2003 CHEVROLET IMPALA Owners Manual

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. The steps for
removing the compact spare tire and installing it on
the vehicle are listed below.
1. Turn the center nut on
the compact spare tire
cover counterclockwise
to remove it. Then
remove the cover.
2. Remove the compact spare tire from the trunk. See
Compact Spare Tire on page 5-84for more
information about the compact spare.
5-73

3. Turn the nut holding the jack counterclockwise and
remove it. Then remove the jack and wrench.The tools you'll be using include the jack (A) extension
and protector/guide (B) and wheel wrench (C).
5-74

Removing the Wheel Covers and the
Wheel Nut Caps
Removing the Center Wheel Cap
Your vehicle may have
center caps if equipped
with aluminum wheels.
To remove a center cap use the wheel wrench to pry
gently at the notch in the wheel cap. Don't use a
tool that is narrower than the wheel wrench to pry at
the notch.
Removing the Wheel Covers
If your vehicle is equipped
with wheel covers, loosen
the plastic nut caps
with the wheel wrench in a
counter clockwise
direction.
If needed, you can ®nish loosening them with your
®ngers. Then, using the ¯at end of the wheel wrench,
pry along the edge of the cover until it comes off.
The edge of the wheel cover could be sharp, so don't
try to remove it with your bare hands.
5-75

Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire
1. Using the wheel wrench, loosen all the wheel nuts.
Don't remove them yet.
{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.
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The diagram shows you where you should place
your jack to change a front tire. Use the bolts (A) as
a guide when positioning the jack lift head (C)
near the rear edge of the front wheel opening (B).
For jacking at the vehicle's front location, put
the jack lift about 8.5 inches (21.5 cm) from the rear
edge of the front wheel opening in the cutout of
the rocker panel molding.
Put the compact spare tire near you.The diagram shows you where to place your jack to
change a rear tire. Use the notch (B) as a guide
when positioning the jack lift head (A) near the front
edge of the rear wheel opening (C).
For jacking at the vehicle's rear location, put the
jack lift head about 4 inches (10 cm) from the front
edge of the rear wheel opening in the cutout of
the rocker panel molding.
Put the compact spare tire near you. Jack Placement for a Front Tire
Jack Placement for a Rear Tire
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2. Raise the vehicle by turning the jack handle
clockwise. Raise the vehicle far enough off the
ground for the compact spare tire to ®t underneath
the wheel well of the vehicle. Remove all wheel
nuts and take off the ¯at tire.3. 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.
5-78

{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.
4. Install the compact spare tire.
5. 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.6. Lower the vehicle by turning the jack handle
counterclockwise. Lower the jack completely.
5-79

7. Tighten the wheel nuts
®rmly in a crisscross
sequence as shown.
{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.
5-80