
QR25DE engine
1. Power steering fluid reservoir (P. 8-14)
2. Spark plug caps (P. 8-19)
3. Brake fluid reservoir (P. 8-15)
4. Clutch fluid reservoir (M/T model)
(P. 8-15)
5. Air cleaner (P. 8-20)
6. Battery (P. 8-17)
7. Fuse/fusible link box (P. 8-26)
8. Transmission dipstick (A/T models)
(P. 8-13)
9. Engine oil dipstick (P. 8-9)
10. Radiator cap (P. 8-8)
11. Fuse block (P. 8-26)
12. Windshield washer fluid reservoir
(P. 8-16)
13. Coolant reservoir (P. 8-8)
14. Engine oil filler cap (P. 8-9)
NOTE:
Engine cover removed for clarity.
See the page number indicated in paren-
theses for operating details.
LDI0073
ENGINE COMPARTMENT LOCATIONS
0-8Illustrated table of contents
ZREVIEW COPY:Ð2004 Altima(l30)
Owners Manual(owners)ÐUSA English(nna)
10/13/03Ðtbrooks
X 

VQ35DE engine
1. Power steering fluid reservoir (P. 8-14)
2. Engine oil filler cap (P. 8-9)
3. Brake fluid reservoir (P. 8-15)
4. Clutch fluid reservoir (M/T model)
(P. 8-15)
5. Air cleaner (P. 8-20)
6. Battery (P. 8-17)
7. Fuse/fusible link box (P. 8-26)
8. Transmission dipstick (A/T models)
(P. 8-13)
9. Engine oil dipstick (P. 8-9)
10. Radiator cap (P. 8-8)
11. Fuse block (P. 8-26)
12. Windshield washer fluid reservoir
(P. 8-16)
13. Coolant reservoir (P. 8-8)
NOTE:
Engine cover removed for clarity.
See the page number indicated in paren-
theses for operating details.
WDI0400
Illustrated table of contents0-9
ZREVIEW COPY:Ð2004 Altima(l30)
Owners Manual(owners)ÐUSA English(nna)
10/13/03Ðtbrooks
X 

Seat lifter (if so equipped for driver’s
seat)
Turn either dial to adjust the angle and height of
the seat cushion to the desired position.
FRONT POWER SEAT
ADJUSTMENT (if so equipped for
driver’s seat)
WARNING
cDo not adjust the driver’s seat while
driving so full attention may be given to
vehicle operation. The seat may move
suddenly and could cause loss of con-
trol of the vehicle.cDo not leave children unattended inside
the vehicle. They could unknowingly ac-
tivate switches or controls and become
trapped in a window. Unattended chil-
dren could become involved in serious
accidents.Operating tips
cThe power seat motor has an auto-reset
overload protection circuit. If the motor
stops during operation, wait 30 seconds,
then reactivate the switch.
cDo not operate the power seat switch for a
long period of time when the engine is off.
This will discharge the battery.
WRS0131WRS0163
1-4Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental air bags
ZREVIEW COPY:Ð2004 Altima(l30)
Owners Manual(owners)ÐUSA English(nna)
10/10/03Ðtbrooks
X 

