ignition CHEVROLET EQUINOX 2007 1.G Service Manual

Malfunction Indicator Lamp
Check Engine Light
Your vehicle has
a computer which
monitors operation
of the fuel, ignition,
and emission
control systems.
This system is called OBD II (On-Board
Diagnostics-Second Generation) and is intended
to assure that emissions are at acceptable
levels for the life of the vehicle, helping to produce
a cleaner environment. The check engine light
comes on to indicate that there is a problem and
service is required. Malfunctions often will be
indicated by the system before any problem is
apparent. This may prevent more serious damage
to your vehicle. This system is also designed
to assist your service technician in correctly
diagnosing any malfunction.Notice:If you keep driving your vehicle with
this light on, after awhile, your emission
controls may not work as well, your fuel
economy may not be as good, and your engine
may not run as smoothly. This could lead to
costly repairs that may not be covered by
your warranty.
Notice:Modications made to the engine,
transaxle, exhaust, intake, or fuel system
of your vehicle or the replacement of the
original tires with other than those of the same
Tire Performance Criteria (TPC) can affect
your vehicle’s emission controls and may
cause this light to come on. Modications to
these systems could lead to costly repairs not
covered by your warranty. This may also
result in a failure to pass a required Emission
Inspection/Maintenance test. SeeAccessories
and Modifications on page 333.
183

This light should come on, as a check to show
you it is working, when the ignition is on and the
engine is not running. If the light does not
come on, have it repaired. This light will also
come on during a malfunction in one of two ways:
Light Flashing— A misre condition has
been detected. A misre increases vehicle
emissions and may damage the emission
control system on your vehicle. Diagnosis
and service may be required.
Light On Steady— An emission control
system malfunction has been detected on
your vehicle. Diagnosis and service may
be required.
If the Light is Flashing
The following may prevent more serious damage
to your vehicle:
Reducing vehicle speed
Avoiding hard accelerations
Avoiding steep uphill grades
If you are towing a trailer, reduce the
amount of cargo being hauled as soon
as it is possible
If the light stops ashing and remains on steady,
see “If the Light Is On Steady” following.
If the light continues to ash, when it is safe to
do so, stop the vehicle. Find a safe place to park
your vehicle. Turn the key off, wait at least
10 seconds and restart the engine. If the light
remains on steady, see “If the Light Is On Steady”
following. If the light is still ashing, follow the
previous steps, and see your dealer for service
as soon as possible.
184

Emissions Inspection and
Maintenance Programs
Some state/provincial and local governments have
or may begin programs to inspect the emission
control equipment on your vehicle. Failure to pass
this inspection could prevent you from getting a
vehicle registration.
Here are some things you need to know to help
your vehicle pass an inspection:
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if the
check engine light is on or not working properly.
Your vehicle will not pass this inspection if
the OBD (on-board diagnostic) system determines
that critical emission control systems have not
been completely diagnosed by the system.
The vehicle would be considered not ready for
inspection. This can happen if you have recently
replaced your battery or if your battery has
run down. The diagnostic system is designed
to evaluate critical emission control systems
during normal driving. This may take several days
of routine driving. If you have done this and
your vehicle still does not pass the inspection
for lack of OBD system readiness, your dealer
can prepare the vehicle for inspection.
Oil Pressure Light
If you have a low engine
oil pressure problem,
this light will stay on after
you start your engine,
or come on when you
are driving.
This indicates that your engine is not receiving
enough oil.
The engine could be low on oil, or could have
some other oil problem. Have it xed immediately.
The oil light could also come on in three other
situations:
When the ignition is on but the engine is not
running, the light will come on as a test to
show you it is working, but the light will go
out when you turn the ignition to START.
If it does not come on with the ignition on,
you may have a problem with the fuse or bulb.
Have it xed right away.
186

