RPMs are going up when I press the gas and speedometer needle stay on 0 MPH?

Tiny
CHYNAS27
  • MEMBER
  • 2010 NISSAN SENTRA
  • 2.0L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 225,000 MILES
My car RPMs are going up when I press the gas and the car speed needle stay on 0 MPH when it’s in drive. I have to put the car in park again for it to catch speed.
Thursday, May 8th, 2025 AT 4:31 PM

13 Replies

Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 51,257 POSTS
Bummer, it sounds like the CVT transmission has gone out. Do you have a check engine light on? If so, we should run the codes to see if any point to a bad transmission. I would remove the transmission dip stick to see if the fluid is burnt up, if so, I would not mess with it and have a new or rebuilt unit installed. But let's run the codes first.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/checking-a-service-engine-soon-or-check-engine-light-on-or-flashing

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Friday, May 9th, 2025 AT 1:14 PM
Tiny
CHYNAS27
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Yes I have the check engine light on.
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Friday, May 9th, 2025 AT 1:22 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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Yep, these are the codes you get when the belt goes out inside the CVT unit. Did you check the fluid condition?
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Saturday, May 10th, 2025 AT 11:37 AM
Tiny
CHYNAS27
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  • 7 POSTS
No, I haven’t checked yet. Should I buy a new transmission or just sell the car? It has over 225,000 miles.
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Saturday, May 10th, 2025 AT 12:24 PM
Tiny
KEN L
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That is up to you, judge how good the condition of the car is and weigh your options. Car payments last 5 to 6 years. I tend to lean towards repairs as a one-time deal but if the car is in bad shape you may want to go a different route.
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Sunday, May 11th, 2025 AT 11:21 AM
Tiny
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I have other repairs to do and is it the transmission going bad or do I need transmission fluid?
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Sunday, May 11th, 2025 AT 11:32 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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You might just need fluid, have you checked it?
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Sunday, May 11th, 2025 AT 11:38 AM
Tiny
CHYNAS27
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  • 7 POSTS
Yes I check the transmission fluid and it barely any fluid on the stick and it is brown
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Thursday, May 15th, 2025 AT 9:36 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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Oopps, that is no good, I would fill the fluid and see if anything has changed, if not it sounds like the transmission has gone bad. Sorry.
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Thursday, May 15th, 2025 AT 12:01 PM
Tiny
CHYNAS27
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Do I take the car to get that done?
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Friday, May 16th, 2025 AT 12:26 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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Yes, if you want to keep the car you need to have a new/rebuilt transmission in it.
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Friday, May 16th, 2025 AT 9:59 AM
Tiny
CHYNAS27
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So adding transmission fluid isn’t going to solve this issue? And it is the transmission
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Friday, May 16th, 2025 AT 10:01 AM
Tiny
KEN L
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"I would fill the fluid and see if anything has changed, " was what I thought you did. So did you add fluid and did it change anything?
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Saturday, May 17th, 2025 AT 3:48 PM

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