A comparison of 4Gen service manuals (LONG!)
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,601
A Comparison of Service Manuals for Late Model Nissan Maximas
Executive Summary
================
Three service manuals are available for late model Maximas: Chilton's, Haynes,
and the Nissan factory book. Chilton and Haynes books are printed on cheap
paper and are relatively inexpensive. These aftermarket manuals are
oriented to the home mechanic and have many useful photographs. The Nissan
book is printed on good paper, is much larger, and much more expensive. It
is oriented to the professional technician and contains a wealth of detail
lacking in the smaller books. It assumes the reader has prior knowledge of
the automotive repair field and access to a full range of special tools.
The aftermarket books are suitable for most owners, and are a good value.
The Haynes book is superior to the Chilton. The advanced owner-mechanic
may be willing to pay for the Nissan book. In some ways the aftermarket
and factory books complement each other, and the ideal case would be to have
both the Nissan and Haynes manuals.
Introduction
=========
There have been many posts on this newsgroup about the need for service
manuals, the costs of these books, and their respective merits. This
evaluation is primarily subjective; based on personal observation and
opinion.
The three books which were compared are:
#1) 1999 Nissan Maxima Service Manual. This is the factory book.
#2) Chilton's Nissan Maxima 1993-98 Repair Manual.
#3) Haynes Repair Manual, Nissan Maxima, 1993 - 1999.
For brevity, I've abbreviated these three books as FSM, Chilton, and Haynes.
Specifications of the books
=====================
... ... ... ... ... ... FSM ... ... Chilton ... ... Haynes
------------------------------------------------------------------------- --
Page height (in) .. .. 11 .. .. 10.9 .. .. 10.8
Page width (in) .. .. 8.5 .. .. 8 .. .. 8.4
Book thickness (in) .. 2.2 .. .. 1 .. .. 0.75
Printed in .. .. .. .. Japan .. .. USA .. .. USA
Paper quality .. .. Good .. .. Poor .. .. Fair
Binding .. .. .. .. .. Soft .. .. Soft .. .. Soft
Page count .. .. .. 1,704 .. .. 310 .. .. 352
Weight (ounces) .. .. 107 .. .. 30 .. ... 23
Cost (US$) .. .. .. 119 .. .. 18+s/h .. ..14+s/h
Source .. .. .. .. Dyment .. .. Amazon .. .. Amazon
Content, Perspective, and Usability
===========================
The Nissan book contains much more detail than either of the two aftermarket
books. The Chilton and Haynes authors aimed at a low selling price. To
achieve this, they focused on the high-frequency repair procedures and
omitted the less common topics.
The FSM is devoted to one specific model year. Chilton covers '93-'98, and
Haynes covers '93-'99. Since the '98 and '99 Maximas are almost identical,
Chilton effectively covers the same range of vehicles as Haynes. The
aftermarket books cover both third- and fourth-generation Maximas, and in
some instances the differences were glossed over or ignored. This may lead
to confusion.
The factory book was written primarily for the professional technician. A
basic knowledge of automotive technology and tool usage is assumed. Good
as it is, the FSM is not necessarily the best choice for a home mechanic.
Equipment is another consideration. FSM assumes the technician has access
to a full complement of special Nissan tools, and therefore doesn't bother
to show how general-purpose tools may substitute for Nissan factory tools.
FSM provides illustrations of electronic waveforms, but this is small help
to the home mechanic who does not have an oscilloscope.
FSM adopts a viewpoint which is appropriate to the commercial repair shop
and the professional technician. That is, identify the failing component
quickly and replace it. Don't attempt to fix it, just replace it. The
typical home mechanic has a different perspective. He may be willing to
repair a defective unit rather than replace it, even if the repaired unit
will have a shorter service life than a new replacement part.
The professional's credo is to fix it right, and fix it the first time. He
doesn't want to take chances on a "comeback" which will undermine customer
confidence. The home mechanic also wants to fix it right, but he also
wants to (1) save money, (2) learn more about how his car works, and (3)
take pride in his mechanical knowledge and self-reliance. Understanding
these distinct viewpoints helps to understand the differences in the
manuals.
The aftermarket books are superior to FSM in this respect: they have lots
of photographs. FSM relies on line drawings, and these often lack detail,
context, and visual perspective.