Security Light
Your vehicle is equipped
with a theft-deterrent
system. With this
system, the security
light will ash as
you open the door if
your ignition is off.
This light will come on briey when the vehicle
is turned on.
For more information, seePASS-Key
®III+
Operation on page 113.
Fog Lamp Light
The fog lamp light will
come on when the fog
lamps are in use.
The light will go out when the fog lamps are
turned off. SeeFog Lamps on page 160for
more information.
Cruise Control Light
This light comes on
whenever you set the
cruise control.
The light goes out when the cruise control is
turned off. SeeCruise Control on page 155for
more information.
Reduced Engine Power Light
This light will come on
briey when you start
the engine.
188

This light, along with the service vehicle soon
light, will be displayed when a noticeable reduction
in the vehicle’s performance may occur. Stop
the vehicle and turn off the ignition. Wait for
10 seconds and restart your vehicle. This may
correct the condition. SeeService Vehicle
Soon Light on page 191for more information.
The vehicle may be driven at a reduced speed
when the reduced engine power light is on,
but acceleration and speed may be reduced.
The performance may be reduced until the next
time you drive your vehicle. If this light stays
on, see your dealer as soon as possible for
diagnosis and repair.
Highbeam On Light
This light comes on
when the high-beam
headlamps are in use.
SeeHeadlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
on page 152.
Service All-Wheel Drive Light
This light is located in
the center of your
instrument panel cluster.
This light and the SERVICE ALL WHEEL DRIVE
message in the Driver Information Center (DIC)
will come on and stay on to indicate that there may
be a problem with the drive system and service
is required. SeeAll-Wheel Drive (AWD) System
on page 293andDIC Warnings and Messages
on page 198for more information.
189

All-Wheel Drive Disabled Light
This light will come on
when the rear drive
system is overheating.
An ALL WHEEL DRIVE OFF message will appear
in the Driver Information Center (DIC) too. This
light will turn off when the rear drive system
cools down. If this light stays on for a while, you
need to reset the light. To reset the light, turn
the ignition off and then back on again. If the
light stays on, see your dealer right away.
SeeAll-Wheel Drive on page 374and
DIC Warnings and Messages on page 198
for more information.
Gate Ajar Light
If this light comes on,
your liftgate is not
completely closed.
Driving with the liftgate
open can cause
carbon monoxide (CO)
to enter the vehicle.
SeeEngine Exhaust on page 127for more
information.
Door Ajar Light
This light will come on
when a door is ajar.
Do not drive with a door ajar.
190

Service Vehicle Soon Light
This light will come on
if a condition exists
that may require
the vehicle to be taken
in for service.
If the light comes on, see your dealer for service
as soon as possible.
Fuel Gage
When the ignition
is on, the fuel gage
tells you about
how much fuel you
have left in your tank.When the indicator nears empty, the low fuel light
will come on. You still have a little fuel left, but
you should get more soon. SeeLow Fuel Warning
Light on page 192for more information.
Here are four things that some owners ask about.
None of these show a problem with your fuel gage:
At the service station, the fuel pump shuts off
before the gage reads full.
It takes a little more or less fuel to ll up than
the gage indicated. For example, the gage may
have indicated the tank was half full, but it
actually took a little more or less than half the
tank’s capacity to ll the tank.
The gage moves a little when you turn a corner
or speed up.
The gage takes a few seconds to stabilize after
the ignition is turned on, and will go back to
empty when you turn the ignition off.
For your fuel tank capacity, seeCapacities and
Specications on page 434.
191

