2005 CHEVROLET EQUINOX Owners Manual

Notice:If your vehicle has P215/70R16 size tires,
use tire chains only where legal and only when you
must. Use only SAE Class “S” type chains that are
the proper size for your tires. Install them on the front
tires and tighten them as tightly as possible with the
ends securely fastened. Drive slowly and follow the
chain manufacturer’s instructions. If you can hear the
chains contacting your vehicle, stop and retighten
them. If the contact continues, slow down until it
stops. Driving too fast or spinning the wheels with
chains on will damage your vehicle.
If a Tire Goes Flat
It is unusual for a tire to blowout while you are driving,
especially if you maintain your vehicle’s tires properly.
If air goes out of a tire, it is much more likely to leak out
slowly. But if you should ever have a blowout, here
are a few tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the at tire will create a drag that pulls
the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel rmly.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you would
use in a skid. In any rear blowout remove your foot from
the accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control
by steering the way you want the vehicle to go. It may
be very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake to a stop, well off the road if possible.
{CAUTION:
Lifting a vehicle and getting under it to do
maintenance or repairs is dangerous without
the appropriate safety equipment and training.
The jack provided with your vehicle is
designed only for changing a at tire. If it is
used for anything else, you or others could be
badly injured or killed if the vehicle slips off
the jack. Use the jack provided with your
vehicle only for changing a at tire.
If a tire goes at, the next part shows how to use the
jacking equipment to change a at tire safely.
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Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes at, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your vehicle’s
hazard warning ashers. SeeHazard Warning Flashers
on page 3-5for more information.
{CAUTION:
Changing a tire can be dangerous. The vehicle
can slip off the jack and roll over or fall on you
or other people. You and they could be badly
injured or even killed. Find a level place to
change your tire. To help prevent the vehicle
from moving:
1. Set the parking brake rmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. Turn off the engine and do not restart
while the vehicle is raised.
4. Do not allow passengers to remain in the
vehicle.
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
To be even more certain the vehicle will not
move, you should put blocks at the front and
rear of the tire farthest away from the one
being changed. That would be the tire, on the
other side, at the opposite end of the vehicle.
When your vehicle has a at tire, use the following
example as a guide to assist you in the placement of
wheel blocks.
The following information will tell you next how to use
the jack and change a tire.
5-64

Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The spare tire is located under the load oor in the
rear cargo area. You may need to remove the
rear compartment storage panel/cover and/or the table
to access the load oor. SeeRear Compartment
Storage Panel/Cover on page 2-37andTable on
page 2-39for more information.
To access the spare tire and tools, do the following:
1. Lift the load oor up and pull it out of the vehicle
and set it aside.2. Remove the bolt retaining the spare tire.
3. Remove the compact spare tire. SeeCompact
Spare Tire on page 5-74for more information.
4. Locate the jack and wheel wrench, which are
located on the driver’s side of the rear cargo
area, behind an access door. Pull out the access
door to reach them.
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5. Remove the wing-bolt
on the jack and then
remove it.
6. Remove the hook and loop fastener straps holding
the bag containing the wheel wrench. Remove the
wheel wrench from the bag.
7. Fold out the socket portion of the wrench from the
handle.Removing the Flat Tire and
Installing the Spare Tire
You must take off the wheel cover or hubcap, if
equipped, to reach the wheel bolts.
1. Loosen all ve
hex-shaped plastic
caps by turning
the wrench
counterclockwise. Do
not try to remove
plastic caps from the
cover or center cap.
2. Pull the cover or center cap away from the wheel.
When reinstalling full plastic covers or center caps,
tighten all ve plastic caps hand snug with the
aid of the wheel wrench and tighten them with the
wheel wrench an additional one-quarter of a turn.
3. Use the wheel wrench to loosen all the wheel nuts.
Don’t remove them yet.
5-66

4. Attach the wheel wrench to the jack bolt head and
rotate the wheel wrench clockwise. That will raise
the lift head a little.
5. Place the jack near the at tire.
Notice:Make sure that the jack lift head is in the
correct position or you may damage your vehicle.
The repairs would not be covered by your warranty.
6. Find the arrow on the plastic lower body panel.
Position the jack head under the metal jacking
ange and not the plastic lower body panel.
5-67

With the jack head positioned correctly on the metal
jacking ange, it should look like this from
underneath.Do not lift the vehicle using the plastic lower body
panel.
7. Put the compact spare tire near you.
5-68

{CAUTION:
Getting under a vehicle when it is jacked up is
dangerous. If the vehicle slips off the jack you
could be badly injured or killed. Never get
under a vehicle when it is supported only by
a jack.
{CAUTION:
Raising your vehicle with the jack improperly
positioned can damage the vehicle and even
make the vehicle fall. To help avoid personal
injury and vehicle damage, be sure to t the
jack lift head into the proper location before
raising the vehicle.
{CAUTION:
Lifting a vehicle and getting under it to do
maintenance or repairs is dangerous without
the appropriate safety equipment and training.
The jack provided with your vehicle is
designed only for changing a at tire. If it is
used for anything else, you or others could be
badly injured or killed if the vehicle slips off
the jack. Use the jack provided with your
vehicle only for changing a at tire.
8. Raise the vehicle by turning the jack handle
clockwise. Raise the vehicle far enough off the
ground so there is enough room for the compact
spare tire to clear the ground.
5-69

9. Remove all of the
wheel nuts.
10. Remove the at tire.
{CAUTION:
Rust or dirt on the wheel, or on the parts to
which it is fastened, can make the wheel nuts
become loose after a time. The wheel could
come off and cause an accident. When you
change a wheel, remove any rust or dirt from
the places where the wheel attaches to the
vehicle. In an emergency, you can use a cloth
or a paper towel to do this; but be sure to use
a scraper or wire brush later, if needed, to get
all the rust or dirt off.
11. Remove any rust or dirt
from the wheel bolts,
mounting surfaces
and spare wheel.
5-70