Nissan Service Manual - Is it worth it ?

Oct 12, 2003 20 Replies

I like to fix car problems as for as possible myself.



My experience, When you take the car to a mechanic, He will fix one problem but other problems keep developing every couple of months.



I have bought CHILTON's 'NISSAN 240xSX' Car repair manual. They cover lot of areas, but nothing in depth.



Question: Nissan Representatvies have said - It is possible to order Car service manual from NISSAN and the cost will be around $80-$100.



Is it worth spending the money ? What I am looking for is not "Dummy's guide to CAR REPAIR".



What I would love to have is a CAR BIBLE. If they designed the car and made it - Coming with good service manuals for the public ....



Any comments / Personal experiences ?


In message , Rath.Yelandur writes

When I bought my Nissan Almera I also got at the same time, the complete manufacturers manual on a CD ROM, it cost me 70UKP. It covers all versions of the Almera to date, petrol and diesel, right down to the tightening torque for all the bolts, complete engine strip downs etc. Beware however that with faults it gives fault codes when accessed by a specialised Nissan computer.

Lucky you, the manual for my Nissan is over $300.

If you open Bill's reply to the message above re 240SX power window stuck 1/2 way down you can download a scanned copy of the RS13 or S14 manual in PDF format. Then you can see a what a genuine Nissan workshop looks like. Makes it easy to decide if you need the genuine manual with no missing / misaligned pages and the correct engine and ECCS diagnostics for your car. Or buy a JDM turbo front cut and put the right engine in your car.

Check on Ebay - manuals and CD's turn up there but they will be pulled real quick if they are pirate.

-- Peter Hill Spamtrap reply domain as per NNTP-Posting-Host in header Can of worms - what every fisherman wants. Can of worms - what every PC owner gets!

Have a look at this website:

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can purchase a 1-day access account for $19.99 and get completeaccess to service manuals in PDF format. I downloaded the complete'03 Maxima manual about 5 months ago. Nice thing is that it'ssearchable and you can print the pages you need at car-side to do ajob without lugging out the entire manual or getting it dirty. Bewarethough, the manual is big - best to have broadband to download. HTH

How far back in model years are available?

Dave

Not sure. Go here:

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you should be able to search by vehicle and publication type. HTH

$80-100 seems like a bargain because Chilton's and Haynes are not only much less complete, but factory manuals seem to be easier for beginners like me to understand. Also they have clear photos and diagrams that apply specifically for your version of the vehicle rather than general information for all versions of a model made over a ten-year period. For example, the wiring diagram included in the Haynes Nissan truck manual shows only the NAP-Z ignition for 4-cyl engines, with two sparkplugs per cylinder, even for 1997, when a completely different ignition with just a single plug/cyl was used.

Is $80-100 for all the manuals? Some companies have separate manuals for mechanical, electrical, and body, so if you want information about the brakes and the emissions/computer systems you need to buy two books.

I bought mine on CD-ROM for about $70.00. Seems to be a good investment since it goes into a lot of things the Chilton's/Haynes manuals don't.

Chris

It is a very good idea. U could go by the Nissan dealer to take a look at the manual before you buy. I have seem the dealer manual on disk for about 50 dollars(don't remember where).

It's worth it. I have compared the Nissan service manuals with the Haynes service manuals for a Nissan Pulsar and the diffeence is just huge. Nissan had twice the coverage of Haynes. Twice the price seems still good value.

I really do not want to pay over $300 to learn how to replace the light bulbs in my Murano.

You don't have to. The User manual tells you how to replace a light bulb.

Hey, if you needed the manuals for changing bulbs then I'd be very worried. I just used them to help me through an engine swap.

In my user manual it says "For replacement of exterior bulbs, see your Nissan Dealer." Now unless you're reading a page I didn't find.

Have you ever looked at a 2003 Murano or Altima point blank? Have you looked for a way to get to the tail and stop bulbs or the turn bulbs in the front? I didn't think so...

Well that would be difficult, there being no Altimas or Muranos in Australia. but other Nissan, no problems. What is so tricky about those models?

Well, you just proved that the FSM is worth having.

Yes, but for over $300 it won't be happening anytime soon.

The right manual by a specialist publisher such as Haines will be of great benefit.

There may be others & they may be as good keep asking & check with your local car club.

Make the investment & buy any specialist tools which are reasonable cost.

Pete

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