Two-Wheel Drive models with
manual transmission
NISSAN recommends that towing dollies
be used when towing your vehicle or place
the vehicle on the flatbed truck as illus-
trated.
If you must use a pull behind tow truck put
the manual transmission in N (Neutral).
Your vehicle speed should never exceed
60 mph (97 km/h) when towing your ve-
hicle. Af ter towing 500 miles, start and idle
the engine with the transmission in N (Neu-
tral) for two minutes. Failure to idle the en-gine af ter every 500 miles of towing may
cause damage to the transmission’s inter-
nal parts.
CAUTION
Failure to follow these guidelines can
result in severe transmission damage.
∙ If you have to tow manual transmis-
sion models with the rear wheels on
the ground (if you do not use towing
dollies) or four wheels on the ground:
– Always release the parking brake. – Move the transmission shif t lever
to the N (Neutral) position
– Observe the following restricted towing speeds and distances for
manual transmission models only:
Speed: Below 60 mph (97 km/h)
Distance: Less than 500 miles
(805 km)
When towing long distances or speeds in
excess of 60 mph (97 km/h), remove the
propeller shaf t before towing to prevent
damage to the transmission. For additional
information, it is recommended that you
visit a NISSAN dealer.
VEHICLE RECOVERY (freeing a
stuck vehicle)
WARNING
To avoid vehicle damage, serious per-
sonal injury or death when recovering a
stuck vehicle:
∙ Contact a professional towing service to recover the vehicle if you have any
questions regarding the recovery
procedure.
LCE2422
In case of emergency6-17
When performing any inspection or main-
tenance work on your vehicle, always take
care to prevent serious accidental injury to
yourself or damage to the vehicle. The fol-
lowing are general precautions which
should be closely observed.
WARNING
∙ Park the vehicle on a level surface, ap-ply the parking brake securely and
block the wheels to prevent the ve-
hicle from moving. For manual trans-
mission models, move the shif t lever
to N (Neutral). For CVT models, move
the shif t lever to P (Park).
∙ Be sure the ignition switch is in the OFF or LOCK position when perform-
ing any parts replacement or repairs.
∙ If you must work with the engine run- ning, 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 jew-
elry, such as rings, watches, etc. be-
fore working on your vehicle.
∙ Always wear eye protection whenever you work on your vehicle. ∙ If you must run the engine in an en-
closed 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 neces-
sary to work under the vehicle, sup-
port it with safety stands.
∙Keep smoking materials, flame and
sparks away from the fuel tank and
battery.
∙ Because the fuel lines on gasoline en- gine models are under high pressure
even when the engine is off, it is rec-
ommended that you visit a NISSAN
dealer for service of the fuel filter or
fuel lines.
∙
Your vehicle is equipped with an auto-
matic engine cooling fan. It may come on
at any time without warning, even if the
ignition key is in the OFF position and the
engine is not running. To avoid injury, al-
ways disconnect the negative battery
cable before working near the fan.
CAUTION
∙ Do not work under the hood while the engine is hot. Turn the engine off and
wait until it cools down. ∙
Avoid contact with used engine oil and
coolant. Improperly disposed engine
oil, engine coolant and/or other vehicle
fluids can damage the environment. Al-
ways conform to local regulations for
disposal of vehicle fluid.
∙ Never leave the engine or the trans- mission related component harness
connector disconnected while the ig-
nition switch is in the ON position.
∙ Never connect or disconnect the bat- tery or any transistorized component
while the ignition switch is in the ON
position.
This “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. For additional information, refer
to “Owner’s Manual/Service Manual order
information” in the “Technical and con-
sumer information” section of this manual.
You should be aware that incomplete or
improper servicing may result in operating
difficulties or excessive emissions, and
could affect warranty coverage. If in doubt
about any servicing, it is recommended
that you have it done by a NISSAN dealer.
MAINTENANCE PRECAUTIONS
8-2Do-it-yourself
CHECKING ENGINE OIL LEVEL
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface andapply the parking brake.
2. Start the engine and let it idle until it reaches operating temperature.
3. Turn off the engine. Wait more than
10 minutes for the oil to drain back
into the oil pan.
4. Remove the dipstick and wipe it clean. Reinsert it all the way. 5. Remove the dipstick again and check
the oil level. It should be between the H
(High) and L (Low) marksB. This is the
normal operating oil level range. If the
oil level is below the L (Low) mark
A,
remove the oil filler cap and pour rec-
ommended oil through the opening.
Do not overfill
C.
