wheel bolts SATURN L-SERIES 2004 Owners Manual

When rotating your tires, always use the correct rotation
pattern shown here.
Don’t include the compact spare tire in your tire rotation.
If you are towing your Saturn vehicle with all four
wheels on the ground, the transaxle and tire
maintenance should be scheduled by mileage
accumulated through both driving and towing, not to
driven (odometer) mileage. Tire wear will reect actual
“rolling” mileage and may be greater than expected
for the current odometer mileage.
After the tires have been rotated, adjust the front and
rear ination pressures as shown on the Tire-Loading
Information label. Make certain that all wheel bolts
are properly tightened. See “Wheel Bolt Torque” under
Capacities and Specications on page 5-98.
{CAUTION:
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on the parts to
which it is fastened, can make wheel bolts
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
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. See “Changing a Flat
Tire” in the Index.
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Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
The wheels on your vehicle were aligned and balanced
carefully at the factory to give you the longest tire life
and best overall performance.
Scheduled wheel alignment and wheel balancing are
not needed. However, if you notice unusual tire wear or
your vehicle pulling one way or the other, the alignment
may need to be reset. If you notice your vehicle
vibrating when driving on a smooth road, your wheels
may need to be rebalanced.
Wheel Replacement
Replace any wheel that is bent, cracked or badly rusted
or corroded. If wheel bolts keep coming loose, the
wheel and wheel bolts should be replaced. If the wheel
leaks air, replace it (except some aluminum wheels,
which can sometimes be repaired). See your Saturn
Retailer if any of these conditions exist.
Your retailer will know the kind of wheel or wheel bolt
you need.
Each new wheel should have the same load-carrying
capacity, diameter, width, offset and be mounted
the same way as the one it replaces.If you need to replace any of your wheels or wheel
bolts, replace them only with new Saturn original
equipment parts. This way, you will be sure to have the
right wheel and wheel bolts for your Saturn.
{CAUTION:
Using the wrong replacement wheels or wheel
bolts on your vehicle can be dangerous. It
could affect the braking and handling of your
vehicle, make your tires lose air and make you
lose control. You could have a collision in
which you or others could be injured. Always
use the correct wheel and wheel bolts for
replacement.
Notice:The wrong wheel can also cause problems
with bearing life, brake cooling, speedometer or
odometer calibration, headlamp aim, bumper height,
vehicle ground clearance and tire or tire chain
clearance to the body and chassis.
SeeChanging a Flat Tire on page 5-70for more
information.
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Removing the Wheel
You must take off the wheel cover or hubcap to reach
the wheel bolts.
For steel wheels with full plastic covers and aluminum
wheels with large circular center caps, do the following:
1. Loosen all ve hex-shaped plastic caps by turning
the wrench counterclockwise. Do not try to remove
plastic caps from the cover or center cap.
2. Pull the cover or center cap away from the wheel
and place it in the trunk.
When reinstalling full plastic covers or center caps,
tighten all ve plastic caps hand snug with the aid of the
wheel wrench and tighten them with the wheel wrench
an additional one–quarter of a turn.
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire
1. Use the wheel wrench to loosen all the wheel nuts.
Don’t remove them yet.
2. The jack has a bolt head at the end. Attach the
wheel wrench to the jack bolt head and rotate
the wheel wrench clockwise (to the right). That will
raise the lift head a little.
3. Move the jack over to where the at tire is.
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6. 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.
7. Remove all of the wheel nuts.
8. Take off the tire and wheel.9. 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 bolts
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 wheel bolts. If you
do, the wheel bolts might come loose. Your
wheel could fall off, causing a serious
accident.
10. Place the compact spare tire on the wheel-mounting
surface.
11. Reinstall the wheel nuts. Tighten each nut by hand
until the wheel is held against the hub.
12. Lower the vehicle by turning the jack handle
counterclockwise.
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13. Tighten the wheel nuts
rmly in a crisscross
sequence, as shown.
{CAUTION:
Incorrect wheel bolts or improperly tightened
wheel bolts can cause the wheel to come loose
and even come off. This could lead to an
accident. Be sure to use the correct wheel
bolts. If you have to replace them, be sure to
get new Saturn original equipment wheel bolts.
Stop somewhere as soon as you can and have
the bolts tightened with a torque wrench to the
proper torque specication. SeeCapacities
and Specifications on page 5-98for the wheel
bolt torque specication.Notice:Improperly tightened wheel bolts can lead
to brake pulsation and rotor damage. To avoid
expensive brake repairs, evenly tighten the wheel
bolts in the proper sequence and to the proper
torque specication. SeeCapacities and
Specifications on page 5-98for the wheel bolt
torque specication.
14. Lower the jack all the way and remove the jack
from under the vehicle.
15. Tighten the bolts rmly with the wheel wrench.
Do not try to put a wheel cover on your compact spare
tire. It will not 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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