2001 NISSAN MAXIMA engine

The jack should be used on level firm
ground.
2. Loosen each wheel nut one or two turns by
turning counterclockwise with the wheel nut
wrench.Do not remove the wheel nuts
until the tire is off the ground.
3. Carefully raise the vehicle until the tire
clears the ground. To lift the vehicle, se-
curely hold the jack lever and rod with both
hands as shown above. Remove the wheel
nuts, and then remove the tire.
WARNING
INever get under the vehicle while it is
supported only by the jack.
IUse only the jack provided with your
vehicle to lift the vehicle. Do not use
the jack provided with your vehicle
on other vehicles.
The jack is designed only for lifting
your vehicle during a tire change.IUse the correct jack up points; never
use any other part of the vehicle for
jack support.
INever jack up the vehicle more than
necessary.
INever use blocks on or under the
jack.
IDo not start or run engine while ve-
hicle is on the jack, as it may cause
the vehicle to move. This is especially
true for vehicles with limited slid dif-
ferential carriers.
IDo not allow passengers to stay in
the vehicle while it is on the jack.
CE1092
In case of emergency
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Stowing the damaged tire and toolsSecurely store the spare tire and jacking
equipment in the vehicle.
WARNING
IAlways make sure that the spare tire
and jacking equipment are properly
secured after use. Such items can
become dangerous projectiles in an
accident or sudden stop.
IThe T-type spare tire and small sizespare tire are designed for emer-
gency use. See ªTires and wheelsº in
the ª8. Do-it-yourselfº section.To start your engine with a booster battery, the
instructions and precautions below must be
followed.
WARNING
IIf done incorrectly, jump starting can
lead to a battery explosion, resulting
in severe injury or death. It could also
damage your vehicle.
IExplosive hydrogen gas is always
present in the vicinity of the battery.
Keep all sparks and flames away from
the battery.
IDo not allow battery fluid to come
into contact with eyes, skin, cloth or
painted surfaces. Battery fluid is a
corrosive sulphuric acid solution
which can cause severe burns. If the
fluid should come into contact with
anything, immediately flush the con-
tacted area with water.
IKeep battery out of the reach of
children.
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JUMP STARTING
In case of emergency
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IThe booster battery must be rated at
12 volts. Use of an improperly rated
battery can damage your vehicle.
IWhenever working on or near a bat-
tery, always wear suitable eye protec-
tors (for example, goggles or indus-
trial safety spectacles) and remove
rings, metal bands, or any other jew-
elry. Do not lean over the battery
when jump starting.
IDo not attempt to jump start a frozen
battery. It could explode and cause
serious injury.
IYour vehicle has an automatic engine
cooling fan. It could come on at any
time. Keep hands and other objects
away from it.
WARNING
Always follow the instructions below.
Failure to do so could result in damage
to the charging system and cause per-
sonal injury.
1. If the booster battery is in another vehicle,
position the two vehicles to bring their bat-
teries into close proximity to each other.
Do not allow the two vehicles to touch.
2. Apply parking brake. Move the shift lever tothe N (Neutral) position (On automatic
transmission models, move the selector
lever to the P (Park) position). Switch off all
unnecessary electrical systems (light,
heater, air conditioner, etc.).
3. Remove vent caps on the battery (if so
equipped). Cover the battery with an old
cloth to reduce explosion hazard.
4. Connect jumper cables in the sequence as
illustrated.
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CAUTION
IAlways connect positive (+) to posi-
tive (+) and negative (þ) to body
ground (for example, strut mounting
bolt, etc. Ð not to the battery).
IMake sure that cables do not touch
moving parts in the engine compart-
ment and that clamps do not contact
any other metal.
5. Start the engine of the other vehicle and let
it run for a few minutes.
6. Keep the engine speed of the other vehicle
at about 2,000 rpm, and start your engine in
the normal manner.
CAUTION
Do not keep starter motor engaged for
more than 10 seconds. If the engine
does not start right away, turn the key
off and wait 3 to 4 seconds before trying
again.7. After starting your engine, carefully discon-
nect the negative cable and then the posi-
tive cable.
8. Replace the vent caps (if so equipped). Be
sure to dispose of the cloth used to cover
the vent holes as it may be contaminated
with corrosive acid.
CAUTION
IAutomatic transmission models can-
not be push started. This may cause
transmission damage.
IThree way catalyst equipped models
should not be started by pushing
since the three way catalyst may be
damaged.
INever try to start the vehicle by tow-
ing it; when the engine starts, the
forward surge could cause the ve-
hicle to collide with the tow vehicle.PUSH STARTING
In case of emergency
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WARNING
IDo not continue to drive if your ve-
hicle overheats. Doing so could
cause a vehicle fire.
ITo avoid the danger of being scalded,
never remove the radiator cap while
the engine is still hot. When the radia-
tor cap is removed, pressurized hot
water will spurt out, possibly causing
serious injury.
IDo not open the hood if steam is
coming out.
If your vehicle is overheating (indicated by an
extremely high temperature gauge reading), or
if you feel a lack of engine power, detect
abnormal noise, etc., take the following steps:
1. Move the vehicle safely off the road, apply
the parking brake and move the shift lever
to the N (Neutral) position (automatic trans-
mission to the P (Park) position).
Do not stop the engine.
2. Turn off the air conditioner switch. Open all
the windows, move the heater or air condi-tioner temperature control to maximum hot
and fan control to high speed.
