Chevrolet Equinox Maintenance and Repair

ajg93 · May 2007

I was actually more interested to see if there was a difference based on the two different tire sizes offered on these cars..or if there was an error on the sticker. 30PSI seems low to be so I have set mine to 33.

grosloup · May 2007

I always put 33 psi in mine but they recommend 35 psi mine are 16's the ride is smoother and not that bad on tire wear. It's a possibility that it's an error on your sticker.

ajg93 · May 2007

Or is it possible the 16"s call for 35PSI and the 17's call for 30PSI?

grosloup · May 2007

It's kind of weird because it's measured by pounds of pressior per square inch. (psi) So by my way of seeing it, it should not differ by the size of the tire, it's calculated by the pressior of air build up inside the tire.
It's not like filling a tank of gas, the bigger the tank, the more it contains. It's based on pressior.

grosloup · May 2007

I just asked a member of the familly that works in a tire shop. He suggest that you inflate your 17's at 35 psi. You can also put 33 psi if you wish but not lower. He inflates 15's 16's 17's and 18's between 33 and 35 psi. I forgot to ask him about the smaller size tires. He also mentioned that the compact spare tire (not the full size) inflates at 60 psi Go figure. 60 psi for a compact tire? Wow!

tidester · May 2007

Go figure. 60 psi for a compact tire? Wow!

A smaller tire will optimally have fewer square inches of contact with the road and therefore requires more pounds per square inch in order to support the weight of the car.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

noxrox · May 2007

If tires were perfect elastic substance then the sq inches of contact would be proportional to to the weight on the tire and inversely proportional to the inflation pressure.

IOW Contact patch in sq in = weight in pounds on the tire divided by the pressure in the tire in psi

tidester · May 2007

IOW Contact patch in sq in = weight in pounds on the tire divided by the pressure in the tire in psi

Exactly! IOW, pressure = weight ÷ area!

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

capriracer · May 2007

".....IOW Contact patch in sq in = weight in pounds on the tire divided by the pressure in the tire in psi......."

Sorry, but even though the dimensions work out, this is incorrect. Average contact pressure does not equal inflation pressure.

tidester · May 2007

Yes, tchnically, the pressure is still there even when there is no load on the tire in which case it is balanced by the stress in the rubber. Adding a load increases the pressure inside the tire. The equilibrium relationship is more complicated but the load is distributed over the contact patch.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

noxrox · May 2007

Please read my post again. I was talking about contact patch area, not contact patch pressure per uint of area.

Contact area in sq inches is equal to the weight on the tire divided by the pressure in the tire. Not exact as the tire is not a full elastic vessel.

Perhaps these will help

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/tire4.htm

http://www.boeing.com/commercial/airports/faqs/calctirecontactarea.pdf

Your reply appreciated

I don't know about adding pressure due to the car sitting on its tire, as that is the only way I check mine. So if I inflate my tire to 30 psi while off the vehicle and then put it on the vehicle it will be same as, a little greater, or a lot greater pressure? I say same as.

ajg93 · May 2007

Thanks..I appreciate the info. I will go with 35.

Odd thing happened on my way home tonight..my DIC comes on and says to "Service Tire Pressure Monitor." I check the tires on the DIC and it has stopped registering a read for my LF tire (displays LF -- psi). I stop at a gas station and go through the re-learn steps to relearn each location. The warning goes off and all seems fine. Anyone have an 07 and have this issue?

capriracer · May 2007

"......Contact area in sq inches is equal to the weight on the tire divided by the pressure in the tire......."

What I am saying is ".....Contact area in sq inches is equal to the weight on the tire divided by the Average contact pressure - and this is not the same as the inflation pressure......."

This may seem like a trivial point, but it can lead to some erroneous conclusions if you use the area of the contact patch for further calculations as one of your links suggest.

Is it a good estimate? In the absence of any other types of data, you have to use what you have available. But I have seen this be off by 50%.

BTW, Boeing seems to be referring to bias ply tires which behave differently than radial tires. Those belts really change the way the tire reacts to load.

".....I say same as....." Sorry, did that and the front end of a 2000 Buick Century increased from 30.0 psi unloaded to 30.5 psi loaded. This is indeed a trivial point - close enough is close enough.

Hope this helps.

noxrox · May 2007

Well, thanks for stating it correctly, your first post ("Sorry, but even though the dimensions work out, this is incorrect. Average contact pressure does not equal inflation pressure.") {Note: I was describing contact patch area, not pressure]
simply said it was wrong. Now you have corrected it and given a good engineering answer.

