2014 INFINITI QX80 engine overheat

6-14In case of emergency
CAUTION
.Do not continue to drive if your vehicle
overheats. Doing so could cause engine
damage or a vehicle fire.
. To avoid the danger of being scalded,
never remove the radiator cap or coolant
reservoir cap while the engine is still
hot. When the radiator cap or coolant
reservoir cap is removed, pressurized
hot water will spurt out, possibly caus-
ing serious injury.
. Do 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 P (Park) position.
Do not stop the engine.
2. Turn off the climate control. Open all the windows, move the heater or air
conditioner temperature control to maximum hot and fan control to high
speed.
3. If engine overheating is caused by climbing a long hill on a hot day, run
the engine at a fast idle (approximately
1,500 rpm) until the temperature gauge
indication returns to normal.
4. Get out of the vehicle. Look and listen for steam or coolant escaping from the
radiator before opening the hood. (If
steam or coolant is escaping, turn off
the engine.) Do not open the hood
further until no steam or coolant can be
seen.
5. Open the engine hood.WARNING
If steam or water is coming from the engine,
stand clear to prevent getting burned.
6. Visually check drive belts for damage or looseness. Also check if the cooling fan
is running. The radiator hoses and
radiator should not leak water. If cool-
ant is leaking or the cooling fan does
not run, stop the engine.
WARNING
Be careful not to allow your hands, hair,
jewelry or clothing to come into contact
with, or get caught in, engine belts or the
engine cooling fan. The engine cooling fan
can start at any time.
7. After the engine cools down, check thecoolant level in the reservoir tank with
the engine running. Add coolant to the
reservoir tank if necessary. Have your
vehicle repaired at the nearest INFINITI
retailer.
IF YOUR VEHICLE OVERHEATS

8-8Maintenance and do-it-yourself
The engine cooling system is filled at the
factory with a pre-diluted mixture of 50%
Genuine NISSAN Long Life Antifreeze/Cool-
ant (blue) and 50% water to provide year-
round anti-freeze and coolant protection.
The antifreeze solution contains rust and
corrosion inhibitors. Additional engine
cooling system additives are not neces-
sary.
WARNING
.Never remove the radiator or coolant
reservoir cap when the engine is hot.
Wait until the engine and radiator cool
down. Serious burns could be caused by
high pressure fluid escaping from the
radiator. See precautions in “If your
vehicle overheats” in the“6. In case of
emergency” section of this manual.
. The radiator is equipped with a pressure
type radiator cap. To prevent engine
damage, use only a genuine NISSAN
radiator cap.
CAUTION
.Never use any cooling system additives
such as radiator sealer. Additives may
clog the cooling system and cause
damage to the engine, transmission
and/or cooling system.
. When adding or replacing coolant, be
sure to use only Genuine NISSAN Long
Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) or equiva-
lent. Genuine NISSAN Long Life Anti-
freeze/Coolant (blue) is pre-diluted to
provide antifreeze protection to −348F
(−378C). If additional freeze protection is
needed due to weather where you
operate your vehicle, add Genuine
NISSAN Long Life Antifreeze/Coolant
(blue) concentrate following the direc-
tions on the container. If an equivalent
coolant other than Genuine NISSAN Long
Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) is used,
follow the coolant manufacturer’ s in-
structions to maintain minimum anti-
freeze protection to −348F(−378C). The
use of other types of coolant solutions
other than Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) or equivalent
may damage the engine cooling system. .
The life expectancy of the factory-fill
coolant is 105,000 miles (168,000 km)
or 7 years. Mixing any other type of
coolant other than Genuine NISSAN Long
Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue), including
Genuine NISSAN Long Life Antifreeze/
Coolant (green), or the use of non-
distilled water will reduce the life
expectancy of the factory-fill coolant.
Refer to the INFINITI Service and Main-
tenance Guide for more details.
ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM

SDI2511
CHECKING ENGINE COOLANT LEVEL
Check the coolant levelin the reservoir
when the engine is cold. If the coolant
level is below MIN
*2, open the reservoir
tank cap and add coolant up to the MAX
*1
level. If the reservoir tank is empty, check
the coolant level in the radiator when the
engine is cold. If there is insufficient
coolant in the radiator, fill the radiator
with coolant up to the filler opening and
also add it to the reservoir tank up to the
MAX level
*1.
Tighten the cap securely after adding
engine coolant. This vehicle contains Genuine NISSAN Long
Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue). The life
expectancy of the factory-fill coolant is
105,000 miles (168,000 km) or 7 years.
Mixing any other type of coolant or the use
of non-distilled water will reduce the life
expectancy of the factory-fill coolant. Refer
to the INFINITI Service and Maintenance
Guide for more details.
If the cooling system requires coolant
frequently, have it checked by an INFINITI
retailer.
CHANGING ENGINE COOLANT
Major cooling system repairs should be
performed by an INFINITI retailer. The
service procedures can be found in the
appropriate INFINITI Service Manual.
Improper servicing can result in reduced
heater performance and engine overheat-
ing.
WARNING
.
To avoid the danger of being scalded,
never change the coolant when the
engine is hot.
. Never remove the radiator cap or coolant reservoir cap when the engine is hot.
Serious burns could be caused by high
pressure fluid escaping from the radia-
tor.
. Avoid direct skin contact with used
coolant. If skin contact is made, wash
thoroughly with soap or hand cleaner as
soon as possible.
. Keep coolant out of reach of children and
pets.
Engine coolant must be disposed of
properly. Check your local regulations.
Maintenance and do-it-yourself8-9

fuel is not covered by the INFINITI new
vehicle limited warranty.
. 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
available to ensure that all methanol
blends are suitable for use in INFINITI
vehicles.
If any undesirable driveability problems
such as engine stalling or hard hot starting
are experienced after using oxygenate-
blend fuels, immediately change to a
non-oxygenate fuel or a fuel with a low
blend of MTBE.
Take care not to spill gasoline during
refueling. Gasoline containing oxygenates
can cause paint damage.
E-15 fuel
E-15 fuel is a mixture of approximately
15% fuel ethanol and 85% unleaded gasoline. E-15 can only be used in vehicles
designed to run on E-15 fuel. Do not use E-
15 in your vehicle. U.S. government
regulations require fuel ethanol dispensing
pumps to be identified with small, square,
orange and black label with the common
abbreviation or the appropriate percentage
for that region.
E-85 fuel
E-85 fuel is a mixture of approximately
85% fuel ethanol and 15% unleaded
gasoline. E-85 can only be used in a
Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV). Do not use E-
85 fuel in your vehicle. U.S. government
regulations require fuel ethanol dispensing
pumps to be identified by a small, square,
orange and black label with the common
abbreviation or the appropriate percentage
for that region.
Aftermarket fuel additives
INFINITI does not recommend the use of
any aftermarket fuel additives (Example:
fuel injector cleaner, octane booster, intake
valve deposit removers, etc.) which are
sold commercially. Many of these additives
intended for gum, varnish or deposit
removal may contain active solvent or
similar ingredients that can be harmful tothe fuel system and engine.
Octane rating tips
Using unleaded gasoline with an octane
rating lower than recommended above can
cause persistent, heavy spark knock.
(Spark knock is a metallic rapping noise.)
If severe, this can lead to engine damage.
If you detect a persistent heavy spark
knock even when using gasoline of the
stated octane rating, or if you hear steady
spark knock while holding a steady speed
on level roads, have an INFINITI retailer
correct the condition. Failure to correct the
condition is misuse of the vehicle, for
which INFINITI is not responsible.
Incorrect ignition timing will result in
knocking, after-run or overheating. This in
turn may cause excessive fuel consumption
or damage to the engine. If any of the
above symptoms are encountered, have
your vehicle checked at an INFINITI retailer
or other competent service facility.
However, now and then you may notice
light spark knock for a short time while
accelerating or driving up hills. This is no
cause for concern, because you get the
greatest fuel benefit when there is light
spark knock for a short time under heavy
Technical and consumer information9-5