3. Get out of the vehicle. Look and listen for
steam or coolant escaping from the radiator
before opening the hood. Wait until no
steam or coolant can be seen before pro-
ceeding.
4. Open the engine hood.
WARNING
If steam or water is coming from the
engine, stand clear to prevent getting
burned.
5. Visually check if the cooling fan is running.
The radiator hoses and radiator should not
leak water.
If coolant is leaking or the cooling fan does
not run, stop the engine.
WARNING
IBe careful not to allow your hands,
hair, jewelry or clothing to come intocontact with, or to get caught in the
cooling fan, or drive belt.
IThe engine cooling fan can start at
any time when the coolant tempera-
ture is high.
6. After the engine cools down, check the
coolant level in the reservoir tank with the
engine running. Add coolant to the reservoir
tank if necessary. Have your vehicle re-
paired at the nearest NISSAN dealer.
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8 Do-it-yourselfMaintenance precautions .......................................... 8-2
Engine compartment check locations ....................... 8-4
Engine cooling system .............................................. 8-5
Checking engine coolant level ............................. 8-5
Changing engine coolant ..................................... 8-6
Engine oil .................................................................. 8-7
Checking engine oil level ..................................... 8-7
Changing engine oil ............................................. 8-8
Changing engine oil filter ..................................... 8-9
Automatic transmission fluid ................................... 8-10
Temperature conditions for checking ................. 8-10
Power steering fluid ................................................ 8-11
Brake and clutch fluid ............................................. 8-12
Window washer fluid ............................................... 8-12
Battery ..................................................................... 8-13
Drive belts ............................................................... 8-15
Spark plugs ............................................................. 8-15
Replacing spark plugs ........................................ 8-16
Air cleaner ............................................................... 8-16
Windshield wiper blades ......................................... 8-17Cleaning ............................................................. 8-17
Replacement ...................................................... 8-17
Parking brake and brake pedal ............................... 8-18
Checking parking brake ..................................... 8-18
Checking brake pedal ........................................ 8-18
Brake booster ..................................................... 8-19
Clutch pedal ............................................................ 8-19
Fuses....................................................................... 8-20
Engine compartment .......................................... 8-20
Passenger compartment .................................... 8-21
Multi-remote controller battery replacement ........... 8-22
Lights ....................................................................... 8-23
Headlights........................................................... 8-24
Exterior and interior lights .................................. 8-25
Tires and wheels ..................................................... 8-30
Tire pressure ...................................................... 8-30
Types of tires...................................................... 8-30
Tire chains .......................................................... 8-31
Changing tires and wheels ................................. 8-32
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When performing any inspection or mainte-
nance work on your vehicle, always take care
to prevent serious accidental injury to yourself
or damage to the vehicle. The following are
general precautions which should be closely
observed.
WARNING
IPark the vehicle on a level surface,
apply the parking brake securely and
block the wheels to prevent the ve-
hicle from moving. For a manual
transmission, move the shift lever to
N (Neutral) position. For an automatic
transmission, move the selector lever
to P (Park) position.
IBe sure the ignition key is OFF or
LOCK when performing any parts re-
placement or repairs.
IYour vehicle is equipped with an au-
tomatic engine cooling fan. It may
come on at any time without warning,
even if the ignition key is in the OFF
position and the engine is not run-
ning. To avoid injury, always discon-nect the negative battery cable before
working near the fan.
IIf you must work with the engine
running, keep your hands, clothing,
hair and tools away from moving
fans, belts and any other moving
parts.
IIt is advisable to secure or remove
any loose clothing and any jewelry,
such as rings, watches, etc. before
working on your vehicle.
IAlways wear eye protection when-
ever you work on your vehicle.
IIf you must run the engine in an
enclosed space such as a garage, be
sure there is proper ventilation for
exhaust gases to escape.
INever get under the vehicle while it is
supported only by a jack. If it is nec-
essary to work under the vehicle,
support it with safety stands.
IKeep smoking materials, flame and
sparks away from fuel and the bat-tery.
IOn gasoline engine models with the
Multiport Fuel Injection (MFI) System,
the fuel filter or fuel lines should be
serviced by a NISSAN dealer because
the fuel lines are under high pressure
even when the engine is off.
CAUTION
IDo not work under the hood while the
engine is hot. Turn off the engine and
wait until it cools down.
INever connect or disconnect either
the battery or any transistorized com-
ponent connector while the ignition
key is on.
INever leave the engine or the auto-
matic transmission related compo-
nent harness connector discon-
nected while the ignition key is on.
IAvoid direct contact with used engine
oil and coolant. Improperly disposed
MAINTENANCE PRECAUTIONS8-2
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engine oil, engine coolant and/or
other vehicle fluids can hurt the envi-
ronment. Always conform to local
regulations for disposal of vehicle
fluid.
This ª8. Do-it-yourselfº section gives instruc-
tions regarding only those items which are
relatively easy for an owner to perform.
A genuine NISSAN Service Manual is also
available. See ªOwner's Manual/Service
Manual order informationº in the ª10. Technical
and consurner informationº section.
You should be aware that incomplete or im-
proper servicing may result in operating diffi-
culties or excessive emissions, and could af-
fect your warranty coverage.If in doubt about
any servicing, have it done by your NISSAN
dealer.
Do-it-yourself
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