2009 NISSAN MAXIMA service

The following are approximate capacities. The actual refill capacities may be slightly different. When refilling, follow the procedure
described in the “Maintenance and do-it-yourself” section to determine the proper refill capacity.
Capacity (Approximate) Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
US measure Imp measure Liter
Fuel 20 gal 16-5/8 gal 75.6 Unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of at least 91 AKI (RON 96) *1
Engine oil *7
Drain and Refill
With oil filter change 4-7/8 qt 4 qt 4.6
Engine oil with API Certification Mark *2, *3
Viscosity SAE 5W-30 *2, *3 Without oil filter
change4-1/2 qt 3-3/4 qt 4.3
Cooling system
With reservoir 2-1/8 gal 1-3/4 gal 8.2 50% Genuine NISSAN Long Life Antifreeze/Coolant or equivalent
50% Demineralized or distilled water
CVT fluid See a NISSAN dealer for service. Genuine NISSAN CVT Fluid NS-2-V *4
Power steering fluid (PSF) Refill to the proper level according to the instruc-
tions in the “Maintenance and do-it-yourself”
section.Genuine NISSAN PSF or equivalent.*8
Brake fluidGenuine NISSAN Super Heavy Duty Brake Fluid *5 or equivalent DOT 3
Multi-purpose grease — — — NLGI No. 2 (Lithium Soap base)
Air conditioning system refrigerant — — — HFC-134a (R-134a) *6
Air conditioning system oil — — — NISSAN A/C System Oil Type S or equivalent *6
Windshield washer fluid — — — Genuine NISSAN Windshield Washer Concentrate Cleaner & Antifreeze or equivalent
*1: For further details, see “Fuel recommendation”.
*2: For further details, see “Engine oil and oil filter recommendation”.
*3:NISSAN recommends Genuine NISSAN Ester Engine Oil available at your NISSAN dealer.
*4:Use only Genuine NISSAN CVT Fluid NS-2. Using transmission fluid other than Genuine NISSAN CVT Fluid NS-2 will damage the CVT, which is not covered by
the NISSAN new vehicle limited warranty.
*5: Available in mainland USA through your NISSAN dealer.
*6: For further details, see “Air conditioner system refrigerant and oil recommendations”.
*7: For further details, see “Engine Oil” in the “Maintenance and do-it-yourself” section of this manual.
*8: DEXRON™ VI type ATF or Canada NISSAN Automatic Transmission Fluid(ATF) may also be used.
CAPACITIES AND RECOMMENDED
FUEL/LUBRICANTS
9-2Technical and consumer information
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Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
10/20/08—debbie


FUEL RECOMMENDATION
Use unleaded premium gasoline with an octane
rating of at least 91 AKI (Anti-Knock Index) num-
ber (Research octane number 96) .
If unleaded premium gasoline is not available
unleaded regular gasoline with an octane rating
of 87 AKI (Anti-Knock Index) number (Research
octane number 91) can be used, but only under
the following precautions:
●Have the fuel tank filled only partially with
unleaded regular gasoline, and fill up with
unleaded premium as soon as possible.
●Avoid full throttle driving, and abrupt accel-
eration.
However, for maximum vehicle perfor-
mance, the use of unleaded premium gaso-
line is recommended.
CAUTION
●Using a fuel other than that specified
could adversely affect the emission
control system, and may also affect the
warranty coverage.
●Under no circumstances should a
leaded gasoline be used, because this
will damage the three-way catalyst.●Do not use E-85 fuel in your vehicle.
Your vehicle is not designed to run on
E-85 fuel. Using E-85 fuel can damage
the fuel system components and is not
covered by the NISSAN new vehicle lim-
ited warranty.
Gasoline specifications
NISSAN recommends using gasoline that meets
the World-Wide Fuel Charter (WWFC) specifi-
cations where it is available. Many of the automo-
bile manufacturers developed this specification
to improve emission control system and vehicle
performance. Ask your service station manager if
the gasoline meets the WWFC specifications.
Reformulated gasoline
Some fuel suppliers are now producing reformu-
lated gasolines. These gasolines are specially
designed to reduce vehicle emissions. NISSAN
supports efforts towards cleaner air and sug-
gests that you use reformulated gasoline when
available.
Gasoline containing oxygenates
Some fuel suppliers sell gasoline containing oxy-
genates such as ethanol, MTBE and methanol
with or without advertising their presence.
NISSAN does not recommend the use of fuels of
which the oxygenate content and the fuel com-patibility for your NISSAN cannot be readily de-
termined. If in doubt, ask your service station
manager.
