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2004 RAV4 from Mar. ’04 Prod. (OM42568U)
CAUTION
Never get under the vehicle when
the vehicle is supported by the
jack alone.
6. Remove the wheel nuts andchange tires.
Lift the flat tire straight off and put it
aside.
Roll the spare wheel into position and
align the holes in the wheel with the
bolts. Then lift up the wheel and get
at least the top bolt started through
its hole. Wiggle the tire and press it
back over the other bolts.Before putting on wheels, remove any
corrosion on the mounting surfaces
with a wire brush or such. Installation
of wheels without good metal− to−met-
al contact at the mounting surface can
cause wheel nuts to loosen and
eventually cause a wheel to come off
while driving.
—Changing wheels
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2004 RAV4 from Mar. ’04 Prod. (OM42568U)
7. Reinstall all the wheel nuts fin-ger tight.
Reinstall the wheel nuts (tapered end
inward) and tighten them as much as
you can by hand. Press back on the
tire back and see if you can tighten
them more.
CAUTION
Never use oil or grease on the
bolts or nuts. Doing so may lead
to overtightening the nuts and
damaging the bolts. The nuts
may loose and the wheels may
fall off, which could cause a seri-
ous accident. If there is oil or
grease on any bolt or nut, clean
it.
8. Lower the vehicle completely and tighten the wheel nuts.
Turn the jack handle counterclock-
wise to lower the vehicle.
Use only the wheel nut wrench and
turn it clockwise to tighten the nuts.
Do not use other tools or any addition-
al leverage other than your hands,
such as a hammer, pipe or your foot.
Make sure the wrench is securely en-
gaged over the nut.
Tighten each nut a little at a time in
the order shown. Repeat the process
until all the nuts are tight.
—Reinstalling wheel nuts —Lowering your vehicle
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2004 RAV4 from Mar. ’04 Prod. (OM42568U)
10.Check the air pressure of the re-placed tire.
Adjust the air pressu re to the specifi-
cation designated on page 316 in
Section 8. If the pressure is lower,
drive slowly to the nearest service
station and fill to the correct pressure.
Do not forget to reinstall the tire infla-
tion valve cap as dirt and moisture
could get into th e valve core and
possibly cause air leakage. If the cap
is missing, have a new one put on as
soon as possible.
11. Restow all the tools and jack se- curely.
As soon after changing wheels as
possible, tighten the wheel nuts to the
torque specified on page 316 in Sec-
tion 8 with a torque wrench. Have a
technician repair the flat tire.
Initial adjustment of the tire pres-
sure warning system is necessary
after you have replaced your tires
or wheels. See “Tire pressure
warning system” on page 131 in
Section 1 7.CAUTION
Before driving, make sure all the
tools and jack are securely in
place in their storage location to
reduce the possibility of person-
al injury during a collision or
sudden braking.
If your vehicle becomes stuck in snow,
mud, sand, etc., then you may attempt
to rock the vehicle free by moving it
forward and backward.
Two wheel drive models with traction
control system—Turn off the traction
control system to become unstuck to
allow the tires to spin enough to re-
move the vehicle from the obstruction.
(For details, see “Traction control sys-
tem (two wheel drive models)” on page
126 in Section 1 7.)
CAUTION
Do not attempt to rock the vehicle
free by moving it forward and back-
ward if people or objects are any-
where near the vehicle. During the
rocking operation the vehicle may
suddenly move forward or backward
as it becomes unstuck, causing injury
or damage to nearby people or ob-
jects.
—After changing wheels If your vehicle becomes stuck