wheel BUICK RANDEZVOUS 2003 Workshop Manual
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tires and tighten them as tightly as possible with the
ends securely fastened. Drive slowly and follow the
chain manufacturer’s instructions. If you can hear the
chains contacting your vehicle, stop and retighten
them. If the contact continues, slow down until it
stops. Driving too fast or spinning the wheels with
chains on will damage your vehicle.
Accessory Inflator
Your vehicle may have an accessory inflator. With it, you
can inflate things like air mattresses and basketballs, and
you can also use it to bring your tires up to the proper
pressure.
The accessory inflator is located in the rear compartment
on the driver’s side. To remove the cover, pull the tab on
the cover and pull it off.
This is the symbol on the
accessory inflator switch.There may be an accessory inflator kit stored in the
glove box. It includes a 20-foot (6 m) hose with an air
pressure gage and nozzle adapters.
{CAUTION:
Inflating something too much can make it
explode, and you or others could be injured.
Be sure to read the inflator instructions, and
inflate any object only to its recommended
pressure.
To use your accessory inflator system, do the following:
1. Turn the ignition to ACCESSORY or ON.
2. Attach the appropriate nozzle adapter, if required,
to the end of the hose that has the pressure gage.
3. Attach that end of the hose to the object you wish
to inflate.
4. Remove the protective cap covering the outlet.
5. Attach the other end of the hose to the outlet.
6. Press the accessory inflator switch. The light in the
switch will come on to show the system is working.
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If the accessory inflator system does not turn on or the
light does not come on, the fuse may be blown or
installed incorrectly. SeeFuses and Circuit Breakers on
page 5-86or see your dealer for service.
Your accessory inflator will automatically shut off after
about 10 minutes. The light in the switch will blink. After
about one minute you can use the system again. Press
the inflator switch and the indicator light will come on.
Notice:Don’t run your accessory inflator for longer
than 30 minutes at one time. If you do, you may
damage the system.
After running the accessory inflator for 30 minutes, wait
at least 10 minutes before restarting the accessory
inflator.
To turn off the inflator, do the following:
1. Press the switch and detach the hose,first from the
inflated object, then from the outlet.
2. Put the protective cap back on.
3. Place the inflator kit tools in the pouch, and store in
the glove box.
To put the cover back on, line up the tabs at the back of
the cover and put it in place. Push down the tab to
secure the cover.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, theflat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheelfirmly.
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.
If a tire goesflat, the next part shows how to use your
jacking equipment to change aflat tire safely.
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Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goesflat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your
hazard warningflashers.
{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 brakefirmly.
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 (Vehicles without
the Rear Convenience Center)
The compact spare tire is located under the vehicle,
ahead of the rear bumper. Use the spare tire hoist
to raise, lower and store the compact spare tire. See
Compact Spare Tire on page 5-77for more information
about the compact spare.
A. Hoist Shaft
B. Folding Wrench
C. Hoist AssemblyD. Retainer
E. Compact Spare
Tire1. Flip the rear cargo area carpet cut out to expose
the hoist shaft.
2. Attach the folding wrench into the hoist shaft.
3. Turn the folding wrench counterclockwise to lower
the spare tire to the ground. Continue turning the
wrench until the spare tire can be pulled out
from under the vehicle.
4. To remove the spare tire from the cable, tilt the
retainer and slip it through the wheel opening.
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5. To remove the spare tire from the cable, tilt the
retainer and slip it through the wheel opening.
6. After removing the spare tire, turn the wrench
clockwise to raise the cable back up.
Do not store a full-size or aflat road tire under the
vehicle. See“Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and
Tools”later in this section.
To continue changing theflat tire see“Removing the
Flat Tire and Installing the Spare Tire”later in this
section.If the spare tire will not lower, the secondary latch may
be engaged causing the tire not to lower. Do the
following to check the cable:
1. Check under the vehicle to see if the cable is
visible.
2. If it’s not visible, see“Secondary Latch System”
following.
If it is visible,first try to tighten the cable by turning
the folding wrench clockwise until you hear two
clicks or feel it skip twice. You cannot over-tighten
the cable.
3. Then loosen the cable by turning the wrench
counterclockwise three or four turns.
4. If the spare tire has not lowered, tighten the cable
all the way and then loosen it at least two times.
