I’ve reached the 100k mile maintenance schedule and there seems to be a few things missing from the car manual!
I have an AWD 2009 Chevy Equinox, and the maintenance schedule calls for having the transmission fluid exchanged. I had this done, but the manual does not say anything about the differential and transfer case.
To be completely honest, I’m not sure if these are part of the transmission or if they are separate components. Should the oil be changed in the differential and transfer case? Or is that part of the transmission oil change? Or are these “no maintenance” parts designed to out live the car itself?
I’ve dropped a lot of money recently on maintenance and while I’m spending, I want to make sure I’ve gotten everything done I should. . .I don’t need a surprise in 6 months. …“well, if you had changed your transfer case oil, you wouldn’t need a new transmission. . .” scenario.
Here’s what I’ve done:
New Tires
New brakes (front and rear), turned rotors
Brake fluid flush/fill
Transmission fluid and filter exchange (not flushed)
Alignment
New plugs
Engine air filter replaced
Passenger air filter replaced
Wipers (trivial, but since I’m compiling a list. . .)
What does the book say? The only thing I see missing is the antifreeze flush and fill and serpentine belt. Is the battery original? If so time to go. The transfer case is mentioned as needing fluid replacement.
theres lots of other things for inspection like exhaust suspension ect. as far as transfer case and differentials alldata says transfer case @100,000 miles and nothing about differentials it wouldnt hurt to do it once though thats my opinion anyways
knfenimore: That’s the problem. In chapter 5, the owner’s manual has an AWD section and it talks about the transfer case. For proper maintenance on the transfer case, the manual refers me to the maintenance schedule in chapter 6. When I go to chapter 6, the maintenance schedule doesn’t mention the transfer case. The manual is completely silent on a differential.
Thanks for the other tips. Especially about the battery!
Hey guys, thought I would give an update. Car is still going strong (I think), and has reached 171,000 miles. Oil leaks seem to be an issue and having the front crank seal, oil pan gasket, valve cover gasket, and manifold gaskets replaced. Hoping the 1 qt every 800-1200 miles is resolved or even greatly reduced with these repairs and it’s not the engine burning the oil.
Repairs are not cheap by any means, but cheaper than a car payment! Hoping to get to 300k!
Your Chevy Equinox will only need certain types of service at 45,000 mile intervals . These services include completely changing your automatic transmission fluid and, for AWD vehicles, changing the transfer case fluid.
I had that old service done at the dealer; I would hope they flushed if it was required and I had my notes wrong. . .unfortunately, my old repair invoices went in the shredder. I regret that now.
I’ll check about a trans flush when I get my brakes done.
Hi all, I’ve reached 173000 miles on my car and it’s using about 1 quart of oil every 1000-1200 miles. I had gaskets replaced that were starting to “seep” (oil pan gasket, front crank seal, valve cover gasket and intake manifold). However, the oil usage is unchanged.
I’m guessing at this point. . .my car has to be burning it, right?
What (inexpensive) test/s can I ask a mechanic to perform that might show where the problem is?
I’ve read that valve seals might be an issue, and that is something that can be fixed. And I’ve read if the piston rings have gone bad, your engine has reached the end of its useful life.
I’m not sure if I should try and find/fix the problem or if I should simply add oil and keep driving.
I’m a casual driver. . .mostly drive my car to the grocery and back. . .occasionally up the Mountains for skiing.
Thanks for any advice.
Why am I still driving this car? I like it. It’s paid for. And I can’t stand the infotainment system in new cars.
Ask a helper to watch the tailpipe when you start the engine after it has been sitting overnight. If there’s a very noticeable puff or cloud of bluish smoke, that goes away after a few minutes, that’s consistent with problematic valve stem seals. More likely that’s cause of the oil-use problem than the piston rings. The valve stem seals can usually be replaced without having to disassemble the engine, so the job isn’t overly expensive. An oil use rate of 1,000 miles per quart is considered normal in some new cars, so suggest not to be overly concerned at this point. You’ve put clean cardboard under the vehicle at night and verified by inspection there are no oil leaks remaining, right? About the only thing that can be done about piston ring wear is to keep the oil and filter changed at least as frequently as recommended by the manual. Even better, change it more frequently. Suggest to always use the same name brand oil on every change, and a name brand oil filter. No cheapo oils, no cheapo oil filters. Even better, buy the oil filter at the dealership. You’re using the correct type & viscosity for the oil, right? Problematic pvc system can result in oil burning. Have that system checked and probably a good idea to replace the pcv valve too.
Yeah, I did put cardboard under my car overnight a few months back. I haven’t done it again since the repairs; I’ll do that again to make sure. Thanks for the replies, appreciate it!
