CVT belt failure at 14k miles...

jred721

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I do the same thing, and honestly I have pressed the gas pedal sometimes. Page 97 in the manual says, "When you change the shift lever from D to R and vice versa, come to a complete stop and keep the brake pedal depressed. Operating the shift lever before the vehicle has come to a complete standstill can damage the transmission. Do not operate the shift lever while pressing the accelerator pedal. You could damage the transmission."
Well, if the manual says that then looks like i'm going to have to be more careful lol.
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HandyAndy1013

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It's not uncommon for transmissions to suffer internal damage in the event of an impact. Sorry about your luck, but this is the risk of buying a salvage title. I'd never buy a salvage unless me or somebody I know was the rebuilder.

I'd say your best bet is to find a CVT out of another wreck and try your luck. Manual swaps were complicated enough 20 years ago... I'd hate to see what it would involve with cars these days.

As others said, make sure you come to a 100% complete stop before shifting from R to D.
I know who fixed the car, and always come to a stop when changing from R to D. The ONLY way I would consider a manual swap on a modern car is if I had an entire car to pick the parts from, it would be complicated but possible. I like the CVT for daily use so the motivation to swap is to a stick is limited. I paid 12k for the car with 10k miles on it. clean retail would have been over $22k when I bought it with a clean title.
 

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As far as the "can I change the CVT from D to S or S to D while moving" question... of course you can. For example, you're on the highway in D and want to pass someone quickly. You shift to S. Or vice-versa, you shift back to D from S. All perfectly fine and no need to let off on the throttle (but you can if you want). Remember, all you're doing is switching to a different computer program.
 

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My car has a stock tune, as far as I know. It has been a dream to drive for the last 4k miles, then this happened. I work in the automotive collision industry, and have witnessed MANY cars that were hit hard, repaired, with no issues like this. Who knows, maybe it was a "perfect storm" situation, but it is odd that there were no symptoms prior to the failure. I work next to a Honda dealer, and have some contacts in the shop to get advice from. I was informed that the belt rarely comes apart like this, but they do see it from time to time. There are no parts available to repair the existing unit (according to Honda), so no matter what the trans has to be swapped. After going on the hunt for a used I found an issue.... The software that salvage yards use shows that all sedans with CVT use the same trans, 2.0 N/A and 1.5t according to them both engines share the same mixer...
I inquired with the guys I know at the Honda dealer and was told that there is a slight part number difference.... So, easy right? Just find a used trans from a CVT car that was paired to a 1.5t, right? They do exist, but no where around here at the moment. Luckily I have other transportation options so I can be patient and find what works best. Honda only quoted me a reman trans @$2200, I didn't even think about asking about a new one till I do some digging. Thanks for all of the replies and condolences. Keep watch for a trans swap post.
a new one installed by honda is over $9k.....And yes, its true, they can not fix the cvt, its a no open part, so if its bad, they just replace the whole thing.
 

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... all sedans with CVT use the same trans, 2.0 N/A and 1.5t according to them both engines share the same mixer...
Just to be clear, the 1.5T uses a modified version of an Accord CVT. It is a different unit than the older CVT used in the 2.0 cars.
 


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I don't mean to talk down the complexity of a CVT used in an automotive application but...

If you're good with a wrench... why not replace the belt and see how it goes? That would only cost a couple hundred bucks I'd assume... and cracking open a CVT would be akin to a clutch swap regarding labor in some ways. I've replaced the belt on my GY6 powered Man-Cart (sounds better than go-kart). So long as your pulleys aren't notably damaged... then it shouldn't be that difficult. If I were in your position, with the CVT experience I already have in their basic construction and operation... I'd be definitely putting a new belt on there and seeing how it goes.

Barring that... I'd just get a CVT off a junker that doesn't have any impacts to it's front end/front sides. It would seem to, again, be a simple swap. It's $125 for a transmission for a FWD at my local junk yard. It's a newer car which might be harder to source one... but I *sure* wouldn't spend the money on a new one. It might be competitively priced compared to a belt change even.
 

