CHEVROLET TRAVERSE 2011 1.G Owners Manual

Black plate (71,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-71
6. Turn the wrench (B) clockwise toraise the cable back up after
removing the spare tire.
Do not store a full‐size or a flat
road tire under the vehicle. See
“Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and
Tools” later in this section.
To continue changing the flat tire,
see “Removing the Flat Tire and
Installing the Spare Tire” later in this
section.
If the spare tire will not lower, the
secondary latch could be engaged. Do the following to check the cable:
1. Check under the vehicle to see if
the cable is visible.
2. If it is not visible, see Secondary
Latch System on page 10‑78.
If it is visible, first try to tighten
the cable by turning the lug
wrench clockwise until you hear
two clicks or feel it skip twice.
You cannot over‐tighten the
cable.
3. Loosen the cable by turning the wrench counterclockwise three
or four turns.
4. If the spare tire has not lowered, tighten the cable all the way and
then loosen it at least two times.
If the spare tire did lower to the
ground, continue with Step 5
under “Removing the Spare Tire
(Vehicles with the Rear
Convenience Center)” listed
previously. 5. If you still cannot lower the spare
tire to the ground, see
Secondary Latch System
on
page 10‑78.
Removing the Flat Tire and
Installing the Spare Tire
1. Do a safety check before proceeding. See If a Tire Goes
Flat
on page 10‑58for more
information.
2. If the vehicle has a wheel cover, loosen the plastic nut caps with
the wheel wrench. They will not
come off. Then, using the flat
end of the wheel wrench, pry
along the edge of the cover until
it comes off. Be careful; the
edges may be sharp. Do not try
to remove the cover with your
bare hands.
Store the wheel cover securely
in the rear of the vehicle until
you have the flat tire repaired or
replaced.

Black plate (72,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
10-72 Vehicle Care
If the vehicle has aluminum
wheels, remove the wheel nut
caps using the wheel wrench.
3. Loosen the wheel nuts—but do
not remove them —using the
lug wrench. For wheels with a
wheel lock key, use the wheel
lock key between the lock nut
and lug wrench. The key is
supplied in the front passenger
door pocket. Notice:
If this vehicle has wheel
locks and an impact wrench is
used to remove the wheel nuts,
the lock nut or wheel lock key
could be damaged. Do not use an
impact wrench to remove the
wheel nuts if this vehicle has
wheel locks.4. To identify the appropriate
jacking location, find the
triangle (A) about 12 inches
(30.5 cm) from the front tire
or (B) about 10.5 inches (27 cm)
from the rear tire.
The triangle is located near each
wheel on the vehicle's exterior.
Notice: If a jack is used to raise
the vehicle without positioning it
correctly, the vehicle could be
damaged. When raising the
vehicle on a jack, avoid contact
with the rear axle control arms.
5. Attach the lug wrench to the jack, and turn the wrench
clockwise to raise the jack head
3 inches (7.6 cm).
6. Do not raise the vehicle yet. Put the compact spare tire near you.

Black plate (73,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-73
{WARNING
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.
{WARNING
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.7. Raise the vehicle by turning the
lug wrench clockwise in the jack.
Raise the vehicle far enough off
the ground so that there is
enough room for the spare tire to
fit under the wheel well.
8. Remove all the wheel nuts and the flat tire.
9. Remove the plastic spare tireheat shield by pulling the rubber
latch. Store the plastic spare tire
heat shield. See “Storing a Flat
or Spare Tire and Tools” later in
this section for more information.

Black plate (74,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
10-74 Vehicle Care
{WARNING
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on the
parts to which it is fastened, can
make wheel nuts become loose
after time. The wheel could come
off and cause an accident. When
changing a wheel, remove any
rust or dirt from places where the
wheel attaches to the vehicle. In
an emergency, 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. SeeIf a Tire Goes Flat
on page 10‑58.
{WARNING
Never use oil or grease on bolts
or nuts because the nuts might
come loose. The vehicle's wheel
could fall off, causing a crash.
10. Remove any rust or dirt from the wheel bolts, mounting
surfaces, and spare wheel.
11. Place the spare tire on the wheel mounting surface.
12. Put the nuts on by hand by turning them clockwise until the
wheel is held against the
mounting surface. Make sure
the rounded end is toward the
wheel.
13. Lower the vehicle by attaching the lug wrench to
the jack and turning the
wrench counterclockwise.
Lower the jack completely.
{WARNING
Wheel nuts that are improperly or
incorrectly tightened can cause
the wheels to become loose or
come off. The wheel nuts should
be tightened with a torque wrench
to the proper torque specification
after replacing. Follow the torque
specification supplied by the
aftermarket manufacturer when
using accessory locking wheel
nuts. See Capacities and
Specifications
on page 12‑2for
original equipment wheel nut
torque specifications.
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. See
Capacities and Specifications
on
page 12‑2for the wheel nut
torque specification.

Black plate (75,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-75
14. Tighten the wheel nuts firmly ina crisscross sequence, as
shown.
Notice: Wheel covers will not fit
on your vehicle's compact spare.
If you try to put a wheel cover on
the compact spare, the cover or
the spare could be damaged.
Storing the Spare Tire
{WARNING
The underbody-mounted spare
tire needs to be stored with the
valve stem pointing down. If the
spare tire is stored with the valve
stem pointing upwards, the
secondary latch will not work
properly and the spare tire could
loosen and suddenly fall from the
vehicle. If this happened when
the vehicle was being driven, the
tire might contact a person or
another vehicle, causing injury
and damage to itself. Be sure the
underbody-mounted spare tire is
stored with the valve stem
pointing down.
{WARNING
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.
To store the spare tire:
1. Lay the compact spare tire near the rear of the vehicle with the
valve stem down.
2. Reinstall the plastic spare tire heat shield on the compact
spare tire.
3. Slide the cable retainer through the center of the wheel and start
to raise the compact spare tire.
Make sure the retainer is fully
seated across the underside of
the wheel.

