2002 Oldsmobile Alero wheel

4-42 Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear before you
start down a long or steep downgrade. If you don't
shift down, you might have to use your brakes so
much that they would get hot and no longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your
speed to around 45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the
possibility of engine and transaxle overheating.
Parking on Hills
CAUTION:
You really should not park your vehicle, with a
trailer attached, on a hill. If something goes
wrong, your rig could start to move. People can
be injured, and both your vehicle and the trailer
can be damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig on a hill, here's
how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but don't shift into
PARK (P) for an automatic transaxle or into a
gear for a manual transaxle, yet. When parking
uphill, turn your wheels away from the curb.
When parking downhill, turn your wheels into
the curb.
2. Have someone place chocks under the trailer wheels.
3. When the chocks are in place, release the regular
brakes until the chocks absorb the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes. Then apply your parking
brake and shift into PARK (P) for an automatic
transaxle or REVERSE (R) for a manual transaxle.
5. Release the regular brakes.

5-18
If a Tire Goes Flat
It's unusual for a tire to ªblow outº while you're driving,
especially if you maintain your tires properly. If air goes
out of a tire, it's much more likely to leak out slowly.
But if you should ever have a ªblowout,º here are a few
tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, the flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.
Steer to maintain lane position, and then gently brake to
a stop well out of the traffic lane.
A rear blowout, particularly on a curve, acts much like a
skid and may require the same correction you'd use in a
skid. In any rear blowout, remove your foot from the
accelerator pedal. Get the vehicle under control by
steering the way you want the vehicle to go. It may be
very bumpy and noisy, but you can still steer. Gently
brake to a stop
-- well off the road if possible.
If a tire goes flat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
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 transaxle shift lever in
PARK (P), or shift a manual transaxle 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.

5-20
3. Turn the wing nut
counterclockwise and
remove it. Then lift off
the spacer and remove
the compact spare tire.
See ªCompact Spare
Tireº later in this section
for more information
about the compact spare.
4. Remove the jack and wheel wrench from the trunk.
Your vehicle's jack and wheel wrench are stored in a
foam tray. Remove the band around the jack.
The tools you'll be using include the jack (A) and wheel
wrench (B).

5-21 Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire
1. If your vehicle is equipped with a wheel cover or
hubcap that has a plastic wheel nut cap, then loosen
the plastic nut caps (you may need to use the wheel
wrench to loosen them). Do not pry off wheel covers
or center caps that have plastic wheel nut caps.
2. Remove the wheel cover or center cap.
3. If your vehicle is equipped with a wheel cover or
hubcap without plastic wheel nut caps, gently pry on
the edge of the plastic wheel trim to remove it from
the wheel to find the wheel nuts.
4. Then use the wheel wrench to loosen all the wheel
nuts. Don't remove them yet.

5-23
6. 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.
7. Remove all of the wheel nuts.
8. Remove the flat tire.
9. 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.

5-24
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.
10. Install the compact spare tire.
11. Put the wheel nuts back on with the rounded end of
the nuts toward the wheel. Tighten each nut by
hand until the wheel is held against the hub.
12. Lower the vehicle by turning the wheel wrench
counterclockwise. Lower the jack completely.

5-25
13. Tighten the wheel nuts
firmly in a crisscross
sequence, as shown.
CAUTION:
Incorrect wheel nuts or improperly tightened
wheel nuts can cause the wheel to become loose
and even come off. This could lead to an accident.
Be sure to use the correct wheel nuts. If you have
to replace them, be sure to get new GM original
equipment wheel nuts.
Stop somewhere as soon as you can and have
the nuts tightened with a torque wrench to
100 lb
-ft (140 N´m).
NOTICE:
Improperly tightened wheel nuts can lead to
brake pulsation and rotor damage. To avoid
expensive brake repairs, evenly tighten the wheel
nuts in the proper sequence and to the proper
torque specification.
NOTICE:
Wheel covers won't fit on your compact spare. If
you try to put a wheel cover on your compact
spare, you could damage the cover or the spare.

5-28
Compact Spare Tire
Although the compact spare tire was fully inflated
when your vehicle was new, it can lose air after
a time. Check the inflation pressure regularly.
It should be 60 psi (420 kPa).
After installing the compact spare on your vehicle,
you should stop as soon as possible and make sure
your spare tire is correctly inflated. The compact spare
is made to perform well at speeds up to 65 mph
(105 km/h) for distances up to 3,000 miles (5 000 km),
so you can finish your trip and have your full
-size tire
repaired or replaced where you want. You must calibrate
the tire pressure monitor system after installing or
removing the compact spare. See ªTire Pressure
Monitorº in the Index. The system may not work
correctly when the compact spare is installed on the
vehicle. Of course, it's best to replace your spare with a
full
-size tire as soon as you can. Your spare will last
longer and be in good shape in case you need it again.
NOTICE:
When the compact spare is installed, don't take
your vehicle through an automatic car wash with
guide rails. The compact spare can get caught on
the rails. That can damage the tire and wheel,
and maybe other parts of your vehicle.
Don't use your compact spare on other vehicles.
And don't mix your compact spare tire or wheel with
other wheels or tires. They won't fit. Keep your spare
tire and its wheel together.
NOTICE:
Tire chains won't fit your compact spare.
Using them can damage your vehicle and can
damage the chains too. Don't use tire chains
on your compact spare.