Chevy Equinox 2.4L Engine Repair Information
Here you can find information regarding the assembly of the Chevy Equinox front end. In this guide we will cover theessential repairs for the front end of this vehicle. Included within these repairsis the inner and outer tie rod removal and change, the front wheel hubs installation, ball joint removal andinstallation, the upper and lower control arms, and the front shock installation. Alongwith the repair procedures we also include the corresponding bolt torque specs for each fastener involved. Theseguides are intended to assist in each procedure to help diyers with the job.
Chevy Equinox Tie Rod Change/Removal
To install a new tie rod on a Chevy Equinox you must first remove the old one from the vehicle. This can bedone by raising the vehicle up by either the use of a floor jack or a vehicle hoist.Once the vehicle is in the air you can remove the corresponding tire for the side that you want to change thetie rod on. Once the tire is off you can now access the old tie rod and remove it for replacement. On this vehicle the tierod attachs to an inner tie rod that screws directly into the steering rack. If replacing the entire tie rod assembly you can tighten the innertie rod up toi 74 ft-lbs using a special holding tool. The outer tie rod endlink can be torqued down to the steering knuckle using 35 ft-lbs of force.Be sure to install a cotter pin if necessary as this will prevent the nut from loosening up under extreme circumstances.
Chevy Equinox Outer Tie Rod End Torque Spec : 35 ft-lbs
Chevy Equinox Inner Tie Rod Torque Spec : 74 ft-lbs
Front Wheel Hub Installation
The front wheel hub on the Chevy Equinox tightens down to the steering knuckle through the use of 3 bolts. In order to remove theold part from the vehicle you will need to jack your car up and remove the wheel on the side you are working on. From here we can then begin toremove the braking system by taking off the caliper and brake rotor and removing the center axle nut which holds the cv axle to the steeringknuckle. With those removed we can now gain access to the wheel hub bolts which will beon the back side of the steering knuckle and can be accessed by turning the steering wheel one way and then the other. As you move the wheel take the boltsout as the access becomes easier. Once the 3 bolts have been removed you can remove the old part using a hammer and prybar and then clean the surface and put the new part onto the vehicle. With the new wheel hub installed we can begin to hand tighten down the 3 boltsand then torque them to specs. The 3 bolts which hold it onto the steering knuckle should be torqued down to 70 ft-lbs.Once all are tight you can then put the center axle nut onto the cv axle and torque it down to 155 ft-lbs. Once both have been torqued you can proceed toreinstall the braking system and then the wheel.
Chevy Equinox Front Axle Nut Torque Spec : 155 ft-lbs
Chevy Equinox Wheel Hub Bolts Torque Spec : 70 ft-lbs
Front Ball Joint Installation
The Chevy Equinox has only one set of front control arms being the lower control arms. The upper portion of the suspension is maintainedby the strut assembly. The lower ball joint on this vehicle is a commonly replaced part as takes most of the road wear when traveling over bumpsand surfaces. For this reason its always a good idea to check its condition whenever working on your vehicle. In order to replace the lower ball jointyou must first remove the wheel from the appropriate vehicle side. With the wheel removed you can then begin to loosen the nut which holdsthe ball joint to the steering knuckle. Since the cv axle is typically in the way here you will want to use a wrench to do so. Once removed you can thenremove the 3 bolts which hold the ball joint onto the vehicle and then remove the old part. Occasionally these 3 bolts will be rivets instead of easilyremovable bolts. If this is your case you can drill or cut out the rivets and replace them with bolts or instead replace the entire lower control arm asa single assembly. If you have the bolts they will need to be torqued down to 25 ft-lbs during reinstallation. The ball joint nut can be torqued down toabout 60 ft-lbs or relatively close as it may be hard to get a torque wrench on it. Make sure to install a cotter pin once tight. From herewe can grease up the new ball joint if necessary and tehn reinstall the wheel.
Chevy Equinox Lower Ball Joint to Knuckle Torque Spec : 60 ft-lbs
Chevy Equinox Lower Ball Joint to Arm Torque Spec : 25 ft-lbs
Front Control Arm Installation
Lower Control Arm
On the Chevy Equinox there is only one set of front control arms being the lower control arm. This control arm also contains thelower ball joint which is covered in its own section on this webpage. To install a new lower control arm you will first need to remove the oldpart from the vehicle. In order to do this you will want to jack up your vehicle and remove the tire from the side you are working on. From here we canthen remove the 2 bolts which hold the arm to the vehicle frame. With those removed we can remove the 3 bolts which hold the ball joint to thearm or the single nut which holds the ball joint to the steering knuckle. This should allow us to lower the control arm and remove it away from thevehicle. The new part can be placed back up into the original location as the last one and the frame bolts can be torqued down to 85 ft-lbs.The 3 bolts that hold the ball joint to the control arm can be torqued down to 25 ft-lbs and the single ball joint nut can be torqued to somewhere around60 ft-lbs. You may need to use a wrench for this part as it may be difficult to access otherwise. Once tightened make sure that you install cotterpins wherever there is a castle nut used and then you can reinstall the wheel and go to get your vehicle aligned.
Chevy Equinox Lower Arm Ball Joint Torque Spec : 60 ft-lbs
Chevy Equinox Lower Arm Frame Bolts Torque Spec : 85 ft-lbs
Front Strut Installation
To replace the front struts on the Chevy Equinox you will have to first remove the tire on the side of the vehicle in which you intend to replace.Once the tire is off you can then remove the 2 lower strut bolts which hold the strut assembly to the steering knuckle. Once these bolts have been removedyou can remove the stabilizer bar nut and then move to the upper portion of the strut. From under the hood of the vehicle you can accessthe 3 bolts/nuts that hold the strut up to the vehicles frame. Once these are removed the entire strut assembly can be removed from the vehicle.To install a new strut simply place the new part up into the location as the old one and begin to hand tighten the upper fasteners.Once tightened you can then hand tighten the lower strut bolts. You may need to tap the bolts into place but be careful not to damage thebolts threads. Once all fasteners have been hand tightened you can begin to torque down the bolts. The upper bolts and nuts need tobe torqued down to 20 ft-lbs. The 2 lower strut bolts can be torqued down to 100 ft-lbs.
Chevy Equinox Front Strut Lower Bolts Torque Spec : 100 ft-lbs
Chevy Equinox Front Strut Upper Nuts Torque Spec : 20 ft-lbs
Front Swaybar Installation
The front swaybar on the Chevy Equinox consists of a series of brackets that hold it to the frame of thevehicle and a couple of endlink nuts that fasten it the the outer side of the car. To removethe swaybar you will need to jack up the front of the vehicle and remove both the endlink nuts as well as thebrackets. To install the new swaybar you will need to move it back into the place as the old oneand torque the endlink nuts to 20 ft-lbs and then torque the bracket bolts to 37 ft-lbs as well.
