2003 GMC SAVANA Owner's Manual

Tire Chains
Notice:Use tire chains only where legal and only
when you must. Use chains that are the proper size
for your tires. Install them on the tires of the rear
axle. Tighten them as tightly as possible with
the ends securely fastened. Drive slowly and follow
the chain manufacturer’s instructions. If you can
hear the chains contacting your vehicle, stop
and retighten them. If the contact continues, slow
down until it stops. Driving too fast or spinning the
wheels with chains on will damage your vehicle.
If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to“blowout”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“blowout”, here are a few
tips about what to expect and what to do:
If a front tire fails, theflat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheelfirmly.
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 goesflat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change aflat tire safely.
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Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goesflat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your
hazard warningflashers.
{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 brakefirmly.
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.The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change a tire.
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Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
If you have a cargo van
or a passenger van,
the equipment you’ll need
is located in the rear
passenger side of
corner of the vehicle.
Remove the retaining wing bolt and lift it off the
mounting bracket.If you have a van with the 15-passenger seating
arrangement, the equipment you’ll need is secured
on the rear passenger sidefloor of the vehicle.
Remove the retaining wing bolt and lift it out of the
mounting bracket.
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The tools you’ll be using include the jack (A), jack
handle extension (B), jack handle (C), wheel wrench (D)
and the ratchet (E).
Your spare tire is stored underneath the rear of your
vehicle. You will use the wheel wrench (D) and the
ratchet (E) to lower the spare tire.The ratchet has a DOWN side and an UP side.
Attach the wheel wrench
and ratchet, with the
DOWN side facing you.
The wheel wrench
has a socket end and a
flat chisel end.
Put theflat chisel end of the wheel wrench on an angle
through the hole between the body and the bumper.
Be sure theflat end connects into the hoist shaft.
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Turn the ratchet counterclockwise to lower the spare tire
to the ground. If the spare tire does not lower to the
ground, the secondary latch is engaged causing the tire
not to lower. See“Secondary Latch System”later in
this section.When the tire has been lowered, pull the tire toward you
so you can reach the tire retainer and pull it up through
the wheel opening.
If you have a vehicle which was completed from a cab
and chassis, refer to the information from the body
supplier/installer.
The spare tire is a full-size tire, like the other tires on
your vehicle.
Notice:To help avoid vehicle damage, do not drive
the vehicle before the cable is restored.
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Secondary Latch System
Your vehicle has an underbody mounted tire hoist
assembly equipped with a secondary latch system. It’s
designed to stop the spare tire from suddenly falling
off your vehicle if the cable holding the spare tire
is damaged. For the secondary latch to work, the tire
must be stowed with the valve stem pointing down.
See“Storing the Spare Tire and Tools”later in
this section for instructions on storing the spare tire
correctly.
{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 the spare.
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1. Check under the vehicle to see if the cable end
is visible.
2. If the cable is not visible, start this procedure at
Step 6.
3. Turn the wrench counterclockwise until
approximately 6 inches (15 cm) of cable is exposed.4. Connect the jack handle (C) and jack handle
extension (B) together and press the retention
clip (arrow) so it engages.
5. Attach the jack handle/jack handle extension to the
jack and slide the ratchet with the UP mark facing
you onto the end of the jack handle extension
so your set-up looks like the picture above.
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6. Place the jack under the vehicle, ahead of the rear
bumper. Position the center lift point of the jack
under the center of the spare tire and turn the
handle clockwise to raise the jack until it lifts the
secondary latch spring.7. Keep raising the jack until the spare tire stops
moving upward and is heldfirmly in place, this
lets you know that the secondary latch has
released. The secondary latch has released
and the spare tire is balancing on the jack.
8. Lower the jack by turning the ratchet
counterclockwise. Keep lowering the jack until
the spare tire slides off the jack or is hanging by
the cable.
9. Disconnect the jack handle from the jack and
carefully remove the jack. Use one hand to push
against the spare whilefirmly pulling the jack out
from under the spare tire with the other hand.
If the spare tire is hanging from the cable, slide the
ratchet onto the wheel wrench and insert the
wheel wrench into the hoist shaft hole above the
bumper and turn the wheel wrench counterclockwise
to lower the spare the rest of the way. Be sure
the DOWN mark on the ratchet is facing you.
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