a liter I found everywhere else.

[Theiceman]

i had a CVT whine develop on a company car i had .. at 60K the CVT then completely died and the car was auctioned.. i think we have a long way to go in the development of the CVT.

[audrobotic]

i had a CVT whine develop on a company car i had .. at 60K the CVT then completely died and the car was auctioned.. i think we have a long way to go in the development of the CVT.

What kind of car (make/model) was this?

[JHerrington]

I have not gotten around to this.

I'm going to attempt to video a startup of the car when it makes the noise. This is pretty difficult as it only makes the noise at startup for a few (5?) seconds and then wont do it for the rest of the day. It has to sit overnight.

Also, on this model, it looks like you drain and fill out of the same hole. This drain plug is NOT a tripple square 16mm. Its some sort of torx. possibly T60? My T 55 was too small.

[JHerrington]

https://youtu.be/xum6vy4hdYU

Link to whine while driving

[JHerrington]

https://youtu.be/-zXhuNZrAIw

Link to video of sound at startup this morning.

All help would be appreciated, even if you're not sure.

[Spawne32]

I think you have two separate noises there judging by the videos. The CVT whine should only occur while driving if its the belt that is bad. In which case, the CVT is on its last leg, the noise is a tell tale sign of failure. The other noise could be a number of things, but since your a 2015 we should be able to rule out power steering as you should have electric steering. Best thing to do would be to try to isolate the noise....but don't hurt yourself on moving parts using this method.

[JHerrington]

Changed the fluid. No noise change.

[Theiceman]

What kind of car (make/model) was this?

sorry just saw this .. it was a 2015 Nissan .... I was commenting on CVT in general , not the vw/audi one .

[JHerrington]

Okay guys, update. Started the car this morning and the surge whine did not occur. Last time i started it, I revved it up to 2500 rpm as directed in the service manual to purge any air out of the transmission. This quieted the noise quicker than usual and has not come back since.

The whine while driving, which is especially noticeable at low speeds due to the lack of road noise, is still there. It sounds like a 2000 Honda Accord driving through a parking lot. I really want to find this noise as I'm still upside down on this car and selling it would not be optimal.

[JHerrington]

I suppose i can put the car back on jack stands, put it in drive, and bring it to like 20 MPH and listen. The noise does not occour when in park or neutral when revving the engine. only in drive or when manually selecting a "gear".

[Theiceman]

Bottom line is you need a new transmission

Sent from my SM-G973W using Audizine mobile app

[Spawne32]

Bottom line is you need a new transmission

Sent from my SM-G973W using Audizine mobile app

It's a hard pill to swallow, but unfortunately that is the life of a CVT. I can understand why hes ignoring everyone. lol

[JHerrington]

It's a hard pill to swallow, but unfortunately that is the life of a CVT. I can understand why hes ignoring everyone. lol

LOL didnt mean to ignore! I was just hoping someone would have an answer that was different than replace the trans. I think I'm going to trade it in and call it quits. I love the Audi brand and the quality, but this has just left a bad taste with a transmission beginning to fail before 80K Miles.

[Spawne32]

LOL didnt mean to ignore! I was just hoping someone would have an answer that was different than replace the trans. I think I'm going to trade it in and call it quits. I love the Audi brand and the quality, but this has just left a bad taste with a transmission beginning to fail before 80K Miles.

CVT's in general are problematic, stay away from Nissan. My mother bought a 2018 versa with 40k on it, certified preowned, and the transmission already started acting funny a month later. Fortunately a fluid change fixed all the issues, but im sure by 80k this thing will be done.

[Theiceman]

CVT's in general are problematic, stay away from Nissan. My mother bought a 2018 versa with 40k on it, certified preowned, and the transmission already started acting funny a month later. Fortunately a fluid change fixed all the issues, but im sure by 80k this thing will be done.

yup . my Nissan CVT fell out of my murrano at 60K miles.. done .. off to auction it went.

