engine NISSAN ALTIMA 2010 Workshop Manual

Your engine was filled with a high-quality engine
oil when it was built. You do not have to change
the oil before the first recommended change
interval. Oil and filter change intervals depend
upon how you use your vehicle.
Operation under the following conditions may
require more frequent oil and filter changes:● repeated short distance driving at cold out-
side temperatures
● driving in dusty conditions
● extensive idling
● towing a trailer
● stop and go commuting
Refer to the “NISSAN Service and Maintenance
Guide” for the maintenance schedule.
AIR CONDITIONER SYSTEM
REFRIGERANT AND OIL
RECOMMENDATIONS
The air conditioner system in your NISSAN
vehicle must be charged with the refriger-
ant HFC-134a (R-134a) and NISSAN A/C
system oil Type S or the exact equivalents.

ENGINE

When planning to drive your NISSAN ve-
hicle in another country,you should first find
out if the fuel available is suitable for your vehi-
cle’s engine.
Using fuel with an octane rating that is too low
may cause engine damage. All gasoline vehicles
must be operated with unleaded gasoline. There-
fore, avoid taking your vehicle to areas where
appropriate fuel is not available.
When transferring the registration of your
vehicle to another country, state, province
or district, it may be necessary to modify the
vehicle to meet local laws and regulations.
The laws and regulations for motor vehicle emis-
sion control and safety standards vary according
to the country, state, province or district; there-
fore, vehicle specifications may differ.
When any vehicle is to be taken into an-
other country, state, province or district
and registered, its modifications, transpor-
tation, and registration are the responsibil-
ity of the user. NISSAN is not responsible
for any inconvenience that may result.
VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER
(VIN) PLATE
The vehicle identification number (VIN) plate is
attached as shown. This number is the identifica-
tion for your vehicle and is used in the vehicle
registration.
VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER
(chassis number)
The vehicle identification number is located as
shown.

ENGINE SERIAL NUMBER
The number is stamped on the engine as shown.
F.M.V.S.S./C.M.V.S.S.
CERTIFICATION LABEL
The Federal/Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (F.M.V.S.S./C.M.V.S.S.) certification la-
bel is affixed as shown. This label contains valu-
able vehicle information, such as: Gross Vehicle
Weight Ratings (GVWR) , Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR) , month and year of manufacture,
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) , etc. Review
it carefully.

Temperature conditions can also affect towing.
For example, towing a heavy trailer in high outside
temperatures on graded roads can affect engine
performance and cause overheating. The engine
protection mode, which helps reduce the chance
of engine damage, could activate and automati-
cally decrease engine power. Vehicle speed may
decrease under high load. Plan your trip carefully
to account for trailer and vehicle load, weather
and road conditions.

To drive away:1. Start the vehicle.
2. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
3. Shift the transmission into gear.
4. Release the parking brake.
5. Drive slowly until the vehicle and trailer are clear from the blocks.
6. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
7. Have someone retrieve and store the blocks. ● While going downhill, the weight of the
trailer pushing on the tow vehicle may dete-
riorate overall handling characteristics.
Therefore, to maintain adequate control, re-
duce your speed and shift to a lower gear.
Avoid long or repeated use of the brakes
when descending a hill, as this reduces their
effectiveness and could cause overheating.
Shifting to a lower gear instead provides
“engine braking” and reduces the need to
brake as frequently.
● If the engine coolant temperature rises to a
high temperature, refer to “If your vehicle
overheats” in the “In case of emergency”
section of this owner’s manual.
● Trailer towing requires more fuel than normal
circumstances. ●
Avoid towing a trailer for your vehicle’s first
500 miles (805 km) .
● For the first 500 miles (805 km) that you do
tow, do not drive over 50 MPH (80 km/h) .
● Have your vehicle serviced more often than
at intervals specified in the recommended
Maintenance Schedule in the “NISSAN Ser-
vice and Maintenance Guide”.
● When making a turn, your trailer wheels will
be closer to the inside of the turn than your
vehicle wheels. To compensate for this,
make a larger than normal turning radius
during the turn.
● Crosswinds and rough roads will adversely
affect vehicle/trailer handling, possibly caus-
ing vehicle sway. When being passed by
larger vehicles, be prepared for possible
changes in crosswinds that could affect ve-
hicle handling.
Do the following if the trailer begins to sway: 1. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal to allow the vehicle to coast and steer as
straight ahead as the road conditions allow.
This combination will help stabilize the ve-
hicle
– Do not correct trailer sway by steering or applying the brakes. 2. When the trailer sway stops, gently apply the
brakes and pull to the side of the road in a
safe area.
3. Try to rearrange the trailer load so it is bal- anced as described earlier in this section.
● Be careful when passing other vehicles.
Passing while towing a trailer requires con-
siderably more distance than normal pass-
ing. Remember, the length of the trailer must
also pass the other vehicle before you can
safely change lanes.
● Use the Tow Mode or downshift the trans-
mission to a lower gear for engine braking
when driving down steep or long hills. This
will help slow the vehicle without applying
the brakes.
● Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long
or too frequently. This could cause the
brakes to overheat, resulting in reduced
braking efficiency.
● Increase your following distance to allow for
greater stopping distances while towing a
trailer. Anticipate stops and brake gradually.
● NISSAN recommends that the cruise con-
trol not be used while towing a trailer.
9-24Technical and consumer information

