A Comparison of Service Manuals for Late Model Nissan Maximas

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.

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.