BUICK LESABRE 2004 Owner's Manual

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 will need is located in the trunk.
1. Pull the carpeting from the oor of the trunk.
2. Lift and remove the cover.
3. Remove the compact spare tire. SeeCompact
Spare Tire on page 5-83for more information
about the compact spare.4. Unscrew the wing nuts to remove the container that
holds the wrench and jack.
5. Remove the wheel wrench, jack and the spare tire
from the trunk.
The tools you will be using include the jack (A) and the
wheel wrench (B).
5-75

Removing the Wheel Covers and
Wheel Nut CapsIf your vehicle has an aluminum wheel with a center
hub cap that hides the wheel nuts, remove the hub
cap by using the at end of the wheel wrench to pry
it off.
If your vehicle has a steel wheel with a wheel cover, the
center hub cap must be removed rst by using the
at end of the wheel wrench to pry it off. Once the center
hub cap has been removed, loosen the plastic nut
caps with the wheel wrench. Once the plastic nut
caps have been loosened, remove the wheel cover
by hand.
When reinstalling the wheel cover, carefully line up the
tire valve stem and the notch in the wheel cover.
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Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire
1. Then use the wheel wrench to loosen the wheel
nuts, but do not remove them yet.
2. The jack has a bolt at the end. Attach the wheel
wrench to the bolt to create a jack handle.3. Turn the wheel wrench counterclockwise to lower
the jack head until it ts under the vehicle.
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4. Put the jack into a notch in the frame which is
located near each wheel well. The front notch is
eight inches (20 cm) back from the front wheel well.
The rear notch is three inches (8 cm) forward
from the rear wheel well. The notches are
accessible through openings in the plastic trim at
the bottom of the vehicle.
Position the jack and raise the jack head until it ts
rmly on the ridge in the vehicle’s frame nearest
the at tire. Do not raise the vehicle yet. Put
the compact spare tire near you.
{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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5. Raise the vehicle by turning the wheel wrench
clockwise in the jack. Raise the vehicle far
enough so there is enough room for the spare tire
to t under the wheel well.
6. Remove all the wheel nuts and take off the at tire.7. 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.
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{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.
8. Place the compact spare tire on the wheel-mounting
surface.
9. Reinstall the wheel nuts
with the rounded end of
the nuts toward the
wheel. Make sure each
wheel stud is centered
in each wheel hole
while tightening the
nuts. Tighten each nut
by hand until the wheel
is held against the hub.
10. Lower the vehicle by turning the wheel wrench
counterclockwise on the jack. Lower the jack
completely.11. Tighten the wheel nuts
rmly in a crisscross
sequence.
{CAUTION:
Incorrect wheel nuts or improperly tightened
wheel nuts can cause the wheel to come loose
and even come off. This could lead to an
accident. Be sure to use the correct wheel
nuts. If you have to replace them, be sure to
get new GM original equipment wheel nuts.
Stop somewhere as soon as you can and have
the nuts tightened with a torque wrench to the
proper torque specication. See “Capacities
and Specications” in the Index for wheel nut
torque specication.
5-80

Notice:Improperly tightened wheel nuts can lead
to brake pulsation and rotor damage. To avoid
expensive brake repairs, evenly tighten the wheel
nuts in the proper sequence and to the proper
torque specication. See “Capacities and
Specications” in the index for the wheel nut torque
specication.
Notice:Wheel covers will not t on your compact
spare. If you try to put a wheel cover on the compact
spare, you could damage the cover or the spare.
Storing the Flat Tire and Tools
{CAUTION:
Storing a jack, a tire, or other equipment in the
passenger compartment of the vehicle could
cause injury. In a sudden stop or collision,
loose equipment could strike someone. Store
all these in the proper place.After you have put the compact spare tire on your
vehicle, you will need to store the at tire in your trunk.
Use the following procedure to secure the at tire in
the trunk.
Store the at tire as far forward in the trunk as possible.
Store the jack and wheel wrench in their compartment
in the trunk.
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Storing the Spare Tire and Tools
{CAUTION:
Storing a jack, a tire, or other equipment in the
passenger compartment of the vehicle could
cause injury. In a sudden stop or collision,
loose equipment could strike someone. Store
all these in the proper place.
Store the compact spare tire and tools as shown in the
diagram.
A. Wrench
B. Jack
C. Jack Container
D. RetainerE. Spare Tire Cover
F. Washer and
Retainer
The compact spare tire is for temporary use only.
Replace the compact spare tire with a full-size tire as
soon as you can. See “Compact Spare Tire” following for
more information.
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