8 Do-it-yourself
Maintenance precautions ........................................................ 8-2
Engine compartment check locations .................................. 8-3VK56VD engine ................................................................... 8-3
Engine cooling system ............................................................. 8-4 Checking engine coolant level ......................................... 8-5
Changing engine coolant .................................................. 8-5
Engine oil ........................................................................\
............ 8-6 Checking engine oil level .................................................. 8-6
Changing engine oil and filter .......................................... 8-6
Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) ..................................... 8-8
Power steering fluid .................................................................. 8-8
Brake fluid ........................................................................\
........... 8-9
Window washer fluid ............................................................ 8-10
Battery ........................................................................\
............... 8-11 Jump starting ..................................................................... 8-13
Variable voltage control system .......................................... 8-13
Drive belts ........................................................................\
........ 8-13
Spark plugs ........................................................................\
..... 8-14 Replacing spark plugs .................................................... 8-14
Air cleaner ........................................................................\
........ 8-15 Windshield wiper blades ..................................................... 8-16
Cleaning ........................................................................\
... 8-16
Replacing ........................................................................\
. 8-16
Rear window wiper blades ................................................. 8-17
Brakes ........................................................................\
.............. 8-17 Self-adjusting brakes .................................................... 8-17
Brake pad wear warning .............................................. 8-17
Brake booster ................................................................. 8-18
Fuses ........................................................................\
................ 8-18 Engine compartment ..................................................... 8-19
Passenger compartment .............................................. 8-20
Intelligent Key battery replacement ................................... 8-21
Lights ........................................................................\
................ 8-24
Headlights ........................................................................\
8-25
Exterior and interior lights ............................................ 8-26
Wheels and tires ................................................................... 8-30
Tire pressure ................................................................... 8-30
Tire labeling ..................................................................... 8-34
Types of tires ................................................................... 8-36
Tire chains ....................................................................... 8-36
Changing wheels and tires .......................................... 8-37
8-2Do-it-yourself
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
.Park the vehicle on a level surface,
apply the parking brake securely
and block the wheels to prevent
the vehicle from moving. Move the
shift lever to P (Park) .
. Be sure the ignition switch is in the
OFF or LOCK position when per-
forming any parts replacement or
repairs.
. Never connect or disconnect the
battery or any transistorized com-
ponent while the ignition switch is
in the ON position.
. Never leave the engine or automatic
transmission related component
harnesses disconnected while the
ignition switch is in the ON position.
. If you must work with the engine
running, keep your hands, clothing,
hair and tools away from moving fans, belts and any other moving
parts.
. It is advisable to secure or remove
any loose clothing and remove any
jewelry, such as rings, watches, etc.
before working on your vehicle.
. Always wear eye protection when-
ever you work on your vehicle.
. If you must run the engine in an
enclosed space such as a garage, be
sure there is proper ventilation for
exhaust gases to escape.
. Never get under the vehicle while it
is supported only by a jack. If it is
necessary to work under the vehicle,
support it with safety stands.
. Keep smoking materials, flame and
sparks away from fuel tank and the
battery.
. Your vehicle is equipped with an
automatic engine cooling fan. It may
come on at any time without warn-
ing, even if the ignition key is in the
OFF position and the engine is not
running. To avoid injury, always
disconnect the negative battery
cable before working near the fan. .
Because the fuel lines are under
high pressure even when the engine
is off, it is recommended you visit a
NISSAN dealer for service of the
fuel filter or fuel lines.CAUTION
.Do not work under the hood while
the engine is hot. Turn the engine
off and wait until it cools down.
. Avoid direct contact with used en-
gine oil and coolant. Improperly
disposed engine oil, coolant, and/
or other vehicle fluids can damage
the environment. Always conform to
local regulations for disposal of
vehicle fluid.
This “8. Do-it-yourself” 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 “Owner’s Manual/Service Man-
ual order information” (P.10-33).)
