wheel CHEVROLET ASTRO 1996 Owner's Guide

Towing From the Rear (All-Wheel Drive)
A towing dolly must be used under the front kheels
when towing from the reaK
NOTICE:
Do not tow with sling-type equipment or the rear
bumper system will be damaged. Use wheel-lift
or car-carrier equipment. Additional ramping
may be required for car-carrier equipment. Use
safety chains and wheel straps.
Towing a vehicle over rough surfaces could
damage a vehicle. Damage can occur from
vehicle to ground or vehicle to wheel-lift
equipment. To help avoid damage, install a
towing dolly and raise the vehicle until adequate
clearance is obtained between the ground and/or
wheel-lift equipment.
5-12

Engine Fan Noise
This vehicle has a clutched engine cooling fan. When
the clutch is engaged, the fan spins faster to provide
more air
to cool the engine. In most every day driving
conditions, the clutch is not fully engaged. This
improves fuel economy and reduces fan noise. Under
heavy vehicle loading, trailer towing and/or high outside
temperatures,
the fan speed increases when the clutch
engages.
So you may hear an increase in fan noise. This
is normal and should not be mistaken as the
transmission slipping or making extra shifts. It is merely
the cooling system functioning properly. The fan will
slow down when additional cooling is
not required and
the clutch disengages.
You may also hear this fan noise when
you start the
engine. It will go away as the fan clutch disengages.
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 4‘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.
5-22

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.
'!!!h CAUTION:
I
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. 'hrn off the engine.
4. Put the wheel 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.
5-23

- Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The jacking equipment you’ll need is stored by your
vehicle’s rear doors, along the passenger side wall.
Remove your jack cover by pulling
it away from the
side wall and down to release the tabs securing the top
‘ of the cover. Remove the wheel, blocks by turning the top nut
counterclockwise. Remove the nut and washer, then pull
the wheel blocks off the bolt. Push down on the bolt and
remove the hooked
end from the slot. Slide the jack
toward the front of the vehicle and lift it from the
mounting. Remove the extension and the ratchet from
the pouch.
5-24

When the tire has been
lowered, tilt the retainer
at the end
of the cable
and .pull it through the
wheel opening.
Pull the tire out from under the vehicle.
I NOTICE: I
To help avoid vehicle damage, do not drive the
vehicle before cable is restored.
The tools you’ll be using include the jack (A), wheel
blocks
(B), extension (C) and ratchet (D).
5-27

Removing the Wheel Covers If you have a standard steel wheel, carefully pry along - the edge of the hub cap until it comes off. Be-carefu1,the
cap with your bare hands.
You
will have to take
off hub caps or wheel nut caps to rim edges may be sharp. try to the hub
reach your wheel
nuts.
If you have the styled steel wheel, loosen the plastic nut
caps with the ratchet and socket. Make sure the DOWN
side faces you.
To remove the hub cap from the aluminum wheel, fit the
flat end
of the extension into the notch. Then, remove
the center cap.
5-28

Removing the Flat Tire and
Installing the Spare Tire
-.
1. Before you start, block the front and rear of the tire
farthest away from the one being changed. Then put
your spare tire near
the flat tire.
F
2. With the DOWN side facing you, use the ratchet and
socket to loosen
all the wheel nuts. Don't remove
them
yet.
3. The jack has a bolt on the end. Attach the socket end
of the extension to the jack bolt.
5-29

1
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.
NOTICE:
Raising your vehicle with the jack improperly
positioned will damage the vehicle or may allow
the vehicle to fall
off the jack. Be sure to fit the
jack lift head into the proper location before
raising
your vehicle.
Do not jack up the vehicle with people in or near
the vehicle.
7. Raise the vehicle by rotating the ratchet clockwise.
Make sure the
UP mark faces you. Raise the vehicle
far enough off the ground
so there is enough room
for the spare tire to fit.
8. Remove all the wheel nuts and take off the flat tire.
5-31

I I
9.
A CAUTION:
Remove any rust or dirt
from the wheel bolts,
mounting surfaces and
spare wheel.
-
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.
Rust or dirt on the wheel, or on tL 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 ybu need to, to get all the rust or
dirt
off.
10. Put on the spare tire. Put the nuts on by hand.
Make sure the cone-shaped end is toward the
wheel. Tighten each
nut by hand until the wheel is
held against the hub.
If a nut can’t be turned by
hand, use the extension and see your dealer as
soon as possible.
5-32

11. Lower the vehicle by turning the ratchet
counterclockwise. Lower
the jack completely.
12. Tighten the wheel nuts
firmly in a criss-cross
sequence as shown.
Turn the ratchet
clockwise with the
UP mark facing you.
A
11 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 Ib-ft (140 Nom).
I
5-33