All three books are organized in chapters, and the page numbers are of the
form chapter-page (e.g. EC-15). The chapters are of unequal length, so the
chapter-page numbering system is less user-friendly than a simple page
number (e.g. 175). FSM and Haynes have edge-marked pages, making it
somewhat easier to find the page of interest. If you own Chilton, you may
wish to add edge-markings with a Magic Marker.
All three books have an index which could be a big help but they are
incomplete and difficult to use. For example, you might want to know the
firing order of the engine, so you would look for Firing Order in the index.
FSM... No reference. It's on the inside back cover.
Chilton... Page 2-5.
Haynes... No reference. It's on page 2B-1.
You might want to look at the table of Diagnostic Trouble Codes.
FSM... No reference. It's on pages EC-2 through EC-5.
Chilton... No reference, but there is a listing for Trouble Codes, page
4-23.
Haynes... No reference, but there is a listing for On-board Diagnosis
(OBD) system and trouble codes, page 6-3.
These examples show that the reader must be willing to do some guesswork and
thumb through the book to find the needed information.
Case Studies
==========
In order to further evaluate the merits of the three books, I chose four
repairs which the home mechanic might tackle and compared the relevant
information found in each book.
Change the engine oil and oil filter.
------------------------------------------------
FSM... The index lists "Engine oil replacement" on page 2-14. The
coverage is good: 1.5 pages, 5 line drawings.
Chilton... The index lists "Engine oil & filter change" on page 1-38.
The coverage is good: 2 pages, 12 photos. However, those photos are a
mixed bag: some are the '93-'94 engine and some are the '95-'99 engine, but
the captions don't identify which is which.
Haynes... The index lists "Engine oil and filter change" on page 1-11.
The coverage is adequate: 1.2 pages, 4 photos.
Replace the serpentine accessory drive belt.
-----------------------------------------------------------
FSM... The index has no listing for Serpentine, Accessory, Drive, or Belt.
The information is found on page MA-10. The coverage is good: 1 page, 5
line drawings, and a detailed table of torque specifications.
Chilton... The index has a listing for "Belts, removal & installation" on
page 1-21. The coverage is extensive but flawed: 2 pages, 13 photos, and
two diagrams. The diagrams show belt routings and are copied from FSM, but
reduced in size and difficult to read. The photos are relatively small and
not sharply focused. One photo caption provides this paradoxical
instruction: "Clockwise rotation will tighten the belt; counterclockwise
will tighten it." The instructions specify disconnecting the negative
battery cable. This is a good idea for many repair procedures but seems
unnecessary in this one.
Haynes... The index has a listing for "Drivebelt check, adjustment and
replacement" on page 1-15. The coverage is good: 1 page, 6 photos
including very good photos of typical belt defects. The photos are large,
clear, and annotated. However, there is no belt routing diagram.
Replace the front brake pads.
---------------------------------------
FSM... The index has no listing for Brake Pads even though the book has an
entire chapter devoted to the brake system. The information is found on
page BR-14. The coverage is fair: 1 page, 1 line drawing, and one
exploded view diagram. No mention is made of using an anti-squeal product.
This coverage is inadequate for the novice mechanic.
Chilton... The index lists "Brake pads, removal & installation" on page
9-6. The coverage is good: 1.2 pages, 5 photos, and one exploded view
diagram. No mention is made of using an anti-squeal product. Also
overlooked: a possible brake fluid overflow at the master cylinder when the
piston is pushed back into the caliper.
Haynes... The index lists "Brakes, disk brake pads, replacement" on page
9-5. The coverage is excellent: 3 pages, 16 photos. Haynes mentions and
pictures the use of an anti-squeal product.
Remove the starter motor.
---------------------------------
FSM... The index lists "Starter" on page EL-28. The coverage is
adequate: 0.5 pages, 2 line drawings. No mention is made of disconnecting
the battery negative cable. This coverage is barely adequate for the
novice mechanic.
Chilton... The index lists "Starter, removal & installation" on page 2-8.
The coverage is adequate: 0.5 pages, 1 photo, and 1 line drawing. The text
includes a procedure for performing a voltage drop test.
