1997 NISSAN ALTIMA manual transmission

4Starting and driving
Precautions when starting and driving ...................4-2
Exhaust gas (carbon monoxide) ............................4-2
Three way catalyst .................................................4-2
Drinking alcohol/drugs and driving .........................4-3
Ignition switch .........................................................4-4
Manual transmission ..............................................4-4
Automatic transmission ..........................................4-4
Before starting the engine ......................................4-5
Driving with automatic transmission.......................4-6
Overdrive switch .....................................................4-8
Driving with manual transmission ..........................4-9Starting the engine ...............................................4-10
Parking brake operation .......................................4-11
Cruise control .......................................................4-12
Break-in schedule ................................................4-14
Increasing fuel economy ......................................4-14
Parking/parking on hills ........................................4-15
Power steering system .........................................4-16
Brake system........................................................4-16
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
(if so equipped) ....................................................4-17
Cold weather driving ............................................4-18
ZX

MANUAL TRANSMISSION
The ignition switch includes an anti-theft
steering lock device.
The key can only be removed when the
ignition switch is in the LOCK position.
On manual transmission models, to turn the
ignition key to LOCK from ACC or ON, turn
the key to OFF and press in the key release
button, then turn the key to LOCK.
In order for the steering wheel to be locked,
it must be turned about 1/8 of a turn coun-
terclockwise from the straight up position.To lock the steering wheel, remove the
key. To unlock the steering wheel, insert
the key and turn it gently while rotating
the steering wheel slightly right and left.
WARNING
Never remove the key while driving. If
the key is removed, the steering wheel
will lock. This may cause the driver to
lose control of the vehicle and could
result in serious vehicle damage or
personal injury.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
On automatic transmission models the igni-
tion lock is designed so the key cannot be
turned to LOCK and removed until the shift
lever is moved to the P (Park) position.
When removing the key from the ignition,
make sure the shift lever is in the P (Park)
position.
When the key cannot be turned to the LOCK
position, proceed as follows to remove the
key:
1) Move the shift lever into the P (Park)
position.
ASD0022ASD0023
IGNITION SWITCH
4-4
ZX

Shifting with manual transmission
To change gears, fully depress the clutch
pedal, and then move the gearshift lever.
After shifting, release the clutch pedal slowly.
You cannot shift directly from 5th gear into
Reverse (R). First shift into Neutral (N), then
into Reverse (R).
If it is difficult to move the shift lever into R or
1st, shift into N, then release and depress
the clutch pedal again and shift into R or 1st.
WARNING
cDo not downshift abruptly on slip-
pery roads. This may cause a loss of
control.
cDo not over-rev the engine when
shifting to a lower gear. This may
cause a loss of control or engine
damage.
CAUTION
cDo not rest your foot on the clutch
pedal while driving. This may cause
clutch damage.
cStop your vehicle completely before
shifting into R.
cWhen the vehicle is stopped for a
duration, for example at a stop light,
shift to N and release the clutch
pedal with the foot brake applied.
Suggested shift-up speeds
Shown below are suggested vehicle speeds
for shifting into a higher gear. These sug-
gestions relate to fuel economy and vehicle
performance. Actual shift-up speeds willvary according to road conditions, the
weather and individual driving habits.
For normal acceleration in low altitude ar-
eas (less than 4,000 ft [1,219 m]):
Gear changeACCEL
shift point
MPH (km/h)CRUISE
shift point
MPH (km/h)
1st to 2nd 15 (24) 15 (24)
2nd to 3rd 25 (40) 18 (29)
3rd to 4th 36 (58) 30 (48)
4th to 5th 40 (64) 39 (63)
For quick acceleration in low altitude areas
and high altitude areas (over 4,000 ft [1,219
m]):
Gear change MPH (km/h)
1st to 2nd 15 (24)
2nd to 3rd 25 (40)
3rd to 4th 40 (64)
4th to 5th 45 (72)
Suggested maximum speed in each
gear
Downshift to a lower gear if the engine is not
running smoothly, or if you need to accelerate.
SD1022
DRIVING WITH MANUAL
TRANSMISSION
4-9
ZX