[JHerrington]

Anyone got any CVT replacement threads they want to point me to? It doesn't look TOO bad in there. But I've never worked with a transaxle vehicle.

[Theiceman]

Look up.clutch replacement. The procedure to r and r transmission for this job should be close.

Sent from my SM-G973W using Audizine mobile app

[JHerrington]

Look up.clutch replacement. The procedure to r and r transmission for this job should be close.

Sent from my SM-G973W using Audizine mobile app

Right. I figured they would be pretty similar. Ill look into this and see if i want to tackle it.

[JHerrington]

So far, I've looked at both of these writeups. Very.. uh. labor intensive. I've changed the clutch on a jeep before. Hell, I've put a chevy V8 in a jeep before, but this looks rough.

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...emoval-Quattro

http://bd8ba3c866c8cbc330ab-7b26c6f3...llation_R5.pdf

So, as far as computers and equipment. Will I have to get the computer re flashed for the new transmission? Transmission code NDV.

[OnyxCobra]

Anyone got any CVT replacement threads they want to point me to? It doesn't look TOO bad in there. But I've never worked with a transaxle vehicle.

it's not nearly as bad as most FWD vehicles because the engine is still the right direction.

[JHerrington]

Honestly, you're right. Ive got a 2006 highlander and its a PAIN to work on due to the engine being flipped.

[Theiceman]

this might get you started .... or convince you to have a shop do it .. lol

http://bd8ba3c866c8cbc330ab-7b26c6f3...tallation2.pdf

[FlyPenFly]

I recently had a CVT tranny swap done at a tranny shop. They had VAG stuff there but it wasn't high level enough to do the pairing. Unfortunately it does need to be taken to Audi to pair up the computers or it goes crazy and it's Christmas lights on the dash. They charge around 200-350 for this software flash service that basically just resets everything and tells all the components to calm down everything is ok. Car will need to be towed there. Interestingly my car also has a bit of a whine pre and post swap but I think mine might be coming from a bad rotor or wheel bearing... hopefully.

One surefire way to test a dying CVT is to park it on an incline, let it cool down, and then try to go uphill... it won't go into gear and the tranny is probably toast.

For the air purge procedure, did you just do it in park or neutral and rev it up?

[JHerrington]

I recently had a CVT tranny swap done at a tranny shop. They had VAG stuff there but it wasn't high level enough to do the pairing. Unfortunately it does need to be taken to Audi to pair up the computers or it goes crazy and it's Christmas lights on the dash. They charge around 200-350 for this software flash service that basically just resets everything and tells all the components to calm down everything is ok. Car will need to be towed there. Interestingly my car also has a bit of a whine pre and post swap but I think mine might be coming from a bad rotor or wheel bearing... hopefully.

One surefire way to test a dying CVT is to park it on an incline, let it cool down, and then try to go uphill... it won't go into gear and the tranny is probably toast.

For the air purge procedure, did you just do it in park or neutral and rev it up?

Transmission to swap: $1500
New Transmission fluid: $200
Towing to the nearest Audi Dealership: $150
Miscellaneous tools (Triple square sockets) needed for the swap: $50
Audi Reflash: $300
Total: $2200

[JHerrington]

As for the purging procedure, I beleive it was in park.

If I cold start it and give it gas, the whine goes away quicker. It really sounds like theres some sort of valve that has failed in the transmission not keeping fluid in or some sort of blockage going on.

[FlyPenFly]

Get a AAA membership and you get some free tows, decent deal. I think my used Cvt with a year warranty was cheaper on LKQ but of course it was older.

Are you sure your fluid level is correct? It’s a somewhat complex procedure that has timing and temperature requirements.

[JHerrington]

Sold to Carmax. I'm now driving a 04 4runner with 33K Miles, which will most certainly outlast that Audi provided nothing extreme happens.

Thanks for your help everyone.

[Theiceman]

Thanks for coming back and closing the loop. that 4runner will literally run until the body falls off it .. wise move if you are not addicted to the Audi Brand..

[audrobotic]

How much did carmax give you?