If the spare tire did lower to the ground, continue
with Step 5 under“Removing the Spare Tire
(Vehicles with the Rear Convenience Center)”
earlier in this section.
5. If you still cannot lower the spare tire to the ground,
see“Secondary Latch System”following.
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8. Grasp the spare tire with both hands and pull it out
from under the vehicle.
9. Reach under the vehicle and remove the folding
wrench and jack.
10. When the spare tire has been completely lowered,
tilt the retainer and slip it through the wheel
opening.
11. If the cable is hanging, turn the wrench clockwise to
raise the cable back up.
Have the hoist assembly inspected as soon as you can.
You will not be able to store a spare tire using the
hoist assembly until it has been repaired or replaced.
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire
1. If there is a wheel cover, loosen the plastic nut
caps with the wheel wrench. They won’t come
off. Then, using theflat end of the wheel wrench,
pry along the edge of the cover until it comes off. Be
careful; the edges may be sharp. Don’t try to
remove the cover with your bare hands.
If your vehicle has aluminum wheels, remove the
wheel nut caps using the wheel wrench.
2. Loosen the wheel
nuts - but do not remove
them - using the
folding wrench. (Turn the
handle about
180 degrees, thenflip the
handle back to the
starting position. This
avoids taking the wrench
off the lug nut for
each turn.)
For wheels with a wheel lock key, use the wheel
lock key between the lock nut and folding wrench.
The key is supplied in the front passenger door
pocket.
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Notice:To help avoid damage to lock nut or wheel
lock key, do not use an impact wrench with this key.
3. Near each wheel, there is
a notch in the vehicle’s
body. Position the jack
and raise the jack head
until itfitsfirmly into the
notch in the vehicle’s
frame nearest theflat tire.
Notice:Do not place the jack under the rear axle
control arms or you may damage your vehicle. Only
use the areas shown for proper jack location.
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 tofit the
jack lift head into the proper location before
raising the vehicle.
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4. Attach the folding
wrench to the jack, and
turn the wrench
clockwise to raise the
jack head 3 inches
(7.6 cm).
5. Raise the vehicle by turning the folding wrench
clockwise in the jack. Raise the vehicle far
enough off the ground so that there is enough room
for the spare tire tofit under the wheel well.
6. Remove all the wheel nuts and take off theflat 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.
{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. Install the spare tire and put the wheel nuts back on
with the rounded end of the nuts toward the wheel.
Tighten each nut by hand until the wheel is held
against the hub.
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9. Lower the vehicle by attaching the folding wrench to
the jack and turning the wrench counterclockwise.
Lower the jack completely.
10. Tighten the wheel nuts
firmly in a crisscross
sequence, as shown.
{CAUTION:
Incorrect wheel nuts or improperly tightened
wheel nuts can cause the wheel to become
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 100
lb-ft (140Y).
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 specification.
11. Don’t try to put a wheel cover on the compact spare
tire. It won’tfit. Store the wheel cover securely in
the rear of the vehicle until you have theflat
tire repaired or replaced.
Notice:Wheel covers won’tfit on your compact
spare. If you try to put a wheel cover on your
compact spare, you could damage the cover or
the spare.
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Storing a Flat or 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.
{CAUTION:
The underbody-mounted spare tire needs to be
stored with the valve stem pointing down. If
the spare tire is stored with the valve stem
pointing upwards, its secondary latch won’t
work properly and the spare tire could loosen
and suddenly fall from your vehicle. If this
happened when your vehicle was being driven,
the tire might contact a person or another
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
vehicle, causing injury and, of course, damage
to itself as well. Be sure the
underbody-mounted spare tire is stored with
its valve stem pointing down.
Storing the Spare Tire and Tools
1. Lay the compact spare tire on the ground at the
rear of the vehicle. Position the compact spare
tire so that the valve stem is pointed down facing
the rear of the vehicle.
2. Lower the cable to the ground. See“Removing the
Spare Tire (Vehicles without the Rear Convenience
Center)”or“Removing the Spare Tire (Vehicles
with the Rear Convenience Center)”earlier in this
section.
3. Tilt the retainer downward and slip it through the
center hole of the spare tire.
Make sure the retainer is fully seated across the
underside of the wheel.
4. Attach the folding wrench to the hoist shaft.
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