cooling NISSAN SENTRA 2016 B17 / 7.G Towing Guide

2016 NISSAN Towing Guide 1
INTRODUCTION

SAFETY IS PRIORITY ONE
Obviously, your first concern should be safety. Your vehicle was designed to be used primarily
to carry passengers and cargo. Always remember that towing a trailer places additional loads
on your vehicle’s engine, drivetrain, suspension, and steering, braking, and other systems.
Therefore, be certain that your vehicle can meet the demands of the towing application you
have in mind.
Rent or purchase towing equipment that complies with established industry standards and
state and federal safety regulations. Reinforced tow hitches designed especially for certain
NISSAN vehicles are available from your NISSAN dealer. Hitches for other NISSAN models –
if Nissan recommends towing with that vehicle - should be bought from and installed by a
professional supplier of towing equipment. Carefully review all information and literature
provided with any hitch you purchase for safety and proper use information.
Finally, it is important to follow the towing capacity limit set for your specific vehicle, and to
ensure that your vehicle is in top mechanical condition, especially the tires, brakes,
suspension, and engine cooling system. See your vehicle owner’s manual for details.

WHAT IS THE ESTABLISHED TOWING CAPACITY FOR YOUR VEHICLE
Towing capacities vary from vehicle to vehicle. See the towing information in your vehicle
owner’s manual to confirm whether your NISSAN vehicle can be used to tow and if so, what
its towing capacity rating is. Use this data to help select the proper NISSAN vehicle to meet
your anticipated towing needs, and refer to it when renting a trailer or other piece of towing
equipment.


EQUIP YOUR NISSAN FOR TOWING
The frequency and type of towing dictate the manner in which you equip your vehicle. If you
plan to tow often, for either recreation or work, select the engine size, transmission type,
suspension, and towing capacity that are best suited to your requirements. This guide can
help you select that equipment.
If, on the other hand, your towing will be infrequent, choose the NISSAN vehicle and
equipment that best meets your day-to-day needs. Be careful not to exceed the towing
capacity on those few occasions when you do tow.


READ THIS GUIDE BEFORE YOU TOW
This guide was designed to provide an overview of safe towing practices. Here, you will find
information on towing equipment, safety, proper loading and driving techniques, towing tips,
and much more.

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TOW MODE (IF EQUIPPED)
Tow Mode is recommended when towing a heavy trailer or hauling a heavy load, in stop-and-
go traffic, rolling terrain, or a busy parking lot. Driving the vehicle in Tow Mode may affect fuel
economy and transmission/engine driving characteristics. See your vehicle owner’s manual for
additional information about Tow Mode.

HILLS – UPGRADES
As the incline increases, if your vehicle is equipped with an automatic transmission — it is
designed to select automatically the correct gear for the best towing comfort and
performance. To maintain speed or avoid up and down shifts, manually shift to a lower gear as
needed.

The added weight of a trailer places an increased load on the engine and cooling system, so
monitor your coolant temperature gauge and automatic transmission fluid temperature gauge
(if equipped) carefully. At the first sign of overheating, pull to the side of the road. See IF
YOUR ENGINE OVERHEATS later in this section for more information.

HILLS – DOWNGRADES

WARNING - While going downhill, the weight of the trailer pushing on the tow vehicle
may decrease overall stability, and may deteriorate overall handling characteristics, which
could result in an accident, property damage, serious injury or death. Therefore, to maintain
adequate control, reduce your speed and shift to a lower gear. If your vehicle is equipped with
Tow Mode, see your vehicle owner’s manual for information about the use of this function.
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.

AUTOMATIC CRUISE CONTROL
WARNING – In order to maintain a safe distance to the vehicle ahead to avoid the
possibility of accidents, property damage, serious injury or death, never use the Intelligent
Cruise control (ICC) system while towing a trailer or other vehicle. If the ICC sensor cannot
detect the reflector on the vehicle ahead, the system may not function properly.

IF YOUR ENGINE OVERHEATS
“A moderate increase in engine operating temperature is normal when towing a trailer.” If,
however, the coolant temperature gauge reading is abnormally high, if you are experiencing a
significant loss of power, or if you hear unusual engine noises,* the engine may be overheating
and you should immediately take the following steps:

2016 NISSAN Towing Guide 21
1. Carefully pull your vehicle safely over to the side of the road, out of traffic. Apply the
parking brake and move the gearshift lever to NEUTRAL (manual) or PARK (automatic).
DO NOT STOP THE ENGINE.

2. Turn off the air conditioning and, after opening all the windows, turn the heater on to
maximum hot and the fan to its highest speed, and exit the vehicle. The heater core in your
vehicle is just like a miniature engine radiator and will provide an extra cooling surface to
help reduce engine temperature.

3. If the temperature does not drop or continues to increase, stop the engine immediately.

4. Being cautious of traffic, step out of the vehicle and, from a safe distance, look for steam
underneath the engine. If you see steam or leaking coolant, stand clear to avoid being
burned and shut off your engine immediately and allow it to cool. If there is no steam, open
the hood.

WARNING - To avoid the danger of being scalded, do not open the hood if steam is
coming out. Never remove the radiator cap when the radiator is hot. If the cap is removed
under these conditions, pressurized hot water/coolant may spurt out, possibly causing
serious injury.

5. As soon as the engine has cooled to its normal operating temperature, visually inspect the
drive belts for damage or looseness. A loose belt reduces water pump efficiency.

WARNING - Be careful to keep your hands, hair, jewelry, and clothing clear of the
running drive belt and other moving parts when inspecting the engine and radiator to avoid
being burned and to avoid personal injury, or death. Keep in mind, too, that if your vehicle is
equipped with an electric fan motor, it may start without warning any time the coolant
temperature is high. Also, check to see if the cooling fan is running, and inspect the water
pump, radiator, and radiator hoses for leaks.

If you find leaking coolant, a loose or missing drive belt, or an inoperable fan, turn off the
engine immediately.

6. If no leaks are apparent and all other components appear to be operating properly, when
the engine has cooled to its normal operating temperature; check the coolant level in the
reservoir tank with the engine running. Add coolant to the reservoir tank in accordance to
owner’s manual, if needed. At this point, if repairs are needed, go to the nearest NISSAN
dealer. See the IN CASE OF EMERGENCY section of your vehicle owner’s manual for
additional information on overheating.