Your NISSAN vehicle is covered by the following
emission warranties:
For USA1. Emission Defects Warranty
2. Emissions Performance Warranty
Details of this warranty may be found with other
vehicle warranties in your Warranty Information
Booklet which comes with your NISSAN vehicle.
If you did not receive a Warranty Information
Booklet, or it is lost, you may obtain a replace-
ment by writing to: ● Nissan North America, Inc.
Consumer Affairs Department
P.O. Box 685003
Franklin, TN 37068-5003
For Canada
Emission Control System Warranty
Details of this warranty may be found with other
vehicle warranties in your Warranty Information
Booklet which comes with your NISSAN vehicle.
If you did not receive a Warranty Information
Booklet, or it is lost, you may obtain a replace-
ment by writing to: ● Nissan Canada Inc.
5290 Orbitor Drive
Mississauga, Ontario, L4W 4Z5If you believe that your vehicle has a de-
fect which could cause a crash or could
cause injury or death, you should immedi-
ately inform the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA) in addi-
tion to notifying NISSAN.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it
may open an investigation, and if it finds
that a safety defect exists in a group of
vehicles, it may order a recall and remedy
campaign. However, NHTSA cannot be-
come involved in individual problems be-
tween you, your dealer, or NISSAN.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the Ve-
hicle Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-888-
327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); go
to http://www.safercar.gov; or write to:
Administrator, NHTSA, 400 Seventh
Street, SW., Washington, D.C. 20590.
You can also obtain other information
about motor vehicle safety from
http://www.safercar.gov.
You may notify NISSAN by contacting our
Consumer Affairs Department, toll-free, at
1-800-NISSAN-1.Due to legal requirements in some states and
Canadian Provinces, your vehicle may be re-
quired to be in what is called the “ready condi-
tion” for an Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) test of
the emission control system.
The vehicle is set to the “ready condition” when it
is driven through certain driving patterns. Usually,
the ready condition can be obtained by ordinary
usage of the vehicle.
If a powertrain system component is repaired or the
battery is disconnected, the vehicle may be reset to
a “not ready” condition. Before taking the I/M test,
check the vehicle’s inspection/maintenance test
readiness condition. Place the ignition switch in the
ON position without starting the engine. If the
Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) comes on steady
for 20 seconds and then blinks for 10 seconds , the
I/M test condition is “not ready”. If the MIL does not
blink after 20 seconds, the I/M test condition is
“ready”. If the MIL indicates the vehicle is in a “not
ready” condition, drive the vehicle through the fol-
lowing pattern to set the vehicle to the ready con-
dition. If you cannot or do not want to perform the
driving pattern, a NISSAN dealer can conduct it for
you.
EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM
WARRANTY REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS (US
only)READINESS FOR INSPECTION/
MAINTENANCE (I/M) TEST
Technical and consumer information9-27

