CHEVROLET CAMARO 2001 4.G Owners Manual

5-21
Changing a Flat Tire
If a tire goes flat, avoid further tire and wheel damage
by driving slowly to a level place. Turn on your hazard
warning flashers.
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 firmly.
2. Put an automatic transmission shift lever in
PARK (P), or shift a manual transmission to
FIRST (1) or REVERSE (R).
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.

5-22 Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The equipment you'll need is located in the rear area
behind the trim panel on the passenger's side.
1. First you must remove the cargo cover.
See ªCargo Coverº in the Index.
On convertible models, you must also remove the
trunk access panel. It's at the upper back of the
trunk. Turn the two wing fasteners under the trunk
edge a quarter turn counterclockwise to remove
the panel.
2. Find the plastic screw heads in the trim panel over
the spare tire. See ªCompact Spare Tireº later in this
section for more information about the compact
spare. Use a coin or a key to turn the screw heads
until the slots point front and back to the unlock
position. Gently lift the trim panel front forward
edge and remove the panel.
If you have speakers in the trim panel, you may have
to disconnect the wire from the speaker. The speaker
wire may be long enough to remove the trim panel
without disconnecting the wire.

5-23
3. To remove the jack and wheel wrench, loosen and
remove the plastic cover.4. Remove the wing nut and adapter and pull out the
compact spare tire.

5-24
The tools you'll be using include the jack (A) and
wheel wrench (B).5. The jack has a bolt at the end. Attach the wheel
wrench to the jack bolt.
6. Turn the wheel wrench clockwise to raise the lift
head a little.
7. If your wheel has a center cap, pry it off using the
wheel wrench.

5-25
If your vehicle has a bolt-on wheel cover, loosen the
plastic caps using the wheel wrench and remove the
wheel cover.
If your vehicle has optional alloy wheels, first remove
the decorative nut caps using the wheel wrench. Each
wheel may have one locknut in place of the standard
wheel nut. A special wheel lock key (removal tool)
and instructions are located in the center console.
Attach the wheel lock key to the socket of the wheel
wrench. Remove the locking wheel nut by turning
it counterclockwise.
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire
1. Using the wheel wrench, loosen all the wheel nuts.
Don't remove them yet.

5-26
2. Position the jack under the vehicle. There is a notch
in the vehicle's rocker flange on the coupe model.
Raise the jack head until it fits firmly into the notch
nearest the flat tire.
On convertible models, place the jack in a
similar location.

5-27
Stay away from the moldings or fender flanges to
avoid damaging them.
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 fit the
jack lift head into the proper location before
raising the vehicle.

5-28
3. Raise the vehicle by turning the wheel wrench
clockwise. Raise the vehicle far enough off the
ground so there is enough room for the compact
spare tire to fit underneath the wheel well.
4. Remove all the wheel nuts and take off the flat tire.
5. 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.

5-29
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.
6. Install the compact 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.
7. Lower the vehicle by turning the wheel wrench
counterclockwise. Lower the jack completely.

5-30
8. Tighten the wheel
nuts firmly in a
crisscross sequence
as shown.
Install the plastic caps for the bolt
-on wheel cover
or the decorative plastic caps if your vehicle has the
optional alloy wheels. Tighten the caps by hand then,
using the wheel wrench, tighten an additional
one
-quarter turn.
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 (140 N´m).