2012 CHEVROLET EQUINOX Owners Manual

Black plate (65,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-65
{WARNING
Changing a tire can be
dangerous. The vehicle can slip
off the jack and roll over or fall
causing injury or death. Find a
level place to change the tire. To
help prevent the vehicle from
moving:1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put an automatic transmission in P (Park) or a
manual transmission in
1 (First) or R (Reverse).
3. Turn off the engine and do not restart while the vehicle
is raised.
4. Do not allow passengers to remain in the vehicle.
5. Place wheel blocks on both sides of the tire at the
opposite corner of the tire
being changed. When the vehicle has a flat tire (B),
use the following example as a
guide to assist in the placement of
the wheel blocks (A).
A. Wheel Block
B. Flat Tire
The following information explains
how to repair or change a tire.
Tire Changing
Removing the Spare Tire and
Tools
To access the spare tire and tools:
1. Open the liftgate. See
Liftgate
on page 2‑9.
2. Lift the load floor up.

Black plate (66,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
10-66 Vehicle Care
Coin/Pierce Jack with One-PieceWrench
A. Extension
B. Wheel Wrench
C. JackHex-Head Jack with Three-Piece Wrench
A. Wheel Wrench
B. Jack
3. If you have a coin/pierce jack and one-piece wrench, remove
the extension (A), wheel
wrench (B) and jack (C).
If you have a hex-head jack and
three-piece wrench, remove the
wheel wrench (A) and jack (B).
Place the tools next to the tire
being changed.4. Turn the retainer nutcounterclockwise and remove
the spare tire.
5. Place the spare tire next to the tire being changed.

Black plate (67,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-67
Removing the Flat Tire and
Installing the Spare Tire
1. Do a safety check beforeproceeding. See If a Tire Goes
Flat on page 10‑64 for more
information.
2. For vehicles with a wheel cover or center cap, pull the cover or
center cap away from the wheel
to remove it. Store the wheel
cover in the cargo area until you
have the flat tire repaired or
replaced.
3. Turn the wheel wrenchcounterclockwise to loosen all
the wheel nuts, but do not
remove them yet.
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.4. Position the jack lift head at the
jack location nearest the flat tire.
The location is indicated by a
mark on the bottom edge of the
front and rear door plastic
molding. The jack must not be
used in any other position.

Black plate (68,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
10-68 Vehicle Care
5. Place the jack notch under theframe rail seam.
{WARNING
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.
{WARNING
Raising the 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 fit the jack lift
head into the proper location
before raising the vehicle.
{WARNING
Lifting a vehicle and getting under
it to do maintenance or repairs is
dangerous without the
appropriate safety equipment and
training. If a jack is provided with
the vehicle, it is designed only for
changing a flat tire. If it is used for
anything else, you or others could
be badly injured or killed if the
vehicle slips off the jack. If a jack
is provided with the vehicle, only
use it for changing a flat tire.
6. Place the jack under the vehicle.
7. If you have a coin/pierce jack, attach the jack handle extension
to the jack by sliding the hook
through the end of the jack and
insert the other end of the jack
handle into the wrench. If you have a hex-head jack,
attach the jack lift-assist tool by
placing the hex of the jack
lift-assist tool over the hex head
of the jack.
Hex Head Jack and Wrench

Black plate (69,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-69
Coin/Pierce Jack and Wrench
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 road tire to clear the
ground.9. Remove all of the wheel nuts.
10. Remove the flat tire.
{WARNING
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on the
parts to which it is fastened, can
make wheel nuts become loose
after time. The wheel could come
off and cause an accident. When
changing a wheel, remove any
rust or dirt from places where the
wheel attaches to the vehicle. In
(Continued)
WARNING (Continued)
an emergency, a cloth or a paper
towel can be used; however, use
a scraper or wire brush later to
remove all rust or dirt.
11. Remove any rust or dirt fromthe wheel bolts, mounting
surfaces, and spare wheel.

Black plate (70,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
10-70 Vehicle Care
12. Place the compact spare tireon the wheel-mounting surface.
{WARNING
Never use oil or grease on bolts
or nuts because the nuts might
come loose. The vehicle's wheel
could fall off, causing a crash.
13. Reinstall the wheel nuts. Tighten each nut by hand until
the wheel is held against
the hub.
14. Lower the vehicle by turning the jack handle
counterclockwise.
{WARNING
Wheel nuts that are improperly or
incorrectly tightened can cause
the wheels to become loose or
come off. The wheel nuts should
be tightened with a torque wrench
to the proper torque specification
after replacing. Follow the torque
specification supplied by the
aftermarket manufacturer when
using accessory locking wheel
nuts. See Capacities and
Specifications on page 12‑2 for
original equipment wheel nut
torque specifications. Notice:
Improperly tightened
wheel nuts can lead to brake
pulsation and rotor damage. To
avoid expensive brake repairs,
evenly tighten the wheel nuts in
the proper sequence and to the
proper torque specification. See
Capacities and Specifications on
page 12‑2 for the wheel nut
torque specification.
15. Tighten the wheel nuts firmly in a crisscross sequence, as
shown.

Black plate (71,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
Vehicle Care 10-71
16. Lower the jack all the way andremove the jack from under the
vehicle.
17. Tighten the wheel nuts firmly with the wheel wrench.
When reinstalling the wheel cover or
center cap on the full-size tire,
tighten all five 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.
Notice: Wheel covers will not fit
on the vehicle's compact spare.
If you try to put a wheel cover on
the compact spare, the cover or
the spare could be damaged.Storing a Flat or Spare Tire
and Tools
{WARNING
Storing a jack, a tire, or other
equipment in the passenger
compartment of the vehicle could
cause injury. In a sudden stop or
collision, loose equipment could
strike someone. Store all these in
the proper place. To store the flat tire:
1. Remove the cable package. The
cable is stored in a plastic bag
under the compact spare tire.
2. Remove the small center cap by tapping the back of the cap with
the extension of the shaft, if the
vehicle has aluminum wheels.
3. Put the flat tire in the rear storage area with the valve stem
pointing toward the rear of the
vehicle.

Black plate (72,1)Chevrolet Equinox Owner Manual - 2012
10-72 Vehicle Care
A. Cable
B. Liftgate Hinges
C. Center of the Wheel
D. Door Striker
4. Pull the cable (A) through the door striker (D) then the center
of the wheel (C).5. Hook the cable onto the outside
portion of the liftgate hinges (B).
6. Hook the other end of the cable onto the outside portion of the
liftgate hinge on the other side of
the vehicle.
7. Pull on the cable to make sure it is secure.8. Make sure the metal tube iscentered at the striker. Push the
tube toward the front of the
vehicle.
9. Close the liftgate and make sure it is latched properly.
The compact spare is for temporary
use only. Replace the compact
spare tire with a full-size tire as
soon as you can.