2004 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO Owners Manual

Notice:If your vehicle has a tire size other than
P235/55R17 size tires, use tire chains only where
legal and only when you must. Use only SAE Class
″S″type chains that are the proper size for your
tires. Install them on the front tires and 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, the at tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel rmly.
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.
{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.
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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.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
The equipment you’ll need is in the trunk.
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. See “Compact
Spare Tire” later in this section for more information
about the compact spare tire.
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3. Turn the nut holding the jack counterclockwise and
remove it. Then remove the jack and wrench.4. The tools you’ll be using include the jack (A)
extension and protector/guide (B) and wheel
wrench (C).
5-84

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 the wheel center cap use the at end of the
wheel wrench and pry them off at the pry off notch.
Do not drop the cap or lay it face down, as it could
become scratched or damaged. The wheel nuts are
hidden behind the center cap.
Removing the Wheel Covers
Your vehicle may be
equipped with wheel
covers.
To remove the steel wheel covers and wheel nut caps,
loosen the plastic nut caps with the wheel wrench in
a counterclockwise direction. If needed, you can nish
loosening them with your ngers. The plastic nut
caps will not come off. Use the at end of the wheel
wrench and pry along the edge of the cover until
it comes off. The edge of the wheel cover could be
sharp, so do not try to remove it with your bare hands.
Do not drop the cover or lay it face down, as it could
become scratched or damaged.
5-85

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 jack lift
head about 7.5 inches (19 cm) from the rear edge
of the front wheel opening in the cutout of the rocker
panel molding.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.
{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.
3. Remove any rust or dirt
from the wheel bolts,
mounting surfaces
and spare wheel.
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