spare tire HUMMER H3 2006 Owners Manual

Off-Road Driving
This off-road guide is meant to provide advice for when
you drive your vehicle off paved roads. Also, see
Braking on page 4-6.
Off-road driving can be great fun. But it does have
some denite hazards. The greatest of these is
the terrain itself.
“Off-roading” means you have left the great North
American road system behind. Traffic lanes are not
marked. Curves are not banked. There are no
road signs. Surfaces can be slippery, rough, uphill or
downhill. In short, you have gone right back to nature.
Off-road driving involves some new skills. And that
is why it is very important that you read this guide.
You will nd many driving tips and suggestions.
These will help make your off-road driving safer
and more enjoyable.
Before You Go Off-Roading
There are some things to do before you go out. For
example, be sure to have all necessary maintenance
and service work done. Check to make sure all
underbody shields are properly attached. Make sure any
equipment you may need — rst aid kit, cell phone,
ashlight, etc. — is securely stored in the vehicle.
Be sure you read all the information about your
four-wheel-drive vehicle in this manual. Is there enough
fuel? Is the spare tire fully inated? Are the uid
levels up where they should be? What are the local
laws that apply to off-roading where you will be driving?
If you do not know, you should check with law
enforcement people in the area. Will you be on
someone’s private land? If so, be sure to get the
necessary permission.
4-17

Your spare tire carrier is behind the tailgate. If your
hitch extension is too short, the spare tire may interfere
with trailer coupling or trailer tongue jack operation
on some types of trailers.
After you’ve loaded your trailer, weigh the trailer
and then the tongue, separately, to see if the weights
are proper. If they aren’t, you may be able to get
them right simply by moving some items around in
the trailer.
Total Weight on Your Vehicle’s Tires
Be sure your vehicle’s tires are inated to the upper limit
for cold tires. You’ll nd these numbers on the
Certication label at the rear edge of the driver’s door or
seeLoading Your Vehicle on page 4-52. Then be
sure you don’t go over the GVW limit for your vehicle,
or the GAWR, including the weight of the trailer tongue.
If you use a weight distributing hitch, make sure you
don’t go over the rear axle limit before you apply
the weight distribution spring bars.
Hitches
It’s important to have the correct hitch equipment.
Crosswinds, large trucks going by and rough roads are
a few reasons why you’ll need the right hitch.
Weight-Distributing Hitches and Weight
Carrying Hitches
When using a weight-distributing hitch, the hitch must
be adjusted so that the distance (A) remains the
same both before and after coupling the trailer to the
tow vehicle.(A) Body-to-Ground Distance (B) Front of Vehicle
4-63

Buying New Tires.........................................5-66
Different Size Tires and Wheels......................5-67
Uniform Tire Quality Grading..........................5-68
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance..................5-69
Wheel Replacement......................................5-69
Tire Chains..................................................5-71
If a Tire Goes Flat........................................5-72
Changing a Flat Tire.....................................5-73
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools................5-75
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire................................................5-77
Storing a Flat or Spare Tire and Tools................5-82
Spare Tire...................................................5-84
Appearance Care............................................5-85
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle.................5-85
Fabric/Carpet...............................................5-87
Leather.......................................................5-87
Instrument Panel, Vinyl, and Other
Plastic Surfaces........................................5-88
Care of Safety Belts......................................5-88
Weatherstrips...............................................5-88Washing Your Vehicle...................................5-89
Cleaning Exterior Lamps/Lenses.....................5-89
Finish Care..................................................5-89
Windshield, Backglass, and Wiper Blades.........5-90
Aluminum Wheels.........................................5-91
Tires...........................................................5-91
Sheet Metal Damage.....................................5-92
Finish Damage.............................................5-92
Underbody Maintenance................................5-92
Chemical Paint Spotting.................................5-93
Vehicle Care/Appearance Materials..................5-93
Vehicle Identication......................................5-94
Vehicle Identication Number (VIN).................5-94
Service Parts Identication Label.....................5-95
Electrical System............................................5-95
Add-On Electrical Equipment..........................5-95
Windshield Wiper Fuses................................5-95
Power Windows and Other Power Options.......5-96
Fuses and Circuit Breakers............................5-96
Engine Compartment Fuse Block....................5-97
Capacities and Specications........................5-102
Section 5 Service and Appearance Care
5-2

Headlamp Aiming
The vehicle has a visual optical headlamp aiming
system. The aim has been preset at the factory and
should need no further adjustment.
However, if the vehicle is damaged in an accident,
the headlamp aim may be affected and adjustment may
be necessary.
If oncoming vehicles ash their high beams at you, this
may also mean the vertical aim needs to be adjusted.
It is recommended that the vehicle is taken to your
dealer for service if the headlamps need to be re-aimed.
It is possible however, to re-aim the headlamps as
described in the following procedure.The vehicle should be properly prepared as follows:The vehicle should be placed so the headlamps
are 25 ft. (7.6 m) from a light colored wall or
other at surface.
The vehicle must have all four tires on a level
surface which is level all the way to the wall or
other at surface.
The vehicle should be placed so it is perpendicular
to the wall or other at surface.
The vehicle should not have any snow, ice,
or mud on it.
The vehicle should be fully assembled and all other
work stopped while headlamp aiming is being
performed.
The vehicle should be normally loaded with a
full tank of fuel and one person or 160 lbs (75 kg)
sitting on the driver’s seat.
Tires should be properly inated.
The spare tire is in its original location in the vehicle.
5-46

