30-32,36 Subaru CVT Transmission

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CVT TeCHNOLOGY
By John Volz, Owner, Volz Bros. Automotive Repair
W
hen we decided to purchase a new
shop shuttle vehicle, we began our
research with looking at AWD vehicles that would do well in the snow and provide a
comfortable car to drive customers to work or
home. We focused on the brands in which we
specialize — Honda, Toyota and Subaru.
With the 2010 Subaru Outback being an allnew model, we decided this would be our best
choice. Once I began looking at the new model, I
was somewhat surprised to see that Subaru was
re-introducing the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).
Admittedly, I was somewhat concerned based
upon my first introduction to the CVT in the
Justy model back in the early 1990s. This first introduction was not well received
in the industry. I decided
to do some research, as the
CVT transmission has
been used
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March 2013 | Import-Car.com
with
success
in many
applications, from
machinery to
aircraft to specialty vehicles such
as snow mobiles and
Polaris ATVs.
In the automotive industry, there are a few
different CVT variations, with most of the
Toyota hybrids using a Power Sharing
Transmission (PST). The CVT version
uses only one input from a prime mover,
whereas the PST type uses two prime
mover inputs, but, fun-
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damentally, the driving experience is similar.
From a customer’s perspective while
accelerating, the transmission can feel like it’s slipping as the transmission provides the best gear
ratio for the engine at any given time. For comparison’s sake, a traditional transmission has four, five
and even six speeds to provide gear ratios to mate
with the engine speed to provide optimal performance. On the other
hand, the CVT variation has an infinite
number of gear
ratios that provide
peak performance.
This is the real benefit
of the CVT transmission: it allows for an
infinite number of simulated gear ratios to
maximize power as well
as fuel economy.
As this technology continues to improve, I think the industry will see more vehicles using some
configuration of the CVT-style transmission. Toyota
has used a Variable-Diameter Pulley (VDP) system
in its hybrid vehicles with good success; and we’ve
seen many Prius vehicles with
well over 100,000 miles with
no failures.
Most of the Subarus with the CVT transmissions
that we get in for service have between 30,000 and
90,000 miles, and we have not seen any issues related to the CVT. The one common complaint we
hear from customers is that the CVT is very noisy
upon initial startup, especially in cold conditions.
While doing my research for this article, I
checked with two Subaru dealers in the area and
asked if they are seeing any failures with the
CVTs, and both dealers indicated they have each
had one failure to date. I also contacted the Nissan
dealer that we buy our parts from and inquired
about their similar version, and all they would say
is that they have had multiple failures with the
Nissan version of the technology.
SERVICE IMPLICATIONS
As for what this mean for us in the aftermarket,
there are a few service bulletins related to the CVT.
One is for a cooler line leak on some 2010 Outback
models, which requires an updated hose; another
bulletin is for a “difficult to get out of park” complaint that requires replacing the shift indicator
assembly. As for service intervals, there is no recommendation from the manufacturer for fluid
changes, but our Subaru dealer advises (and I
would agree) that under extreme use it, would be
prudent to change the fluid at around 90,000 miles.
Import-Car.com
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The fluid is currently sold only in
a 5-gallon bucket, P/N
SOA868V9245.
Subaru also provides some
computer updates that require a
factory scan tool — a must if you
work on a lot of Subarus. Having
a good working relationship with
your local dealer is a big help, as
we can attest. Tim, Colin and
their crew at Shingle Springs
Subaru always keep us up-todate on the latest information
available to keep our customers’
Subarus on the road.
Manufacturers have focused on
introducing this technology in
models that have a focus on gas
mileage initially, but are gradually
including other models in their
lineup. One of the challenges has
been to get the more powerful
CVT TeCHNOLOGY
engines and the transmission to
provide peak performance and
fuel economy, while keeping a
driving experience that is somewhat normal for the driver.
The theory of infinite gear
ratios to achieve performance
and fuel economy in the traditional transmission configuration
has been taken to the extremes
from a two-speed automatic in
years past, to many late-model
vehicles that have six-speed automatic transmissions or more.
Just as we have seen fuel systems change over the years from
carburetion to early fuel injection
to precise fuel management, and
engines advance to more valves
per cylinder, variable valve
timing as well as low-friction
Article continues on page 36
SUBARU:
Being Different Is A Good Thing
Subaru is a company that has consistently tried “out of the box”
things — horizontal water boxer engines, the Hill-Holder System,
passing lights and the Brat pick-up truck, to name a few. It’s a
tough little carmaker that certainly isn’t afraid to be different.
• First introduced in the U.S. in 1968.
• The Subaru 360 sold for under $1,300.
• It achieved 66 mpg, and was the first FWD car from Japan.
• It was the first mass-produced 4x4 passenger car in the U.S.
• There are 630 dealers in the U.S.
• Subaru charted strong new vehicle sales increases over the
past four years, while Honda’s and Toyota’s sales were flat.
- Subaru’s 2008 vehicle sales were 187,699,
compared to 336,441 in 2012.
- Toyota same-period sales were 1,957,575
compared to 1,838,338.
- Honda’s new vehicle sales were 1,284,261 in 2008 and
1,266,569 in 2012.
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designs, transmission technology
will continue to evolve and most
manufacturers will introduce
CVT technology into their lineup
in the near future.
From a pure enthusiast pointof-view, driving my 2013 Lexus
GS350 sedan with six-speed
CVT TeCHNOLOGY
automatic in the sport mode is
much more exciting than driving
the Subaru Outback with the
CVT transmission, but practicality says many manufacturers will
be introducing more variations
of the CVT into their lineup in
the coming years. IC
This car was purchased new in June 1981 from
Allred’s Subaru located in Sedona, AZ, by the Spoor
family for the out-the-door price of $9,891.73. The owner traded in his
1977 Subaru 4x4 with only 15,000 miles! The car has since been given
to his daughter, who continues to use it daily, driving on the backroads
of Nevada County, CA, to monitor archaeological sites for the Tahoe
National Forest, Bureau of Land Management and California State
Parks. The car currently has only 59,000 original miles on it. Nothing’s
gonna stop this Suby!
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