Bridge-and-ring puller that compresses the secondary pulley hydraulic cylinder on a Nissan JF017E CVT so the belt and cylinder can come out and go back in.
If you have a Jatco JF017E (Nissan RE0F10E) on the bench out of a 3.5L Altima, Pathfinder, Murano, Quest or Infiniti QX60 and the case is split, the next wall you hit is the chain. The secondary pulley is held closed by a heavy spring and a hydraulic cylinder, and until that spring is compressed the chain has no slack to come off the sheaves. This bridge-and-ring tool (manufacturer number 42HE78) is the fixture that does that job safely, both on teardown and when the pulleys and chain go back into the rear cover.
The JF017E is the heavy-duty Jatco CVT for V6 applications, and unlike the earlier belt units it drives through a steel chain running between a primary and a secondary pulley. Both pulleys and the chain live in the rear cover. The secondary sheaves are clamped together by spring force plus the hydraulic piston behind them, which is what keeps chain tension up while driving. On the bench that same clamping force is the problem: you cannot lift the chain off until the movable sheave is pushed open.
The tool is a slotted steel bridge with two adjustable legs, a center forcing screw with a T-handle, and a clamping ring. The ring locks around the secondary pulley cylinder, the legs set in the bridge slots to match the pulley, and the forcing screw runs down onto the shaft end. Turning the handle compresses the spring and opens the sheaves so the chain goes slack. Because the load is spread across the bridge and the screw stays centered on the shaft, you are not prying on hardened sheave faces or the aluminum case, which is how pulleys get scored and covers get cracked.
The common reasons to open the pulley side are belt-and-pulley wear that shows up as shudder or a whine that changes with ratio, slipping under load, and overheating damage. Before committing to a full teardown, rule out the valve body and solenoid side, because a sticking pressure control circuit can mimic pulley slip. Our Jatco CVT problems and fixes guide and the CVT slipping under load diagnosis walk through what to check in the car first. If the fluid shows metal and the noise follows ratio change, the pulleys and chain are coming out, and this is the fixture you need.
This tool is made for the JF017E secondary pulley. That transmission is found behind the 3.5L V6 in the 2013-2018 Nissan Altima and Pathfinder, 2015-2018 Murano and Quest, and 2014-2018 Infiniti QX60. It is not intended for the four-cylinder JF016E or the belt-type JF011E and JF015E, whose pulley assemblies differ. If you are unsure which unit you have, read the tag on the case or send us the year and VIN before ordering. Browse the rest of our CVT parts for the matching hard parts.
Split the case, then take the six pulley retaining bolts out of the rear cover before setting up the tool on the secondary pulley. Compress the spring only until the chain goes slack; there is no reason to bottom the sheave. Pull the two aluminum chain lube tubes, then unclip the chain guides (four identical halves held by locking tabs). Some primary pulleys also carry a spring, so tip the primary out of the chain carefully without side-loading the chain or bending the speed sensor exciter teeth on the back of the pulley. There is a shim on the secondary side of the rear cover; do not lose it.
On reassembly, set the shim and seal ring in the rear cover, open the secondary with the tool, install the guides on the chain with the lube-tube tabs facing in, and lower both pulleys and the chain in as an assembly. The lube tubes go in last, after the front case is on. Inspect the chain track on both pulleys for scoring before reuse; a worn set should be replaced, for example with our JF017E rebuild kit with pulley set and chain, and the pulley bearings are covered by the JF017E four-bearing kit. Refill with Nissan NS-3 CVT fluid only.
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Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
It is built for the Jatco JF017E (Nissan RE0F10E) chain-drive CVT used behind the 3.5L V6 in the 2013-2018 Altima and Pathfinder, 2015-2018 Murano and Quest, and 2014-2018 Infiniti QX60. It is not meant for the four-cylinder JF016E or belt-type JF011E and JF015E units.
The secondary sheaves are held closed by a strong spring and the hydraulic piston behind them. Prying against hardened sheave faces scores them and can crack the aluminum rear cover. Compressing the spring with a centered forcing screw opens the sheaves evenly and gives the chain slack.
It helps. When the secondary pulley is broken down, the piston comes loose under heavy spring force. Controlling that spring with a puller-type fixture keeps fingers clear and lets you replace the seal ring and inspect the rollers and grooves safely.
Inspect the chain track on both pulleys for scoring and check the pulley bearings. Replace worn pulleys and chain as a set, replace the pulley seal rings, and use new bearings if there was any whine. Refill with Nissan NS-3 CVT fluid.
Yes. There is a shim on the secondary pulley side of the rear cover, and the two aluminum chain lube tubes must go back in after the front case is installed. Keep the four chain guide halves together; they are identical.