TRIP COMPUTER (if so equipped)
The display of the trip computer is situated in the
speedometer display. When the ignition is turned
to ON, the display scrolls all the modes of the trip
computer and then shows the mode chosen be-
fore the ignition switch is turned OFF.
If the battery terminal is disconnected,
push the trip computer mode switch more
than 1 second to activate the computer.
When the ignition switch is turned to ON, modes
of the trip computer can be selected by pushing
the trip mode switch on the steering wheel switch
for audio controls or by the trip computer change
button. The following modes can be selected:
Outside air temperature (ICY-°F or °C)
The outside air temperature is displayed in °F or
°C.
The outside air temperature mode includes a low
temperature warning feature: below 37°F (3°C) ,
the outside air temperature mode is automatically
selected and ICY will illuminate in order to draw
the driver’s attention. Press the mode switch if
you wish to return to the mode that was selectedbefore the warning occurred. The ICY indicator
will continue blinking as long as the temperature
remains below 39°F (4°C) .
The ambient temperature sensor is located in
front of the radiator. The sensor may be affected
by road or engine heat, wind directions and other
driving conditions. The display may differ from the
actual ambient temperature or the temperature
displayed on various signs or billboards.
Distance to empty (dte—mile or km)
The distance to empty (dte) mode provides you
with an estimation of the distance that can be
driven before refueling. The dte is constantly be-
ing calculated, based on the amount of fuel in the
fuel tank and the actual fuel consumption.
The display is updated every 30 seconds.
The dte mode includes a low range warning
feature: when the fuel level is low, the dte mode is
automatically selected and the digits blink in or-
der to draw the driver’s attention. Press the mode
switch if you wish to return to the mode that was
selected before the warning occurred. The dte
mark (dte) will remain blinking until the vehicle is
refueled.
When the fuel level drops even lower, the dte
display will change to (----) .
WIC0267
Instruments and controls2-5
ZREVIEW COPY:Ð2004 Altima(l30)
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10/10/03Ðtbrooks
X 

Autolight system (if so equipped)
The autolight system allows the headlights to be
set so they turn on and off automatically. The
autolight system can:
cTurn on the headlights automatically when it
is dark.
See your NISSAN dealer to have the
autolight activation sensitivity setting
adjusted.
cTurn off the headlights when it is light.
cKeep the headlights on for up to 180 sec-
onds after you turn the key to OFF, open andclose the driver’s or passenger’s door, and
then close all doors.
The default time delay for autolight
shutoff is 45 seconds. See your
NISSAN dealer to have the time delay
setting adjusted.
If the ignition switch is turned OFF and one of the
doors is opened, the headlights remain ON for 5
minutes.
To set the autolight system:
1. Make sure the headlight switch is in the
AUTO position
s1.
2. Turn the ignition key to ON.
3. The autolight system automatically turns the
headlights on and off.
To turn the autolight system off, turn the switch to
the OFF,
,orposition.
Be sure you do not put anything on top of
the autolight sensor located in the top
driver side of the instrument panel. The
autolight sensor controls the autolight; if it
is covered, the autolight sensor reacts as if
it is dark out and the headlights will illumi-
nate. If this occurs while parked with the
engine off and the key in the ON position,
your vehicle’s battery could become dis-
charged.
Headlight beam select
s1To select the high beam function, push the
lever forward. The high beam lights come on
and the
light illuminates.
s2Pull the lever back to select the low beam.
s3Pulling and releasing the lever flashes the
headlight high beams on and off.
Battery saver system
If the ignition switch is turned OFF while the
headlight switch is in theorposi-
tion, the headlights will turn off after 5 minutes.
WIC0597LIC0318
2-20Instruments and controls
ZREVIEW COPY:Ð2004 Altima(l30)
Owners Manual(owners)ÐUSA English(nna)
10/10/03Ðtbrooks
X 

CAUTION
cBe sure to turn the light switch to the
OFF position when you leave the ve-
hicle for extended periods of time, oth-
erwise the battery will go dead.
cNever leave the light switch on when
the engine is not running for extended
periods of time even if the headlights
turn off automatically.
DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT SYSTEM
(Canada only)
The headlights automatically illuminate at a re-
duced intensity when the engine is started with
the parking brake released. The daytime running
lights operate with the headlight switch in the
OFF position or in the
position. Turn the
headlight switch to theposition for full
illumination when driving at night.
If the parking brake is applied before the engine is
started, the daytime running lights do not illumi-
nate. The daytime running lights illuminate when
the parking brake is released. The daytime run-
ning lights will remain on until the ignition switch
is turned off.
WARNING
When the daytime running light system is
active, tail lights on your vehicle are not
on. It is necessary at dusk to turn on your
headlights. Failure to do so could cause
an accident injuring yourself and others.
INSTRUMENT BRIGHTNESS
CONTROL
The instrument cluster illuminates when the igni-
tion switch is in ON position.
The instrument brightness control operates when
the headlight control switch is in the
AUTO,
orposition.
Turn the control to adjust the brightness of instru-
ment panel lights when driving at night.
The instrument brightness control will not adjust
the brightness when the headlights or parking
lights are off.
WIC0273
Instruments and controls2-21
ZREVIEW COPY:Ð2004 Altima(l30)
Owners Manual(owners)ÐUSA English(nna)
10/10/03Ðtbrooks
X 