WARNING
Always drive the vehicle in a safe and
prudent manner according to traffic con-
ditions and obey all traffic laws.1. Start the engine when the engine coolant temperature gauge needle points to C. Al-
low the engine to idle until the gauge needle
points between the C and H (normal oper-
ating temperature) .
2. Accelerate the vehicle to 55 MPH (88 km/h) , then quickly release the accelerator
pedal completely and keep it released for at
least 10 seconds.
3. Quickly depress the accelerator pedal for a moment, then drive the vehicle at a speed of
53 - 60 MPH (86 - 96 km/h) for at least 9
minutes.
4. Stop the vehicle.
5. Accelerate the vehicle to 35 MPH (55 km/h) and maintain the speed for 20 seconds.
6. Repeat steps 4 through 5 at least 10 times.
7. Accelerate the vehicle to 55 MPH (88 km/h) and maintain the speed for at least 3 min-
utes.
8. Stop the vehicle. Place the shift selector in the P (Park) or N (Neutral) position. 9. Turn the engine off.
10. Repeat steps1-8atleast one more time.
If steps 1 through 7 are interrupted, repeat the
preceding step. Any safe driving mode is accept-
able between steps. Do not stop the engine until
step 7 is completed. This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data Re-
corder (EDR) . The main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash or near crash-like situa-
tions, such as an air bag deployment or hitting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understand-
ing how a vehicle’s systems performed. The EDR
is designed to record data related to vehicle
dynamics and safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this
vehicle is designed to record such data as:
● How various systems in your vehicle were
operating;
● Whether or not the driver and passenger
safety belts were buckled/fastened;
● How far (if at all) the driver was depressing
the accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
● How fast the vehicle was traveling.
● Sounds are not recorded.
These data can help provide a better understand-
ing of the circumstances in which crashes and
injuries occur. NOTE: EDR data are recorded by
your vehicle only if a nontrivial crash situation
occurs; no data are recorded by the EDR under
normal driving conditions and no personal data
(e.g. name, gender, age and crash location) are
recorded. However, other parties, such as law
enforcement, could combine the EDR data with
EVENT DATA RECORDERS (EDR)
9-28Technical and consumer information

Precautions on child
restraints.........1-24, 1-30, 1-35, 1-39
Top tether strap anchor point locations . .1-28
Child safety rear door lock ............3-6
Chimes, audible reminders ...........2-16
Cleaning exterior and interior ...........7-2
Clock ...................4-46, 4-51
(models with navigation system) .......4-8
(models without navigation system) . . . .4-46
Clock set ..................4-8, 4-46
Clutch Clutch fluid ..................8-14
C.M.V.S.S. certification label ..........9-11
Cold weather driving ..............5-26
Compact disc (CD)
player ............4-47, 4-53, 4-59, 4-65
Compass display .................2-6
Console box ...................2-39
Console light ...................2-47
Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). . .5-11 Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
fluid ......................8-13
Driving with Continuously Variable
Transmission (CVT) .............5-11
Transmission selector lever lock release . .5-15
Control panel buttons ...............4-2
Brightness/contrast button .........4-12
Enter button ..................4-2
Setting button .................4-6
Controls Heater and air conditioner
controls ................4-19, 4-27
Coolant Capacities and recommended
fuel/lubricants .................9-2
Changing engine coolant ...........8-9 Checking engine coolant level
........8-8
Engine coolant temperature gauge .....2-5
Corrosion protection ...............7-6
Cruise control ..................5-19
Cup holders ................2-38, 2-39
D
Daytime running light system (Canada only) . .2-31
Defroster switch Rear window and outside mirror defroster
switch .....................2-27
Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) player .......4-64
Dimensions