Low Fuel Warning Light
The light below the fuel
gage will come on
briey when you are
starting the engine.
This light also comes on when the fuel tank is low
on fuel. When you add fuel the light should go
off. If it does not, have your vehicle serviced.
Driver Information Center (DIC)
Your vehicle has a Driver Information Center (DIC).
All messages will appear in the DIC display
located in the center of the instrument panel
cluster. The DIC buttons are located on the
center of the instrument panel.
The DIC comes on when the ignition is on. After
a short delay, the DIC will display the information
that was last displayed before the engine was
turned off.The DIC displays trip, fuel, and vehicle system
information, and warning messages if a system
problem is detected. The top of the DIC display
shows the shift lever position indicator. See
Automatic Transaxle Operation on page 119for
more information.
If your vehicle has this feature, the DIC also
displays the outside air temperature when viewing
the trip and fuel information. If there is a problem
with the system that controls the temperature
display, the numbers will be replaced with dashes.
If this occurs, have the vehicle serviced by your
dealer. If an abnormal temperature reading is
displayed for an extended period of time, consult
your dealer. Under certain circumstances,
especially when the engine is idling, a delay
updating the temperature display is normal.
The DIC also allows some features to be
personalized. SeeDIC Vehicle Personalization
on page 207for more information.
192

DIC Warnings and Messages
Messages are displayed on the DIC to notify the
driver that the status of the vehicle has changed
and that some action may be needed by the driver
to correct the condition. Multiple messages may
appear one after another.
Some messages may not require immediate
action, but you can press the set/reset button to
acknowledge that you received the messages and
to clear them from the display. Pressing any of
the DIC buttons also acknowledge and clear
any messages.
Some messages cannot be cleared from the
DIC display because they are more urgent. These
messages require action before they can be
cleared. You should take any messages that
appear on the display seriously and remember
that clearing the messages will only make
the messages disappear, not correct the problem.
The following are the possible messages
that can be displayed and some information
about them.
ALL WHEEL DRIVE OFF
If your vehicle has the All-Wheel Drive (AWD)
system, this message displays along with the
All-Wheel Drive Disabled light when the rear drive
system is overheating. This message turns off when
the rear drive system cools down. If the warning
message stays on for a while, you need to reset the
warning message. To reset the warning message,
turn the ignition off and then back on again. If the
message stays on, see your dealer right away. See
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) System on page 293and
All-Wheel Drive Disabled Light on page 190for
more information.
BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE
This message displays when the charging system
detects that the battery is being drained. You
may notice that the vehicle attempts to reduce the
drain for you by turning off accessories, such
as interior fans, rear defogger, and heated seats.
Turn off all accessories. If the vehicle is not
running, start and run the engine for at least
10 minutes to allow the battery to recharge. If the
engine is running and the condition persists,
see your dealer immediately.
198

BUCKLE PASSENGER SEATBELT
This message reminds you to buckle the
passenger’s safety belt. SeePassenger Sensing
System on page 82.
This message displays and a chime sounds when
the ignition is on, the driver’s safety belt is
buckled, the passenger’s safety belt is unbuckled
with the passenger airbag enabled, and the
vehicle is in motion. You should have the
passenger buckle their safety belt.
This reminder will be repeated if the ignition is on,
the vehicle is in motion, the driver is buckled
and the passenger is still unbuckled, and
the passenger airbag is enabled. If the
passenger’s safety belt is already buckled, this
message and chime will not come on.
BUCKLE SEATBELT
This message reminds you to buckle the driver’s
safety belt.
This message displays and a chime sounds
when the ignition is on, the driver’s safety belt
is unbuckled, and the vehicle is in motion.
You should buckle your safety belt.If the driver remains unbuckled when the ignition
is on and the vehicle is in motion, the reminder
will be repeated. If the driver’s safety belt is
already buckled, this message and chime will not
come on.
This message is an additional reminder to the
Safety Belt Reminder Light in the instrument
panel cluster. SeeSafety Belt Reminder Light
on page 173.
CHANGE ENGINE OIL SOON
This message displays when service is required
for the vehicle. See your dealer. SeeEngine
Oil on page 344andScheduled Maintenance
on page 439for more information.
Acknowledging this message will not reset the
OIL LIFE REMAINING display. That must be
done at the OIL LIFE screen under the vehicle
information menu. See “OIL LIFE” underDIC
Operation and Displays on page 193andEngine
Oil Life System on page 347for more information.
199