Haynes... The index lists "Starter motor, removal and installation" on
page 5-13. The coverage is excellent: 1 page, 3 photos. The text
includes a detailed in-vehicle starter test procedure which goes far beyond
a simple voltage drop test. This kind of diagnostic advice is helpful to
the novice mechanic. Haynes is the only book to cover replacement of the
starter solenoid in an otherwise healthy starter.
Conclusion
=========
The aftermarket books are suitable for most owners, and are a good value.
The Haynes book is superior to the Chilton by a small margin in every
category: content, accuracy, photography, paper quality, and price. The
advanced owner-mechanic may be willing to pay for the Nissan book. In some
ways the aftermarket and factory books complement each other, and the ideal
case would be to have both the Nissan and Haynes manuals.
Executive Summary
================
Three service manuals are available for late model Maximas: Chilton's, Haynes,
and the Nissan factory book. Chilton and Haynes books are printed on cheap
paper and are relatively inexpensive. These aftermarket manuals are
oriented to the home mechanic and have many useful photographs. The Nissan
book is printed on good paper, is much larger, and much more expensive. It
is oriented to the professional technician and contains a wealth of detail
lacking in the smaller books. It assumes the reader has prior knowledge of
the automotive repair field and access to a full range of special tools.
The aftermarket books are suitable for most owners, and are a good value.
The Haynes book is superior to the Chilton. The advanced owner-mechanic
may be willing to pay for the Nissan book. In some ways the aftermarket
and factory books complement each other, and the ideal case would be to have
both the Nissan and Haynes manuals.
Introduction
=========
There have been many posts on this newsgroup about the need for service
manuals, the costs of these books, and their respective merits. This
evaluation is primarily subjective; based on personal observation and
opinion.
The three books which were compared are:
#1) 1999 Nissan Maxima Service Manual. This is the factory book.
#2) Chilton's Nissan Maxima 1993-98 Repair Manual.
#3) Haynes Repair Manual, Nissan Maxima, 1993 - 1999.
For brevity, I've abbreviated these three books as FSM, Chilton, and Haynes.
Specifications of the books
=====================
... ... ... ... ... ... FSM ... ... Chilton ... ... Haynes
------------------------------------------------------------------------- --
Page height (in) .. .. 11 .. .. 10.9 .. .. 10.8
Page width (in) .. .. 8.5 .. .. 8 .. .. 8.4
Book thickness (in) .. 2.2 .. .. 1 .. .. 0.75
Printed in .. .. .. .. Japan .. .. USA .. .. USA
Paper quality .. .. Good .. .. Poor .. .. Fair
Binding .. .. .. .. .. Soft .. .. Soft .. .. Soft
Page count .. .. .. 1,704 .. .. 310 .. .. 352
Weight (ounces) .. .. 107 .. .. 30 .. ... 23
Cost (US$) .. .. .. 119 .. .. 18+s/h .. ..14+s/h
Source .. .. .. .. Dyment .. .. Amazon .. .. Amazon
Content, Perspective, and Usability
===========================
The Nissan book contains much more detail than either of the two aftermarket
books. The Chilton and Haynes authors aimed at a low selling price. To
achieve this, they focused on the high-frequency repair procedures and
omitted the less common topics.
The FSM is devoted to one specific model year. Chilton covers '93-'98, and
Haynes covers '93-'99. Since the '98 and '99 Maximas are almost identical,
Chilton effectively covers the same range of vehicles as Haynes. The
aftermarket books cover both third- and fourth-generation Maximas, and in
some instances the differences were glossed over or ignored. This may lead
to confusion.
The factory book was written primarily for the professional technician. A
basic knowledge of automotive technology and tool usage is assumed. Good
as it is, the FSM is not necessarily the best choice for a home mechanic.
Equipment is another consideration. FSM assumes the technician has access
to a full complement of special Nissan tools, and therefore doesn't bother
to show how general-purpose tools may substitute for Nissan factory tools.
FSM provides illustrations of electronic waveforms, but this is small help
to the home mechanic who does not have an oscilloscope.
FSM adopts a viewpoint which is appropriate to the commercial repair shop
and the professional technician. That is, identify the failing component
quickly and replace it. Don't attempt to fix it, just replace it. The
typical home mechanic has a different perspective. He may be willing to
repair a defective unit rather than replace it, even if the repaired unit
will have a shorter service life than a new replacement part.
