overheating NISSAN FRONTIER 2003 D22 / 1.G Owners Manual

2.Manual transmission models:
Place the shift lever in the R (Reverse) posi-
tion. When parking on an uphill grade, place
the shift lever in 1st gear.
Automatic transmission models:
Move the shift selector lever to the P (Park)
position.
3. To help prevent the vehicle from rolling into
traffic when parked on an incline, it is a good
practice to turn the wheels as illustrated.
cHEADED DOWNHILL WITH CURB:
s1
Turn the wheels into the curb and move the
vehicle forward until the curb side wheel gen-
tly touches the curb.
cHEADED UPHILL WITH CURB:
s2
Turn the wheels away from the curb and move
the vehicle back until the curb side wheel
gently touches the curb.
cHEADED UPHILL OR DOWNHILL, NO
CURB:
s3
Turn the wheels toward the side of the road so
the vehicle will move away from the center of
the road if it moves.
4. Turn the ignition key to the LOCK position
and remove the key.The power assisted steering is designed to use a
hydraulic pump, driven by the engine, to assist
steering.
If the engine stops or the drive belt breaks, you
will still have control of the vehicle. However,
much greater steering effort is needed, especially
in sharp turns and at low speeds.
WARNING
If the engine is not running or is turned off
while driving, the power assist for the
steering will not work. Steering will be
much harder to operate.The brake system has two separate hydraulic
circuits. If one circuit malfunctions, you will still
have braking at two wheels.
BRAKE PRECAUTIONS
Vacuum assisted brakes
The brake booster aids braking by using engine
vacuum. If the engine stops, you can stop the
vehicle by depressing the brake pedal. However,
greater foot pressure on the brake pedal will be
required to stop the vehicle and stopping dis-
tance will be longer.
Using the brakes
Avoid resting your foot on the brake pedal while
driving. This will overheat the brakes, wear out the
brake linings and pads faster, and reduce gas
mileage.
To help reduce brake wear and to prevent the
brakes from overheating, reduce speed and
downshift to a lower gear before going down a
slope or long grade. Overheated brakes may
reduce braking performance and could result in
loss of vehicle control.
POWER STEERING BRAKE SYSTEM
5-26Starting and driving
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WARNING
cAutomatic transmission models cannot
be push-started or tow-started. This
may cause transmission or other ve-
hicle damage.
cThree-way catalyst equipped models
should not be started by pushing. The
three-way catalyst may be damaged.
cNever try to start the vehicle by towing
it. When the engine starts, the forward
surge could cause the vehicle to collide
with the tow vehicle.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.
WARNING
cDo not continue to drive if your vehicle
overheats. Doing so could cause a ve-
hicle fire.
cTo avoid the danger of being scalded,
never remove the radiator cap while the
engine is still hot. When the radiator
cap is removed, pressurized hot water
will spurt out, possibly causing serious
injury.
cDo not open the hood if steam is com-
ing out.
1. Move the vehicle safely off the road, apply
the parking brake and move the shift lever to
N (Neutral) (manual transmission) or to P
(Park) (automatic transmission) .
Do not stop the engine.
2. Turn off the air conditioner (if so equipped) .
Open all the windows, move the heater or air
conditioner temperature control to maximum
hot and fan control to high speed.3. If engine overheating is caused by climbing a
long hill on a hot day, run the engine at a fast
idle (approximately 1,500 r/min) until the
temperature gauge indicator returns to nor-
mal.
4. Get out of the vehicle. Look and listen for
steam or coolant escaping from the radiator
before opening the hood. Wait until no
steam or coolant can be seen before pro-
ceeding.
5. Open the engine hood.
WARNING
If steam or water is coming from the en-
gine, stand clear to prevent getting
burned.
6. Visually check drive belts for damage or
looseness. Also check if the cooling fan is
running. The radiator hoses and radiator
should not leak water. If coolant is leaking,
the water pump belt is missing or loose, or
the cooling fan does not run, stop the en-
gine.
PUSH STARTING IF YOUR VEHICLE OVERHEATS
In case of emergency6-11
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Take care not to spill gasoline during refu-
eling. Gasoline containing oxygenates can
cause paint damage.
