2002 Oldsmobile Silhouette Owner's Manuals

5-26 Secondary Latch System (If Equipped)
Your vehicle may have an underbody mounted tire hoist
assembly equipped with a secondary latch system. It's
designed to stop a tire from suddenly falling off your
vehicle if the cable holding the tire is damaged. For the
secondary latch to work, the tire must be stowed with
the valve stem pointing down.
Front
-wheel-drive vehicles use the underbody tire hoist
assembly to store either the compact spare or a flat road
tire. See ªStoring a Flat or Spare Tire and Toolsº in
the Index for instructions on storing the spare or flat
tire correctly.
If your vehicle is equipped with all
-wheel-drive, the
underbody tire hoist assembly stores only the compact
spare tire. See ªStoring the Spare Tire and Toolsº in
the Index for instructions. To store a flat full
-size tire
correctly, see ªStoring the Flat Tire on an
All
-Wheel-Drive Vehicleº in the Index.
CAUTION:
Before beginning this procedure read all the
instructions. Failure to read and follow the
instructions could damage the hoist assembly and
you and others could get hurt. Read and follow
the instructions listed below.
To release the spare tire from the secondary latch,
do the following:
CAUTION:
Someone standing too close during the procedure
could be injured by the jack. If the spare tire does
not slide off the jack completely, make sure no
one is behind you or on either side of you as you
pull the jack out from under the spare.

5-27
1. Place the jack under the vehicle, ahead of the rear
bumper. Position the center lift point of the jack
under the center of the compact spare tire.
2. Turn the folding wrench clockwise to raise the jack
until it lifts the secondary latch devise under the
wheel plate.
3. Keep raising the jack until the compact spare tire
stops moving upward and is held firmly in place, this
lets you know that the secondary latch has released.4. Lower the jack by turning the folding wrench
counterclockwise. Keep lowering the jack until the
compact spare tire is resting on the folding wrench.
5. Grasp the compact spare tire with both hands and
pull it out from under the vehicle.
6. Reach under the vehicle and remove the folding
wrench and jack.
Have the hoist assembly inspected as soon as you can.
You will not be able to store a spare or flat tire using the
hoist assembly until it has been repaired or replaced.

5-28 Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire
1. Loosen the wheel
nuts
-- but do
not remove
them
-- using the
folding wrench.
(Turn the handle about 180 degrees, then flip the
handle back to the starting position. This avoids
taking the wrench off the lug nut for each turn.)
For wheels with a wheel lock key, use the wheel lock
key between the lock nut and folding wrench. The
key is supplied in the front passenger door pocket.
NOTICE:
To help avoid damage to the lock nut or the
wheel lock key, do not use an impact wrench
with this key.

5-29
2. Near each wheel,
there is a notch in
the vehicle's body.
Position the jack
and raise the jack
head until it fits
firmly into the
notch in the
vehicle's frame
nearest the flat tire.
NOTICE:
Do not place the jack under the rear axle
control arms. Only use the areas shown for
proper jack location.
Do not raise the vehicle yet. Put the compact spare
tire near you.
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.

5-30
3. Attach the folding
wrench to the jack,
and turn the wrench
clockwise to raise the
jack head a few inches.
4. Raise the vehicle by turning the folding wrench
clockwise in the jack. Raise the vehicle far enough
off the ground so there is enough room for the
compact spare tire to fit.
5. Remove all the wheel nuts and take off the flat tire.
6. 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.

5-31
7. Install the compact spare tire and 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.
8. Lower the vehicle by attaching the folding wheel
wrench to the jack and turning the wrench
counterclockwise. Lower the jack completely.
9. 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).

5-32
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.
10. Don't try to put a wheel cover on the compact spare
tire. It won't fit. Store the wheel cover securely in
the rear of the vehicle until you have the flat tire
repaired or replaced.
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.
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools
CAUTION:
Storing a jack, a tire or other equipment in the
passenger compartment of the vehicle could
cause injury. In a sudden stop or collision, loose
equipment could strike someone. Store all these
in the proper place.

5-33
CAUTION:
The underbody-mounted spare tire needs to
be stored with the valve stem pointing down.
If the spare tire is stored with its valve stem
pointing upwards, its secondary latch won't work
properly, and the spare tire could loosen and
suddenly fall from your vehicle. If this happened
when your vehicle was being driven, the tire
might contact a person or another vehicle,
causing injury and, of course, damage to itself as
well. Be sure the underbody
-mounted spare tire
is stored with its valve stem pointing down.
Storing the Spare Tire and Tools
1. Lay the tire near the rear of the vehicle with the
valve stem down.
2. If the vehicle has aluminum wheels, remove the
small center cap by tapping the back of the cap with
the extension of the shaft.
3. Slide the cable retainer through the center of the
wheel and start to raise the tire.
Make sure the retainer is fully seated across the
underside of the wheel.
4. When the tire is almost in the stored position,
turn the tire so the valve is towards the rear of
the vehicle.
This will help when you check and maintain tire
pressure in the spare.
5. Raise the tire fully against the underside of the
vehicle. Continue turning the folding wrench until
you feel more than two clicks. This indicates that the
compact spare tire is secure and the cable is tight.
The spare tire hoist cannot be overtightened.