2003 OLDSMOBILE SILHOUETTE tow

After the tires have been rotated, adjust the front and rear
inflation pressures as shown on the Certification/Tire
label. Make certain that all wheel nuts are properly
tightened. See “Wheel Nut Torque” under
Capacities and
Specifications on page 5-
103.
-3ust or dirt on a wheel, or on the parts to
which
it is fastened, can make 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
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. See “Changing a Flat
Tire”
in the Index.
When It Is Time for New Tires
One way to tell when it’s
time for new tires is to
check the treadwear
indicators, which will
appear when your tires
have only
1/16 inch
(1.6 mm) or less of tread
remaining.
You need a new tire
if any of the following statements
are true:
You can see the indicators at three or more places
You can see cord or fabric showing through the
The tread or sidewall is cracked, cut or snagged
The tire has a bump, bulge or split.
The tire has a puncture, cut or other damage that
around the tire.
tire’s rubber. deep enough to show cord or fabric.
__ can’t be repaired well because of the size or
location
of the damage.
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Your air inflator will automatically shut off after about
10 minutes. The light in the switch will blink. After about
one minute you can use the system again. Press the
inflator switch and the indicator light will come on.
Notice: Don’t run your air inflator for longer than
30 minutes at one time. If you do, you may damage
the system.
After running the air inflator for
30 minutes, wait at least
10 minutes before restarting the air inflator.
To turn off the inflator, do the following:
1. Press the switch and detach the hose, first from the
2. Put the protective cap back on.
3. Place the inflator kit tools in the pouch, and store in
inflated
object, then from the outlet.
the glove box.
To put the cover back on, line up the tabs at the back
of the cover and put it in place. Push down the tab
to secure the cover.
If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” 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, 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.
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3. To remove the compact spare tire from the cable,
tilt the retainer at the end
of the cable so it can be
pulled up through the wheel opening.
-. If your vehicle is an all-wheel-drive vehicle, after
removing the compact spare tire turn the wrench
clockwise to raise the cable back up.
On an AWD vehicle, you can not store
a full-size
tire under the vehicle. It should be stowed inside the
vehicle by the cable provided. See “Storing the
Flat Tire on an All-Wheel-Drive Vehicle” later
in
this section.
If you have a front-wheel-drive vehicle, the hoist is
used to store a full-size or a flat road tire under
the vehicle. See “Storing the Spare Tire and
Tools”
and “Storing the Flat Tire on a Front-Wheel-Drive
Vehicle” later
in this section.
If the compact spare tire will not lower, check under the
vehicle to see
if the tire is hanging loose and the cable
end and spring under the wheel plate are missing. If
so,
the secondary latch system is engaged. See “Secondary
Latch System” later
in this section.
To continue changing the flat tire see “Removing the
Flat Tire and Installing the Spare Tire” later in this
section.
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Secondary Latch System
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 spare 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 “Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and
Tools”
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 “Storing the Spare Tire and Tools”
later in this section for instructions. To store a flat
full-size tire correctly, see “Storing the Flat Tire
on
an All-Wheel-Drive Vehicle” later in this section. 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
f .. )wing:
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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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 under the wheel well.
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.
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

I
Nev,. use oil or grease on st,,s or nuts. If you
do, the nuts might come loose. Your wheel
could fall
off, causing a serious accident.
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.
5-79

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.
PUSH & PULL
6. Make sure the tire is stored securely. Push, pull,
and then try to rotate or turn the tire.
If the tire
moves, use the folding wrench to tighten the cable.
Put back all tools as they were stored in the jack storage
compartment and put the compartment cover back
on.
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Storing the Flat Tire on an All-Wheel-Drive
Vehicle
1. Remove the tire storage bag and cable package
from the jack storage area.
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. Put the flat tire in the tire storage bag and place il
in the rear storage area with the valve stem
pointing toward the front of the vehicle.
A. Cable
B. Liftgate Hinges
C. Door Striker
4. Pull the cable through the door striker and the
center
of the wheel.
5-84