Dimonstva

Hello. I am new to this forum but i have read some threads on Lancer GTS CVT tranny fluid change.
My question is when do you change it? From the info I gather here it is at about 60k miles.
Looking at my Maintenance Manuel it does not say when to change it. Only under "severe" driving it says to change it at 30k. But under regular driving I do not see it!?
I checked my tranny oil dipstick and my oil looked clear, like new. I have 47k miles on my Lancer.
I am a bit scared going to my Mitsubishi dealer because they sell mostly Hyandai and have a handful of Mitsubishis on the lot. Plus they only have one trained Mitsu technician on their staff.
I might call them and see what oil they would use on my tranny. I read here that something called Enios CVT tranny oil should be used. Maybe I will buy the oil my self and bring it to them to change. So please someone clear this up for me about why it does not say when to change tranny oil in my manual.
Thank you.

ninjacoco

IIRC, for "normal" driving, they recommend changing it at 60K.

Dimonstva

Thank you very much. What is IRC?

BLKGTS

iTrader: (1)

I think they change the cvt fluid in the 30k maintenance

Dimonstva

can somebody else also give me some advice..
my tranny oil looks clean and clear, why change it if it looks good.
plus, do i have to worry about the mitsu dealership not using the right cvt oil?
thank you very much

Panis

You should change it:

Every 30k if you follow strict schedule.
Every 60K if you follow the normal driving schedule.
Or every 2 years.

You'll be fine if you follow the normal driving schedule. I'm at like 52k and over 2 years and I still havn't changed it yet lol, so it's not like your transmission is going to blow up any day now or anything.

I would think they would use the correct fluid if it's a mitsu dealership and has a certified mitsu tech. You could always ask and make sure.

Dimonstva

so if I change it at 60k miles the next time would be 120k mi?

evo_soul

The CVT by design can go a very long time between oil changes. It uses a steel belt which is submerged in fluid. So long as the consistency of the fluid stays the same (meaning you don't beat the crap out of the car and overheat the tranny fluids on a regular basis) you will be fine going to 60k or even 100k. Remember Mitsubishi / Dealership needs to make money to. But if you have to change your fluid, put a higher quality fluid in there that is synthetic. If you can find the ENEOS from Japan, that one is a full synthetic formula which would last longer in theory vs. the USA formula which is a synthetic blend. Both the synthetic and blend fluids from ENEOS are better than the OE formula.

Please note, that if a dealership attempts to give you difficult with putting in an ENEOS product into your car. Remind them that Nippon Oil / ENEOS is a Mitsubishi Chemical company. Mitsubishi Chemical also produces the Diaqueen stuff

Your other option would be to use Redline CVT belt fluid. I have used all the fluids above, and I find a much smoother operation of the CVT using the Eneos options.

-EVOSOUL

fiveandahalf83

iTrader: (2)

i have had my car for about 38k now. i had the cvt fluid changed in at 30k. i do notice now that my car makes a slight "moaning" sound if i get on the throttle after turning the car on. once it warms up it tends to go away. does the tranny need to be warmed up a bit? is this "moan" normal in cvts?

Dimonstva

I am scared to get my cvt tranny fluid changed precisely because of this.
But then I think; it is just an oil change just the like the engine oil changes I do every 5k miles so what can go wrong!?
And the fact that it needs special cvt tranny oil also scares me. I remember having cars go way past 100k miles and never once changes the tranny oil for the like of the car.
But I gotta trust the mitsubishi techs at the dealership that they know what they are doing and will not do me wrong (no damage to tranny or car).
I wish I could call the mitsubishi company itself direct and ask the directly about the tranny fluiod change.

evo_soul

Some transmissions exhibit noises, the most typical would be a whine almost like some honda's in reverse gear. Some have reported other sounds. They generally do not have any negative effects on the vehicles operation. But they do not sound normal. Dealership may say its normal.

Typically if you use the wrong fluid or your fluid is contaminated, the transmission will not operate properly and fail shortly after. This sounds bad, but its good news. If you car is operating properly, I wouldnt worry so much. You can change the fluid to a premium brand, like I mentioned earlier. But other than that. you will have to get a dealer to dig deeper, and they may not be interested in taking your tranny apart without a problem with the car.

evo_soul

If you are that nervous, go to the dealership and get the normal Diaqueen fluid recommended OE for the car. If you want something made a little better, than buy the Japanese made Eneos fluid which should be full synthetic.

Dealership should be able to handle a CVT fluid change without worry.

Dimonstva

Thank you evo_soul.

You say synthetic Eneos is better.
I once heard that once you put synthetic oil in your engine, from there on you have to stick with synthetic for the life of your car (cannot go back to mineral). Is this true?
But I will probably stick with the OE that you mention. I will just sleep better at night. Thank you very much again.

ninjacoco

IIRC = "If I recall correctly."

The Mitsu dealership should have whatever kind of fluid is recommended for the CVT. I wouldn't worry too much about them using the wrong fluid, TBH.

Dimonstva

does anyone know the oil filter (engine oil) socket wrench size in mm for 2009 lancer gts 2.4?? This socket is so I can screw the engine oil filter with ease.