If you use oxygenate-blend gasoline, please take
the following precautions as the usage of such
fuels may cause vehicle performance problems
and/or fuel system damage.
●The fuel should be unleaded and have
an octane rating no lower than that
recommended for unleaded gasoline.
●If an oxygenate-blend other than
methanol blend is used, it should con-
tain no more than 10% oxygenate.
(MTBE may, however, be added up to
15%.)
●If a methanol blend is used, it should
contain no more than 5% methanol
(methyl alcohol, wood alcohol) . It
should also contain a suitable amount
of appropriate cosolvents and corro-
sion inhibitors. If not properly formu-
lated with appropriate cosolvents and
corrosion inhibitors, such methanol
blends may cause fuel system damage
and/or vehicle performance problems.
At this time, sufficient data is not avail-
able to ensure that all methanol blends
are suitable for use in NISSAN ve-
hicles.
Technical and consumer information9-3
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Your engine was filled with a high-quality engine
oil when it was built. You do not have to change
the oil before the first recommended change
interval. Oil and filter change intervals depend
upon how you use your vehicle.
Operation under the following conditions may
require more frequent oil and filter changes:
●repeated short distance driving at cold out-
side temperatures
●driving in dusty conditions
●extensive idling
●towing a trailer
●stop and go commuting
Refer to the “NISSAN Service and Maintenance
Guide” for the maintenance schedule.
AIR CONDITIONER SYSTEM
REFRIGERANT AND OIL
RECOMMENDATIONS
The air conditioner system in your NISSAN
vehicle must be charged with the refriger-
ant HFC-134a (R-134a) and the oil, NISSAN
A/C system oil Type S or the exact equiva-
lents.
CAUTION
The use of any other refrigerant or oil will
cause severe damage to the air condition-
ing system and will require the replace-
ment of all air conditioner system
components.
The refrigerant HFC-134a (R-134a) in your
NISSAN vehicle does not harm the earth’s ozone
layer. Although this refrigerant does not affect the
earth’s atmosphere, certain government regula-
tions require the recovery and recycling of any
refrigerant during automotive air conditioner sys-
tem service. A NISSAN dealer has the trained
technicians and equipment needed to recover
and recycle your air conditioner system refriger-
ant.
Contact a NISSAN dealer when servicing your air
conditioner system.
9-6Technical and consumer information
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10/20/08—debbie


●Avoid towing a trailer for your vehicle’s first
500 miles (805 km) .
●For the first 500 miles (805 km) that you do
tow, do not drive over 50 MPH (80 km/h) .
●Have your vehicle serviced more often than
at intervals specified in the recommended
Maintenance Schedule in the “NISSAN Ser-
vice and Maintenance Guide”.
●When making a turn, your trailer wheels will
be closer to the inside of the turn than your
vehicle wheels. To compensate for this,
make a larger than normal turning radius
during the turn.
●Crosswinds and rough roads will adversely
affect vehicle/trailer handling, possibly caus-
ing vehicle sway. When being passed by
larger vehicles, be prepared for possible
changes in crosswinds that could affect ve-
hicle handling.
Do the following if the trailer begins to sway:
1. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal to
allow the vehicle to coast and steer as
straight ahead as the road conditions allow.
This combination will help stabilize the ve-
hicle.
– Do not correct trailer sway by steering or
applying the brakes.2. When the trailer sway stops, gently apply the
brakes and pull to the side of the road in a
safe area.
3. Try to rearrange the trailer load so it is bal-
anced as described earlier in this section.
●Be careful when passing other vehicles.
Passing while towing a trailer requires con-
siderably more distance than normal pass-
ing. Remember, the length of the trailer must
also pass the other vehicle before you can
safely change lanes.
●Use the Tow Mode or downshift the trans-
mission to a lower gear for engine braking
when driving down steep or long hills. This
will help slow the vehicle without applying
the brakes.
●Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long
or too frequently. This could cause the
brakes to overheat, resulting in reduced
braking efficiency.
●Increase your following distance to allow for
greater stopping distances while towing a
trailer. Anticipate stops and brake gradually.
●NISSAN recommends that the cruise con-
trol not be used while towing a trailer.●Some states or provinces have specific
regulations and speed limits for vehicles that
are towing trailers. Obey the local speed
limits.
●Check your hitch, trailer wiring harness con-
nections, and trailer wheel lug nuts after 50
miles (80 km) of travel and at every break.
●When launching a boat, don’t allow the wa-
ter level to go over the exhaust tail pipe or
rear bumper.
●Make sure you disconnect the trailer lights
before backing the trailer into the water or
the trailer lights may burn out.
