I've got a 2009 Lancer GTS CVT and have noticed a strange noise my car makes sometimes when I floor it from a stop. It's kind of a knocking sound and it feels like the wheels are bouncing off of the ground from spinning. I was just informed by a friend yesterday that what I'm hearing is definitely NOT the wheels.

Therefore, I'm inclined to believe that I'm getting a slip in the chain on my tranny. This concerns me greatly, as I'm getting a turbocharged in the next couple of weeks. (I know, I can only push low boost and that it's not smart to turbo a CVT) Obviously, the last thing that I want is to break my trans.

Has anyone else had this happen to them? And is it possible to reinforce a CVT transmission?

 

A knocking sound? usually a cvt will start to develop a super charger like whine and then go into limp/safe mode. Is the knocking rhythmic with the RPMs? Has the car ever gone into limp mode?

There isn't really a way to make the cvt stronger. the only thing you can do is try to keep it as cool as possible by getting a bigger tranny cooler or two, a fan wouldn't hurt too.

 

It's never gone into limp/safe mode. And I guess it's not really a sound that it makes. It's more that it makes the whole car shake, but the wheels don't turn.