2002 CHEVROLET CAMARO Owners Manual

5-23
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
CAUTION:
Changing a tire can cause an injury. The vehicle
can slip off the jack and roll over you or other
people. You and they could be badly injured.
Find a level place to change your tire. To help
prevent the vehicle from moving:
1. Set the parking brake firmly.
2. Put an automatic transmission shift lever in
PARK (P), or shift a manual transmission
to FIRST (1) or REVERSE (R).
3. Turn off the engine.
To be even more certain the vehicle won't move,
you can put blocks at the front and rear of the
tire farthest away from the one being changed.
That would be the tire on the other side of the
vehicle, at the opposite end.
The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change a tire.

5-24 Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The equipment you'll need is located in the rear area
behind the trim panel on the passenger's side.
1. First you must remove the cargo cover.
See ªCargo Coverº in the Index.
On convertible models, you must also remove
the trunk access panel. It's at the upper back of
the trunk. Turn the two wing fasteners under the
trunk edge a quarter turn counterclockwise to
remove the panel.
2. Find the plastic screw heads in the trim panel over
the spare tire. See ªCompact Spare Tireº in the
Index for more information about the compact spare.
Turn the screw heads until the slots point front and
back to the unlock position. Gently lift the trim panel
front forward edge and remove the panel.
If you have speakers in the trim panel, you may have
to disconnect the wire from the speaker. The speaker
wire may be long enough to remove the trim panel
without disconnecting the wire.

5-25
3. To remove the jack and wheel wrench, loosen and
remove the plastic cover.4. Remove the wing nut and adapter and pull out the
compact spare tire.

5-26
The tools you'll be using include the jack (A) and
wheel wrench (B).Your vehicle has alloy wheels.
1. First remove the decorative nut caps using the wheel
wrench. Each wheel may have one locknut in place
of the standard wheel nut. A special wheel lock key
(removal tool) and instructions are located in the
glove box.
2. Attach the wheel lock key to the socket of the
wheel wrench.
3. Remove the locking wheel nut by turning
it counterclockwise.

5-27 Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire
1. Using the wheel wrench, loosen all the wheel nuts.
Don't remove them yet.
Place jack in notch (A).

5-28
2. Position the jack under the vehicle. There is a notch
in the vehicle's rocker flange on the coupe model.
Raise the jack head until it fits firmly into the notch
nearest the flat tire.
On convertible models, place the jack in a
similar location.Stay away from the moldings or fender flanges to
avoid damaging them.
Put the compact spare tire near you.

5-29
CAUTION:
Getting under a vehicle when it is jacked up is
dangerous. If the vehicle slips off the jack, you
could be badly injured or killed. Never get under
a vehicle when it is supported only by a jack.
CAUTION:
Raising your vehicle with the jack improperly
positioned can damage the vehicle and even
make the vehicle fall. To help avoid personal
injury and vehicle damage, be sure to fit the
jack lift head into the proper location before
raising the vehicle.3. Raise the vehicle by turning the wheel wrench
clockwise. Raise the vehicle far enough off the
ground so there is enough room for the compact
spare tire to fit underneath the wheel well.
4. Remove all the wheel nuts and take off the flat tire.

5-30
5. Remove any rust or dirt
from the wheel bolts,
mounting surfaces and
spare wheel.
CAUTION:
Rust or dirt on the wheel, or on the parts to
which it is fastened, can make the wheel nuts
become loose after a time. The wheel could come
off and cause an accident. When you change a
wheel, remove any rust or dirt from the places
where the wheel attaches to the vehicle. In an
emergency, you can use a cloth or a paper towel
to do this; but be sure to use a scraper or wire
brush later, if you need to, to get all the rust or
dirt off.
CAUTION:
Never use oil or grease on studs or nuts. If you
do, the nuts might come loose. Your wheel could
fall off, causing a serious accident.