FREEING A FROZEN DOOR LOCK
To prevent a door lock from freezing, apply
de-icer through the key hole. If the lock
becomes frozen, heat the key before in-
serting it into the key hole, or use the
NISSAN Intelligent Key®.
ANTIFREEZE
In the winter when it is anticipated that the
temperature will drop below 32°F (0°C),
check the antifreeze to assure proper win-
ter protection. For additional information,
refer to “Engine cooling system” in the “Do-
it-yourself ” section of this manual.
BATTERY
If the battery is not fully charged during
extremely cold weather conditions, the
battery fluid may freeze and damage the
battery. To maintain maximum efficiency,
the battery should be checked regularly.
For additional information, refer to “Battery”
in the “Do-it-yourself ” section of this
manual.
DRAINING OF COOLANT WATER
If the vehicle is to be lef t outside without
antifreeze, drain the cooling system, includ-
ing the engine block. Refill before operating
the vehicle. For additional information, refer
to “Changing engine coolant” in the “Do-it-
yourself ” section of this manual.
TIRE EQUIPMENT
1. SUMMER tires have a tread designed toprovide superior performance on dry
pavement. However, the performance
of these tires will be substantially re-
duced in snowy and icy conditions. If
you operate your vehicle on snowy or
icy roads, NISSAN recommends the use
of MUD & SNOW or ALL SEASON TIRES
on all four wheels. It is recommended
that you visit a NISSAN dealer for the tire
type, size, speed rating and availability
information.
2. For additional traction on icy roads, studded tires may be used. However,
some U.S. states and Canadian prov-
inces prohibit their use. Check local,
state and provincial laws before install-
ing studded tires. Skid and traction capabilities of studded
snow tires on wet or dry surfaces may be
poorer than that of non-studded snow
tires.
3. Tire chains may be used. For additional information, refer to “Tire chains” in the
“Do-it-yourself ” section of this manual.
SPECIAL WINTER EQUIPMENT
It is recommended that the following items
be carried in the vehicle during winter:
∙ A scraper and stiff-bristled brush to re- move ice and snow from the windows
and wiper blades.
∙ A sturdy, flat board to be placed under the jack to give it firm support.
∙ A shovel to dig the vehicle out of snow- drif ts.
∙ Extra washer fluid to refill the windshield-washer fluid reservoir.
COLD WEATHER DRIVING
5-138Starting and driving
4. Lower the vehicle slowly until the tiretouches the ground. Then, with the
wheel nut wrench, tighten the wheel
nuts securely in the sequence illus-
trated (
A,B,C,D,E). Lower the ve-
hicle completely.
5. Securely store the jack and tools back in their storage compartment. Ensure
the jack is expanded and tools
snapped into place to prevent rattle
noise from happening while driving.
WARNING
∙ Incorrect wheel nuts or improperlytightened wheel nuts can cause the
wheel to become loose or come off.
This could cause an accident.
∙ Do not use oil or grease on the wheel studs or nuts. This could cause the
nuts to become loose.
∙ Retighten the wheel nuts when the vehicle has been driven for 621 miles
(1,000 km) (also in cases of a flat tire,
etc.). As soon as possible, tighten the wheel
nuts to the specified torque with a
torque wrench.
Wheel nut tightening torque:
83 f t-lb (113 N·m)
The wheel nuts must be kept tightened
to specification at all times. It is recom-
mended that wheel nuts be tightened to
specifications at each lubrication inter-
val.
Adjust tire pressure to the COLD pres-
sure.
COLD pressure: Af ter vehicle has been
parked for 3 hours or more or driven less
than 1 mile (1.6 km).
COLD tire pressures are shown on the tire
and loading information label affixed to
the driver side center pillar. To start your engine with a booster battery,
the instructions and precautions below
must be followed.
WARNING
∙ If done incorrectly, jump starting can
lead to a battery explosion, resulting
in severe injury or death. It could also
damage your vehicle.
∙ Explosive hydrogen gas is always present in the vicinity of the battery.
Keep all sparks and flames away from
the battery.
∙ Do not allow battery fluid to come into contact with eyes, skin, clothing or
painted surfaces. Battery fluid is a
corrosive sulfuric acid solution which
can cause severe burns. If the fluid
should come into contact with any-
thing, immediately flush the con-
tacted area with water.
∙ Keep battery out of the reach of children.
∙ The booster battery must be rated at 12 volts. Use of an improperly rated
battery can damage your vehicle.
JUMP STARTING
In case of emergency6-9
∙ Whenever working on or near a bat-tery, always wear suitable eye protec-
tors (for example, goggles or indus-
trial safety spectacles) and remove
rings, metal bands, or any other jew-
elry. Do not lean over the battery
when jump starting.
∙ Do not attempt to jump start a frozen battery. It could explode and cause
serious injury.
∙ Your vehicle has an automatic engine cooling fan. It could come on at any
time. Keep hands and other objects
away from it.
WARNING
Always follow the instructions below.
Failure to do so could result in damage
to the charging system and cause per-
sonal injury.
1. If the booster battery is in another ve- hicle, position the two vehicles to bring
their batteries near each other.
