2011 CHEVROLET EQUINOX automatic transmission

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
11-4 Service and Maintenance
Additional Required Services
Every 12 000 km/7,500 Miles
.Rotate tires. Tires should be
rotated every 12 000 km/
7,500 miles. SeeTire Rotation
on page 10‑60.
At Each Fuel Stop
.Engine oil level check. See
Engine Oil on page 10‑10.
.Engine coolant level check. See
Engine Coolant on page 10‑18.
.Windshield washer fluid level
check. See Washer Fluid on
page 10‑24.
Once a Month
.Tire inflation check. See Tire
Pressure on page 10‑53.
.Tire wear inspection. See Tire
Inspection on page 10‑59.
.Sunroof track and seal
inspection, if equipped.
See Sunroof on page 2‑19. Once a Year
.See
Starter Switch Check on
page 10‑29.
.See Automatic Transmission
Shift Lock Control Function
Check on page 10‑29.
.See Ignition Transmission Lock
Check on page 10‑30.
.See Park Brake and P (Park)
Mechanism Check on
page 10‑30.
.Accelerator pedal check for
damage, high effort, or binding.
Replace if needed.
.Underbody flushing service.
.Hood/Decklid/Liftgate/Liftglass
Support Gas Strut Service:
Visually inspect gas strut,
if equipped, for signs of wear,
cracks, or other damage. Check
the hold open ability of the gas
strut. Contact your dealer if
service is required. First Engine Oil Change After
Every 40 000 km/25,000 Miles
.Passenger compartment air filter
replacement (or every
24 months, whichever occurs
first). More frequent replacement
may be needed if you drive in
areas with heavy traffic, areas
with poor air quality, or areas
with high dust levels.
Replacement may also be
needed if you notice reduced air
flow, windows fogging up,
or odors. Your dealer can help
you determine when it is the
right time to replace the filter.

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Service and Maintenance 11-5
First Engine Oil Change After
Every 80 000 km/50,000 Miles
.Engine air cleaner filter
replacement. SeeEngine Air
Cleaner/Filter on page 10‑15.
.Automatic transmission fluid
change (severe service) for
vehicles mainly driven in heavy
city traffic in hot weather, in hilly
or mountainous terrain, when
frequently towing a trailer,
or used for taxi, police,
or delivery service. See
Automatic Transmission Fluid on
page 10‑15.
.Transfer case fluid change
(severe service) for vehicles
mainly driven in hilly or
mountainous terrain, when
frequently towing a trailer,
or used for taxi, police,
or delivery service.
.Evaporative control system
inspection. Check all fuel and
vapor lines and hoses for proper
hook‐up, routing, and condition.
Check that the purge valve,
if the vehicle has one, works
properly. Replace as needed.
An Emission Control Service.
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency or the
California Air Resources Board
has determined that the failure
to perform this maintenance item
will not nullify the emission
warranty or limit recall liability
prior to the completion of
the vehicle's useful life.
We, however, urge that all
recommended maintenance
services be performed at the
indicated intervals and the
maintenance be recorded. First Engine Oil Change After
Every 160 000 km/100,000 Miles
.Automatic transmission fluid
change (normal service). See
Automatic Transmission Fluid on
page 10‑15.
.Transfer case fluid change
(normal service).
.Spark plug replacement and
spark plug wires inspection.
An Emission Control Service.
First Engine Oil Change After
Every 240 000 km/150,000 Miles
.Engine cooling system drain,
flush, and refill (or every five
years, whichever occurs first).
See Cooling System on
page 10‑17. An Emission
Control Service.
.Engine drive belts inspection for
fraying, excessive cracks,
or obvious damage (or every
10 years, whichever occurs
first). Replace, if needed.

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
11-6 Service and Maintenance
Recommended Fluids, Lubricants, and Parts
Recommended Fluids and Lubricants
UsageFluid/Lubricant
Engine Oil The engine requires engine oil approved to the dexos™
specification.
Oils meeting this specification can be identified with the dexos™
certification mark. Look for and use only an engine oil that displays the
dexos™ certification mark of the proper viscosity grade. See Engine Oil on
page 10‑10.
Engine Coolant 50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and use only DEX-COOL Coolant.
See
Engine Coolant on page 10‑18.
Hydraulic Brake System DOT 3 Hydraulic Brake Fluid (GM Part No. 88862806, in
Canada 88862807).
Windshield Washer Optikleen
®Washer Solvent.
Hydraulic Power Steering System (V6 engines only) DEXRON
®-VI Automatic Transmission Fluid.
Automatic Transmission DEXRON
®-VI Automatic Transmission Fluid.
Transfer Case (All-Wheel Drive) Transfer Case Fluid (GM Part No. 88861950, in Canada 88861951).
Key Lock Cylinders Multi-Purpose Lubricant, Superlube (GM Part No. 12346241, in
Canada 10953474).

