2001 NISSAN SENTRA Owners Manual

CHANGING A FLAT TIRE
If you have a flat tire, follow the instructions
below.
Stopping the vehicle
1. Safely move the vehicle off the road and
away from traffic.
2. Turn on the hazard warning flashers.
3. Park on a level surface and apply the
parking brake. Shift the manual transmis-
sion into R (Reverse), or the automatic
transmission into P (Park).
4. Turn off the engine.
5. Raise the hood to warn other traffic, and
to signal professional road assistance
personnel that you need assistance.
6. Have all passengers get out of the ve-
hicle and stand in a safe place, away
from traffic and clear of the vehicle.
WARNING
cMake sure the parking brake is se-
curely applied and the manual trans-
mission is shifted into R (Re-verse), or the automatic transmis-
sion into P (Park).
cNever change tires when the vehicle
is on a slope, ice or slippery areas.
This is hazardous.
cNever change tires if oncoming traf-
fic is close to your vehicle. Wait for
professional road assistance.
Blocking wheels
Place suitable blocks at both the front and
back of the wheel diagonally opposite the
flat tire to prevent the vehicle from rolling
when it is jacked up.
WARNING
Be sure to block the wheel as the ve-
hicle may move and result in personal
injury.
MCE0001
FLAT TIRE
6-2In case of emergency
ZX

Getting the spare tire and tools
1. Open the trunk. Lift the trunk floor carpet-
ing and spare tire cover. Remove the tool
bag (which contains the jack rod and
wheel nut wrench) and the spare tire. If
necessary, use the flat end of the jack
rod as shown to loosen the spare tire
hold-down bolt.2. To remove the jack, turn the jack screw
counterclockwise. Use the tapered end
of the jack rod to loosen the jack from its
storage position.
WCE0012WCE0009
In case of emergency6-3
ZX

Removing wheel covers
Remove the wheel covers as shown.
CAUTION
Do not use your hands to pry off wheel
caps or wheel covers. Doing so could
result in personal injury.
WCE0018
6-4In case of emergency
ZX

Bolt-on wheel covers
Wheel cover attachment to the wheel is
made by one of the wheel lug nuts. This
wheel lug nut needs to be removed before
the wheel cover can be removed from the
wheel.
Jacking up vehicle and removing the
damaged tire
WARNING
cNever get under the vehicle while it
is supported only by the jack.
cUse only the jack provided with your
vehicle. Do not use the jack provided
with your vehicle on other vehicles.
The jack is designed for lifting only
your vehicle during a tire change.
cUse the correct jack-up points.
Never use any other part of the ve-
hicle for jack support.
LCE0010WCE0006
In case of emergency6-5
ZX

cNever jack up the vehicle more than
necessary.
cNever use blocks on or under the
jack.
cDo not start or run engine while
vehicle is on the jack. It may cause
the vehicle to move.
cDo not allow passengers to stay in
the vehicle while it is on the jack.cNever run the engine with a wheel off
the ground. It may cause the vehicle
to move.
Carefully read the caution label attached
to the jack body and the following in-
structions.
1. 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.
2.
Place the jack directly under the jack-uppoint as illustrated above so the top of the
jack contacts the vehicle at the jack-up
point. Align the center of the jack head with
the notch at the jack-up point, as shown.
Also fit the notched portion of the vehicle in
the groove of the jack head, as shown.
The jack should be used on firm and
level ground.
3.
To lift the vehicle, securely hold the jack
lever and rod with both hands as shown.
Carefully raise the vehicle until the tire
clears the ground. Remove the wheel
nuts, and then remove the tire.
SCE0002
6-6In case of emergency
ZX

