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Good info here.
The Loctite I used is probably a .015" gap fill but I'll have to check again. For those that use this Loctite compound it makes a teardown so easy/painless and there is no over application that can plug the transmission as it stays liquid and dissolves in oil unless air is removed. The reason I use it actually is that it's more resistant to CVT oil leaks as the CVT oil can eat away at the factory silicon sealant which happened to me. The machined flanged mating surfaces shouldn't have big gaps so you are more than covered. Good call rebuilding the valvebody. Mine had a galled piston bore for the ratio control so I simply replaced the entire unit though I did rebuild it to clean it out and clean/install some internal filters that Jatco left out. Sonnax offer many upgraded valve body piston options but for now I'm using a stock valvebody.
I didn't have problems with the Variator assembly/disassembly or cocking/jamming, maybe I just got lucky. I typically used WD40 for pressing as the oil is thin and doesn't affect the internal clearances but whatever works best. I also built a special tool using parts from the Transgo tool to improve it for spreading the pulleys for belt removal/install. Definitely gotta have some respect for the large variator spring though as it can easily kill a person if you don't have your thinking cap on when installing/removing. Guys talk about spring compressors for suspensions being dangerous but the CVT pulley spring is the size of suspension spring and will take a person's head off. WIT also use a small Arbor press to speed things up and it seems to help but I used a 12 ton hydraulic press. I also purchased the large TJ-1 gear/bearing puller only on (1) bearing did I have to basically cut the cage off to remove/replace it so that tool helped immensely.
The Variator gap rings are probably the biggest pitfall/trap on the CVT builds. When I confirmed with the air check pressure test per the AAMCO manual I couldn't believe the gap rings from the Toledo JF011E master rebuild kit basically were useless and leaked air massively. You'd think they would sell parts that were tested & proven but apparently not. I then used the WIT recommendation to repurpose the stock gap rings & flipped them over on the unused side and cleaned them up good. Little bit under size from the wear, maybe 1.8mm thick vs. 2.00 mm thick new but they will probably go another 100,000 miles either way. I actually did finally find the OE double lap joint variator teflon seals from Cobra Transmission and so if I do another I'll supplement the typical rebuild kit with those. But flipping and reusing the stock rings I learned from WIT Transmission & it worked great with perfect seal. At some point I'll build a Master CVT rebuild kit from the various Nissan/Aftermarket kits as I've now substituted so much from individual suppliers that I have my own preferences.
The Transgo oil pump relief control valve is interesting. I initially installed it and it looked good though I made the mistake of loctiting the steel sleeve in place which I corrected later. A few guys had issues with pump cavitation and noise running that Transgo upgrade. I then bought a completely brand new OE vane oil pump and upgraded to the Sonnax oil pump relief valve as it's OE design but using a hard anodize coating instead of the standard factory anodize. That Sonnax pump valve upgrade seems to have an excellent reputation. The new Jatco pumps don't even use that valve anymore and designed the oil pump inlet to not cavitate with some innovative inlet and internal chamber porting. I tried to source that pump for the JF011E but had problems finding it and decided it wasn't worth the effort for now.
Pushbelt I had to replace mine as it was totally wasted and I consider them like brake pads and disposable. Mine was worn out and stretched but still intact. When I get asked if the belts are strong or need upgrades, yes they are now strong with the latest F7 super alloy the belts don't usually snap anymore at mileage below 100,000 miles. Unless they are overheated from brake torque launches or the variator balls fail and jam the pulleys they usually don't fail. I found out the pushbelts & links/elements can anneal and lose their hardness if the CVT overheats and so a good oil/filter change and external cooler could do wonders for CVT life is my feeling. Anyway, I have the latest Bosch 901083 belt which is an update from the slightly older 901066 pushbelts. I assume the metallurgy was improved so that's another area I will report on from a durability standpoint. For the RE0F09B (JF010E) transmission they originally came with the 901063 (30mm wide x 12band, F6) version but now updated to the improved 901086 pushbelt from Hitachi. For the RE0F10B (JF011E) CVT Bosch pushelt I paid about $680 from WIT Transmission which is outrageous but they are now pushing $800-$900. After some deep digging I later found that 901083 belt brand new for about $176 thru the Nissan dealership since my transmission shares many internal parts with the older Altima 2.5L application. Same goes for the Jatco OE oil pump which I intially paid $290 from WIT transmission but thru the dealership I can get it for $87 brand spanking new. The torque converter I bought from CVC converter for about $145 and it's a factory reman unit vs. $1500 brand new. I believe they used the improved carbon clutch disc over the OE tan cellulose clutch discs but I can't confirm without purchasing and destroying one. For reference, the factory torque converter is usually trashed if the CVT fails as there is no way to get all the debri out of a converter they are mostly garbage and can quickly wreck a brand new CVT upgrade, no different than an automatic transmission rebuild.