You should be aware that incomplete or
improper servicing may result in operating
MAINTENANCE PRECAUTIONS
8-4Do-it-yourself
The engine cooling system is filled at the factory
with a pre-diluted mixture of 50% Genuine
NISSAN Long Life Antifreeze/Coolant (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 cool-
ant 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” (P.6-14) .
. The radiator is equipped with a
pressure type radiator cap. To pre-
vent engine damage, use only a
genuine NISSAN radiator cap.
CAUTION
.Never use any cooling system ad-
ditives such as radiator sealer. Ad-
ditives may clog the cooling system
and cause damage to the engine,
transmission and/or cooling sys-
tem.
. When adding or replacing coolant,
be sure to use only Genuine
NISSAN Long Life Antifreeze/Cool-
ant (blue) or equivalent. Genuine
NISSAN Long Life Antifreeze/Cool-
ant (blue) is pre-diluted to provide
antifreeze protection to í348 F
( í378C) . If additional freeze protec-
tion is needed due to weather where
you operate your vehicle, add Gen-
uine NISSAN Long Life Antifreeze/
Coolant (blue) concentrate follow-
ing the directions on the container.
If an equivalent coolant other than
Genuine NISSAN Long Life Anti-
freeze/Coolant (blue) is used, fol-
low the coolant manufacturer’s
instructions to maintain minimum
antifreeze protection to í348 F
( í378C) . The use of other types of
coolant solutions other than Genu- ine 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/Cool-
ant (blue) , including Genuine
NISSAN Long Life Antifreeze/Cool-
ant (green) , or the use of non-
distilled water will reduce the life
expectancy of the factory-fill cool-
ant. Refer to the “9. Maintenance
and schedules” section of this man-
ual for more details.
ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM
JVM0733X
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
*1level. 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.
If the cooling system requires coolant
frequently, have it checked. It is recom-
mended you visit a NISSAN dealer for this service.
CHANGING ENGINE COOLANT
It is recommended that major cooling system
repairs be performed by a NISSAN dealer. The
service procedures can be found in the appro-
priate NISSAN 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 en-
gine is hot. Serious burns could be
caused by high pressure fluid es-
caping from the radiator.
. 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 chil-
dren and pets.
Engine coolant must be disposed of properly. Check your local regulations.
Do-it-yourself8-5
8-8Do-it-yourself
After the operation
1. Install the engine undercover into positionusing the bolts.
2. Lower the vehicle carefully to the ground.
3. Dispose of waste oil and filter properly.
WARNING
. Prolonged and repeated contact
with used engine oil may cause skin
cancer.
. Try to avoid direct skin contact with
used oil. If skin contact is made,
wash thoroughly with soap or hand
cleaner as soon as possible.
. Keep used engine oil out of reach of
children. When checking or replacement is required, we
recommend a NISSAN dealer for servicing.
CAUTION
.
It is recommended that you use only
Genuine NISSAN Matic S ATF. Do
not mix with other fluids.
. Using automatic transmission fluid
(ATF) other than Genuine NISSAN
Matic S ATF may cause deteriora-
tion in driveability and automatic
transmission durability, and may
damage the automatic transmis-
sion. Damage caused by use of
fluids other than as recommended
is not covered by the NISSAN new
vehicle limited warranty.
SDI1765A
Check the fluid level in the reservoir.
The fluid level should be checked using the HOT
range (
*1: HOT MAX.,*2: HOT MIN.) at fluid
temperatures of 122 to 1768F (50 to 808C) or
using the COLD range (
*3: COLD MAX.,*4:
COLD MIN.) at fluid temperatures of 32 to 868F
(0 to 308C) .
If the fluid is below the MIN line, add Genuine
NISSAN PSF or equivalent. Remove the cap
and fill through the opening.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID
(ATF) POWER STEERING FLUID
CAUTION
.Do not overfill.
