CHEVROLET CAVALIER 2004 3.G Owners 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 be dangerous. The vehicle
can slip off the jack and roll over or fall on you
or other people. You and they could be badly
injured or even killed. Find a level place to
change your tire. To help prevent the vehicle
from moving:
1. Set the parking brake rmly.
2. Put an automatic transaxle shift lever in
PARK (P), or shift a manual transaxle to
FIRST (1) or REVERSE (R).
3. Turn off the engine and do not restart
while the vehicle is raised.
4. Do not allow passengers to remain in the
vehicle.
To be even more certain the vehicle won’t
move, you should put blocks at the front and
CAUTION: (Continued)
CAUTION: (Continued)
rear of the tire farthest away from the one
being changed. That would be the tire on the
other side, at the opposite end of the vehicle.
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’ll need
is located in the trunk.
1. Turn the center retainer nut on the compact spare
tire cover counterclockwise to remove it.2. Lift and remove the cover. SeeCompact Spare Tire
on page 5-72for more information about the
compact spare tire.
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3. Turn the wing bolt
counterclockwise and
remove it. Then lift
off the adapter
and remove the
compact spare tire.
4. Your vehicle’s jack and wheel wrench are stored in
a foam tray. Remove the jack and wheel wrench
from the trunk. Remove the band around the jack.The tools you’ll be using include the jack (A) and wheel
wrench (B).
5-64

Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire1. If your vehicle is equipped with wheel covers, use
the wheel wrench to begin loosening the plastic
wheel nut caps. Then you can nish loosening them
with your ngers. Using the at end of the wheel
wrench, pry along the edge of the wheel cover until
it comes off.
2. Use the wheel wrench to loosen all the wheel nuts.
Don’t remove them yet.
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3. Near each wheel well is a notch in the frame which
the jack head ts in. The front notch is 9 inches
(23 cm) back from the front wheel well. The
rear notch is 8 inches (20 cm) forward from the rear
wheel well. As is shown in the diagram above, if
your vehicle has ared side moldings, both front and
rear notches are 18 inches (46 cm) from the
wheel wells.
Position the jack and raise the jack head until it ts
rmly into the notch in the vehicle’s frame nearest
the at tire. 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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4. Raise the vehicle by turning the jack handle
clockwise. Raise the vehicle far enough off the
ground so there is enough room for the compact
spare tire to t underneath the wheel well.
5. Remove all of the wheel nuts.6. 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.
7. Place the compact spare tire on the wheel-mounting
surface.
8. Reinstall the wheel
nuts with the rounded
end of the nuts
toward the wheel.
Tighten each nut by
hand until the wheel
is held against
the hub.9. Lower the vehicle by turning the jack handle
counterclockwise. Lower the jack completely.
10. Tighten the wheel nuts
rmly in a crisscross
sequence, as shown.
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{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.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.
Don’t try to put a wheel cover on your compact spare
tire. It won’t t. Store the wheel cover in the trunk
until you have the at tire repaired or replaced.
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.
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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.
A. Wrench
B. Jack
C. Flat Road Tire
D. Adapter
E. ExtensionF. Wing Bolt
(Extension
Installed)
G. Cover
H. Nut
Store the at tire in the compact spare tire compartment
and secure the adapter, extension (aluminum wheel
only) and wing bolt. Store the jack and wheel wrench in
the foam tray.
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