How to Check Engine Fluids 2005-09 Chevy Equinox
Created on: 2017-01-05
This video will show you how to check the washer fluid, coolant, brake fluid, and oil on the 05-09 Chevy Equinox
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step 1 :Checking the Washer Fluid
- Pull off the washer fluid reservoir cap
- Fill the reservoir with washer fluid
- Snap on the washer fluid reservoir cap
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step 2 :Checking the Coolant
- Twist the coolant reservoir cap off counterclockwise
- Check the coolant level, using a flashlight if necessary
- Add coolant to the reservoir up to the cold fill line
- Twist the coolant reservoir cap on clockwise
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step 3 :Checking the Brake Fluid
- Twist the brake fluid reservoir cap off counterclockwise
- Check the brake fluid level, using a flashlight if necessary
- Check that the brake fluid is between the minimum and maximum lines
- Check that the brake fluid is clear
- If the brake fluid is murky or dark, drain and refill it
- Twist the brake fluid reservoir cap on clockwise
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step 4 :Checking the Oil
- Pull out the oil dipstick
- Clean off the oil dipstick
- Insert the oil dipstick
- Pull out the oil dipstick
- Check that the oil level is between the low and full marks
- Insert the oil dipstick
- Twist the oil fill cap off counterclockwise, to add oil
- Add oil as necessary
- Twist the oil cap on clockwise
Tools needed
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Flashlight
Cloth Rags
Hi, I'm Mike from 1A Auto. We've been selling auto parts for over 30 years. We're dedicated to delivering quality auto parts, expert customer service, fast and free shipping, all backed by our 100% satisfaction guarantee. Visit us at 1AAuto.com, your trusted source for quality auto parts.
In this video, we're going to be working with our 2008 Chevy Equinox, 3.4 liter, V6. We're going to show you how to inspect the condition and levels of all of your under hood fluids, which is a critical part of vehicle maintenance to make sure that the systems these fluids monitor stay in good shape and the proper levels, so those systems don't become damaged or contaminated. This vehicle has a sealed transmission, so we are unable to check the transmission level with a dipstick. However, the rest of our fluids can easily be checked. If you like this video, please click Subscribe, we have a ton more information on this and many other vehicles. If you need parts for your car, you can follow the link down in the description over to 1AAuto.com.
Your washer fluid reservoir is located at the driver's side of the engine bay, right up behind the headlight. Simply open the cap and fill this reservoir to capacity to make sure that you have plenty of washer fluid for that dirt and debris that gets kicked up on your windshield while driving. Once you've filled it up, go ahead and snap the cap back on.
Your coolant reservoir is located just behind the washer fluid reservoir. Be careful if the vehicle's warm, you'll want to open this cap loosely because this is the equivalent of the radiator cap. Our radiator is sealed, so any pressure in the system actually goes up into this reservoir here. Ours is a little cloudy, a little bit older, so we're going to have to put a flashlight in there to check the fluid level, which can be located on the side of the bottle. The cold fill line is just about at this seam in the jug. Go ahead and top that off with some Dex-Cool. That's the orange coolant. Be sure that this is a 50/50 mix of the coolant and distilled water. Once the coolant's filled, reinstall your cap nice and tight.
Your brake fluid reservoir is located on top of the master cylinder right next to your under hood fuse box, between that and the engine. Go ahead and remove the cap. Sometimes you need to use a light to check the level because the reservoirs get a little cloudy and difficult to see through. Now, as long as it's between the minimum and maximum lines here, you want to leave that level alone. Vehicles with brake calipers as opposed to wheel cylinders for a drum brake are going to lose a little bit of the fluid level as the calipers compress, as your pads wear in. These stay farther and farther out to keep them nice and close to the pad and the inside of that caliper fills with some of this fluid. Topping it off now and then doing a brake job can cause this reservoir to overflow. The other thing that's important to check here is the condition of your fluid. Your fluid should look like a green tea at darkest. Ours is kind of murky and brown, so we are going to want to drain that out and flush the system with some nice fresh DOT 3 brake fluid.
Your oil dipstick is located at the front of the engine. After the vehicle's been sitting for a moment on level ground, pull it out and wipe it off. Reinstall the dipstick fully. Then remove it and check your level. These little hash marks here on the dipstick represent the full line. The bottom of the those hash marks mean that we're about a quart low. You can see that our fluid is a little bit low, so we'd want to top that off through the oil fill cap, which is located here. We even have the 5W-30 motor oil that it takes, labeled right on the cap. You'd pour in about 3/4 of that quart. Allow it to run down and recheck your dipstick. Keep doing that until you have the level back up where it needs to be and then reinstall the cap. We're not going to bother topping ours off now as it's due for an oil change anyway.
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