towing. For example, towing a heavy trailer
in high outside temperatures on graded
roads can affect engine performance and
cause overheating. The transmission high
fluid temperature and engine protection
mode, which helps reduce the chance of
transmission and engine damage, could
activate and automatically decrease engine
power. Vehicle speed may decrease under
high load. Plan your trip carefully to
account for trailer and vehicle load, weath-
er and road conditions.
WARNING
Overheating can result in reduced engine
power and vehicle speed. The reduced speed
may be lower than other traffic, which could
increase the chance of a collision. Be
especially careful when driving. If the
vehicle cannot maintain a safe driving
speed, pull to the side of the road in a safe
area. Allow the engine to cool and return to
normal operation. See“If your vehicle over-
heats” in the“6. In case of emergency”
section of this manual.
CAUTION
Vehicle damage resulting from improper
towing procedures is not covered by INFINITI
warranties.
STI0542
Tongue load
When using a weight carrying or a weight
distributing hitch, keep the tongue load
between 10 to 15% of the total trailer load
or use the trailer tongue load specified by
the trailer manufacturer. The tongue load
must be within the maximum tongue load
limits shown in the following “Towing
Load/Specification” chart. If the tongue
load becomes excessive, rearrange cargo
to allow for proper tongue load.
Technical and consumer information9-19

clearance is known.
Trailer towing tips
In order to gain skill and an understanding
of the vehicle’s behavior, you should
practice turning, stopping and backing up
in an area which is free from traffic.
Steering stability, and braking perfor-
mance will be somewhat different than
under normal driving conditions.
. Always secure items in the trailer to
prevent load shift while driving.
. Lock the trailer hitch coupler with a pin
or lock to prevent the coupler from
inadvertently becoming unlatched.
. Avoid abrupt starts, acceleration or
stops.
. Avoid sharp turns or lane changes.
. Always drive your vehicle at a moderate
speed. Some states or provinces have
specific speed limits for vehicles that
are towing trailers. Obey the local
speed limits.
. When backing up, hold the bottom of
the steering wheel with one hand.
Move your hand in the direction in
which you want the trailer to go. Make
small corrections and back up slowly. If
possible, have someone guide you when you are backing up.
Always block the wheels on both vehicle
and trailer when parking. Parking on a
slope is not recommended; however, if you
must do so:
CAUTION
If you move the shift lever to the P (Park)
position before blocking the wheels and
applying the parking brake, transmission
damage could occur.
1. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
2. Have someone place blocks on the downhill side of the vehicle and trailer
wheels.
3. After the wheel blocks are in place, slowly release the brake pedal until the
blocks absorb the vehicle load.
4. Apply the parking brake.
5. Shift the transmission into P (Park).
6. Four-Wheel Drive (4WD) models:
Make sure that the 4WD shift switch is
engaged in the AUTO, 4HI or 4LO
position and the Automatic Transmis-
sion (AT) park warning light is turned off.
7. Turn off the engine.
To drive away:
1. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine.
3. Shift the transmission into gear.
4. Release the parking brake.
5. Drive slowly until the vehicle and trailer are clear from the blocks.
6. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
7. Have someone retrieve and store the blocks.
. While going downhill, the weight of the
trailer pushing on the tow vehicle may
decrease overall stability. Therefore, to
maintain adequate control, reduce your
speed and shift to a lower gear. Avoid
long or repeated use of the brakes
when descending a hill, as this reduces
their effectiveness and could cause
overheating. Shifting to a lower gear
instead provides “engine braking” and
reduces the need to brake as fre-
quently.
. If the engine coolant temperature rises
to a high temperature, see “If your
vehicle overheats” in the“6. In case of
Technical and consumer information9-27

9-28Technical and consumer information
emergency”section.
. Trailer towing requires more fuel than
normal circumstances.
. Avoid towing a trailer for your vehicle’s
first 500 miles (800 km).
. Have your vehicle serviced more often
than at intervals specified in the
recommended maintenance schedule
in the INFINITI Service and Maintenance
Guide.
. When making a turn, your trailer wheels
will be closer to the inside of the turn
than your vehicle wheels. To compen-
sate for this, make a larger than normal
turning radius during the turn.
. Crosswinds and rough roads will ad-
versely affect vehicle/trailer handling,
possibly causing vehicle sway. When
being passed by larger vehicles, be
prepared for possible changes in cross-
winds that could affect vehicle hand-
ling.
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 condi-
tions allow. This combination will help
stabilize the vehicle..Do not correct trailer sway by steer-ing 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 balanced as described earlier in this
section.
. Be careful when passing other vehicles.
Passing while towing a trailer requires
considerably more distance than nor-
mal passing. 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
transmission 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. .
INFINITI recommends that the cruise
control not be used while towing a
trailer.
. While towing a trailer, do not use the
following systems (if so equipped):
— the Lane Departure Prevention (LDP)
system
— the Blind Spot Warning (BSW) sys-
tem
— the Blind Spot Intervention system
— the Back-up Collision Intervention
(BCI) system (if so equipped)
— the Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC)
system
— the Distance Control Assist (DCA)
system
— the Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA)
system
. Some states or provinces have specific
regulations and speed limits for vehi-
cles that are towing trailers. Obey the
local speed limits.
. Check your hitch, trailer wiring harness
connections, and trailer wheel lug nuts
after 50 miles (80 km) of travel and at
every break.
. When launching a boat, do not allow
the water level to go over the exhaust

