2004 CHEVROLET TRACKER spare wheel

Off-Road Driving with Your
Four-Wheel-Drive Vehicle
This off-road guide is for vehicles that have four-wheel
drive.
Also, see
Braking on page 4-7.
If your vehicle does not have four-wheel drive, you
should not drive off-road unless you are on a level,
solid surface.
Off-road driving can be great fun. But it does have
some de®nite hazards. The greatest of these is
the terrain itself.
ªOff-roadingº means you have left the great North
American road system behind. Traffic lanes are not
marked. Curves are not banked. There are no
road signs. Surfaces can be slippery, rough, uphill or
downhill. In short, you have gone right back to nature.
Off-road driving involves some new skills. And that
is why it is very important that you read this guide. You
will ®nd many driving tips and suggestions. These
will help make your off-road driving safer and more
enjoyable.
Before You Go Off-Roading
There are some things to do before you go out. For
example, be sure to have all necessary maintenance
and service work done. Check to make sure all
underbody shields (if so equipped) are properly
attached. Be sure you read all the information about
your four-wheel-drive vehicle in this manual. Is
there enough fuel? Is the spare tire fully in¯ated? Are
the ¯uid levels up where they should be? What are the
local laws that apply to off-roading where you will be
driving? If you do not know, you should check with law
enforcement people in the area. Will you be on
someone's private land? If so, be sure to get the
necessary permission.
Loading Your Vehicle for Off-Road
Driving
There are some important things to remember about
how to load your vehicle.
·The heaviest things should be on the load ¯oor and
forward of your rear axle. Put heavier items as far
forward as you can.
·Be sure the load is secured properly, so driving on
the off-road terrain does not toss things around.
4-16

The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change a tire.
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The jack, wheel wrench and jack handle are stowed in
the rear left corner of the luggage compartment.
1. To open the jacking tool storage compartment, turn
the knob counterclockwise. Open the cover two
inches and pull the entire cover towards the front of
the vehicle.2. Turn the jack screw
to remove the jack
from the clamps. If the
screw is too tight,
use the jack handle to
loosen it.
5-74

The tools you'll be using include the jack (A), jack
handle (B) and wheel wrench (C).
The spare tire is mounted on your tailgate. Your
vehicle may be equipped with either a soft,
vinyl cover or a hard cover.3. To remove the hard
cover from the spare
tire, insert your key into
the wheel lock and
pull the wheel lock off.
Hard Cover
5-75

4. Using the wheel wrench, remove the wheel cover
nut. Gently pry the spare tire cover off the wheel.5. If your vehicle is equipped with a vinyl cover, unzip
the cover to ®nd the wheel lock. Insert the key into
the wheel lock and pull it off.
6. Using the wheel wrench, remove the wheel nut
under the lock.Vinyl Cover
5-76

7. Remove the remaining wheel nuts with the wheel
wrench.
8. Remove the spare tire from the mounting bracket
and place it near your ¯at tire.
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire
1. If your vehicle has wheel nut caps, remove them by
turning the wheel wrench counterclockwise.
5-77

4. Raise the vehicle by turning the jack handle
clockwise. Raise the vehicle far enough off the
ground so there is enough room for the spare tire to
®t underneath the wheel well.5. Remove all the wheel
nuts and take off the
¯at tire.
5-80

6. 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.
5-81

7. Place the spare on the wheel mounting surface.
8. Reinstall the wheel
nuts with the
cone-shaped end of
the nuts toward
the wheel. Tighten
each nut by hand until
the wheel is held
against the hub.
9. Lower the vehicle by turning the jack handle
counterclockwise. Lower the jack completely.
5-82