2009 CHRYSLER PT CRUISER Owners Manual

Spare Tire Stowage
The compact spare tire is stowed under the rear of the
vehicle by means of a hook/basket mechanism. To re-
move or stow the compact spare, use the jack handle to
rotate the “spare tire drive” nut. The nut is located under
the rear scuff plate at the right rear of the cargo area, just
inside the liftgate opening.
Spare Tire Removal
Lift up the cover and fit the jack-handle over the drive
nut. Rotate the nut to the left until you can remove the
swivel hook from the stowage basket. Swing the basket
down to remove the compact spare tire.
CAUTION!
The hook is designed for use with the jack handle
only. Use of an air wrench or other power tools is not
recommended and can damage the winch.
Spare Tire Storage
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WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 295

Preparations For Jacking
1. Park the vehicle on a firm, level surface. Avoid ice or
slippery areas.
WARNING!
Do not attempt to change a tire on the side of the
vehicle close to moving traffic. Pull far enough off
the road to avoid the danger of being hit when
operating the jack or changing the wheel.
2. Set the parking brake.
3. Place the shift lever in PARK (automatic transaxle) or
REVERSE (manual transaxle).
4. Turn OFF the ignition.
5. Turn on the Hazard Warning flasher. 6. Block both the front and rear of the
wheel diagonally opposite the jacking
position. For example, if changing the
right front tire, block the left rear
wheel.
NOTE: Passengers should not remain in the vehicle
while the vehicle is being jacked.
Jacking Instructions
WARNING!
Carefully follow these tire changing warnings to
help prevent personal injury or damage to your
vehicle:
(Continued)
296 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

WARNING! (Continued)
•Always park on a firm, level surface as far from
the edge of the roadway as possible before raising
the vehicle.
•Block the wheel diagonally opposite the wheel to
be raised.
•Set the parking brake firmly, and shift a automatic
transmission into PARK; a manual transmission
into REVERSE.
•Never start or run the engine with the vehicle on a
jack.
•Do not let anyone sit in the vehicle when it is on a
jack.
•Do not get under the vehicle when it is on a jack.
•Only use the jack in the positions indicated and
for lifting this vehicle during a tire change.(Continued)
WARNING! (Continued)
•If working on or near a roadway, be extremely
careful of motor traffic.
•To assure that spare tires, flat or inflated, are
securely stowed, spares must be stowed with the
valve stem facing the ground.
•Turn on the Hazard Warning flasher.
1. Remove the scissors jack and lug wrench from the
stowage bag.
Jack Warning Label
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WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 297

NOTE:If equipped with a center cap that covers the
wheel nuts, pry off the cap using the small end of the lug
wrench. To reinstall the cap, make sure it is properly
lined up before pushing it onto the wheel.
Loosen, but do not remove, the wheel nuts by turning
them to the left one turn while the wheel is still on the
ground.
CAUTION!
Do not attempt to raise the vehicle by jacking on the
cross-member below the radiator, on the front sus-
pension cross-member, or on the rear axle assembly.
2. There are two jacking locations on each side of the
body, one at the front of the vehicle and one in the rear on
the trailing arm bracket under the triangular cut out symbol. 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.
Jacking Locations
1 — Front Jacking Location
2 — Rear Jacking Location
298 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

Do not raise the vehicle until you are sure the jack is
securely engaged.
3. 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.
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.
4. 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.
WARNING!
To avoid possible personal injury, handle the wheel
covers with care to avoid contact with any sharp
edges.
NOTE: The wheel cover is held on the wheel by the
wheel nuts. When reinstalling original wheel, properly
align the wheel cover to the valve stem, place the wheel
cover onto the wheel, then install the wheel nuts.
5. Lower the vehicle by turning the jack screw to the left.
6. Finish tightening the nuts. Push down on the wrench
while tightening the wheel nuts. Alternate nuts until each
nut has been tightened twice. The correct wheel nut
torque is 100 ft lbs (135 N m). If you doubt that you have
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WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 299

tightened the nuts correctly, have them checked with a
torque wrench by your authorized dealer or at a qualified
service station.
7. Remove the wheel blocks and lower the jack until it is
free. Stow the lug wrench, and jack in their designated
location. Secure all parts 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. Have the deflated (flat) tire
repaired or replaced immediately.
8. Place the deflated (flat) tire in the cargo area, have the
tire repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
9. Check the tire pressure as soon as possible. The correct
pressure as required.
JUMP-STARTING PROCEDURES
WARNING!
•Take care to avoid the radiator cooling fan when-
ever the hood is raised. It can start anytime the
ignition switch is ON. You can be hurt by the fan.
•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 dis-
charged 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.
300 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES

1. Wear eye protection and remove any metal jewelry
such as watch bands or bracelets that might make an
inadvertent electrical contact.
2. When boosting from a battery in another vehicle, park
that vehicle within booster cable reach but without
letting the vehicles touch. Set parking brake, place auto-
matic transaxle in PARK (manual transaxle in NEU-
TRAL) and turn ignition to OFF for both vehicles.
3. Turn off the heater, radio and all unnecessary electrical
loads.
4. Connect one end of a jumper cable to the positive
terminal of the booster battery. Connect the other end of
the jumper cable to the positive terminal of the dis-
charged battery.WARNING!
•Battery fluid is a corrosive acid solution; do not
allow battery fluid to contact eyes, skin or cloth-
ing. Don’t lean over battery when attaching
clamps or allow the clamps to touch each other. If
acid splashes in eyes or on skin, flush the contami-
nated area immediately with large quantities of
water.
•A battery generates hydrogen gas which is flam-
mable and explosive. Keep flame or spark away
from the vent holes. Do not use a booster battery
or any other booster source with an output that
exceeds 12-Volts.
5. Connect the other cable, first to the negative terminal
of the booster battery and then to the negative terminal of
the discharged battery. Make sure you have a good
contact.
6
WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES 301

6. If the vehicle is equipped with Sentry KeyImmobi-
lizer, turn the ignition switch to the ON position for three
seconds before moving the ignition switch to the START
position.
7. Start the engine in the vehicle that has the booster
battery, let the engine idle a few minutes, then start the
engine in the vehicle with the discharged battery.
8. When removing the jumper cables, reverse the se-
quence exactly. Be careful of the moving belts and fan.
FREEING A STUCK VEHICLE
NOTE: If your vehicle is equipped with Traction Con-
trol, turn the system OFF before attempting to “rock” the
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 RE-
VERSE and DRIVE (automatic transaxle) or REVERSE
and 1st gear (manual transaxle). Using, the least accel-
erator pedal pressure to maintain the rocking motion
without spinning the wheels is most effective.
WARNING!
Fast spinning tires can be dangerous. Forces gener-
ated by excessive wheel speeds may cause tire dam-
age or failure. A tire could explode and injure some-
one. Do not spin your vehicle’s wheels faster than
30 mph (48 km/h) when you are stuck. And do not let
anyone near a spinning wheel, no matter what the
speed.
302 WHAT TO DO IN EMERGENCIES