2010 Legacy CVT Whirrrrr

[Nfrank89]

Hi, I have a 2010 Subaru Legacy with 130k that has some kind of issue with the CVT. I've worked on plenty of cars over the years but never on a CVT. I got this car from a neighbor who stated that she was having transmission issues and had the torque converter replaced at the recommendation of the shop but when that didn't fix her transmission issues she decided to buy a new car. Here is a video demonstrating the issue.

I'm trying to determine how much of an issue this is. Unfortunately I don't have much room to work on it in my 1-car garage. If this sounds like a valve body issue I'm willing to replace the valve body but I don't really have room to drop the transmission and deal with all that.

I've uploaded a video to YouTube; based on the video, any thoughts about what the issue might be? Unfortunately it didn't do it in the video but along with the constant whirrrr that you hear it will often behave like a slipping clutch and the RPMs will surge with no increase in velocity.

I appreciate any thoughts you may have!

Edited October 24, 2022 by Nfrank89

[Scubaboo]

Sorry no personal insight on that, but I will say that when I was looking into getting a Forester/WRX with the CVT, I saw a lot of info and discussion on the CVT and its problems in the Forester forums.

 

[Nfrank89]

Yeah, I've seen a lot of talk about CVT issues in the later models but I think 2010 was a good year. Typically I can get a good idea of what would cause a particular sound in an engine but I have very little experience with CVTs so I'm hoping someone with a good ear can give some hints on this one.

[FLlegacy]

On 10/26/2022 at 2:03 PM, Nfrank89 said:

Yeah, I've seen a lot of talk about CVT issues in the later models but I think 2010 was a good year. Typically I can get a good idea of what would cause a particular sound in an engine but I have very little experience with CVTs so I'm hoping someone with a good ear can give some hints on this one.

For the legacy 2010 was the worst year, as it was the first model year with the cvt. It had the torque converter bushing issue and later valve-body issues. The solenoids are generally pretty inexpensive and can be bought separate from the valve-body. 

[Loya1ty]

Not sure if you're still going down this rabbit hole, but I'm dealing with the valve body replacement now. Solenoid code was being thrown. I didn't have time to do it myself with a new solenoid or even a valve body kit, so I dropped it off for the dealer to replace it. Unfortunately they are now telling me my trans needs replaced. I will clarify though that my trans/shifting wasn't experiencing any issues at all or like the ones you're describing. The issues you describe and with video appears that the CVT may truly be a goner. I don't think mine should need replaced.. but that's an update for a future date.