6. Recheck oil level with the dipstick.
It is normal to add some engine oil be-
tween oil maintenance intervals depend-
ing on the severity of operating conditions
or depending on the property of the en-
gine oil used. More engine oil is consumed
by frequent acceleration/deceleration es-
pecially when the engine rpm is high. Con-
sumption is likely to be higher when the
engine is new. If the rate of oil consump-
tion, af ter driving for 3,000 miles
(5,000 km), is more than 0.5 liter per
600 miles (1,000 km), it is recommended
that you visit a NISSAN dealer.
CAUTION
Oil level should be checked regularly.
Operating the engine with an insuffi-
cient amount of oil can damage the en-
gine, and such damage is not covered
by warranty.
LDI2687LDI2795
ENGINE OIL
8-6Do-it-yourself
CHANGING ENGINE OIL
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface andapply the parking brake. 2. Start the engine and let it idle until it
reaches operating temperature, then
turn it off.
3. Remove the oil filler cap
Aby turning it
counterclockwise.
4. Place a large drain pan under the drain plug
B.
5. Remove the drain plug
Bwith a
wrench by turning it counterclockwise
and completely drain the oil.
If the oil filter is to be changed, remove
and replace it at this time. For addi-
tional information, refer to “Changing
engine oil filter” in this section.
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.
CAUTION
∙ Be careful not to burn yourself. Theengine oil may be hot.
∙ Waste oil must be disposed of properly.
∙ Check your local regulations.
6. Clean and reinstall the drain plug
B
and a new washer. Securely tighten the
drain plug
Bwith a wrench. Do not use
excessive force.
Drain plug tightening torque: 25 f t-lb (34 N·m)
7. Refill engine with recommended oil through the oil filler opening, then install
the oil filler cap
Asecurely.
For additional information on drain
and refill capacity, refer to “Recom-
mended fluids/lubricants and capaci-
ties” in the “Technical and consumer
information” section of this manual.
The drain and refill capacity depends
on the oil temperature and drain time.
Use these specifications for reference
only. Always use the dipstick to deter-
mine when the proper amount of oil is
in the engine.
LDI2788
Do-it-yourself8-7
8. Start the engine. Check for leakagearound the drain plug
Band oil filter.
Correct as required.
9. Turn the engine off and wait more than 10 minutes. Check the oil level with the
dipstick. Add engine oil if necessary.
CHANGING ENGINE OIL FILTER
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
apply the parking brake.
2. Turn the engine off. 3. Place a large drain pan under the oil
filter
B.
4. Loosen the oil filter with an oil filter wrench by turning it counterclockwise.
Then remove the oil filter by turning it
by hand.
CAUTION
Be careful not to burn yourself. The en-
gine oil may be hot.
5. Wipe the engine oil filter sealing surface with a clean rag.
CAUTION
Be sure to remove any old gasket mate-
rial remaining on the sealing surface of
the engine. Failure to do so could lead to
engine damage.
6. Coat the gasket on the new filter with clean engine oil .
7. Screw on the oil filter until a slight resis- tance is felt, then tighten an additional
2/3 turn.
Oil filter tightening torque: 13 f t-lb (18 N·m)
8. Start the engine and check for leakage around the oil filter. Correct as required.
LDI2789
8-8Do-it-yourself
REPLACING SPARK PLUGS
Platinum-tipped spark plugs
It is not necessary to replace platinum-
tipped
Aspark plugs as frequently as con-
ventional type spark plugs because they
last much longer. Follow the maintenance
log shown in the "Maintenance and sched-
ules" section of this manual. Do not service
platinum-tipped spark plugs by cleaning or
regapping.
∙ Always replace spark plugs with rec-
ommended or equivalent ones.
WARNING
Be sure the engine and ignition switch
are off and that the parking brake is
engaged securely.
CAUTION
Be sure to use the correct socket to re-
move the spark plugs. An incorrect
socket can damage the spark plugs.
If replacement is required, it is recom-
mended that you visit a NISSAN dealer for
this service.
WARNING
∙Operating the engine with the air
cleaner filter off can cause you or oth-
ers to be burned. The air cleaner filter
not only cleans the intake air, it also
stops the flame if the engine backfires.
If the air cleaner is not installed and the
engine backfires, you could be burned.
Never drive with the air cleaner filter off.
Be cautious working on the engine
when the air cleaner is off.
∙ Never pour fuel into the throttle body
or attempt to start the engine with
the air cleaner removed. Doing so
could result in serious injury.
