{CAUTION:
Rust or dirt on the wheel, or on the parts
to which it is fastened, can make the
wheel nuts become loose after 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 needed, to
get all the rust or dirt off.6. Remove any rust or
dirt from the wheel
bolts, mounting
surfaces and spare
wheel.
{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. Put the wheel nuts back on with the rounded
end of the nuts toward the wheel after
mounting the spare tire.
541
8. Tighten each wheel nut by hand. Then use
the wheel wrench to tighten the nuts until the
wheel is held against the hub.
9. Turn the wheel wrench counterclockwise to
lower the vehicle. Lower the jack completely.
{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
Capacities and Speciļ¬cations on page 572
for wheel nut torque speci cation.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
Capacities and Speciļ¬cations on page 572for
the wheel nut torque speci cation.
10. Tighten the nuts rmly in a crisscross
sequence as shown by turning the wheel
wrench clockwise.
542
When you reinstall the regular wheel and tire, you
must also reinstall the either the center cap, or
bolt-on hub cap, depending on what your vehicle
has. For center caps, place the cap on the
wheel and tap it into place until it seats ush with
the wheel. The cap only goes on one way. Be
sure to line up the tab on the center cap with the
indentation on the wheel. For bolt-on hub caps,
align the plastic nut caps with the wheel nuts and
then tighten by hand. Then use the wheel
wrench to tighten.
Secondary Latch System
Your vehicle has an underbody-mounted tire hoist
assembly which has a secondary latch system.
It is designed to stop the spare tire from suddenly
falling off your vehicle. For the secondary latch
to work, the spare tire must be installed with
the valve stem pointing down. SeeStoring a Flat
or Spare Tire and Tools on page 547.
{CAUTION:
Before beginning this procedure read all
the instructions. Failure to read and follow
the instructions could damage the hoist
assembly and you and others could get
hurt. Read and follow the instructions
listed next.
To release the spare tire from the secondary latch,
do the following:
1. Check under the
vehicle to see if the
cable end is
visible. If the cable
is not visible,
proceed to Step 6.
543