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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.
{CAUTION:
Lifting a vehicle and getting under it to do
maintenance or repairs is dangerous without
the appropriate safety equipment and training.
The jack provided with your vehicle is
designed only for changing a ¯at tire. If it is
used for anything else, you or others could be
badly injured or killed if the vehicle slips off
the jack. Use the jack provided with your
vehicle only for changing a ¯at tire.
If a tire goes ¯at, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change a ¯at tire safely.
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes ¯at, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your
hazard warning ¯ashers.
{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 ®rmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
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.
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The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change a tire.
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The equipment you'll need is in the trunk.
Instructions for changing your tires are on the inside of
the tire cover. You can rest the cover near you for
easy reference while you change the tire.
1. Lift the tire cover to gain access to the compact
spare tire and jacking equipment.
2. Remove the wheel wrench and jack from the jack
container.
3. Remove the compact spare tire from the trunk. See
Compact Spare Tire on page 5-77for more
information about the compact spare tire.
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The tools you'll be using include the jack (A) and wheel
wrench (B).
Removing the Wheel Covers and
Wheel Nut Caps
The following steps are necessary if you have the alloy
(aluminum) wheel with a center cover that conceals
the wheel nuts.1. Insert the ¯at end of the wheel wrench in the notch.
2. Pry off the center cover. Do not drop the cover
or lay it face down, as it could be scratched or
damaged.
After the wheel is put back on the vehicle, reinstall the
cover. Apply pressure around the edge of the cover
to snap it in place. Do not use a hammer or mallet to
install the cover.
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Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire
1. Use the wheel wrench to loosen the wheel nuts, but
don't remove them yet.
2. The jack has a bolt at
the end. Attach the
wheel wrench to
the bolt to create a jack
handle.
3. Turn the wheel wrench counterclockwise to lower
the jack head until it ®ts under the vehicle.4. Near each wheel well is a notch in the plastic trim
panel to position the jack head. You'll ®nd the word
JACK and an arrow stamped into the plastic near
each notch. Position the jack under the vehicle and
raise the jack head until it ®ts ®rmly against the sheet
metal next to the word JACK. Do not raise the vehicle
yet. Put the compact spare tire near you.
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{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 ®t the
jack lift head into the proper location before
raising the vehicle.5. Raise the vehicle by turning the wheel wrench
clockwise in the jack. Raise the vehicle far
enough off the ground so there is enough room for
the compact spare tire to ®t underneath the
wheel well.
6. Remove all the wheel nuts and take off the ¯at tire.
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7. 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.
8. Install the compact spare tire on the wheel-mounting
surface.
9. Then reinstall the
wheel nuts with the
rounded end of
the nuts toward the
wheel. Tighten
each nut by hand until
the wheel is held
against the hub.
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10. Lower the vehicle by turning the wheel wrench
counterclockwise. Lower the jack completely.
11. Using the wheel
wrench, tighten the
wheel nuts ®rmly in a
crisscross sequence.
{CAUTION:
Incorrect wheel nuts or improperly tightened
wheel nuts can cause the wheel to come 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 the
proper torque speci®cation. See ªCapacities
and Speci®cationsº in the Index for wheel nut
torque speci®cation.
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 speci®cation. See ªCapacities and
Speci®cationsº in the index for the wheel nut torque
speci®cation.
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12. Don't try to put the wheel cover on the compact
spare tire. It won't ®t.
Store the wheel cover in the trunk until you have
the ¯at tire repaired or replaced.
Notice:Wheel covers won't ®t 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 the Flat 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.
After you've put the compact spare tire on your vehicle,
you'll need to store the ¯at tire in your trunk. Use the
following procedure to secure the ¯at tire in the trunk.
Store the ¯at tire as far forward in the trunk as possible.
Store the jack and wheel wrench in their compartment
in the trunk.Storing the 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.
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