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
Technical Data 12-3
ApplicationCapacities
Metric English
Transmission Fluid (Drain and Refill)
2.4L L4 6–Speed Automatic* 8.5 L 9.0 qt
3.0L V6 6–Speed Automatic* 9.0 L 9.5 qt
Wheel Nut Torque 190 Y140 lb ft
*See Automatic Transmission Fluid on page 10‑15 for information on checking fluid level.
All capacities are approximate. When adding, be sure to fill to the approximate level, as recommended in this
manual. Recheck fluid level after filling.
Engine Specifications
Engine VIN CodeTransmission Spark Plug Gap
2.4L L4 CAutomatic 0.9 mm (0.035 in)
3.0L V6 5Automatic 1.1 mm (0.043 in)

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-1
A
Accessories andModifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Accessory Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-31
Add-On Electrical Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-68
Adding Equipment to the
Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . 3-40
Adjustments Lumbar, Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Air Cleaner/Filter, Engine . . . . . 10-15
Air Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3
Air Filter, Passenger
Compartment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-6
Air Vents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5
Airbag System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-42
How Does an AirbagRestrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
Passenger Sensing
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33 Airbag System (cont.)
What Will You See After
an Airbag Inflates? . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
When Should an Airbag
Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-31
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . 3-29
Airbags Adding Equipment to theVehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
Passenger Status Indicator . . . 5-12
Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12
Servicing Airbag-Equipped Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-40
System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27
Alarm System Anti-Theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
All-Wheel Drive . . . . . . . . . 10-28, 9-38
AM-FM Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-11
Antenna Multi-Band . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Anti-Theft Alarm System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Alarm System Messages . . . . . 5-31 Antilock Brake
System (ABS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-39
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17
Appearance Care Exterior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-86
Interior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-90
Assistance Program,
Roadside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
Audio Players . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19 CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19
CD/DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21
Audio System Radio Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18
Rear Seat (RSA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-43
Theft-Deterrent Feature . . . . . . . . 7-2
Automatic
Climate Control System . . . . . . . . 8-3
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . 9-35 Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Automatic Transmission
Shift Lock Control
Function Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Auxiliary Devices . . . . . . . . 7-28, 7-31

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-5
F
FeaturesMemory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Filter Engine Air Cleaner . . . . . . . . . 10-15
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flashers, Hazard Warning . . . . . . 6-3
Flat Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-68
Flat Tire, Changing . . . . . . . . . . . 10-70
Floor Mats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-92
Fluid Automatic Transmission . . . . 10-15
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-26
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-24
Fog Lamps
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . 10-36, 6-3
Front Fog Lamps Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Front Seats
Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53 Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . . . . . . . 9-56
Economy Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-20 Fuel (cont.)
Filling a Portable Fuel
Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-59
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-57
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . 9-54
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . 9-54
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . 5-21
Recommended . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-53
Requirements, California . . . . . 9-54
System Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Fuel Economy Mode . . . . . . . . . . . 9-38
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-39 Engine Compartment
Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40
Instrument Panel Fuse Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
G
GasolineSpecifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-54
Gauges Engine CoolantTemperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10 Gauges (cont.)
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
Warning Lights and
Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8
General Information Service and Maintenance . . . . . 11-1
Towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-59
Vehicle Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
GM Mobility Reimbursement Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-6
H
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . 6-3
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
HeadlampsAiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-33
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-35
Daytime RunningLamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal, Sidemarker, and
Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-35

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
INDEX i-7
Lights (cont.)StabiliTrak®OFF . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19
Traction Control System (TCS)/StabiliTrak
®. . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Traction Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18
Locks Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Power Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Loss of Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7
Low Fuel Warning Light . . . . . . . . 5-21
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH
SYSTEM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-52
Lumbar Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6 Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
M
MaintenanceRecords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-9
Maintenance Schedule Recommended Fluids andLubricants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-6
Scheduled Maintenance . . . . . . 11-2
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . 5-14
Manual Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-37
Mass Storage Media (MEM) . . . 7-24
Memory Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9
Messages Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Anti-Theft Alarm System . . . . . . 5-31
Battery Voltage andCharging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Compass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Door Ajar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-27
Engine Cooling System . . . . . . . 5-27 Messages (cont.)
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28
Engine Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Fuel System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Key and Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-29
Object Detection System . . . . . 5-29
Ride Control System . . . . . . . . . . 5-30
Safety Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Service Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Tire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-26
Vehicle Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-32
Mirrors
Automatic DimmingRearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Convex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Heated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Manual Rearview . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16
Park Tilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-15
Monitor System, Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-54
Multi-Band Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2011
i-10 INDEX
Safety Defects ReportingCanadian Government . . . . . . 13-15
General Motors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-15
U.S. Government . . . . . . . . . . . 13-14
Safety Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Safety System Check . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Satellite Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14
Scheduled Maintenance . . . . . . . 11-2
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . . 13-9
Seats Adjustment, Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Head Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2
Heated Front . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Lumbar Adjustment, Front . . . . . 3-6
Power Adjustment, Front . . . . . . 3-3
Rear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Securing Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-58, 3-60
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-21
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12 Service
Accessories and
Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
Doing Your Own Work . . . . . . . . 10-4
Engine Soon Light . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14
Maintenance Records . . . . . . . . 11-9
Maintenance, General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
Parts Identification Label . . . . . 12-1
Publications Ordering Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-13
Scheduling Appointments . . . . . 13-9
Vehicle Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-31
Servicing the Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . 3-40
Shift Lock Control Function
Check, Automatic
Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Shifting Into Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-32
Out of Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-33
Sidemarker Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Signals, Turn and Lane-Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3 Spare Tire
Compact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-77
Specifications and Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2
Speedometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10
StabiliTrak
®OFF Light . . . . . . . . . 5-18
StabiliTrak®System . . . . . . . . . . . 9-43
Start Assist, Hills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-41
Start Vehicle, Remote . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Starter Switch Check . . . . . . . . . 10-29
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-30
Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5 Fluid, Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-23
Wheel Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2
Wheel Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Stoplamps and Back-Up Lamps
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 10-36
Storage Mass Media (MEM) . . . . . . . . . . . 7-24
Storage Areas Cargo Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Center Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Convenience Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2
Glove Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Instrument Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1
Roof Rack System . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3