. Use Genuine NISSAN PSF or
equivalent. For further brake fluid specification information,
see “Capacities and recommended fluids/lubri-
cants” (P.10-2) .
WARNING
.
Use only new fluid from a sealed
container. Old, inferior or contami-
nated fluid may damage the brake
system. The use of improper fluids
can damage the brake system and
affect the vehicle’s stopping ability.
. Be sure to clean the filler cap before
removing.
. Brake fluid is poisonous and should
be stored carefully in marked con-
tainers out of the reach of children.
CAUTION
.Do not add brake fluid with the
ignition switch in the ON position
or the engine running. Doing so
could make the brake fluid overfill
when the ignition switch is turned
off. .
Do not spill the fluid on painted
surfaces. This will damage the paint.
If fluid is spilled, wash the surface
with water.
Do-it-yourself8-9
BRAKE FLUID
8-10Do-it-yourself
SDI2513
Check the fluid level in the reservoir. If the fluid is
below the MIN line
*1or the brake warning
light comes on, add Genuine NISSAN Super
Heavy Duty Brake Fluid or equivalent DOT 3
fluid up to the MAX line
*2.
To add brake fluid:
1. Be sure the ignition switch is in the OFF or LOCK position.
2. Depress and release the foot brake pedal more than 40 times.
3. Open the reservoir filler cap and add brake fluid up to the MAX line
*2. (See “Capa-
cities and recommended fluids/lubricants”
(P.10-2) for the recommended types of brake fluid.)
NOTE:
When the ignition switch is placed in the
ON position after adding brake fluid up to
the MAX line
*2in the reservoir, the
brake fluid decreases below the MAX line
*2. This is normal.
If fluid must be added frequently, the system
should be checked. It is recommended you visit
a NISSAN dealer for this service.
SDI2517
WARNING
Antifreeze is poisonous and should be
stored carefully in marked containers
out of the reach of children and pets.
Fill the window washer fluid reservoir periodi-
cally. Add window washer fluid when the low
window washer fluid warning illuminates.
To fill the window washer fluid reservoir, lift the
cap off the reservoir tank and pour the window
washer fluid into the tank opening.
Add a washer solvent to the washer for better
cleaning. In the winter season, add a windshield
WINDOW WASHER FLUID
washer antifreeze. Follow the manufacturer’s
instructions for the mixture ratio.
Refill the reservoir more frequently when driving
conditions require an increased amount of
window washer fluid.
Recommended fluid is Genuine NISSAN Wind-
shield Washer Concentrate Cleaner & Anti-
freeze or equivalent.
CAUTION
.Do not substitute engine anti-freeze
coolant for window washer solution.
This may result in damage to the
paint.
. Do not fill the window washer
reservoir tank with washer fluid
concentrates at full strength. Some
methyl alcohol based washer fluid
concentrates may permanently stain
the grille if spilled while filling the
window washer reservoir tank.
. Pre-mix washer fluid concentrates
with water to the manufacturer’s
recommended levels before pouring
the fluid into the window washer
reservoir tank. Do not use the
window washer reservoir tank to mix the washer fluid concentrate
and water.
.
Keep the battery surface clean and dry.
Clean the battery with a solution of baking
soda and water.
. Make certain the terminal connections are
clean and securely tightened.
. If the vehicle is not to be used for 30 days or
longer, disconnect the negative ( í) battery
terminal cable to prevent discharging it.
NOTE:
Care should be taken to avoid situations
that can lead to potential battery discharge
and potential no-start conditions such as:
1. Installation or extended use of electro-
nic accessories that consume battery
power when the engine is not running
(Phone chargers, GPS, DVD players,
etc.)
2. Vehicle is not driven regularly and/or
only driven short distances.
In these cases, the battery may need to be
charged to maintain battery health.
WARNING
. Do not expose the battery to flames
or electrical sparks. Hydrogen gas
generated by the battery is explo-
sive. Do not allow battery fluid to
Do-it-yourself8-11
BATTERY