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Page 410 of 500

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.
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 ve-
hicle fluids can damage the environ-
ment. Always conform to local regula-
tions 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 bat-
tery or any transistorized compo-
nent 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
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HR16DE engine
1. Engine coolant reservoir
2. Windshield-washer fluid reservoir
3. Engine oil filler cap
4. Engine oil dipstick
5. Brake fluid reservoir
6. Fuse box
7. Battery
8. Fuse box
9. Air cleaner
10. Engine drive belt location
LDI3471
ENGINE COMPARTMENT CHECK
LOCATIONS
Do-it-yourself8-3
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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 protec-
tion. The antifreeze solution contains rust
and corrosion inhibitors. Additional engine
cooling system additives are not neces-
sary.CAUTION
• Never use any cooling system addi-
tives such as radiator sealer. Addi-
tives 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 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 an-
tifreeze protection to -34° F (-37° C).
The use of other types of coolant so-
lutions other than Genuine NISSAN
Long Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue)
or equivalent may damage the en-
gine 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)
(or equivalent coolant), including
Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (green), or the
use of non-distilled water may re-
duce the life expectancy of the
factory-fill coolant. For additional in-
formation, refer to the “Maintenance
and schedules” section of this
manual.
ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM
8-4Do-it-yourself
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CHECKING ENGINE COOLANT
LEVEL
Check the coolant level in the reservoir
when the engine is cold.If the coolant
level is below the MIN level
OB, add coolant
up to the MAX level
OA.
If the cooling system frequently requires
coolant, have it checked. It is recom-
mended 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 coolant reservoir
cap when the engine is hot. Serious
burns could be caused by high pres-
sure fluid escaping from the coolant
reservoir.
• 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.
CHECKING ENGINE OIL LEVEL
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and apply the parking brake.
2. Start the engine and warm it up until the engine temperature reaches the nor-
mal operating temperature (approxi-
mately 5 minutes).
3. Stop the engine.
4. Wait at least 10 minutes for the engine oil to drain back to the oil pan.
5. Remove the dipstick and wipe it clean.
6. Reinsert the dipstick all the way.
LDI3221LDI3468
ENGINE OIL
Do-it-yourself8-5
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7. Remove the dipstick and check the oillevel. It should be within the range
OB.
8. If the oil level is below
OA, remove the oil
filler cap and pour recommended oil
into the opening. Do not overfill
OC.
When filling the engine oil, do not re-
move the dipstick.
9. Recheck the 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 or depending
on the property of the engine oil used.
More engine oil is consumed by frequent acceleration/deceleration especially
when engine rpm is high. Consumption
is likely to be higher when the engine is
new. if the rate of oil consumption, af ter
driving for 3,000 miles (5,000 km), is
more than 0.5 liter per 600 miles (1,000
km), consult 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.
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 operating temperature.
3. Turn the engine off and wait for 15 minutes. 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.
8-6Do-it-yourself
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LDI3434
O1Oil filler cap
Do-it-yourself8-7
Page 416 of 500
Engine oil and filter
1. Place a large drain pan under the drainplug and oil filter.
2. Remove the oil filler cap.
3. Remove the drain plug with a wrench by turning it counterclockwise and com-
pletely drain the oil.
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. 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.