I figured I covered my a** by saying if a perfect elastic vessel :-).

I realized that the equation was not accurate in the real world, but there is so much misconception about tire pressures and contact patch, that I just thought I would lend some basic concept to the discussion.

Re: loaded vs unloaded tire pressure. I kind of figured that the pressure would increase slightly, but felt that it would be such a small amount that most people could not measure it to within the repaeatability of their $2 pressrue gage. I must assume that you had a gauge with finer than 5 psi resolution :-) as many do.

I just went out and checked my gauge. It has one psi resoluton, but that is probably optimistic.

It is good to hear from an engineer with facts.

Keep keeping us informed.

hazeyfla · July 2007

my wife's 05 nox had the same problem just as you said, not starting or hesitation during start after the car had set for about 30 min or so. it got worse after about 3 months then finally didn't start at all. took the battery down to the local auto parts store for a test and it failed. new battery seemed to have fixed the problem for now. too bad i only got 2 1/2 years out of the battery but the florida heat can sure kill one quick.

kentwa · August 2007

My 05 Nox has been a real pain since I got it. I've had the turn signal fixed due to a short a few days after purchase (I am the only owner. The car had 10 miles on it). The next thing I believe was the odor in the coolant system, then my car flooded because of improperly sealed break lights so water got into my tire trap as well as the rest of my car, the there was a recall for the hatch handles or something of that nature. It has been flushed, and had hoses replaced etc. In addition to all of that, I have had the "start hesitation" problem off and on for the past 3 years, the knocking, and the low glas mileage.

It recently died and I had roadside assistance come jump it only to find steam coming from the hood after it was started for a few minutes. I took it into my local chevrolet and they want $1500.00 (which I do not have) to replace the battery and to remove the cylinder so they can replace the gaskets in order to fix the coolant leak (of course my warranty just ended a month ago). Any ideas on where I can get a better quote and quality service??

I wish I too had been privy to this information prior to my purchase.

myedmunds1 · September 2007

Ive just bought an 07 Equinox, LS, FWD; with no options for $17400 + Tax + over this long weekend. I think its a good deal. I havent driven it much yet; I need to cover it with my insurance policy Tuesday.

Now I have a few questions regarding updating it:

1. Floor mats. I only noticed it today that it didnt come with floor mat set. Im thinking of buying one at Wal-Mart or Auto Zone. Can somebody please tell me the measurement of the front and rear floor mats?

2. Roof rack cross bar. How much will it cost and wheres the best place to get one?

3. Fog lights. How much will one cost? Is it difficult to install?

Thanks in advance!

ryanjenkins · September 2007

I was driving from one job location to the next and once I got off of the highway it wouldn't go any more.... I luckily had the service manager on the phone when this happened and I had to shut the car off (on the highway exit ramp - during rush hour traffic) wait 5 minutes, turn it back on and try to drive it. I had to do this 2 other times just to get to my job site so that I could have it towed. The dealership has had my car for 2 weeks, and it needs a new transmission. My mileage is ONLY 27,964 - can you believe it? Of course, my factory warranty was up in May and my extended warranty is saying that they may not cover the problem. Isn't the transmission part of the drive train? I have already filed a lawsuit against GM and settled out of court for many other problems that I have had with the lemon, I am in the process of starting that process all over and I am waiting on a return call from GM. I filed a complaint with the attorney general today, and I guess I will hear from them soon. I am currently on my 4th service department, and they seem to know what they are doing.....We'll see.... :lemon: :sick: :mad:

drkshdw · September 2007

Question. Has anyone had experience with changing a PCV valve? I pulled the hose off and tried to pull it out, But there is a bracket over it that will not allow it to be removed. The bracket is riveted in. I talked with the dealership and they said they haven't had any in for removal. Their parts order manual shows a PCV valve for non-riveted engines. I could cut the bracket and pull it up, replace the valve and push it back down, But I was just curious if anyone else had run into this problem. Thanks

debbie28 · October 2007

I have been wondering if anyone is having problems with any of the electrical problems.

What has happened to me is that when I drive my 05' Equinox on a trip, after I stop it and it's off for quite some time it will never start again. It is not the battery, because you have lights and all that. THat is the first thing they want to do is jump it. I have had to have this towed 2x. Once in CLeveland Ohio and now in Indianapolis In. They tow it in and find it has blown the back up fuse. THey replace it and it will blow again. THe last time they said the harnass around the transmission was to tight, so they cut a tie strap to loosen it. THis seemed to work again until I took it on a trip again. This only happens when I drive long distnaces. Now they tell me that they have replaced the fuse again and also have rerouted the harness wiring for the transmission. I am driving 3 hours tonight to pick this up and then 3 hours back home. I guess if it happens again at least I will be at home with it. But I have had some other wierd things happen. Like all of a sudden my drivers window will go down a little by it's self. It also will start by it's self when you put the key and just barely start to turn it. THey tell me there is nothing wrong with this. I have only had the car 13 months. It only had 10 miles on it when I got it. I'm afraid to drive it out of town again for fear this will happen again.