10-2
C
Cabin air filter ................................................... 4-46
Capacities and recommended fuel/lubricants ...... 9-2
Car phone or CB radio ...................................... 4-98
Cargo floor box ................................................. 2-60
Cargo light ........................................................ 2-68
Catalytic converter, Three way catalyst ................ 5-3
CD/CF/USB memory care and cleaning ............. 4-80
Center multi-function control panel ..................... 4-3
Child restraints ................................................. 1-34Booster seats ............................................... 1-51
LATCH system .............................................. 1-36
Precautions on child restraints ..................... 1-34
Top tether strap ........................................... 1-39
Child safety ...................................................... 1-32
Child safety rear door lock .................................. 3-6
Chimes Audible reminders ....................................... 2-21
Seat belt warning light and chime ............... 2-17
Circuit breaker, Fusible link............................... 8-24
Cleaning exterior and interior ....................... 7-2, 7-4
Climate control Automatic climate control .................. 4-39, 4-41
Clock ................................................................ 2-51
Coat hooks ....................................................... 2-59
Cockpit ............................................................... 2-3
Cold weather driving ....................................... 5-117
Compact Disc (CD) player (See audio system) ... 4-63
Console box ...................................................... 2-57
Controller, Center multi-function control panel .... 4-4 Controls
Control panel button ...................................... 4-3
INFINITI Controller .......................................... 4-4
Coolant
Capacities and
recommended fuel/lubricants ........................ 9-2
Changing engine coolant ............................... 8-9
Checking engine coolant level ........................ 8-9
Corrosion protection ........................................... 7-7
Cruise control ................................................... 5-54
Fixed speed cruise control (on ICC system) ... 5-74
Intelligent cruise control (ICC) system .......... 5-56
Cup holders ...................................................... 2-54
D
Daytime running light system ........................... 2-41
Dimensions ....................................................... 9-10
Distance Control Assist (DCA) system ................ 5-78
Distance Control Assist (DCA) system
warning light .................................................... 2-14
Dot matrix liquid crystal display ....................... 2-22
Drive belts ........................................................ 8-18
Drive positioner ................................................ 3-33
Driving Cold weather driving .................................. 5-117
Driving with automatic transmission ............ 5-17
On-pavement and off-road driving .................. 5-8
Precautions when starting and driving ........... 5-3
Safety precautions ......................................... 5-9
Dual head restraint DVD system ........................ 4-83 DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) player operation ..... 4-64
E
Economy, Fuel ................................................. 5-100
Elapsed time ..................................................... 2-29
Emission control information label .................... 9-12
Emission control system warranty ..................... 9-31
Engine
Before starting the engine ........................... 5-14
Break-in schedule ........................................ 5-98
Capacities and
recommended fuel/lubricants ........................ 9-2
Changing engine coolant ............................... 8-9
Changing engine oil and filter ...................... 8-10
Checking engine coolant level ........................ 8-9
Checking engine oil level ............................. 8-10
Coolant temperature gauge ............................ 2-8
Emergency engine shut off ........................... 5-13
Engine block heater ................................... 5-118
Engine compartment check locations ............. 8-7
Engine cooling system ................................... 8-8
Engine oil .................................................... 8-10
Engine oil and oil filter recommendation ........ 9-6
Engine oil replacement indicator .................. 2-27
Engine oil viscosity ........................................ 9-7
Engine serial number ................................... 9-12
Engine specifications ..................................... 9-8
Engine start operation indicator ................... 2-24
If your vehicle overheats .............................. 6-14
Oil pressure gauge ........................................ 2-9
Protection mode .......................................... 5-16