Another point here is that I don't typically use the o-rings supplied in the master rebuild kits if they are critical. In fact if you just take a little time and look at the OE vs. aftermarket parts in the kits and make a judgement call it's really about using quality components wherever possible. I also design seals for a living and I use quality viton seals especially on the input shaft that interfaces with the torque converter input. Here you don't want an o-ring failure as it takes out the entire hydraulics and the CVT is dead basically. It sounds like you had a shop rebuild your torque converter and thats a great alternative. Sonnax and Raybestos offer heavy duty torque converter clutch disc upgrades for our CVT transmission so definitely there is room for upgrading them if you find the right shop to do it. I don't recall the Juke torque converter to be an issue and the size of the clutch disc should be good for about 312 lb-ft torque based on my engineering calculations. Either way upgrades are always a good option.
The variator guide balls are also a debateable topic. They are made of cobalt and typically these will breakup and wreck the variator groove and destroy the transmission as you already know. Those little balls on mine were just about to shear in half but the variator groove(s) looked new still. This was mainly because I drive mostly in manual mode and not "CVT mode" so the variator aren't moving as much. If you had dimpling on the variator groove then the guide balls were probably also close to failing like mine but the guide pins should help preserve the variator. They're a major weak point though and there are many CVT that fail instantly when these little balls let go. Jatco on the JF015/016/018 I believe switched to the "guide roller pin" with a guide plate. There's some debate that the stainless/cobalt balls are still functionally better but I'll need the strength of those variator guide/slide pin upgrades. Some guys are also "tack" welding these guide pins in place as they can slide back forth in their groove and hit the snap retaining grooves. I haven't tried that myself yet but it seems logical. Little improvements like that are what evolve the design.
On the sockets I bought special large/oversize impact type sockets specifically for transmissions from Amazon and they worked great, but whatever works having dedicated impact sockets to drive the nuts is a huge help. I didn't have torque specs for those big nuts but I marked the original position so I had the correct torque angle to utilize.
Yeah, no problem and glad I could help in a small way but it seemed with the ATSG manual you had a good reference to work with. From the feedback I read it seems guys actually once they get used to rebuilding these CVT find them actually pretty simple compared to rebuilding the typical automatic transmission which has way more moving parts. I think it requires a few builds and the tips/tricks do help otherwise it's a pretty simple build in my opinion.
Always a good discussion and hopefully you can share any knowledge would be beneficial to everyone here.
The Loctite I used is probably a .015" gap fill but I'll have to check again. For those that use this Loctite compound it makes a teardown so easy/painless and there is no over application that can plug the transmission as it stays liquid and dissolves in oil unless air is removed. The reason I use it actually is that it's more resistant to CVT oil leaks as the CVT oil can eat away at the factory silicon sealant which happened to me. The machined flanged mating surfaces shouldn't have big gaps so you are more than covered. Good call rebuilding the valvebody. Mine had a galled piston bore for the ratio control so I simply replaced the entire unit though I did rebuild it to clean it out and clean/install some internal filters that Jatco left out. Sonnax offer many upgraded valve body piston options but for now I'm using a stock valvebody.
I didn't have problems with the Variator assembly/disassembly or cocking/jamming, maybe I just got lucky. I typically used WD40 for pressing as the oil is thin and doesn't affect the internal clearances but whatever works best. I also built a special tool using parts from the Transgo tool to improve it for spreading the pulleys for belt removal/install. Definitely gotta have some respect for the large variator spring though as it can easily kill a person if you don't have your thinking cap on when installing/removing. Guys talk about spring compressors for suspensions being dangerous but the CVT pulley spring is the size of suspension spring and will take a person's head off. WIT also use a small Arbor press to speed things up and it seems to help but I used a 12 ton hydraulic press. I also purchased the large TJ-1 gear/bearing puller only on (1) bearing did I have to basically cut the cage off to remove/replace it so that tool helped immensely.
The Variator gap rings are probably the biggest pitfall/trap on the CVT builds. When I confirmed with the air check pressure test per the AAMCO manual I couldn't believe the gap rings from the Toledo JF011E master rebuild kit basically were useless and leaked air massively. You'd think they would sell parts that were tested & proven but apparently not. I then used the WIT recommendation to repurpose the stock gap rings & flipped them over on the unused side and cleaned them up good. Little bit under size from the wear, maybe 1.8mm thick vs. 2.00 mm thick new but they will probably go another 100,000 miles either way. I actually did finally find the OE double lap joint variator teflon seals from Cobra Transmission and so if I do another I'll supplement the typical rebuild kit with those. But flipping and reusing the stock rings I learned from WIT Transmission & it worked great with perfect seal. At some point I'll build a Master CVT rebuild kit from the various Nissan/Aftermarket kits as I've now substituted so much from individual suppliers that I have my own preferences.