Do not allow the two vehicles to
touch. 2. Apply the parking brake. Move the shif t
lever to P (Park). Switch off all unneces-
sary electrical systems (lights, heater,
air conditioner, etc.).
3. Connect the jumper cables in the se- quence illustrated (
A,B,C,D).
LCE2223
6-10In case of emergency
CAUTION
∙ Always connect positive () to posi-tive ( ) and negative () to body
ground (for example, strut mounting
bolt, engine lif t bracket, etc.) — not to
the battery.
∙ Make sure the jumper cables do not touch moving parts in the engine
compartment and that the cable
clamps do not contact any other
metal.
4. Start the engine of the booster vehicle and let it run for a few minutes.
5. Keep the engine speed of the booster vehicle at about 2,000 rpm and start
the engine of the vehicle being jump
started.
CAUTION
Do not keep the starter motor engaged
for more than 10 seconds. If the engine
does not start right away, place the ig-
nition switch in the OFF position and
wait 3 to 4 seconds before trying again.
6. Af ter starting the engine, carefully dis- connect the negative cable and then
the positive cable.
CAUTION
∙ Continuously Variable Transmission(CVT) models cannot be push-started
or tow-started. Attempting to do so
may cause transmission damage.
∙ Do not push start this vehicle. The three-way catalyst may be damaged.
WARNING
∙ Do not continue to drive if your vehicleoverheats. Doing so could cause en-
gine damage or a vehicle fire.
∙ To avoid the danger of being scalded, never remove the radiator or coolant
reservoir cap while the engine is still
hot. When the radiator or coolant res-
ervoir cap is removed, pressurized hot
water will spurt out, possibly causing
serious injury.
∙ Do not open the hood if steam is com- ing 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, ap- ply the parking brake and move the
shif t lever to P (Park).
Do not stop the engine.
2. Turn off the air conditioner. Open all the windows, move the heater or air condi-
tioner temperature control to maxi-
mum hot and fan control to high
speed.
PUSH STARTING IF YOUR VEHICLE OVERHEATS
In case of emergency6-11
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 ...................................... 8-16In-cabin microfilter
.......................... 8-17
Windshield wiper blades ........................8-17
Cleaning .................................... 8-17
Replacing ................................... 8-17
Brakes.......................................... 8-19
Fuses ........................................... 8-19
Engine compartment .......................8-20
Passenger compartment ....................8-21
Battery replacement ........................... 8-22
NISSAN Intelligent Key® ......................8-23
Lights .......................................... 8-24
Headlights ................................... 8-24
Fog lights (if so equipped) ...................8-25
Exterior and interior lights ...................8-26
Wheels and tires ................................ 8-28
Tire pressure ................................ 8-28
Tire labeling ................................. 8-31
Types of tires ................................ 8-34
Tir
e chains .................................. 8-35
Changing wheels and tires ..................8-36
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 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. ∙ Your vehicle is equipped with an auto-
matic engine cooling fan. It may come
on at any time without warning, even
if the ignition switch is in the OFF po-
sition 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.
∙
Because the fuel lines on gasoline en-
gine models are under high pressure
even when the engine is off, it is recom-
mended that 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 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 Continu- ously Variable Transmission (CVT) re-
lated component harnesses discon-
nected while the ignition switch is in
the ON position.
∙
Never connect or disconnect the battery
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 dipstick
4. Engine oil filler cap
5. Brake fluid reservoir
6. Air cleaner
7. Fuse box
8. Fuse/Fusible link box
9. Battery
10 Radiator cap
11. Power steering fluid reservoir
12. Windshield-washer fluid reservoir
LDI3345
ENGINE COMPARTMENT CHECK
LOCATIONS
Do-it-yourself8-3
Caution symbols for batteryWARNING
1No smoking, No exposed flames, NoSparks Do not expose the battery to electrical sparks, flames or smoking. Hydrogen gas generated by the
battery is explosive. Explosive gases can cause blindness or injury.
2Shield eyes Handle the battery cautiously. Always wear eye protection glasses to protect against explosion or
battery acid.
3Keep away from childrenNever allow children to handle the battery. Keep the battery out of the reach of children.
4Battery acidDo not allow battery fluid to contact your skin, eyes, fabrics, or painted surfaces. Sulfuric acid can
cause blindness or severe burns. Af ter touching a battery or battery cap, do not touch or rub your eyes. Thoroughly wash your hands. If the acid contacts your eyes, skin or clothing, immediately
flush with water for at least 15 minutes and seek medical attention. Battery fluid is acid. If the bat- tery fluid gets into your eyes or onto your skin, it could cause loss of your eyesight or burns.
5Note operating instructions Before handling the battery, read this instruction carefully to ensure correct and safe handling.
6Explosive gas Hydrogen gas generated by battery fluid is explosive. Explosive gases can cause blindness or
injury.
∙ If the battery is labeled “do not open” it is maintenance free and battery fluid should not be checked. It is recommended that you visita NISSAN dealer or a qualified specialist workshop to confirm the battery’s performance.
∙ 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 (-) battery terminal cable to prevent discharge.
BATTERY
Do-it-yourself8-13