Has anyone else had any of these types of problems? Would love to hear from you.

noxrox · October 2007

As a bare minimum, try a new dealer. Have them check the various control modules. I don't know all of them, but one is the body control module that controls a lot of functions.

Let us know

mitch1947 · October 2007

Here's an odd one. While traveling back home from the Washington coast my 2006 Equinox transmission bucked twice within 20 minutes at 60MPH. When I reached the freeway I tried to set the cruise control at 70MPH and it would not engage. Tried that several times to no avail. It did however engage at 50MPH when I left the freeway. I drove it the next day and there were no problems and the dealer could not find any codes. This afternoon my wife drove it and it bucked twice at low speeds while accelerating from a parked position. Any idea what could be causing this? Thanks.

lynndh · October 2007

I have a 2005 Equinox LT and it has been nothing but a headache since I got it. I am going on my third set of tires at 40,000 miles and had to put tires all the way around at 14,000 with the GM rep telling me that I needed to rotate them at every oil change....not even the dealership had that on their recommended maintenance schedule. The second set began at 19,000 with GM saying they wouldn't help at all. The dealership checked the alignment and the balance and kept telling me there was nothingwrong. Recently, I could smell burning rubber in the rear passenger wheel well. Again, back to the dealership, only to be told that they found nothing. The interior has been cheap. The seats stain easily, the color on the door handles is wearing off and the road noise is palpable. This was my first experience with American made and I have to say I am not impressed. Not only that, GM isn't interested in helping and could care less if you as the customer are unhappy....not their problem was what I was told. I have the CD problem with the in-dash 6 cd changer jamming when the vehicle seems to get heated. I have the delay in the starter at times too. Good luck to anyone who purchases one of these. Hopefully over the last three years they have improved!

gman301 · November 2007

Just want to share my experience from 2 weeks ago...

On my 2005 Equinox I was driving at a school zone speed when I noticed I wasn't accelerating when pressing on the gas pedal.. the traction control also lit up during that time. I stopped on the roadside and turned off the ignition. I tried to start the car back but the engine would only crank up and not start totally. I had it towed to the nearest dealer, they said it was a fuel pump problem and a busted fuse. Car is 4 mos. past warranty with 34000 miles.. repair cost was $700.

price0909 · November 2007

I am giving my car back in 1 month and 28 days.. (and counting) In the last year i have brought my 2005 nox to the dealer 3 times because i have been stuck moret two handful times with my car not starting less then 4 times each.. even when it starts th first time it sounds like it is stuggling to start.. They even gave me a rental for a WEEK and said they couldn't simulate it and never had it happen when it was there so they changed what they thought could cause it but there is nothing wrong. I was at Toyota last night! (in the market for a new car) and my car wouldn't start! I dont want to spend any more time bringing my car to a dealer who has changed the service staff 4 times in 3 years. On top of that the first 100 miles my rear window got stuck down in a snow storm while away skiing.. I have had my steering column struts brakes and more changed.. just changed two tires out of the four i have been needing since 19000 miles.. I have a trailblazer that has no problems!!! well we also havent had to bring it to Vail Chevy in Harrison!! Alls i can say is NEVER AGAIN! DONT BUY IT

bluegirl2 · November 2007

I have a 2005 Equinox and had no trouble until now. Water in the tire compartment. I say others on this board were also having trouble with it. What did you folks find out? How did the company handle it? Bluegirl2

tzeng865 · December 2007

Hi everyone,

I just bought a 2008 Chevy Equinox and am very happy with it so far. I have a question about extended warranties. The dealer offered me a 5 year wrap-around extended warranty for my equinox for around $1000.

I have heard that online warranties like warranty direct are good, but I live in California so from what I understand, I can't buy online warranty in California.