Aftermarket fuel additives
NISSAN does not recommend the use of any fuel
additives (for example, fuel injector cleaner, oc-
tane booster, intake valve deposit removers, etc.)
which are sold commercially. Many of these ad-
ditives intended for gum, varnish or deposit re-
moval may contain active solvents or similar in-
gredients that can be harmful to the fuel system
and engine.
Octane rating tips
In most parts of North America, you should use
unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of at
least 87 (except supercharger) or 91 (super-
charger ) AKI (Anti-Knock Index) . However, you
may use unleaded gasoline with an octane rating
as low as 85 AKI (Anti-Knock Index) number in
high altitude areas [over 4,000 ft (1,219 m)] such
as: Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, Wyo-
ming, northeastern Nevada, southern Idaho,
western South Dakota, western Nebraska, and
the part of Texas which is directly south of New
Mexico.
Using unleaded gasoline with an octane
rating lower than stated above can cause
persistent, heavy “spark knock.” (“Sparkknock” is a metallic rapping noise.) If se-
vere, this can lead to engine damage. If you
detect a persistent heavy spark knock even
when using gasoline of the stated octane
rating, or if you hear steady spark knock
while holding a steady speed on level
roads, have a NISSAN dealer correct the
condition. Failure to correct the condition
is misuse of the vehicle, for which NISSAN
is not responsible.
Incorrect ignition timing may result in spark
knock, after-run and/or overheating, which may
cause excessive fuel consumption or engine
damage. If any of the above symptoms are en-
countered, have your vehicle checked at a
NISSAN dealer.
However, now and then you may notice
light spark knock for a short time while
accelerating or driving up hills. This is not a
cause for concern, because you get the
greatest fuel benefit when there is light
spark knock for a short time under heavy
engine load.
9-4Technical and consumer information
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Trailer towing tips
In order to gain skill and an understanding of the
vehicle’s behavior, you should practice turning,
stopping and backing up in an area which is free
from traffic. Steering stability and braking perfor-
mance will be somewhat different than under
normal driving conditions.
cAlways secure items in the trailer to prevent
load shift while driving.
cAvoid abrupt starts, acceleration or stops.
cAvoid sharp turns or lane changes.
cAlways drive your vehicle at a moderate speed.
cAlways block the wheels on both vehicle and
trailer when parking. Parking on a slope is not
recommended; however, if you must do so,
and if your vehicle is equipped with an auto-
matic transmission, first block the wheels and
apply the parking brake, and then move the
transmission shift selector lever into the P
(Park) position. If you move the shift selector
lever to the P (Park) position before blocking
the wheels and applying the parking brake,
transmission damage could occur.
cWhen going down a hill, shift into a lower gear
and use the engine braking effect. When go-
ing up a long grade, downshift the transmis-
sion to a lower gear and reduce speed toreduce chances of engine overloading and/or
overheating. However, for long steep grades,
do not stay in 1st or 2nd gear when driving
above 35 MPH (56 km/h) .
cIf the engine coolant rises to an extremely high
temperature when the air conditioner system
is on, turn off the air conditioner. Coolant heat
can be additionally vented by opening the win-
dows, switching the fan control to high and
setting the temperature control to the HOT
position.
cTrailer towing requires more fuel than normal
circumstances.
cAvoid towing a trailer for your vehicle’s first
500 miles (805 km) .
cHave your vehicle serviced more often than at
intervals specified in the recommended Main-
tenance Schedule in the “NISSAN Service
and Maintenance Guide”.
cWhen 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.
cCrosswinds 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. If swaying does occur, firmly
grip the steering wheel, steer straight ahead,
and immediately (but gradually) reduce vehicle
speed. This combination will help stabilize the
vehicle. Never increase speed.
cBe careful when passing other vehicles. Pass-
ing while towing a trailer requires considerably
more distance than normal passing. Remem-
ber, the length of the trailer must also pass the
other vehicle before you can safely change
lanes.
cTo maintain engine braking efficiency and
electrical charging performance, do not use
5th gear (manual transmission) or overdrive
(automatic transmission) .
cAvoid holding the brake pedal down too long
or too frequently. This could cause the brakes
to overheat, resulting in reduced braking effi-
ciency.
When towing a trailer, transmission
oil/fluid should be changed more fre-
quently. For additional information, see the
“Maintenance and do-it-yourself” section
earlier in this manual.
9-22Technical and consumer information
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