JohnC
04-06-2012, 18:41
Had an opportunity to put my spare tire into service today. After fussing around figuring which pieces of the jack mechanism I needed to lower the thing, I discovered it has a "safety latch" intended to prevent the tire from falling on the ground should the cable break. No amount of fussing would get the tire to drop more than an inch or so and there was no way to get it off the hook. Finally, I consulted the owner's manual. Said I had to lift the tire up until the lift mechanism ratcheted, once or twice, and the latch would let go. Not! Said if that didn't work to make a rickety tripod of the wheel chocks, balance the jack on top, and push the tire up against the frame. Surely this would release the lock. Well, even lifting the tire enough to lift the back axle off the ground would not get it to release. Checked the service manual: nothing under tire, spare or spare tire...
So, I tried to discern how this bugger is supposed to work by looking through the holes in the rim, and finally decided to douse with with rust buster. After the third dousing and a lot of banging it with a hammer, and pushing it up against the frame, it finally cut loose. Of course, the tire fell on the can of rust buster and it started spraying all over the place. My chest was supporting the tire on one side, the can of rust buster on the other and the cable in the middle. No way to lift the side on the can...
Fortunately I was in the comfort of my driveway, and not on the side of the highway at night, which is where I hit the road debris that broke the rim of the wheel I was replacing. I was able to make it home without loosing the tire, but there was not much of the rim left in one spot.
The moral of the story: If you live in the rust belt, and you haven't tried lowering the spare tire recently, you might want to give it a shot at your convenience. I was ready to call Onstar...
So, I tried to discern how this bugger is supposed to work by looking through the holes in the rim, and finally decided to douse with with rust buster. After the third dousing and a lot of banging it with a hammer, and pushing it up against the frame, it finally cut loose. Of course, the tire fell on the can of rust buster and it started spraying all over the place. My chest was supporting the tire on one side, the can of rust buster on the other and the cable in the middle. No way to lift the side on the can...
Fortunately I was in the comfort of my driveway, and not on the side of the highway at night, which is where I hit the road debris that broke the rim of the wheel I was replacing. I was able to make it home without loosing the tire, but there was not much of the rim left in one spot.
The moral of the story: If you live in the rust belt, and you haven't tried lowering the spare tire recently, you might want to give it a shot at your convenience. I was ready to call Onstar...