Is the GM extended warranty good or does anyone else have any suggestions on extended warranties at better deals? Thanks.

raven48 · December 2007

Could be the module that controls the transmission. Had a 2001 Impala with same problem, took it to the dealer and GM paid for it.

jackswammi · December 2007

I can start the car OK with remote start, but how do I get the heater/defroster to come on? Remote start is worthless if I can't get the defroster on. It is a factory installed remote start.

grosloup · December 2007

When you get out of the car, set your heater/defroster fan to the position you want them to be when you'll start the car, then when you start your car with your remote start, it'll be on and working.

jackswammi · December 2007

It doesn't seem to work that way in the Equinox. None of the electrical things come on when I remote start it until I put the key in and turn to the run position. I know in older cars with remote start heater will come on if it is left on previously. These new cars, everything is controlled by some computer. I haven't asked the dealer yet, but maybe it can be re-programmed. Any other ideas?

grosloup · December 2007

I never noticed on my Equinox if it works like you say because I'm the type of guy who always forget to leave my heater controls on when I exit the vehicule for my next cold restart.
I'll check this out and reply to you. I know that the older models could do it but like you said now everything is controlled by computers.

chendrickson · December 2007

I bought my Equinox in April of 2007. After about 4 months it started stinking like a musty basement. It kept getting worse, so bad that I would smell like mold when I got out of the car. I have had it to the dealer and they replaced some evaporator part on the AC but it still stinks!!!! Now they want to replace the carpet and clean the upholstery. They put some type of deodorizer in the system that I thought was going to kill me. It coated my windshield with a white film, and choked me to death. This cannot be healthy. I noticed that there were alot of post from 3 years ago about this. I am wondering if anyone else is experiencing this problem now. It seems that they should have taken care of this problem over the past three years.
The dealer told me that they have to work on the same problem 3 times before I can do anything about this. This means that I have to deal with inhaling more mold and more chemicals. Help Me!!

grosloup · December 2007

Is that smell you're talking about coming from your vents or is it everywhere in the vehicule?
If it's coming from the vents, there was an issue about bad antifreeze but that was in the early 2005 models and I've heard they fixed that problem. The antifreeze instead of being an orange/pink color turned brown with residue in it caused by bad radiator hoses.
Did you check your "spare tire well"? Some Equinox had water in there and that's where their bad smell came from. Stagnant water.

grosloup · December 2007

It's me again. Just went out to make a little test. I got in my Equinox, put my vent control to defrost and the fan to MAX closed and locked the doors. Then I used my remote start to start the truck, unlocked my doors, got in and the defrost fan was blasting air without having to put the key in the ignition. I'm sorry but I guess your Equinox needs a little trip to the G.M. dealer.

jackswammi · December 2007

Hey, I'm sorry. The heater does come on if left on previously when I remote start the car. The rear window defroster won't come however, but that probably is correct operation, because when you turn the car off, you have to restart the rear window defroster again. This my daughter's Equinox, and she told me the heater didn't come on with remote start. The car wasn't at my place to check out, so I believed her! Bad idea!! After I checked it out myself, it worked as you said. Thanks so much for your help, now I don't have to go harass my nice Chevy dealer! As "Fonzi" could not say, "I was wrong" - or "I was wronnng"

grosloup · December 2007

You're right! For the rear window defroster you have to put it on manually every time. Well, everything seems to be normal with the Nox.
Heyyyyyy! (thumb up) I'm a "Fonzy" fan myself.

chendrickson · December 2007

I have not checked the spare tire well yet. Never thought of it. The smell is through the entire car though, and as a matter of fact I have noticed it when I have opened the back hatch. This makes sense. I will check it out today. Do you know what they are doing to remedy the problem? I am ready to trade the smelly thing in today. Maybe I have a problem with the AC also, or maybe the dealer just doesn't know what it is.

grosloup · December 2007

For the first time since May 2005 (except for maintenance) I had to go to the dealer for a repair today. I noticed some oil on the pavement underneath my 05 Nox. They told me that the seal of my transmission was leaking. What transmission? It's a FWD. And how do you check the oil level? there's no dipstick for that so called "transmission". Engine oil yes, but transmission? No dipstick. And I've been told it was a sealed transmission? How can it be sealed if they changed the seal and added some oil? I'm confused here.....

noxrox · December 2007

Rotating parts that extend through the transmission case have to have a seal around them to keep oil inside the transmission and not onto the ground. Like the name implies, they seal the oil into the transmission.

All vehicles have a transmission of some kind, either automatic, which may be of a normal torque converter and gear type of a constant velocity transmission that is of more recent design, and is usually found on smaller vehicles. The other type is a manual transmission, where you have to shift the gears yourself, or as of very recently a computer and control mechanism do the shifting.

Anyway a FWD vehicles has a transmission that is connected to the front wheel instead of the rear wheels.

