Nissan Sentra Owners Manual: Starting the engine (models with NISSAN Intelligent Key® system)

1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Continuously Variable Transmission: Move the shift lever to P (Park) or N (Neutral).

   P (Park) is recommended.

   The starter is designed not to operate if the shift lever is in any of the driving positions.

   Manual Transmission: Move the shift lever to N (Neutral). Depress the clutch pedal to the floor.

   The starter is designed not to operate unless the clutch pedal is fully depressed.

3. Push the ignition switch to the ON position.

   Depress the brake pedal and the clutch pedal (if so equipped) and push the ignition switch to start the engine.

   To start the engine immediately, push and release the ignition switch while depressing the brake pedal with the ignition switch in any position.

• If the engine is very hard to start in extremely cold weather or when restarting, depress the accelerator pedal a little (approximately 1/3 to the floor) and while holding, crank the engine. Release the accelerator pedal when the engine starts.
• If the engine is very hard to start because it is flooded, depress the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor and hold it.

  Push the ignition switch to the ON position to start cranking the engine. After 5 or 6 seconds, stop cranking by pushing the ignition switch to LOCK. After cranking the engine, release the accelerator pedal.

  Crank the engine with your foot off the accelerator pedal by depressing the brake pedal and pushing the push-button ignition switch to start the engine. If the engine starts, but fails to run, repeat the above procedure.

CAUTION

Do not operate the starter for more than 15 seconds at a time. If the engine does not start, push the ignition switch to the OFF position and wait 10 seconds before cranking again, otherwise the starter could be damaged.

4. Warm-up

Allow the engine to idle for at least 30 seconds after starting. Do not race the engine while warming it up. Drive at moderate speed for a short distance first, especially in cold weather. In cold weather, keep the engine running for a minimum of 2 - 3 minutes before shutting it off. Starting and stopping the engine over a short period of time may make the vehicle more difficult to start.

5. To stop the engine, shift the shift lever to the P (Park) position or to N (Neutral) and apply the parking brake (M/T) and push the ignition switch to the OFF position.

NOTE:

Care should be taken to avoid situations that can lead to potential battery discharge and potential no-start conditions such as:

1. Installation or extended use of electronic accessories that consume battery power when the engine is not running (Phone chargers, GPS, DVD players, etc.).
2. Vehicle is not driven regularly and/or only driven short distances. In these cases, the battery may need to be charged to maintain battery health.