The professional's credo is to fix it right, and fix it the first time. He
doesn't want to take chances on a "comeback" which will undermine customer
confidence. The home mechanic also wants to fix it right, but he also
wants to (1) save money, (2) learn more about how his car works, and (3)
take pride in his mechanical knowledge and self-reliance. Understanding
these distinct viewpoints helps to understand the differences in the
manuals.
The aftermarket books are superior to FSM in this respect: they have lots
of photographs. FSM relies on line drawings, and these often lack detail,
context, and visual perspective.
All three books are organized in chapters, and the page numbers are of the
form chapter-page (e.g. EC-15). The chapters are of unequal length, so the
chapter-page numbering system is less user-friendly than a simple page
number (e.g. 175). FSM and Haynes have edge-marked pages, making it
somewhat easier to find the page of interest. If you own Chilton, you may
wish to add edge-markings with a Magic Marker.
All three books have an index which could be a big help but they are
incomplete and difficult to use. For example, you might want to know the
firing order of the engine, so you would look for Firing Order in the index.
FSM... No reference. It's on the inside back cover.
Chilton... Page 2-5.
Haynes... No reference. It's on page 2B-1.
You might want to look at the table of Diagnostic Trouble Codes.
FSM... No reference. It's on pages EC-2 through EC-5.
Chilton... No reference, but there is a listing for Trouble Codes, page
4-23.
Haynes... No reference, but there is a listing for On-board Diagnosis
(OBD) system and trouble codes, page 6-3.
These examples show that the reader must be willing to do some guesswork and
thumb through the book to find the needed information.
Case Studies
==========
In order to further evaluate the merits of the three books, I chose four
repairs which the home mechanic might tackle and compared the relevant
information found in each book.
Change the engine oil and oil filter.
------------------------------------------------
FSM... The index lists "Engine oil replacement" on page 2-14. The
coverage is good: 1.5 pages, 5 line drawings.
Chilton... The index lists "Engine oil & filter change" on page 1-38.
The coverage is good: 2 pages, 12 photos. However, those photos are a
mixed bag: some are the '93-'94 engine and some are the '95-'99 engine, but
the captions don't identify which is which.
Haynes... The index lists "Engine oil and filter change" on page 1-11.
The coverage is adequate: 1.2 pages, 4 photos.
Replace the serpentine accessory drive belt.
-----------------------------------------------------------
FSM... The index has no listing for Serpentine, Accessory, Drive, or Belt.
The information is found on page MA-10. The coverage is good: 1 page, 5
line drawings, and a detailed table of torque specifications.
Chilton... The index has a listing for "Belts, removal & installation" on
page 1-21. The coverage is extensive but flawed: 2 pages, 13 photos, and
two diagrams. The diagrams show belt routings and are copied from FSM, but
reduced in size and difficult to read. The photos are relatively small and
not sharply focused. One photo caption provides this paradoxical
instruction: "Clockwise rotation will tighten the belt; counterclockwise
will tighten it." The instructions specify disconnecting the negative
battery cable. This is a good idea for many repair procedures but seems
unnecessary in this one.
Haynes... The index has a listing for "Drivebelt check, adjustment and
replacement" on page 1-15. The coverage is good: 1 page, 6 photos
including very good photos of typical belt defects. The photos are large,
clear, and annotated. However, there is no belt routing diagram.
Replace the front brake pads.
---------------------------------------
FSM... The index has no listing for Brake Pads even though the book has an
entire chapter devoted to the brake system. The information is found on
page BR-14. The coverage is fair: 1 page, 1 line drawing, and one
exploded view diagram. No mention is made of using an anti-squeal product.
This coverage is inadequate for the novice mechanic.
Chilton... The index lists "Brake pads, removal & installation" on page
9-6. The coverage is good: 1.2 pages, 5 photos, and one exploded view
diagram. No mention is made of using an anti-squeal product. Also
overlooked: a possible brake fluid overflow at the master cylinder when the
piston is pushed back into the caliper.
Haynes... The index lists "Brakes, disk brake pads, replacement" on page
9-5. The coverage is excellent: 3 pages, 16 photos. Haynes mentions and
pictures the use of an anti-squeal product.
Remove the starter motor.
---------------------------------
FSM... The index lists "Starter" on page EL-28. The coverage is
adequate: 0.5 pages, 2 line drawings. No mention is made of disconnecting
the battery negative cable. This coverage is barely adequate for the
novice mechanic.
