The Nissan Frontier truck needs regular maintenance like any vehicle. The fluids and other parts need to be changed out at certain intervals of time or mileage. They also should be regularly inspected to see if they need replacing sooner.
Like most vehicles, check the fluid levels and the tires weekly or every 250 miles. The fluids include the engine oil, coolant, washer fluid and brake fluid. The oil uses a dipstick connected to its filler cap while the other fluids have indicators on their tanks/reservoirs. When checking the dipstick, wipe away all oil from the stick and insert it back into the filler neck to get its reading. On the tires, look for irregularities in the tread wear to see if they have too little air (more tread wear on the edges) or too much (more wear down the center). The tread depth needs to be at least 1/16 of an inch; a tread depth indicator can help you gauge this. If the truck has an automatic transmission, check its fluid every 3000 miles; it uses a dipstick much like the oil. Manual transmission fluid should be checked every 15,000 or annually; unscrew the fill plug from the transmission (not the drain plug) and use your little finger to make sure the level is at least near the bottom of the plug hole.
More than anything else, change the engine oil and filter every 3000 miles or three months by draining the oil from its oil pan plug, unscrewing and replacing the filter with a filter wrench and adding 4 quarts of new oil at the filler neck; 5W-30 is preferred, especially in below freezing conditions, but 10W-30 can work in warm climate. The brake and automatic transmission fluid should be changed every 30,000 miles, along with the air and fuel filters. Draining and filling automatic transmission fluid is much like oil, but you need to remove the fluid pan and the strainer inside it to clean them before adding the new fluid. Brake fluid is simply siphoned out of its master cylinder reservoir with a turkey baster or other suction device. The air filter housing is near the left side of the engine with two removable wing nuts at the top. The fuel filter is mounted near the tank on the right frame rail; relieve the fuel pressure by removing the fuel pump relay, then loosen the clamps for the inlet/outlet hoses to disconnect the filter.
To remove a spark plug for inspection/replacement, pull out its wire by twisting the boot back and forth, then use a ratchet with a spark plug socket to remove the plug from the engine. A wire-type gauge can test the space between the spark plug's electrodes; it needs to slide between the electrodes with a slight drag. To install plugs, twist them into place by hand, tighten the with the wrench and then twist the wire back in place. The spark plugs should be inspected every 60,000 miles and changed at 100,000.