The Transgo oil pump relief control valve is interesting. I initially installed it and it looked good though I made the mistake of loctiting the steel sleeve in place which I corrected later. A few guys had issues with pump cavitation and noise running that Transgo upgrade. I then bought a completely brand new OE vane oil pump and upgraded to the Sonnax oil pump relief valve as it's OE design but using a hard anodize coating instead of the standard factory anodize. That Sonnax pump valve upgrade seems to have an excellent reputation. The new Jatco pumps don't even use that valve anymore and designed the oil pump inlet to not cavitate with some innovative inlet and internal chamber porting. I tried to source that pump for the JF011E but had problems finding it and decided it wasn't worth the effort for now.
Pushbelt I had to replace mine as it was totally wasted and I consider them like brake pads and disposable. Mine was worn out and stretched but still intact. When I get asked if the belts are strong or need upgrades, yes they are now strong with the latest F7 super alloy the belts don't usually snap anymore at mileage below 100,000 miles. Unless they are overheated from brake torque launches or the variator balls fail and jam the pulleys they usually don't fail. I found out the pushbelts & links/elements can anneal and lose their hardness if the CVT overheats and so a good oil/filter change and external cooler could do wonders for CVT life is my feeling. Anyway, I have the latest Bosch 901083 belt which is an update from the slightly older 901066 pushbelts. I assume the metallurgy was improved so that's another area I will report on from a durability standpoint. For the RE0F09B (JF010E) transmission they originally came with the 901063 (30mm wide x 12band, F6) version but now updated to the improved 901086 pushbelt from Hitachi. For the RE0F10B (JF011E) CVT Bosch pushelt I paid about $680 from WIT Transmission which is outrageous but they are now pushing $800-$900. After some deep digging I later found that 901083 belt brand new for about $176 thru the Nissan dealership since my transmission shares many internal parts with the older Altima 2.5L application. Same goes for the Jatco OE oil pump which I intially paid $290 from WIT transmission but thru the dealership I can get it for $87 brand spanking new. The torque converter I bought from CVC converter for about $145 and it's a factory reman unit vs. $1500 brand new. I believe they used the improved carbon clutch disc over the OE tan cellulose clutch discs but I can't confirm without purchasing and destroying one. For reference, the factory torque converter is usually trashed if the CVT fails as there is no way to get all the debri out of a converter they are mostly garbage and can quickly wreck a brand new CVT upgrade, no different than an automatic transmission rebuild.
Another point here is that I don't typically use the o-rings supplied in the master rebuild kits if they are critical. In fact if you just take a little time and look at the OE vs. aftermarket parts in the kits and make a judgement call it's really about using quality components wherever possible. I also design seals for a living and I use quality viton seals especially on the input shaft that interfaces with the torque converter input. Here you don't want an o-ring failure as it takes out the entire hydraulics and the CVT is dead basically. It sounds like you had a shop rebuild your torque converter and thats a great alternative. Sonnax and Raybestos offer heavy duty torque converter clutch disc upgrades for our CVT transmission so definitely there is room for upgrading them if you find the right shop to do it. I don't recall the Juke torque converter to be an issue and the size of the clutch disc should be good for about 312 lb-ft torque based on my engineering calculations. Either way upgrades are always a good option.
The variator guide balls are also a debateable topic. They are made of cobalt and typically these will breakup and wreck the variator groove and destroy the transmission as you already know. Those little balls on mine were just about to shear in half but the variator groove(s) looked new still. This was mainly because I drive mostly in manual mode and not "CVT mode" so the variator aren't moving as much. If you had dimpling on the variator groove then the guide balls were probably also close to failing like mine but the guide pins should help preserve the variator. They're a major weak point though and there are many CVT that fail instantly when these little balls let go. Jatco on the JF015/016/018 I believe switched to the "guide roller pin" with a guide plate. There's some debate that the stainless/cobalt balls are still functionally better but I'll need the strength of those variator guide/slide pin upgrades. Some guys are also "tack" welding these guide pins in place as they can slide back forth in their groove and hit the snap retaining grooves. I haven't tried that myself yet but it seems logical. Little improvements like that are what evolve the design.
On the sockets I bought special large/oversize impact type sockets specifically for transmissions from Amazon and they worked great, but whatever works having dedicated impact sockets to drive the nuts is a huge help. I didn't have torque specs for those big nuts but I marked the original position so I had the correct torque angle to utilize.
Yeah, no problem and glad I could help in a small way but it seemed with the ATSG manual you had a good reference to work with. From the feedback I read it seems guys actually once they get used to rebuilding these CVT find them actually pretty simple compared to rebuilding the typical automatic transmission which has way more moving parts. I think it requires a few builds and the tips/tricks do help otherwise it's a pretty simple build in my opinion.
Always a good discussion and hopefully you can share any knowledge would be beneficial to everyone here.