BUICK CENTURY 1997 Owners Manual

If a Tire Goes Flat
It’s unusual for a tire to “blow out” 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 flat tire will create a drag that
pulls the vehicle toward that side. Take your foot off the
accelerator pedal and grip the steering wheel firmly.
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 goes flat, the next part shows how
to use your
jacking equipment to change a flat tire safely.
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.
A CAC ,,.IN:
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 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.
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The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change a tire.
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The equipment you’ll need
is in
the trunk. Pull the
carpeted mat up from the
floor
of the trunk.
(See “Compact Spare Tire” later in this section for more
information about the compact spare.)
1. Turn the center nut on the compact spare cover to the
left to remove it. Then lift and remove the cover.
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2. Remove the spare tire. 3. Turn the nut holding the jack to the left and remove
it. Then remove the jack and wrench.
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A
C
The tools you’ll be using include the jack (A), extension
and protection guide
(B) and wheel wrench (C).
Wheel Covers
To remove a center cap, use
the wrench to
pry gently at
the notch. Don’t use a tool
that
is narrower than the
wrench to pry at this notch.
Then
pry off the cap.
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If your vehicle is equipped
with wheel covers, be
sure
to use a wheel wrench
to begin the process of
loosening the plastic
wheel
nut caps.
They won’t come off.
You will only be able to loosen
them. Once you have loosened the plastic
nut caps with
the wheel wrench, if needed,
you can finish loosening
them with your fingers.
Then, using the flat end of
the wheel wrench, pry along
the edge of
the wheel cover until it comes off. Be
careful; the edge may be sharp. Don’t try to remove the
cover with your bare hands.
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire
1. Using the wheel wrench, loosen all the wheel nuts.
Don’t remove them yet.
2. Turn the jack handle to the right to raise the jack lift
head a few inches.
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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.
FRONT
VEHICLE
I L 1-14 I
- REAR EDGE OF FRONT
WHEEL OPENING
edge of the front wheel opening or just behind the
two bolts
as shown.
FRONT EDGE OF
REAR WHEEL OPENING
For jacking at the vehicle’s rear location, put the jack
lift head about
5 inches (13 cm) from the front edge
of the rear wheel opening or just behind the off-set
as shown.
Put the compact spare tire near you.
3. For jacking at the vehicle’s front location, put the
jack lift head about
6 inches (15 cm) from the rear
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c
CAUTION:
I
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.
1
4. Raise the vehicle by turning the jack handle to the
right. Raise
the vehicle far enough off the ground for
the spare tire to
fit under the vehicle.
5. Remove all wheel nuts and take off the flat tire.
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from the wheel bolts,
mounting surfaces and
spare wheel.
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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A 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. Replace 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.
8. Lower the vehicle by turning the jack handle to the
left. Lower the jack completely.
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9. Tighten the wheel nuts
firmly
in a crisscross
sequence
as shown.
A CAUT’ON:
Inca xt 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 Ib-ft
(140 N-m).
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.
Don’t try to put the wheel cover on your compact spare
tire. It won’t fit. Store the wheel cover in the trunk until
you have the flat tire repaired or replaced.
NOTICE:
Wheel covers won’t fit 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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