Regarding a sealed transmission, it is not uncommon for auto transmissions to no longer have a dipstick to check oil levels. Transmissions do not "use" up their oil by burning a little every time you run them, like an internal combustion engine does. Hence, unless you develop a leak (like you did) the oil level is not going to go any place. So why bother to check it. I have owned many cars with auto transmissions and have never ever had to add oil to them.

By "sealing" the transmission the danger of overfill is reduced/eliminated.

grosloup · December 2007

My Equinox is a 2005 LT FWD. My original tire size is 235/65/16. I'm looking forward to buy winter tires this year but I'm having a hard time finding that size. Any suggestions for good dependable snow / ice tires? Is the size of winter tires the same as the original 4 seasons?

grosloup · December 2007

Thank you for replying and for your nice explanation. My Equinox was ready the same day. Three hours work and they replaced the O ring of the automatic input sensor on the transmission (transaxle). That's were the leaking was coming from.
I guess only God and you know what that O ring is all about.
Well, at least, it's fixed and didn't have to dig in my pockets cause it's still on warranty.

grosloup · December 2007

What brand and size of winter tires does your Nox have?
My original 4 seasons are 235/65/16 and I can't seem to be able to find that size in winter tires (even on tirerack). Is it the same size in winter tires or different than the 4 seasons ones?

jackswammi · December 2007

My Nox is a 2007 AWD 3LT. Comes w/chrome wheels & 235-60/17 Bridgestone all season Dueler HT I think. So far nobodoy else supposedly makes a tire this size, but Michelin might have one, or coming soon. I dont know about 235-65-16, but you could probably go to 225-65/16. Check Michelin.com or Bridgestone/Firestone.com or Discounttire.com. Bridgestone Blizzaks are really good & Michelin Arctic Ice good too. I've used both on some other cars I have. These are all studless tires. I wouldn't use studs on anything anymore. Studless are just as good or better than studs and much quieter. I think the Gov. should ban studs in every state. Studs do too much road damage, and now we have studless alternatives.

jackswammi · December 2007

The only place I could find winter tires in size 235-65/16 is Bridgestone-Firestone. They make this size in Blizzak WS50 & WS60. You could probably use a 225-70/16 too if you want. A little narrower might have better traction on snow too. Hope this helps.

grosloup · December 2007

You're absolutely right. One of my friends just called me and told me about his problem finding winter tires for his Nox (same size as mine) I mentioned your reply and he called his dealer and that's what his dealer told him... Blizzak from Bridgestone is the only (235/65/16) he could find for now and it's recommended as a very dependable tire. Imagine people with 18's. So it's Blizzak with no fear with me because your word is the same as the G.M. dealer. Thanks!

chendrickson · December 2007

Just to let everyone with a stinky car know that I did check the spare tire well and it was full of stinky, moldy, smelly water. It's been full since August. The dealer never even checked it..yes they know what's going on. It has been in the shop for a week so that they can try to find the leak, replace the smelly carpet and clean the entire interior. I guess that I will find out if this works. It's depressing, it should still smell like a new car and I know that it will never be the same. I'm sick about it.

user777 · December 2007

did you scan this forum? if i'm not mistaken, one poster indicated the water was getting in through one of the rear light lenses.

grosloup · December 2007

I'm glad you took my advice and checked your spare tire well for that smell.
This is what I found on a post dated (jan 18 2007) # 1021.........
(I took my vehicle in to have the water leak in the spare tire well fixed. They removed the bumper and welded something and seemed to fix it but after getting 3 0r 4 inch rain last week the water is back (about 2 inches deep) Is there anyone that has gotten results in fixing this problem that could reply to me and let me know what you did to fix the problem and what dealer fixed it). You can always make a "search" in the search box at the top right of the page by typing the cue words ex : water, well, spare tire.... and that's going to take you to all the posts with those words in. Sorry, I couldn't reply right away, I was gone to the cottage for Christmas.

chendrickson · December 2007

This seems to be a serious problem that has eluded dealers everywhere!!! My car has been in the shop since last Wednesday, here is what they have done so far,
replaced the evaporator coil on the AC, replaced the carpet, cleaned the interior 3 times with a bissell rug steam cleaner, replaced all of the sound foam, deodorized, ionized, deodorized again, and sealed a seam up in the wheel well that was near a vent for pressure in the vehicle. I really do not know what else. They called me from the dealership on Thursday, 12/27 and told me that the car still stunk. If the black mold will not kill us the chemicals used to try to mask the smell will. I'm really upset and looking into the lemon law at this point. I think this is a health risk more than anything at this point.

Chevrolet Equinox Maintenance and Repair

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