Chilton... The index lists "Starter, removal & installation" on page 2-8.
The coverage is adequate: 0.5 pages, 1 photo, and 1 line drawing. The text
includes a procedure for performing a voltage drop test.
Haynes... The index lists "Starter motor, removal and installation" on
page 5-13. The coverage is excellent: 1 page, 3 photos. The text
includes a detailed in-vehicle starter test procedure which goes far beyond
a simple voltage drop test. This kind of diagnostic advice is helpful to
the novice mechanic. Haynes is the only book to cover replacement of the
starter solenoid in an otherwise healthy starter.
Conclusion
=========
The aftermarket books are suitable for most owners, and are a good value.
The Haynes book is superior to the Chilton by a small margin in every
category: content, accuracy, photography, paper quality, and price. The
advanced owner-mechanic may be willing to pay for the Nissan book. In some
ways the aftermarket and factory books complement each other, and the ideal
case would be to have both the Nissan and Haynes manuals.
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 492
Very complete writeup.....
Thanks, Daniel.
One or two other points may be made also. That it, the FSM covers A/C repair in detail where the aftermarket books send you to a technician. Some of us do our own work on a/c and the FSM is the only one in this regard.
Also, the FSM covers teardown and repair of the automatic transmission, an area omitted from the aftermarket books also.
Third, the FSM contains the BCM (Body Control Module) codes
and trouble shooting for the power window, lock, security system and related airbag system and since these are propriatary to Nissan, are also left out of the aftermaket books, at least Chiltons. Haven't seen Haynes yet.
Minor to the average DIY'er but important to those of us more advanced.
Mark
One or two other points may be made also. That it, the FSM covers A/C repair in detail where the aftermarket books send you to a technician. Some of us do our own work on a/c and the FSM is the only one in this regard.
Also, the FSM covers teardown and repair of the automatic transmission, an area omitted from the aftermarket books also.
Third, the FSM contains the BCM (Body Control Module) codes
and trouble shooting for the power window, lock, security system and related airbag system and since these are propriatary to Nissan, are also left out of the aftermaket books, at least Chiltons. Haven't seen Haynes yet.
Minor to the average DIY'er but important to those of us more advanced.
Mark
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 4,601
Re: Hey Dan
Originally posted by Max96
Nice work... now, where can I get a Haynes manual for my 4th gen??
Nice work... now, where can I get a Haynes manual for my 4th gen??
http://www.amazon.com
http://www.bn.com
http://www.autozone.com
You may find it at a large bookstore (Barnes & Noble, BookStar, Borders) or auto parts store (AutoZone, etc.). You may find it on the shelf at your local public library.
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,171
thanks Kenneth
Yeah, we can Say Daniel is da man here 
yes, please do keep me informed about those tires. I am actually taking my care to another place--wheel shop to have them look over the balance--and see how well that will fare.
keep in touch.
Brian =)
yes, please do keep me informed about those tires. I am actually taking my care to another place--wheel shop to have them look over the balance--and see how well that will fare.
keep in touch.
Brian =)
Originally posted by Kenneth
i will drop you an e-mail on those tires, cool?
btw like i said he tha man, helped me fix a washer motor gone bad via the maxima_newsgroup.
i will drop you an e-mail on those tires, cool?
btw like i said he tha man, helped me fix a washer motor gone bad via the maxima_newsgroup.
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 227
Thanks Dan
Originally posted by Daniel B. Martin
I found the Haynes book listed at:
http://www.amazon.com
http://www.bn.com
http://www.autozone.com
You may find it at a large bookstore (Barnes & Noble, BookStar, Borders) or auto parts store (AutoZone, etc.). You may find it on the shelf at your local public library.
Originally posted by Max96
Nice work... now, where can I get a Haynes manual for my 4th gen??
Nice work... now, where can I get a Haynes manual for my 4th gen??
http://www.amazon.com
http://www.bn.com
http://www.autozone.com
You may find it at a large bookstore (Barnes & Noble, BookStar, Borders) or auto parts store (AutoZone, etc.). You may find it on the shelf at your local public library.
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 250
Originally posted by SprintMax
any reason you dug this up?
any reason you dug this up?
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