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a new one installed by honda is over $9k.....And yes, its true, they can not fix the cvt, its a no open part, so if its bad, they just replace the whole thing.
Wow... that's just awful. While the belt looked a but more 'chainy'... I've always had the opinion that belts wear out and chains are for life. I know some manufacturers uses belts that still have a rubber component to it. That's one of the reasons I've been a little meh on them... as I never though of them as a lifetime part.
 

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Wow... that's just awful. While the belt looked a but more 'chainy'... I've always had the opinion that belts wear out and chains are for life. I know some manufacturers uses belts that still have a rubber component to it. That's one of the reasons I've been a little meh on them... as I never though of them as a lifetime part.
Yeah there are lots of replaceable parts, my service adviser told me though that at this point, honda is saving the labor of taking them apart at the dealer level for diagnosis and would rather just replace, then the dealer is sending the cvt to corporate for them to look at.
 

charleswrivers

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I looked near me and didn't see any 10th gens, or I'd attack one with my impact wrench and made a CVT come into being. I also looked around Knoxville @HandyAndy1013 and didn't see anything nearby. I do see a few salvage titled cars around that that may be what the junkyards are doing as they get them for the most profit... repair and resell as a salvage title rather than scrap. I still think there's got to be a handful of 10th gens with CVTs at a few salvage yards around. Looking and getting it shipped or driving a ways to get one would be required. While much more expensive than pulling it yourself, getting a used unit shipped to you for a grand from the page @nox provided still is way better than $9k through Honda... and would eliminate having to go and get it. You'd just have to install/have it installed. You might be able to recoup some money by pulling some items/sensors off your existing CVT, though I don't imagine there much of a demand for anything at this point.
 

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Yeah there are lots of replaceable parts, my service adviser told me though that at this point, honda is saving the labor of taking them apart at the dealer level for diagnosis and would rather just replace, then the dealer is sending the cvt to corporate for them to look at.
I guess it makes sense from a dealer standpoint. Given my limited experience with the little guys I've worked with and the pictures I've seen on the parts sites... the construction seems very similar. You have a.. for a better description... 'wet' side and 'dry' side. The wet side is the PITA side with all the gears and bearings that are shimmed and would be a comparative bastard to work on. The dry side is separate and just had the belt riding on the pulleys. Now... rather than simple springs and weights that make up the variator, I can imagine there's solenoids that give the you "D" and "S" drive modes that a simple ATV CTV would lack... and the centrifugal-style clutch that lets you idle without the thing taking off in an ATVs CVT is handled differently in a car... because it'll move forward while idling, just like a conventional AT. Still... cracking open the 'dry' half to change a belt looks terribly simple. I'm probably way over simplifying it and it might actually be a real PITA, but it's a real shame the parts aren't there to make an attempt. Hopefully that'll change one of these days. Anytime I hear the word "belt" I think of something that will have to be replaced one of these days.
 
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HandyAndy1013

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Just to be clear, the 1.5T uses a modified version of an Accord CVT. It is a different unit than the older CVT used in the 2.0 cars.
Every junk yard that I contact tell me that ANY CVT from a 2016+ Civic, 2.0 or 1.5t will fit my car and is an exact match. Honda says they have different part numbers.... I contacted LKQ and they have over 200 transmissions that are suppose to fit my car, but few that are confirmed to have been attached to a 1.5t. I can't seem to find if there is actually any difference... I can get one for $600+tax, just hope they sent me the right one. I have little doubt that it would "fit", but concerned about the possible differences in final drive ratio and strength of internal components.
Here is someone is Asia that successfully did the swap.

If I ran across a whole donor car I would do this for sure.

https://club.autohome.com.cn/bbs/thread/1b5d6e0b0d37bdc4/77791290-1.html
If I ran across a whole donor car I would do this for sure.
 

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Every junk yard that I contact tell me that ANY CVT from a 2016+ Civic, 2.0 or 1.5t will fit my car and is an exact match. Honda says they have different part numbers.
They aren't the same. The 1.5t and 2.0 references different transmissions. I think there's a label on the transmission, should be white or silverly looking that's have a code as to what it is. I don't recall anyone ever saying what type of transmission the different CVTs are. I'd look to see what yours says and then see if someone else with the same engine and confirm that theirs matches yours. If so, you'd want a CVT with that matching code.
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