When towing a trailer, transmission fluid
should be changed more frequently. For
additional information, see the “Mainte-
nance and do-it-yourself” section earlier in
this manual.
FLAT TOWING
Towing your vehicle with all four wheels on the
ground is sometimes called flat towing. This
method is sometimes used when towing a vehicle
behind a recreational vehicle, such as a motor
home.
Technical and consumer information9-23
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CAUTION
●Failure to follow these guidelines can
result in severe transmission damage.
●Whenever flat towing your vehicle, al-
ways tow forward, never backward.
●DO NOT tow any automatic transmis-
sion vehicle with all four wheels on the
ground (flat towing) . Doing so WILL
DAMAGE internal transmission parts
due to lack of transmission lubrication.
●For emergency towing procedures refer
to “Towing recommended by NISSAN”
in the “In case of emergency” section of
this manual.
Continuously Variable Transmission
To tow a vehicle equipped with a continuously
variable transmission, an appropriate vehicle
dollyMUSTbe placed under the towed vehicle’s
drive wheels.Alwaysfollow the dolly manufac-
turer’s recommendations when using their prod-
uct.DOT (Department of Transportation) Quality
Grades: All passenger car tires must conform to
federal safety requirements in addition to these
grades.
Quality grades can be found where applicable on
the tire sidewall between tread shoulder and
maximum section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified gov-
ernment test course. For example, a tire graded
150 would wear one and one-half (1 1/2) times
as well on the government course as a tire graded
100. The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use, however,
and may depart significantly from the norm due to
variations in driving habits, service practices and
differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction AA, A, B and C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA, A, B, and C. Those grades represent the
tire’s ability to stop on wet pavement as mea-
sured under controlled conditions on specified
government test surfaces of asphalt and con-
crete. A tire marked C may have poor traction
performance.
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
Temperature A, B and C
The temperature grades are A (the highest) , B,
and C, representing the tire’s resistance to the
generation of heat, and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled conditions on a
specified indoor laboratory test wheel. Sustained
high temperature can cause the material of the
tire to degenerate and reduce tire life, and exces-
sive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure.
The grade C corresponds to a level of perfor-
mance which all passenger car tires must meet
under the Federal Motor Safety Standard No.
109. Grades B and A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory test wheel than
the minimum required by law.
UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY GRADING
9-24Technical and consumer information
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Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
10/20/08—debbie


This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data Re-
corder (EDR) . The main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash or near crash-like situa-
tions, such as an air bag deployment or hitting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understand-
ing how a vehicle’s systems performed. The EDR
is designed to record data related to vehicle
dynamics and safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this
vehicle is designed to record such data as:
●How various systems in your vehicle were
operating;
●Whether or not the driver and passenger
safety belts were buckled/fastened;
●How far (if at all) the driver was depressing
the accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
●How fast the vehicle was traveling.
●Sounds are not recorded.
These data can help provide a better understand-
ing of the circumstances in which crashes and
injuries occur. NOTE: EDR data are recorded by
your vehicle only if a nontrivial crash situation
occurs; no data are recorded by the EDR under
normal driving conditions and no personal data
(e.g. name, gender, age and crash location) are
recorded. However, other parties, such as law
enforcement, could combine the EDR data withthe type of personally identifying data routinely
acquired during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equip-
ment is required and access to the vehicle or the
EDR is needed. In addition to the vehicle manu-
facturer and NISSAN dealer, other parties, such
as law enforcement, that have the special equip-
ment, can read the information if they have ac-
cess to the vehicle or the EDR. EDR data will only
be accessed with the consent of the vehicle
owner or lessee or as otherwise required or per-
mitted by law.A genuine NISSAN Service Manual is the best
source of service and repair information for your
vehicle. Filled with wiring diagrams, illustrations
and step-by-step diagnostic and adjustment pro-
cedures, this manual is the same one used by the
factory-trained technicians working at NISSAN
dealerships. Also available are genuine NISSAN
Owner’s Manuals, and genuine NISSAN Service
and Owner’s Manuals for older NISSAN models.
For USA
For current pricing and availability of genuine
NISSAN Service Manualsfor the 2000 model
year and later contact:
1-800-450-9491
www.nissan-techinfo.com
For current pricing and availability of genuine
NISSAN Service Manualsfor the 1999 model
year and prior, see a NISSAN dealer, or contact:
1-800-247-5321
For current pricing and availability of genuine
NISSAN Owner’s Manualsfor this model year
and prior, see a NISSAN dealer, or contact:
1-800-247-5321
EVENT DATA RECORDERS (EDR) OWNER’S MANUAL/SERVICE
MANUAL ORDER INFORMATION
Technical and consumer information9-27
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Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
10/20/08—debbie


For Canada
To purchase a copy of a genuine NISSAN Ser-
vice Manual or Owner’s Manual please contact
your nearest NISSAN dealer. For the phone num-
ber and location of a NISSAN dealer in your area
call the NISSAN Information Center at 1-800-
387-0122 and a bilingual NISSAN representa-
tive will assist you.
