CHEVROLET VENTURE 1998 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 fiiy.
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.
Air Inflator (Option)
Your vehicle may have an air inflator used to bring tires
up to the proper pressure. See “Accessory Inflator
System” in the Index for more details.
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.
- 1
’ A 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 firmly.
2. Put the shift lever in PARK (P).
3. I’urn 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.
i-24
ProCarManuals.com

The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change
a tire.
-- le and Tools
The equipment you’ll
need is
in the storage
compartment at the rear
of the vehicle, on the
passenger’s side.
Remove
the side convenience nets. Open the jack
storage compartment by lifting up the tab and pulling
the cover off.
5-25
ProCarManuals.com

INSTRUCTIONS
I JACK & TOOL STORAGE
Remove the jack and jacking tools by loosening the
wing nut and bracket.
Separate the plastic pouch from the jack and remove the
jacking tools (folding wrench and shaft) from the pouch.
EXTENSION (CHISEL END)
SPARE TIRE
IS STORED UNDER REAR COMPARTMENT FLOOR (VALVE STEM DOWN)
RETAINER
The compact spare tire is located under the vehicle,
ahead of the rear bumper. Insert the narrow end of the
shaft into the hole above the rear bumper. Then attach
the folding wrench to the shaft.
Rotate the folding wrench
to the left to lower the
compact spare tire until it can
be pulled from under
the vehicle.
5-26
ProCarManuals.com

Slide the cable retainer through the center of the spare,
then place the compact spare tire near the
flat tire.
€3
C
The tools you’ll be using include the jack (A), shaft (B)
and folding wrench (C).
5-27
ProCarManuals.com

P
J
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire
If your vehicle has aluminum wheels, use
the handle of the folding
wrench to pry
the large
center cap off.
Then with the other end of the wrench, loosen the nuts.
2. If your vehicle has the plastic “bolt-on” wheel
covers,
you cannot separate the nylon wheel nut caps
from the cover. Loosen them completely using the
folding wrench, and remove the wheel cover. If the
wheel nut caps have been completely loosened, the
wheel cover will come
off easily.
5-28
ProCarManuals.com

3. Loosen the wheel
nuts
-- but do not
remove them
-- using
the folding wrench.
(Turn the handle about
180 degrees, then flip
the handle back to the
starting position. This
avoids taking the wrench
off the lug nut for
each turn.)
(10 CM.) - 6 IN (15 CM.)
4. Near each wheel,
there
is a notch in the
vehicle’s body. Position
the jack and raise the
jack head until
it fits
firmly into the notch in
the vehicle’s frame
nearest the flat tire.
I NOTICE: I
Do not place the jack under the rear axle control
arms. Only use the areas shown for proper
jack location.
Do not raise the vehicle yet. Put the compact spare tire
near you.
ProCarManuals.com

A CAUT'ON:
-
Getting under a veh le 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.
'AP UTI
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 5-
Attach the folding
wrench to the jack, and
rotate the wrench
to the
right
to raise the jack
head a few inches.
6. Raise the vehicle by rotating the folding wrench to
the right in the jack. Raise the vehicle
far enough off
the ground
so there is enough room for the spare tire
to fit.
7. Remove all the wheel nuts and take off the flat tire.
5-30
ProCarManuals.com

A CAUTION:
8. Remove any rust or dirt
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.
'
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. -1
~~
9. Install the spare tire and 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.
5-31
ProCarManuals.com

10. Lower the vehicle by attaching the folding wheel
wrench
to the jack and rotating the wrench to the
left. Lower the jack completely.
L
a CAUTION:
11. Tighten the wheel nuts
firmly in a criss-cross
sequence,
as shown.
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 lb-ft
(140 Nom).
ProCarManuals.com

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 a wheel cover
on the compact spare tire.
It won’t fit. Store the wheel cover securely in the rear
of
the vehicle until you have the flat tire repaired or
replaced.
I 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.
Storing a Flat or 5are Tire and Tools
A 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.
Lay
the tire near the rear of the vehicle with the valve
stem down. Slide the cable retainer through the center
of
the wheel and start to raise the tire. When the tire is
almost in the stored position, turn the tire so the valve is
towards the rear
of the vehicle. This will help when you
check and maintain tire pressure in the spare.
Keep raising the wheel until you hear the hoist
mechanism click twice. This means the wheel
is firmly
stored against the underside
of the vehicle. Push
against the wheel to be sure
it does not move and is
stored securely.
5-33
ProCarManuals.com