2019 NISSAN MAXIMA engine

8 Do-it-yourself
Maintenance precautions.......................8-2
Engine compartment check locations ...........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 oil filter ..............8-6
Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
fluid ............................................ 8-10
Power Steering Fluid (PSF) .......................8-11
Brake fluid ....................................... 8-11
Windshield-washer fluid ........................8-12
Windshield-washer fluid reservoir ............8-12
Battery......................................... 8-13
Jump starting ............................... 8-14
Drive belt ....................................... 8-15
Spark plugs .................................... 8-15
Replacing spark plugs ....................... 8-15
Air cleaner ...................................... 8-16
In-cabin microfilter .......................... 8-16Windshield wiper blades
........................8-17
Cleaning .................................... 8-17
Replacing ................................... 8-17
Brakes.......................................... 8-18
Fuses ........................................... 8-19
Engine compartment ....................... 8-19
Passenger compartment ....................8-20
Battery replacement ........................... 8-21
NISSAN Intelligent Key® ......................8-22
Lights .......................................... 8-23
Headlights ................................... 8-23
Front park/turn signal/side marker
light ......................................... 8-23
Fog lights (if so equipped) ...................8-23
Exterior and interior lights ...................8-24
Wheels and tires ................................ 8-26
Tire pressure ................................ 8-26
Tire labeling ................................. 8-30
T ypes

of tires ................................ 8-33
Tire chains .................................. 8-34
Changing wheels and tires ..................8-34

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. Move the shif t le-
ver to P (Park).
∙ Be sure the ignition key is in the OFF or LOCK position when performing 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. ∙ 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, always disconnect the
negative battery cable before work-
ing near the fan.
∙ 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.
∙ On gasoline engine models, the fuel filter or fuel lines should be serviced. It
is recommended that you visit a
NISSAN dealer for this service because
the fuel lines are under high pressure
even when the engine is off.
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

VQ35DE engine
1. Engine coolant reservoir
2. Drive belt location
3. Engine oil filler cap
4. Brake fluid reservoir
5. Air cleaner
6. Fuse box
7. Fuse box/Fusible links
8. Fusible links
9. Battery
10. Engine oil dipstick
11. Radiator cap
12. Power steering fluid reservoir
13. Windshield-washer fluid reservoir
LDI2749
ENGINE COMPARTMENT CHECK
LOCATIONS
Do-it-yourself8-3

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 antifreeze and coolant
protection. The antifreeze solution con-
tains rust and corrosion inhibitors. Addi-
tional engine cooling system additives are
not necessary.
WARNING
∙ Never remove the radiator or coolantreservoir 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. For additional informa-
tion on precautions, refer to “If your
vehicle overheats” in the “In case of
emergency ” section of this manual.
∙ The radiator is equipped with a pres- sure type radiator cap. To prevent en-
gine damage, use only a Genuine
NISSAN radiator cap.
CAUTION
∙ Never use any cooling system addi-tives such as radiator sealer. Additives
may clog the cooling system and
cause damage to the engine, trans-
mission and/or cooling system.
∙ When adding or replacing coolant, be sure to use only Genuine NISSAN Long
Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) or
equivalent. Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) is pre-
diluted to provide antifreeze protec-
tion to -34° F (-37° C). If additional
freeze protection is needed due to
weather where you operate your ve-
hicle, add Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) concen-
trate following the directions on the
container. If an equivalent coolant
other than Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) is used, fol-
low the coolant manufacturer’s in-
structions to maintain minimum anti-
freeze protection to -34° F (-37° C). The
use of other types of coolant solu-
tions 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 cool-
ant. For additional information, refer
to the “Maintenance and schedules”
section of this manual.
ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM
8-4Do-it-yourself

CHECKING ENGINE COOLANT
LEVEL
Check the coolant levelin the reservoir
when the engine is cold. If the coolant
level is below the MIN level
B, add coolant
to the MAX level
A. If the reservoir is empty,
check the coolant level in the radiator
when the engine is cold. If there is insuffi-
cient coolant in the radiator, fill the radiator
with coolant up to the filler opening and
also add it to the reservoir up to the MAX
level
A. This vehicle contains Genuine NISSAN Long
Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue). The life ex-
pectancy 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 ex-
pectancy of the factory-fill coolant. For ad-
ditional information, refer to the “Mainte-
nance and schedules” section of this
manual.
If the cooling system frequently requires
coolant, it is recommended that you visit
a NISSAN dealer for this service.
For additional information on the location
of the engine coolant reservoir, refer to “En-
gine compartment check locations” in this
section.
CHANGING ENGINE COOLANT
A NISSAN dealer can change the engine
coolant. The service procedure can be
found in the NISSAN Service Manual.
Improper servicing can result in reduced
heater performance and engine over-
heating.
WARNING
∙ To avoid the danger of being scalded,
never change the coolant when the
engine is hot.
∙ Never remove the radiator cap when the engine 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 the reach of chil- dren and pets.
Engine coolant must be disposed of prop-
erly. Check your local regulations.
LDI2750
Do-it-yourself8-5

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 oil between oil
maintenance intervals or during the
break-in period, depending on the sever-
ity of operating conditions.
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.
CHANGING ENGINE OIL AND OIL
FILTER
For additional information on engine oil
and oil filter change, refer to the instruc-
tions outlined in this section.
Vehicle set-up
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and apply the parking brake.
2. Run the engine until it reaches operat- ing temperature.
3. Turn the engine off and wait for 15 min- utes.
4. Raise and support the vehicle using a suitable floor jack and safety jack
stands.
∙ Place the safety jack stands under the vehicle jack-up points.
∙ A suitable adapter should be attached to the jack stand saddle.
LDI2751WDI0214
ENGINE OIL
8-6Do-it-yourself

3Oil filter
LDI3350
4Under engine protector
LDI3386
5Right engine protector
LDI3430
8-8Do-it-yourself

Removal of engine protectors
1. Remove clipsAand under engine pro-
tector.
2. Remove clips
Band right engine pro-
tector.
Engine oil and filter
1. Place a large drain pan under the drain
plug and oil filter.
2. Remove the oil filler cap.
3. Remove the drain plug with a wrench by turning it counterclockwise and
completely drain the oil.
CAUTION
Be careful not to burn yourself, as the
engine oil is hot.
WARNING
∙ Prolonged and repeated contact withused 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.
4. Loosen the oil filter with an oil filter wrench by turning it counterclockwise.
Remove the oil filter by turning it by
hand.
5. Wipe the engine oil filter mounting sur- face 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
an oil leak and engine damage.
∙ The dipstick must be inserted in placeto prevent oil spillage from the dip-
stick hole when filling the engine with
oil.
Under-engine protector
LDI3352
Right engine protector
LDI3429
Do-it-yourself8-9