2008 DODGE AVENGER wheel

WARNING!Carefully follow these tire changing warnings to
help prevent personal injury or damage to your
vehicle:
² Always park on a firm, level surface as far from
the edge of the roadway as possible before raising
the vehicle.
² Block the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel to
be raised.
² Set the parking brake firmly and set an automatic
transmission in park; a manual transmission in
reverse.
² Do not let anyone sit in the vehicle when it is on a
jack. 1. Remove the scissors jack and lug wrench from the
spare wheel as an assembly. Turn the jack screw to the left
to loosen the lug wrench, and remove the wrench from
the jack assembly. WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 353
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NOTE: The Jack Handle attaches to the side of the jack
with two attachment points. When the jack is partially
expanded, the tension between the two attachment
points holds the jack handle in place. 2. Loosen, but do not remove, the wheel nuts by turning
them to the left one turn while the wheel is still on the
ground.
Removing Jack Handle From Jack354 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

3. There are two front jacking locations and two rear
jacking locations on each side of the body as shown.
CAUTION!Do not attempt to raise the vehicle by jacking on
locations other than those indicated in step 3.
4. Turn the jack screw to the left until the jack can be
placed under the jacking location. Once the jack is
positioned, turn the jack screw to the right until the jack
head is properly engaged with the lift area closest to the
wheel to be changed. Do not raise the vehicle until you
are sure the jack is securely engaged. WARNING!Raising the vehicle higher than necessary can make
the vehicle less stable. It could slip off the jack and
hurt someone near it. Raise the vehicle only enough
to remove the tire.
5. Raise the vehicle by turning the jack screw to the right,
using the swivel wrench. Raise the vehicle only until the
tire just clears the surface and enough clearance is
obtained to install the spare tire. Minimum tire lift
provides maximum stability.
6. Remove the wheel nuts, and pull the wheel and wheel
covers (where applicable) off the hub. Install the spare
wheel and wheel nuts with the cone shaped end of the
nuts toward the wheel. Lightly tighten the nuts. To avoid
the risk of forcing the vehicle off the jack, do not tighten
the nuts fully until the vehicle has been lowered.356 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

WARNING!To avoid possible personal injury, handle the wheel
covers with care to avoid contact with any sharp
edges.
7. Lower the vehicle by turning the jack screw to the left.
8. Finish tightening the nuts. Push down on the wrench
while tightening the wheel nuts. Alternate nuts, until
each nut has been tightened twice. Correct wheel nut
torque is 100 ft. lbs (135 N´m). If you doubt that you have
tightened the nuts correctly, have them checked with a
torque wrench by your dealer or at a service station.
9. Remove the wheel blocks and lower the jack until it is
free. Reassemble the lug wrench to the jack assembly and
stow it in the spare tire area. Secure the assembly using
the means provided. WARNING!A loose tire or jack thrown forward in a collision or
hard stop could endanger the occupants of the ve-
hicle. Always stow the jack parts and the spare tire in
the places provided.
10. Place the deflated (flat) tire in the cargo area and have
the tire repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
WARNING!A loose tire thrown forward in a collision or hard
stop could injure the occupants in the vehicle. Have
the deflated (flat) tire repaired or replaced
immediately. WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 357
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11. Check the tire pressure as soon as possible. Correct
pressure as required.
JUMP-STARTING PROCEDURES DUE TO A LOW
BATTERY
Jump-starting remote battery terminals are located under
the hood.
The battery is stored between the left front headlight
assembly and the left front wheel splash shield. Access is
through the splash shield. WARNING! ² Take care to avoid the radiator cooling fan whenever the
hood is raised. It can start anytime the ignition switch is
on. You can be hurt by the fan.
² Do not attempt to push or tow your vehicle to get it
started. Vehicles equipped with an automatic transaxle
cannot be started this way. Unburned fuel could enter
the catalytic converter and once the engine has started,
ignite and damage the converter and vehicle. If the
vehicle has a discharged battery, booster cables may be
used to obtain a start from another vehicle. This type of
start can be dangerous if done improperly, so follow this
procedure carefully.
² Do not use a booster battery or any other booster source
with an output that exceeds 12 volts.
² During cold weather when temperatures are below
freezing point, electrolyte in a discharged battery may
freeze. Do not attempt jump-starting because the battery
could rupture or explode. The battery temperature must
be brought up above freezing point before attempting
jump-start.358 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

