wheel BUICK LESABRE 2003 Workshop Manual

{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.
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 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 ®rmly.
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.
5-67

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 located in the trunk.
1. Pull the carpeting from the ¯oor of the trunk.
2. Lift and remove the cover.
3. Remove the compact spare tire. See
Compact
Spare Tire on page 5-76for more information
about the compact spare.
4. Unscrew the wing nuts to remove the container that
holds the wrench and jack.
5. Remove the wheel wrench, jack and the spare tire
from the trunk.
5-68

The tools you'll be using include the jack (A) and the
wheel wrench (B).
Removing the Wheel Covers and
Wheel Nut Caps
If your vehicle has an aluminum wheel with a center
cover that hides the wheel nuts, remove the center cover
by using the ¯at end of the wheel wrench to pry it off.
If your vehicle has a wheel cover, remove it by using the
¯at end of the wheel wrench. Pry along the edge of
the wheel cover until it comes off.
When reinstalling the wheel cover, carefully line up the
tire valve stem and the notch in the wheel cover.
5-69

Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire
1. Use the wheel wrench to loosen the wheel nuts, but
don't remove them yet.
2. The jack has a bolt at the end. Attach the wheel
wrench to the bolt to create a jack handle.3. Turn the wheel wrench counterclockwise to lower
the jack head until it ®ts under the vehicle.
5-70

4. Put the jack into a notch in the frame which is
located near each wheel well. The front notch is
eight inches (20 cm) back from the front wheel well.
The rear notch is three inches (8 cm) forward
from the rear wheel well. The notches are
accessible through openings in the plastic trim at
the bottom of the vehicle.
Position the jack and raise the jack head until it ®ts
®rmly on the ridge in the vehicle's frame nearest
the ¯at tire. 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 to ®t the
jack lift head into the proper location before
raising the vehicle.
5-71

5. Raise the vehicle by turning the wheel wrench
clockwise in the jack. Raise the vehicle far
enough so there's enough room for the spare tire to
®t under the wheel well.
6. Remove all the wheel nuts and take off the ¯at 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.
5-72

{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. Place the compact spare tire on the wheel-mounting
surface.
9. Reinstall the wheel
nuts with the rounded
end of the nuts
toward the wheel.
Make sure each wheel
stud is centered in
each wheel hole while
tightening the nuts.
Tighten each nut
by hand until the
wheel is held against
the hub.
10. Lower the vehicle by turning the wheel wrench
counterclockwise on the jack. Lower the jack
completely.11. Tighten the wheel nuts
®rmly in a crisscross
sequence.
{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 speci®cation. See ªCapacities
and Speci®cationsº in the Index for wheel nut
torque speci®cation.
5-73

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 speci®cation. See ªCapacities and
Speci®cationsº in the index for the wheel nut torque
speci®cation.
Notice:Wheel covers won't ®t on your compact
spare. If you try to put a wheel cover on your
compact spare, you could damage the cover or the
spare.
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.After you've put the compact spare tire on your vehicle,
you'll need to store the ¯at tire in your trunk. Use the
following procedure to secure the ¯at tire in the trunk.
Store the ¯at tire as far forward in the trunk as possible.
Store the jack and wheel wrench in their compartment
in the trunk.
5-74

Compact Spare Tire
Although the compact spare tire was fully in¯ated when
your vehicle was new, it can lose air after a time.
Check the in¯ation pressure regularly. It should be
60 psi (420 kPa).
After installing the compact spare on your vehicle, you
should stop as soon as possible and make sure
your spare tire is correctly in¯ated. The compact spare
is made to perform well at speeds up to 65 mph
(105 km/h) for distances up to 3,000 miles (5 000 km),
so you can ®nish your trip and have your full-size
tire repaired or replaced where you want. You must
calibrate the Check Tire Pressure System after installing
or removing the compact spare. See
Check Tire
Pressure System on page 5-59. Of course, it's best to
replace your spare with a full-size tire as soon as
you can. Your spare will last longer and be in good
shape in case you need it again.
Notice:When the compact spare is installed, don't
take your vehicle through an automatic car wash
with guide rails. The compact spare can get caught
on the rails. That can damage the tire and wheel,
and maybe other parts of your vehicle.
Don't use your compact spare on other vehicles.
And don't mix your compact spare tire or wheel with
other wheels or tires. They won't ®t. Keep your compact
spare tire and its wheel together.
Notice:Tire chains won't ®t your compact spare.
Using them can damage your vehicle and can
damage the chains too. Don't use tire chains on
your compact spare.
5-76

Cleaning Aluminum or Chrome-Plated
Wheels
Your vehicle may be equipped with either aluminum or
chrome-plated wheels.
Keep your wheels clean using a soft clean cloth with
mild soap and water. Rinse with clean water. After
rinsing thoroughly, dry with a soft clean towel. A wax
may then be applied.
The surface of these wheels is similar to the painted
surface of your vehicle. Don't use strong soaps,
chemicals, abrasive polishes, abrasive cleaners,
cleaners with acid, or abrasive cleaning brushes on
them because you could damage the surface. Do not
use chrome polish on aluminum wheels.
Use chrome polish only on chrome-plated wheels, but
avoid any painted surface of the wheel, and buff off
immediately after application.
Don't take your vehicle through an automatic car wash
that has silicone carbide tire cleaning brushes. These
brushes can also damage the surface of these wheels.
Cleaning Tires
To clean your tires, use a stiff brush with tire cleaner.
Notice:When applying a tire dressing, always take
care to wipe off any overspray or splash from all
painted surfaces on the body or wheels of the
vehicle. Petroleum-based products may damage the
paint ®nish and tires.
Sheet Metal Damage
If your vehicle is damaged and requires sheet metal
repair or replacement, make sure the body repair shop
applies anti-corrosion material to parts repaired or
replaced to restore corrosion protection.
Original manufacturer replacement parts will provide the
corrosion protection while maintaining the warranty.
5-82