and weights .............9-9
Dimmer switch for instrument panel ......2-32
Display controls (see control panel buttons) . .4-2
Door locks .....................3-4
Drive belt .....................8-18
Driving Cold weather driving ............5-26
Driving with Continuously Variable
Transmission (CVT) .............5-11
Driving with manual transmission ......5-16
Precautions when starting and driving . . . .5-2
E
Economy - fuel ..................5-21
Emission control information label .......9-12
Emission control system warranty .......9-27
Engine Before starting the engine ..........5-9
Block heater .................5-28 Capacities and recommended
fuel/lubricants
.................9-2
Changing engine coolant ...........8-9
Changing engine oil .............8-10
Changing engine oil filter ..........8-12
Checking engine coolant level ........8-8
Checking engine oil level ...........8-9
Engine compartment check locations . . . .8-6
Engine coolant temperature gauge .....2-5
Engine cooling system ............8-8
Engine oil ...................8-9
Engine oil and oil filter recommendation . . .9-5
Engine oil pressure warning light ......2-12
Engine oil viscosity ..............9-5
Engine serial number ............9-11
Engine specifications .............9-7
Starting the engine .............5-10
Enter button ....................4-2
Event data recorders ..............9-28
Exhaust gas (Carbon monoxide) .........5-2
Eyeglass case ..................2-37
F
Flashers
(See hazard warning flasher switch) ......2-33
Flat
tire.......................6-2
Floor mat positioning aid .............7-5
Fluid Brake fluid ..................8-14
Capacities and recommended
fuel/lubricants .................9-2
Clutch fluid ..................8-14
Continuously Variable Transmission
(CVT) fluid ..................8-13
10-2

Engine coolant.................8-8
Engine oil ...................8-9
Power steering fluid .............8-13
F.M.V.S.S. certification label ...........9-11
Fog light switch .................2-32
Front air bag system
(See supplemental restraint system) ......1-50
Front seats .....................1-2
Fuel Capacities and recommended
fuel/lubricants .................9-2
Fuel economy ................5-21
Fuel gauge ...................2-6
Fuel octane rating ...............9-4
Fuel recommendation .............9-3
Fuel-filler cap .................3-25
Fuel-filler door and cap ...........3-25
Fuel-filler door lock opener lever ......3-25
Fuel-filler lid .................3-25
Fuses .......................8-22
Fusible links ...................8-24
G
Garage door opener, HomeLink Universal
Transceiver ....................2-49
Gascap .....................3-25
Gauge Engine coolant temperature gauge .....2-5
Fuel gauge ...................2-6
Odometer ...................2-4
Speedometer .................2-4
Tachometer ..................2-5
Trip odometer .................2-4
General maintenance ...............8-2 Glove box
.....................2-39
Glove box lock ..................2-39
Grocery hooks ..................2-41
H
Hands-free phone system,
Bluetooth ................4-92, 4-107
Hazard warning flasher switch .........2-33
Headlight
and turn signal switch ........2-28
Headlight control switch ............2-29
Headlights ....................8-27
Heated seats ...................2-34
Heater Heater and air conditioner
controls ................4-19, 4-27
Heater operation ...........4-21, 4-28
HomeLink Universal Transceiver ........2-49
Hood release ...................3-23
Horn .......................2-33
I
Ignition Switch Push-Button Ignition Switch .........5-7
Immobilizer system .............2-25, 3-3
Important vehicle information label .......9-11
In-cabin microfilter ................8-20
Increasing fuel economy .............5-21
Indicator lights and audible reminders
(See warning/indicator lights and audible
reminders) ....................2-10
Inside automatic anti-glare mirror ........3-29
Inside mirror ...................3-28 Instrument brightness control
..........2-32
Instrument panel ...............0-8, 2-2
Instrument panel dimmer switch ........2-32
Intelligent Key system Key operating range ..........3-8, 3-18
Key operation .................3-9
Mechanical key ................3-3
Remote keyless entry operation . . .3-12, 3-18
Troubleshooting guide ........3-16, 3-22
Warning signals ............3-16, 3-22
Interior light ....................2-46
Interior trunk lid release .............3-24
iPod Player................4-73, 4-75
ISOFIX child restraints .............1-26
J
Jump starting .................. .6-8
K
K

eyfob battery replacement ...........8-25
Keyless entry With Intelligent Key system
(See Intelligent Key system) .....3-12, 3-18
Keys, For Intelligent Key system .........3-2
L
Labels Air conditioner specification label .....9-13
C.M.V.S.S. certification label ........9-11
Emission control information label .....9-12
10-3