FREEING A STUCK VEHICLE
If your vehicle becomes stuck in mud, sand, or snow, it
can often be moved by a rocking motion. Turn your
steering wheel right and left to clear the area around the
front wheels. Then shift back and forth between Reverse
and First gear. Usually the least accelerator pedal pres-
sure to maintain the rocking motion without spinning the
wheels is most effective.
NOTE:
If your vehicle is equipped with Traction Con-
trol, turn the system to Partial OFF before
attempting to ªrockº the vehicle. Refer to ªPar-
tial Off Modeº under ªElectronic Stability Pro-
gram (ESP)º in Section 5 of this manual. WARNING!Fast spinning tires can be dangerous. Forces gener-
ated by excessive wheel speeds may cause axle and
tire damage or failure. A tire could explode and
injure someone. Do not spin your vehicle's wheels
faster than 30 mph (48 km/h) or for longer than 30
seconds continuously without stopping when you
are stuck, and don't let anyone near a spinning
wheel, no matter what the speed. WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 361
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CAUTION!Racing the engine or spinning the wheels too fast
may lead to transaxle overheating and failure. It can
also damage the tires. Do not spin the wheels above
30 mph (48 km/h). Do not spin the wheels continu-
ously for more than 30 seconds.
TOWING A DISABLED VEHICLE
TOWING WITH THE IGNITION KEY
Front Wheel Drive
Your vehicle may be towed (with all 4 wheels flat on the
ground), under the following conditions: The gear selector
must be in NEUTRAL, the distance to be traveled must not
exceed 15 mi (25 km), and the towing speed must not exceed
25 mph (40 km/h). Exceeding these towing limits may cause
a transaxle failure. If the transaxle is not operative, or if the vehicle is to be towed more than 15 mi (25 km), the vehicle
must be transported either with a flat bed truck or with the
front wheels off the ground.
All Wheel Drive
Your All Wheel Drive vehicle must be transported on a
flat bed truck.
CAUTION!² If the vehicle being towed requires steering, the
ignition switch must be in the ON position, not in
the LOCK or ACC position.
² Do not attempt to tow this vehicle from the front
with sling type towing equipment. Damage to the
front fascia will result.
² Do not push or tow this vehicle with another
vehicle as damage to the bumper fascia and trans-
axle may result.362 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

If you must use the accessories (wipers, defrosters, etc.)
while being towed, the key must be in the ON position,
not the ACC position. Make certain the transaxle remains
in NEUTRAL.
TOWING WITHOUT THE IGNITION KEY
Special care must be taken when the vehicle is towed
with the ignition in the LOCK position. Flat bed towing
is the preferred towing method. However, if a flat bed
towing vehicle is not available, a wheel lift towing
vehicle may be used. Furthermore, rear towing is not
recommended with the front wheels on the ground, as
transaxle damage can result. If rear towing is the only
alternative, a front end dolly must be used. Proper
towing equipment is necessary to prevent damage to the
vehicle. TOWING THIS VEHICLE BEHIND ANOTHER
VEHICLE
Flat towing with all four wheels on the ground of
vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission, is
only permitted within the limitations described in this
section.
TOWING THIS VEHICLE BEHIND ANOTHER
VEHICLE WITH A TOW DOLLY
Rear towing is not recommended with the front wheels
on the ground, as transaxle damage can result. If rear
towing is the only alternative, a front end dolly must be
used. Proper towing equipment is necessary to prevent
damage to the vehicle. WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 363
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