Installing the spare tire
The TEMPORARY USE ONLY spare tire
is designed for emergency use. See spe-
cific instructions under the heading
``Wheels and tires'' in the ``Do-it- your-
self'' section of this owner's manual.
1. Clean any mud or dirt from the surface
between the wheel and hub.
2. Carefully put the spare tire on and tighten
the wheel nuts finger tight.
3. With the wheel nut wrench, tighten wheel
nuts alternately and evenly until they are
tight.4. Lower the vehicle slowly until the tire
touches the ground. Then, with the wheel
nut wrench, tighten the wheel nuts se-
curely in the sequence as illustrated.
Lower the vehicle completely.
WARNING
cIncorrect wheel nuts or improperly
tightened wheel nuts can cause the
wheel to become loose or come off.
This could cause an accident.
cDo not use oil or grease on the wheel
studs or nuts. This could cause the
nuts to become loose.
cRetighten the wheel nuts when the
vehicle has been driven for 600 miles
(1,000 km) (also in cases of flat tire,
etc.).
As soon as possible, tighten the wheel
nuts to the specified torque with a torque
wrench.
Wheel nut tightening torque:
73 to 86 ft-lb (98 to 117 Nzm)
The wheel nuts must be kept tightened to
specifications at all times. It is recom-
mended that wheel nuts be tightened tospecification at each lubrication interval.
Adjust tire pressure to the COLD
pressure.
COLD pressure:
After vehicle has been parked for three
hours or more or driven less than 1 mile
(1.6 km).
COLD tire pressures are shown on the
tire placard affixed to the driver's door
center pillar.
5.
With the spare tire installed on the vehicle,
place the damaged tire in the spare tire
storage area. Put the jack rod and wheel
nut wrench in the tool bag and place the
tool bag in the spare tire storage area.
6. Place the spare tire cover and the trunk
floor carpeting over the damaged tire.
WCE0007
In case of emergency6-7
ZX

7. Install the jack in its storage area and
tighten the jack screw clockwise.
8. Close the trunk.
WARNING
cAlways 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.
c
The spare tire is designed for emer-
gency use. See specific instructions
under the heading ``Wheels and tires''
in the ``Do-it-yourself'' section of this
manual.
To start your engine with a booster battery,
the instructions and precautions below must
be followed.
WARNING
cIf done incorrectly, jump starting can
lead to a battery explosion, resulting
in severe injury or death. It could
also damage your vehicle.
cExplosive hydrogen gas is always
present in the vicinity of the battery.
Keep all sparks and flames away
from the battery.
cDo not allow battery fluid to come
into contact with eyes, skin, clothing
or painted surfaces. Battery fluid is a
corrosive sulfuric acid solution
which can cause severe burns. If the
fluid should come into contact with
anything, immediately flush the con-
tacted area with water.
cKeep the battery out of the reach of
children.
cThe booster battery must be rated at
12 volts. Use of an improperly rated
battery can damage your vehicle.
WCE0008
JUMP STARTING
6-8In case of emergency
ZX

cWhenever working on or near a bat-
tery, always wear suitable eye pro-
tectors (for example, goggles or in-
dustrial safety spectacles) and
remove rings, metal bands, or any
other jewelry. Do not lean over the
battery when jump starting.
cDo not attempt to jump start a frozen
battery. It could explode and cause
serious injury.
cYour vehicle has an automatic en-
gine cooling fan. It could come on at
any time. Keep hands and other ob-
jects away from it.
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
batteries into close proximity to each other.
Do not allow the two vehicles to touch.
2. Apply the parking brake. Move the selec-
tor lever to N (Neutral) (on automatic
transmission models, move the shift se-
lector lever to P (Park)). Switch off all
unnecessary electrical systems (lights,heater, air conditioner, etc.).
3. Cover the battery with an old cloth to
reduce explosion hazard.
4. Connect jumper cables in the sequence
illustrated.
CAUTION
c
Always connect positive (+) to positive
(+) and negative (þ) to body ground (for
example, strut mounting bolt, engine
lift bracket, etc.)Ðnot to the battery.
ACE1013
In case of emergency6-9
ZX