Do not exceed the maximum suggested
speed (shown below) in any gear. For level
road driving, use the highest gear sug-
gested for that speed. Always observe
posted speed limits, and drive according to
the road conditions, which will ensure safe
operation. Do not over-rev the engine when
shifting to a lower gear as it may cause
engine damage or loss of vehicle control.
Gear MPH (km/h)
1st 30 (50)
2nd 60 (95)
3rd 90 (145)
4th þ
5th þ1. Apply the parking brake.
2.Automatic transmission:
Move the shift lever to P (Park) or N
(Neutral). (P preferred.)
The shift lever cannot be moved out of
P and into any of the other gear posi-
tions if the ignition key is turned to
OFF or if the key is removed.
The starter is designed not to operate
if the shift lever is in any of the driving
positions.
Manual transmission:
Move the gearshift lever to N (Neutral),
and depress the clutch pedal to the floor
while cranking the engine.
The starter is designed not to operate
unless the clutch pedal is depressed.
3. Crank the enginewith your foot off the
accelerator pedalby turning the ignition
key to START. Release the key when the
engine starts. If the engine starts, but
fails to run, repeat the above procedure.
Ð If the engine is very hard to start in
extremely cold or hot weather, de-
press and hold the accelerator pedal
to help start the engine.
Ð In the summer, when restarting the
engine within 30 minutes after it hasbeen stopped, keep the accelerator
pedal fully depressed while starting.
CAUTION
Do not operate the starter for more than
15 seconds at a time. If the engine does
not
start, turn the key off and wait 10
seconds before cranking again, other-
wise the starter could be damaged.
4.Warm-up
Allow the engine to idle for at least 30
seconds after starting. Drive at moderate
speed for a short distance first, especially
in cold weather.
STARTING THE ENGINE
4-10
ZX

To engage:pull the lever up.
To release:
1. Firmly apply foot brake.
2. Manual transmission models:
Place the gearshift in the N (neutral)
position.
Automatic transmission models:
Move the gearshift lever to the P (park)
position.
3. While pulling up on the parking brake
lever slightly, push the button and lower
completely.4. Before driving, be sure the brake warning
light goes out.
WARNING
cBe sure the parking brake is fully
released before driving. Failure to do
so can cause brake failure and lead
to an accident.
cDo not release the parking brake
from outside the vehicle.
cDo not use the gear shift in place of
the parking brake. When parking, be
sure the parking brake is fully
engaged.
c
Do not leave children unattended in a
vehicle. They could release the park-
ing brake and cause an accident.
ASD0502
PARKING BRAKE
OPERATION
4-11
ZX

The cruise control allows driving at a speed
between 30 to 90 MPH (48 to 144 km/h)
without keeping your foot on the accelerator
pedal.
To turn on the cruise control,push the
main switch. The indicator light on the
switch comes on.
To set cruising speed,accelerate your
vehicle to the desired speed, push the
COAST/SET switch and release it. The
CRUISE indicator light comes on. Take your
foot off the accelerator pedal. Your vehicle
maintains the set speed.cTo pass another vehicle,depress the
accelerator pedal. When you release the
pedal, the vehicle returns to the previ-
ously set speed.
c
The vehicle may not maintain the set speed
when going up or down steep hills. If this
happens, drive without the cruise control.
To cancel the preset speed,use one of
the following three methods:
a) Push the CANCEL button; the CRUISE
light goes out.
b) Tap the brake pedal; the CRUISE light
goes out.c) Turn the main switch off. Both the ON
indicator and CRUISE lights go out.
The cruise control is automatically can-
celled and the CRUISE light goes out if:
cYou depress the brake pedal while push-
ing the ACCEL set switch.
cThe vehicle slows down more than 8
MPH (13 km/h) below the set speed.
cYou depress the clutch pedal (manual
transmission), or move the shift lever to
N (automatic transmission).
To reset at a faster cruising speed,use
one of the following three methods:
a) Depress the accelerator pedal. When the
vehicle attains the desired speed, push
and release the COAST/SET switch.
b) Push and hold the ACCEL set switch.
When the vehicle attains the speed you
desire, release the switch.
c) Push and quickly release the ACCEL set
switch. Each time you do this, the set
speed increases by about 1 MPH (1.6
km/h).
ASD0512
CRUISE CONTROL
4-12
ZX

