2000 Nissan Maxima Owner's Manual - Page 153
2000 Nissan Maxima Manual
Page 153 highlights
IF YOUR VEHICLE OVERHEATS WARNING ¼ Do not continue to drive if your vehicle overheats. Doing so could cause a vehicle fire. ¼ To 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. ¼ Do not open the hood if steam is coming 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, apply the parking brake and move the shift lever to the N (Neutral) position (automatic transmission to the P (Park) position). Do not stop the engine. 2. Turn off the air conditioner switch. Open all the windows, move the heater or air condi- tioner 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 rpm) until the temperature gauge indication returns to normal. 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 proceeding. 5. Open the engine hood. WARNING ¼ Be careful not to allow your hands, hair, jewelry or clothing to come into contact with, or to get caught in the cooling fan, or drive belt. ¼ The engine cooling fan can start at any time when the coolant temperature is high. 7. After the engine cools down, check the coolant level in the reservoir tank with the engine running. Add coolant to the reservoir tank if necessary. Have your vehicle repaired at the nearest NISSAN dealer. WARNING If steam or water is coming from the engine, stand clear to prevent getting burned. 6. Visually check if the cooling fan is running. The radiator hoses and radiator should not leak water. If coolant is leaking or the cooling fan does not run, stop the engine. 6-10 In case of emergency