SDI1895LDI2708
SPARK PLUGS AIR CLEANER
8-14Do-it-yourself
If the brakes do not operate properly, have
the brakes checked. It is recommended
that you visit a NISSAN dealer for this ser-
vice.
Self-adjusting brakes
Your vehicle is equipped with self-adjusting
brakes.
The front disc-type brakes self-adjust ev-
ery time the brake pedal is applied. The rear
drum-type brakes self-adjust every time
the parking brake is applied.
WARNING
Have your brake system checked if the
brake pedal height does not return to
normal. It is recommended that you
visit a NISSAN dealer for this service.
Brake pad wear indicators
The disc brake pads on your vehicle have
audible wear indicators. When a brake pad
requires replacement, a high pitched
scraping or screeching sound will be heard
when the vehicle is in motion. The noise will
be heard whether or not the brake pedal is
depressed. Have the brakes checked as
soon as possible if the wear indicator
sound is heard.Under some driving or climate conditions,
occasional brake squeak, squeal or other
noise may be heard. Occasional brake
noise during light to moderate stops is nor-
mal and does not affect the function or
performance of the brake system.
Proper brake inspection intervals should
be followed.
For additional information re-
garding brake inspections, refer to the ap-
propriate maintenance schedule informa-
tion in the "Maintenance and schedules"
section of this manual.
If any electrical equipment does not oper-
ate, check for an open fuse.
Fuses are used in the passenger compart-
ment. Spare fuses are provided and can be
found in the passenger compartment fuse
box.
When installing a fuse make sure the fuse is
installed in the fuse box securely.
LDI2385
BRAKES FUSES
Do-it-yourself8-17
Doors and engine hood:Check that the
doors and engine hood operate properly.
Also ensure that all latches lock securely.
Lubricate hinges, latches, latch pins, rollers
and links if necessary. Make sure that the
secondary latch keeps the hood from
opening when the primary latch is re-
leased.
When driving in areas using road salt or
other corrosive materials, check lubrica-
tion frequently.
Lights*: Clean the headlights on a regular
basis. Make sure that the headlights, stop
lights, tail lights, turn signal lights, and other
lights are all operating properly and in-
stalled securely. Also check headlight aim.
Road wheel nuts (lug nuts)*: When check-
ing the tires, make sure no wheel nuts are
missing, and check for any loose wheel
nuts. Tighten if necessary.
Tire rotation*: Tires should be rotated ev-
ery 5,000 miles (8,000 km).
Tires*: Check the pressure with a gauge
of ten and always prior to long distance
trips. If necessary, adjust the pressure in all
tires, including the spare, to the pressure
specified. Check carefully for damage, cuts
or excessive wear. Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
transmitter components (if so
equipped):
Replace the TPMS transmitter
grommet seal, valve core and cap when
the tires are replaced due to wear or age.
Wheel alignment and balance: If the vehicle
should pull to either side while driving on a
straight and level road, or if you detect un-
even or abnormal tire wear, there may be a
need for wheel alignment. If the steering
wheel or seat vibrates at normal highway
speeds, wheel balancing may be needed.
For additional information regarding tires,
refer to “Important Tire Safety Information”
(US) or “Tire Safety Information” (Canada) in
the Warranty Information Booklet.
Windshield: Clean the windshield on a
regular basis. Check the windshield at least
every six months for cracks or other dam-
age. Have a damaged windshield repaired
by a qualified repair facility.
Windshield wiper blades*: Check for
cracks or wear if they do not wipe properly.
Inside the vehicle
The maintenance items listed here should
be checked on a regular basis, such as
when performing scheduled maintenance,
cleaning the vehicle, etc. Accelerator pedal:
Check the pedal for
smooth operation and make sure the
pedal does not catch or require uneven
effort. Keep the floor mat away from the
pedal.
Brake pedal: Check the pedal for smooth
operation. If the brake pedal suddenly goes
down further than normal, the pedal feels
spongy or the vehicle seems to take longer
to stop, have your vehicle checked imme-
diately. It is recommended that you visit a
NISSAN dealer for this service. Keep the
floor mat away from the pedal.
Brakes: Check that the brakes do not pull
the vehicle to one side when applied.
Continuously Variable Transmission
(CVT) P (Park) position mechanism (if so
equipped): On a fairly steep hill check that
the vehicle is held securely with the shif t
lever in the P (Park) position without apply-
ing any brakes.
Parking brake: Check the parking brake
operation regularly. The vehicle should be
securely held on a fairly steep hill with only
the parking brake applied. If the parking
brake needs adjustment, it is recom-
mended that you visit a NISSAN dealer for
this service.
Maintenance and schedules9-3