TURN SIGNAL SWITCH
Turn signal
s1Move the lever up or down to signal the
turning direction. When the turn is com-
pleted, the turn signals cancel automatically.
Lane change signal
s2To signal a lane change, move the lever up or
down to the point where the indicator light
begins to flash, but the lever does not latch.
FOG LIGHT SWITCH (if so equipped)
Normal operation of the fog lights in the
ONposition:
Headlight switch in the AUTO position; day-
time operation
cFog lights, marker and taillights come ON.
cHeadlights do not come ON.
cDash readouts dim unless the dimmer
switch is on full bright.
cIf the ignition switch is in the OFF position
with the fog lights turned ON, a warning
chime will sound indicating the fog lightswere left ON. The fog lights will be turned
OFF by the Battery Saver function approxi-
mately 5 minutes after the last door is
closed.
cIf the ignition switch is turned to the ON
position after the fog lights were turned OFF
by the Battery Saver function, the fog lights
will immediately come back ON.
Headlight switch in the AUTO position;
nighttime operation
cFog lights, marker and taillights come ON.
cHeadlights come ON.
The lights can be adjusted to turn ON in
brighter or dimmer environments. See
your NISSAN dealer to have the sensi-
tivity setting adjusted.
cDash readouts dim unless the dimmer
switch is on full bright.
cIf the ignition switch is in the OFF position
with the fog lights turned ON, the fog lights
will be turned OFF by the Twilight Sentinel
function approximately 45 seconds after the
last door is closed.
The default setting is 45 seconds. See
your NISSAN dealer to have this time
adjusted up to 180 seconds.
LIC0319WIC0320
2-22Instruments and controls
ZREVIEW COPY:Ð2004 Altima(l30)
Owners Manual(owners)ÐUSA English(nna)
10/10/03Ðtbrooks
X 

cIf any door is opened when the ignition
switch is in the OFF position, the Twilight
Sentinel function operates for approximately
5 minutes. After approximately 5 minutes,
the lights will turn OFF due to the Battery
Saver function.
cIf the ignition switch is turned to the ON
position after the fog lights were turned OFF
by the Twilight Sentinel function, the fog
lights and the headlights will come ON to-
gether when the Auto Light Sensor deter-
mines it is dark enough. The fog lights will
now operate independently of the headlights
only if the headlight switch is turned OFF.
cWhen the high beams are turned ON, the
fog lights will turn OFF. The fog lights will
come back ON when the high beams are
turned OFF.
Headlights turned ON and OFF by the
driver (no AUTO headlight function) ; day or
nighttime operation
cSame operation as “Headlight switch in the
AUTO position; daytime operation” de-
scribed above.
Some of the Battery Saver and Twilight
Sentinel functions can be turned ON and
OFF or adjusted. Please see your NISSAN
dealer if you have any questions.To turn the fog lights OFF, turn the switch to the
OFF position.
The fog lights automatically turn off whenever the
high beam headlight function is selected.
Push the switch on to warn other drivers when
you must stop or park under emergency condi-
tions. All turn signal lights flash.
WARNING
cIf stopping for an emergency, be sure to
move the vehicle well off the road.
cDo not use the hazard warning flashers
while moving on the highway unless
unusual circumstances force you to
drive so slowly that your vehicle might
become a hazard to other traffic.
WIC0275
HAZARD WARNING FLASHER
SWITCH
Instruments and controls2-23
ZREVIEW COPY:Ð2004 Altima(l30)
Owners Manual(owners)ÐUSA English(nna)
10/10/03Ðtbrooks
X