2010 CHEVROLET EQUINOX oil additives

8-54 Driving and Operating
Recommended Fuel
Use regular unleaded gasoline with
a posted octane rating of 87 or
higher. If the octane rating is less
than 87, an audible knocking noise,
commonly referred to as spark
knock, might be heard when driving.
If this occurs, use a gasoline rated
at 87 octane or higher as soon as
possible. If heavy knocking is heard
when using gasoline rated at
87 octane or higher, the engine
needs service.
Gasoline Specifications
At a minimum, gasoline should meet
ASTM specification D 4814 in the
United States or CAN/CGSB‐3.5
or 3.511 in Canada. Some
gasolines contain an
octane-enhancing additive
called methylcyclopentadienyl
manganese tricarbonyl (MMT).
We recommend against the use of
gasolines containing MMT. SeeFuel
Additives
on page 8‑55for
additional information.
California Fuel
Requirements
If the vehicle is certified to meet
California Emissions Standards, it is
designed to operate on fuels that
meet California specifications. See
the underhood emission control
label. If this fuel is not available in
states adopting California emissions
standards, the vehicle will operate
satisfactorily on fuels meeting
federal specifications, but emission
control system performance might
be affected. The malfunction
indicator lamp could turn on and the
vehicle might fail a smog‐check test.
See Malfunction Indicator Lamp
on
page 4‑16. If this occurs, return to
your authorized dealer for diagnosis.
If it is determined that the condition
is caused by the type of fuel used,
repairs might not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Fuels in Foreign
Countries
If you plan on driving in another
country outside the United States or
Canada, the proper fuel might be
hard to find. Never use leaded
gasoline or any other fuel not
recommended in the previous text
on fuel. Costly repairs caused by
use of improper fuel would not be
covered by the vehicle warranty.
To check the fuel availability, ask an
auto club, or contact a major oil
company that does business in the
country where you will be driving.

Driving and Operating 8-55
Fuel Additives
To provide cleaner air, all gasolines
in the United States are now
required to contain additives that
help prevent engine and fuel system
deposits from forming, allowing the
emission control system to work
properly. In most cases, nothing
should have to be added to the fuel.
However, some gasolines contain
only the minimum amount of
additive required to meet U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
regulations. To help keep fuel
injectors and intake valves clean,
or if the vehicle experiences
problems due to dirty injectors or
valves, look for gasoline that is
advertised as TOP TIER Detergent
Gasoline. Look for the TOP
TIER label on the fuel pump to
ensure gasoline meets enhanced
detergency standards developed by
the auto companies. A list of
marketers providing TOP TIER
Detergent Gasoline can be found at
www.toptiergas.com.For customers who do not use TOP
TIER Detergent Gasoline regularly,
one bottle of GM Fuel System
Treatment PLUS, added to the fuel
tank at every engine oil change, can
help clean deposits from fuel
injectors and intake valves. GM Fuel
System Treatment PLUS is the only
gasoline additive recommended by
General Motors. It is available at
your dealer.
Gasolines containing oxygenates,
such as ethers and ethanol, and
reformulated gasolines might be
available in your area. We
recommend that you use these
gasolines, if they comply with the
specifications described earlier.
However, E85 (85% ethanol) and
other fuels containing more than
10% ethanol must not be used in
vehicles that were not designed for
those fuels.
Notice:
This vehicle was not
designed for fuel that contains
methanol. Do not use fuel
containing methanol. It can
corrode metal parts in the fuel
system and also damage plastic
and rubber parts. That damage
would not be covered under the
vehicle warranty.
Some gasolines that are
not reformulated for low
emissions can contain an
octane-enhancing additive called
methylcyclopentadienyl manganese
tricarbonyl (MMT); ask the attendant
where you buy gasoline whether the
fuel contains MMT. We recommend
against the use of such gasolines.
Fuels containing MMT can reduce
the life of spark plugs and the
performance of the emission control
system could be affected. The
malfunction indicator lamp might
turn on. If this occurs, return to your
dealer for service.

Vehicle Care 9-11
.American Petroleum Institute
(API) starburst symbol
Oils meeting these requirements
should have the starburst
symbol on the container. This
symbol indicates that the oil has
been certified by the American
Petroleum Institute (API).
Notice: Use only engine oil
identified as meeting GM
Standard GM6094M and showing
the American Petroleum Institute
Certified For Gasoline Engines
starburst symbol. Failure to use
the recommended oil can result
in engine damage not covered by
the vehicle warranty. Cold Temperature Operation
If in an area of extreme cold, where
the temperature falls below
−29°C
(−20°F), use either an SAE 5W-30
synthetic oil or an SAE 0W-30
engine oil. Both provide easier cold
starting for the engine at extremely
low temperatures. Always use an oil
that meets the required
specification, GM6094M.
Engine Oil Additives / Engine
Oil Flushes
Do not add anything to the oil. The
recommended oils with the starburst
symbol that meet GM standards are
all that is needed for good
performance and engine protection.
Engine oil system flushes are not
recommended and could cause
engine damage not covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Engine Oil Life System
When to Change Engine Oil
This vehicle has a computer system
that indicates when to change the
engine oil and filter. This is based
on engine revolutions and engine
temperature, and not on mileage.
Based on driving conditions, the
mileage at which an oil change is
indicated can vary considerably. For
the oil life system to work properly,
the system must be reset every time
the oil is changed.
When the system has calculated
that oil life has been diminished, it
indicates that an oil change is
necessary. A “Change Engine Oil
Soon” message comes on. See
Engine Oil Messages
on
page 4‑30. Change the oil as soon
as possible within the next 1 000 km
(600 miles). It is possible that,
if driving under the best conditions,
the oil life system might not indicate
that an oil change is necessary for
over a year. However, the engine oil
and filter must be changed at least

i-4 INDEX
DVDRear Seat Entertainment
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-33
DVD/CD Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-21
E
ECO Button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-37
Economy Mode Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-37
Electrical Equipment, Add-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-64
Electrical System Engine Compartment Fuse
Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-34
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Engine
Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Check and Service EngineSoon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16
Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . 9-6
Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15 Engine (cont.)
Coolant Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-31
Coolant Temperature
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14
Cooling System Messages . . . 4-29
Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9
Drive Belt Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4
Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-34
Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-18
Power Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-30
Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-22
Running While Parked . . . . . . . . 8-34
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-30
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-30
Entry Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4
Equipment, Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-63
Event Data Recorders . . . . . . . . 12-15
Extender, Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . 2-21
Exterior Lamp Controls . . . . . . . . . 5-1
F
Filter
Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . . . 9-13
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 5-2
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-59
Flat Tire, Changing . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-61
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . . . 9-12
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-21
Fog Lamps Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . 5-3, 9-31
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-23
Front Seats
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-53 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-55
Economy Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2
Economy Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-22
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-57
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-56
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . 8-54