Black plate (76,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
10-76 Vehicle Care
4. When the compact spare tire isalmost in the stored position,
turn the tire so the valve is
toward the rear of the vehicle.
This position helps when
checking the air pressure in the
compact spare tire.
5. Raise the tire fully against the underside of the vehicle.
Continue turning the lug wrench
until you feel more than two
clicks. This indicates that the
compact spare tire is secure and
the cable is tight. The spare tire
hoist cannot be overtightened.
6. Make sure the tire is stored
securely. Push, pull (A), and then
try to turn (B) the tire. If the tire
moves, use the lug wrench to
tighten the cable.
Storing the Flat Tire
1. Remove the cable package fromthe jack storage area.
2. Remove the small center cap by tapping the back of the cap with
the extension of the shaft, if the
vehicle has aluminum wheels.
3. Put the flat tire in the rear storage area with the valve stem
pointing toward the rear of the
vehicle.

Black plate (77,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-77
4. Pull the cable (A) through thedoor striker (E), the center of the
wheel (D), and the plastic spare
tire heat shield (C), as shown.5. Hook the cable onto the outsideportion of the liftgate hinges (B).
6. Hook the other end of the cable onto the outside portion of the
liftgate hinge on the other side of
the vehicle.
7. Pull on the cable to make sure it is secure.8. Make sure the metal tube iscentered at the striker. Push the
tube toward the front of the
vehicle.
9. Close the liftgate and make sure it is latched properly.

Black plate (78,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
10-78 Vehicle Care
Storing the Tools
A. Tool Bag
B. Wing Bolt
C. Jack
Put back all tools as they were
stored in the jack storage
compartment and put the
compartment cover back on.
1. Ensure that the bottom of thejack is facing toward you.
2. Turn the jack (C) on its side and place down on the holding
bracket. 3. Reinstall the wing bolt (B) by
turning clockwise.
4. To replace the cover, line up the tab at the front of the cover with
the notch in the cover opening.
Push the cover in place and
make sure that the rear clips are
in the slots and push the cover
closed.
Store the center cap or the plastic
bolt‐on wheel covers until a full size
tire is put back on the vehicle. When
you replace the compact spare with
a full‐size tire, reinstall the bolt‐on
wheel covers or the center cap.
Hand‐tighten them over the wheel
nuts, using the lug wrench.
Secondary Latch System
This vehicle has an underbody
mounted tire hoist assembly that
has a secondary latch system. It is
designed to stop the compact spare
tire from suddenly falling off the
vehicle if the cable holding the
spare tire is damaged. For the
secondary latch to work, the tire
must be stowed with the valve stem
pointing down. See Tire Changing
on page 10‑69for instructions on
storing the spare tire correctly.
{WARNING
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.

Black plate (79,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
Vehicle Care 10-79
To release the spare tire from the
secondary latch:
{WARNING
Someone standing too close
during the procedure could be
injured by the jack. If the spare
tire does not slide off the jack
completely, make sure no one is
behind you or on either side of
you as you pull the jack out from
under the spare.
1. If the cable is not visible, start this procedure at Step 3.
All‐Wheel‐Drive Vehicle shown
2. Turn the lug wrench counterclockwise until
approximately 6 inches (15 cm)
of cable is exposed.
3. Attach the lug wrench to the jack and raise the jack at least
10 turns.
4. Place the jack under the vehicle, ahead of the rear bumper.
Position the center lift point of
the jack under the center of the
spare tire. 5. Turn the lug wrench clockwise to
raise the jack until it lifts the
secondary latch spring.
6. Keep raising the jack until the spare tire stops moving upward
and is held firmly in place. This
lets you know that the secondary
latch has released and the spare
tire is balancing on the jack.
7. Lower the jack by turning the lugwrench counterclockwise. Keep
lowering the jack until the spare
tire slides off the jack.

Black plate (80,1)Chevrolet Traverse Owner Manual - 2011
10-80 Vehicle Care
8. Disconnect the lug wrench fromthe jack and carefully remove
the jack. Use one hand to push
against the spare tire while firmly
pulling the jack out from under
the spare tire with the
other hand.
9. Tilt the retainer and slip it through the wheel opening when
the spare tire has been
completely lowered.
10. Turn the lug wrench clockwise to raise the cable back up if the
cable is hanging. Have the hoist shaft assembly
inspected as soon as you can. You
will not be able to store a spare tire
using the hoist assembly until it has
been repaired or replaced.
Compact Spare Tire
{WARNING
Driving with more than one
compact spare tire at a time could
result in loss of braking and
handling. This could lead to a
crash and you or others could be
injured. Use only one compact
spare tire at a time.
The compact spare tire, if the
vehicle has one, was fully inflated
when the vehicle was new, however,
it can lose air after a time. Check
the inflation pressure regularly.
It should be 60 psi (420 kPa). After installing the compact spare
on the vehicle, stop as soon as
possible and make sure the spare
tire is correctly inflated. 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
finish your trip and have the full-size
tire repaired or replaced at your
convenience. Of course, it is best to
replace the spare with a full-size tire
as soon as possible. The spare tire
will last longer and be in good
shape in case it is needed again.
Notice:
When the compact spare
is installed, do not take the
vehicle through an automatic car
wash with guide rails. The
compact spare can get caught on
the rails which can damage the
tire, wheel and other parts of the
vehicle.
Do not use the compact spare on
other vehicles.