Also available are genuine NISSAN Service and
Owner’s Manuals for older NISSAN models.
IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION
Unfortunately, accidents do occur. In this unlikely
event, there is some important information you
should know.
Many insurance companies routinely authorize
the use of non-genuine collision parts in order to
cut costs, among other reasons.
Insist on the use of genuine NISSAN
collision parts!
If you want your vehicle to be restored using parts
made to NISSAN’s original exacting specifica-
tions – if you want to help it to last and hold its
resale value, the solution is simple.Tell your
insurance agent and your repair shop to
only use Genuine NISSAN Collision Parts.
NISSAN does not warrant non-NISSAN parts,
nor does NISSAN’s warranty apply to damage
caused by a non-genuine part.
Using Genuine NISSAN Parts can help protect
your personal safety, preserve your warranty pro-
tection and maintain the resale value of your
vehicle. And if your vehicle was leased, using
Genuine NISSAN Parts may prevent or limit un-
necessary excess wear and tear expenses at the
end of your lease.
NISSAN designs its hoods with crumple zones to
minimize the risk that the hood will penetrate the
windshield of your vehicle in an accident. Non-
genuine (imitation) parts may not provide such
built-in safeguards. Also, non-genuine parts of-
ten show premature wear, rust and corrosion.
Why should you take a chance?
In over 40 states, the law says you must be
advised if non-genuine parts are used to repair
your vehicle. And some states have enacted laws
that restrict insurance companies from authoriz-
ing the use of non-genuine collision parts during
the new vehicle warranty. These laws help pro-
tect you, so you can take action to protect your-
self.
It’s your right!
If you should need further information visit us at:
www.nissanusa.com(for U.S. customers) or
www.nissan.ca(for Canadian customers) .
9-28Technical and consumer information
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Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
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10 Index
A
Active Head Restraint..............1-8
Air bag (See supplemental restraint
system) .....................1-35
Air bag system
Front (See supplemental front impact
air bag system)...............1-42
Airbagwarninglight...........1-50,2-13
Air cleaner housing filter............8-17
Air conditioner
Air conditioner service...........4-43
Air conditioner specification label.....9-11
Air conditioner system refrigerant and
oil recommendations.............9-6
Heater and air conditioner
controls................4-37,4-40
Rear seat air conditioner..........4-42
Servicing air conditioner..........4-43
Alarm system
(See vehicle security system).........2-23
Anchorpointlocations.............1-21
Antenna.....................4-87
Anti-lock brake warning light..........2-10
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)........5-23
Armrests .....................1-7
Audible reminders................2-16
Audio system..................4-43
Compact Disc (CD) changer....4-53,4-60
Compact disc (CD) player.........4-68Audio System
CompactFlash (CF) player.........4-70
Audio system
FM-AM radio with compact disc
(CD)changer................4-51
FM/AM/SAT radio with compact disc
(CD)changer.............4-57,4-65
Audio System
iPodPlayer.................4-73
Music Box hard-disk drive audio
system....................4-74
Audio system
Radio ....................4-43
Rearaudiocontrols.............4-86
Audio System
Settings................4-57,4-65
Audio system
Steering wheel audio control switch....4-84
Autolight switch.................2-29
Automatic
Automatic drive positioner.........3-28
Automatic power window switch.....2-43
Transmission selector lever lock
release....................5-16
Automatic anti-glare inside mirror.......3-25
Automatic door locks...............3-6
AUX jack.....................4-55B
Battery......................8-13
Charge warning light............2-11
Before starting the engine...........5-10
Belt (See drive belt)..............8-15
Block heater
Engine....................5-27
Bluetoothhands-free phone
system..................4-88,4-103
Booster seats..................1-31
Brake
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)......5-23
Brake fluid..................8-12
Brake light (See stop light).........8-26
Brake system................5-22
Brake warning light.............2-11
Brake wear indicators........2-16,8-19
Parking brake operation..........5-17
Self-adjusting brakes............8-19
Brakes
......................8-19
Break-in schedule................5-19
Brightness control
Instrument panel..............2-31
Brightness/contrast button.......4-14,4-28
Bulb check/instrument panel..........2-10
Bulb replacement................8-26
REVIEW COPY—2009 Maxima(max)
Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
11/03/08—debbie