To reset at a slower cruising speed,use
one of the following three methods:
a) Lightly tap the brake pedal. When the
vehicle attains the desired speed, push
the COAST/SET switch and release it.
b) Push and hold the COAST/SET switch.
Release the switch when the vehicle
slows to the desired speed.
c) Push and quickly release the
COAST/SET switch. Each time you do
this, the set speed decreases by about 1
MPH (1.6 km/h).
To resume the preset speed,push and re-
lease the RESUME switch. The vehicle returns
to the last set cruising speed when the vehicle
speed is over 30 MPH (48 km/h).
Precautions
cIf the cruise control system malfunctions,
it cancels automatically. The cruise indi-
cator light in the instrument panel then
blinks to warn the driver.
cIf the cruise indicator light blinks, turn the
cruise control main switch off and have
the system checked by your NISSAN
dealer.cThe cruise indicator light may blink when
the cruise control main switch is turned
ON while pushing the RES/ACCEL,
COAST/SET, or CANCEL switch (lo-
cated on the steering wheel). To properly
set the cruise control system, perform the
preceding steps in the order indicated.
WARNING
Do not use the cruise control when
driving under the following conditions:
cit is not possible to keep the vehicle
at a set speed.
cin heavy traffic or in traffic that var-
ies in speed.
con winding or hilly roads.
con slippery roads (rain, snow, ice,
etc.).
cin very windy areas.
Doing so could cause a loss of vehicle
control and result in an accident.
CAUTION
On manual transmission models, do
not shift into neutral without depress-
ing the clutch pedal when the cruise
control is on. Should this occur, de-
press the clutch pedal and turn the
main switch off immediately. Failure to
do so may cause engine damage.
4-13
ZX

WARNING
Do not park the vehicle over flammable
materials such as dry grass, waste pa-
per or rags. They may ignite and cause
a fire.
1. Firmly apply the parking brake.
2.Manual transmission models:
Place the gearshift lever in the R (Re-
verse) position. When parking on an up-
hill grade, place the gearshift lever in 1
(First) gear.Automatic transmission models:
Move the gearshift lever to the P (Park)
position.
WARNING
Safe parking procedures require that
both the parking brake be set and the
transmission placed into P position
(automatic) or in the appropriate gear
(manual). Failure to do so could cause
the vehicle to move unexpectedly or
roll away and result in an accident.
Make sure the shift lever has beenpushed as far forward as it can go and
cannot be moved without depressing
the button at the end of the lever.
3. To help prevent the vehicle from rolling
into traffic when parked on an incline, it is
a good practice to turn the wheels as
illustrated.
cHEADED DOWNHILL WITH CURB:
s1
Turn the wheels into the curb and move
the vehicle forward until the curb side
wheel gently touches the curb.
cHEADED UPHILL WITH CURB:
s2
Turn the wheels away from the curb and
move the vehicle back until the curb side
wheel gently touches the curb.
cHEADED UPHILL OR DOWNHILL, NO
CURB:
s3
Turn the wheels toward the side of the
road so the vehicle will move away from
the center of the road if it moves.
4. Turn the ignition key to the LOCK posi-
tion and remove the key.
SD1006M
PARKING/PARKING ON HILLS
4-15
ZX