Owners of other General Motors vehicles from Chevy, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and Holden such as the Trax, Blazer, Traverse, Tahoe, Suburban, Cruze, Malibu, Impala, Camaro, Cascada, LaCrosse, Encore, Envision, Enclave, Regal, Canyon, Sierra, Terrain, Acadia, Yukon, Savana, XT4, XT5, XT6, Escalade, CTS, XTS, CT6, Astra, Commodore and Trailblazer may also find these DIY instructions to be helpful. The procedure should be the same or very similar for the Ecotec turbo 2.0L I4 engine and the 1.6L diesel engine.

Two compatible replacement engine air filter elements with their part numbers include the following: ACDelco A3240C and K&N 33-5069.

The tools needed to complete this procedure include a 7mm socket with an extension bar and a 1/4" drive ratchet or a Phillips head screwdriver.

The first two steps are to open the hood and then move to the left (passenger side) of the engine bay.

The black plastic engine air filter box is situated behind the passenger side headlight assembly and in front of the suspension tower.

Loosen the screws by turning them in the counterclockwise direction with a 7mm socket and a 1/4" drive ratchet or a Phillips head screwdriver.

The screws are "captured" so they will remain attached to the air box cover.

Carefully lift the cover off the top of the air box.

If the old filter is dark grey or black and clogged with dirt, dust, sand, pollen, soot, insects, leaves, twigs, hair and other debris, it should be replaced with a new element.

I recommend buying the OEM part which is the ACDelco A3240C engine air filter.

If you would like to have a washable and re-usable filter, choose the K&N 33-5069 which will need to be cleaned and re-oiled but can last for the life time of the vehicle.

If the old filter is relatively clean, just tap out the large debris and remove any fine debris with a vacuum cleaner.

Check the bottom half of the air box for any sand or debris. Clean it out with the crevice attachment of your vacuum.

Lower the cover down over the new air filter on to the bottom half of the air box.

Double check that the two halves of the air box are flush together with no part of the filter visible at any of the edges.

Be sure to record the filter change in your vehicle's service records.

The service interval specification for the engine air filter in the owner's manual is to replace it every 45K (45,000) miles.

For more, please check out all of my 2018-2022 GM Chevrolet Equinox DIY Repair & Maintenance Guides.