Ination - Tire Pressure
Tires need the correct amount of air pressure to operate
effectively.
Notice:Do not let anyone tell you that
under-ination or over-ination is all right. It is not.
If your tires do not have enough air (under-ination),
you can get the following:
Too much exing
Too much heat
Tire overloading
Premature or irregular wear
Poor handling
Reduced fuel economy
If your tires have too much air (over-ination),
you can get the following:
Unusual wear
Poor handling
Rough ride
Needless damage from road hazardsA Tire and Loading Information label is attached to the
vehicle’s center pillar (B-pillar), below the driver’s
door latch. This label shows your vehicle’s original
equipment tires and the correct ination pressures for
your tires when they are cold. The recommended
cold tire ination pressure, shown on the label, is the
minimum amount of air pressure needed to support your
vehicle’s maximum load carrying capacity.
For additional information regarding how much weight
your vehicle can carry, and an example of the tire
and loading information label, seeLoading Your Vehicle
on page 4-52. How you load your vehicle affects
vehicle handling and ride comfort, never load your
vehicle with more weight than it was designed to carry.
When to Check
Check your tires once a month or more. Also check
the tire pressure of the spare tire. If you have a
compact spare tire, it should be at 60 psi (420 kPa).
SeeSpare Tire on page 5-84for additional information.
5-60

How to Check
Use a good quality pocket-type gage to check tire
pressure. You cannot tell if your tires are properly inated
simply by looking at them. Radial tires may look properly
inated even when they are underinated. Check the
tire’s ination pressure when the tires are cold.
Cold means your vehicle has been sitting for at least
three hours or driven no more than 1 mile (1.6 km).
Remove the valve cap from the tire valve stem. Press
the tire gage rmly onto the valve to get a pressure
measurement. If the cold tire ination pressure matches
the recommended pressure on the Tire and Loading
Information label, no further adjustment is necessary.
If the ination pressure is low, add air until you reach the
recommended amount.
If you overll the tire, release air by pushing on the
metal stem in the center of the tire valve. Recheck the
tire pressure with the tire gage.
Be sure to put the valve caps back on the valve stems.
They help prevent leaks by keeping out dirt and
moisture.
Tire Pressure Monitor System
Your vehicle is equipped with a Tire Pressure Monitor
System (TPMS). This system uses radio and sensor
technology to check tire pressure levels. TPMS sensors
are mounted onto each tire and wheel assembly on
your vehicle, including the spare tire. The TPMS sensors
transmit tire pressure readings to a receiver located in
the vehicle.
Each tire, including the spare (if provided), should be
checked monthly when cold and inated to the ination
pressure recommended by the vehicle manufacturer
on the vehicle placard or tire ination pressure label.
When the low tire pressure
telltale is illuminated, one
or more of your tires is
signicantly under-inated.
You should stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inate them to the proper pressure. Driving
on a signicantly under-inated tire causes the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure. Under-ination also
reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and may affect
the vehicle’s handling and stopping ability.
5-61

Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable on the
tire sidewall between tread shoulder and maximum
section width. For example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
The following information relates to the system
developed by the United States National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration, which grades tires by
treadwear, traction and temperature performance.
(This applies only to vehicles sold in the United States.)
The grades are molded on the sidewalls of most
passenger car tires. The Uniform Tire Quality Grading
system does not apply to deep tread, winter-type
snow tires, space-saver or temporary use spare tires,
tires with nominal rim diameters of 10 to 12 inches
(25 to 30 cm), or to some limited-production tires.
While the tires available on General Motors passenger
cars and light trucks may vary with respect to these
grades, they must also conform to federal safety
requirements and additional General Motors Tire
Performance Criteria (TPC) standards.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on
the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specied government test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and
a half (1.5) times as well on the government course as
a tire graded 100. The relative performance of tires
depends upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart signicantly from the norm
due to variations in driving habits, service practices and
differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction – AA, A, B, C
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are AA, A,
B, and C. Those grades represent the tire’s ability
to stop on wet pavement as measured under controlled
conditions on specied government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance. Warning: The traction grade
assigned to this tire is based on straight-ahead braking
traction tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction characteristics.
5-68

When you have a at tire, you will rst need to set up
the wheel blocks before changing it. They are located in
the tool bag, in the swing-gate. SeeRemoving the
Spare Tire and Tools on page 5-75for more information.
To use the wheel blocks,
lift the wheel block as
shown and lock into place.Then, use the following as a guide to assist you in the
placement of the wheel blocks.
The following information will tell you next how to use
the jack and change a tire.
5-74

Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The equipment you will need is located in the
swing-gate, behind a cover. To remove the equipment,
do the following:
1. Open the swing-gate. SeeSwing-gate on page 2-9
for more information.
2. Remove the cover by lifting the two latches.
3. Turn the wing nut counterclockwise to release the
jack tool bag and jack.
4. Remove the tool bag and jack from its compartment.5. Undo the straps that secure the jack tool bag to
the jack.
6. Open the tool bag and you will nd the following
tools, which you will use to remove the spare tire
and at tire:
A. Wheel Wrench
B. Jack Handle
ExtensionsC. Jack Handle
D. Jack
E. Wheel Blocks
5-75

The spare tire is attached to the swing-gate. To remove
the spare tire, do the following:
1. Remove the center cap
by placing the at end
of the wheel wrench
in the slot on the wheel
and gently pry the
center cap out.2. Use the wheel wrench
to remove the wheel
nuts securing the
spare tire.
If your vehicle has
locking lug nuts,
the key is supplied
in the tool bag.
Use the key along with
the wheel wrench to
remove the wheel nuts
from the tire.
3. Pull off and gently lower the spare tire to the
ground. Set it next to the at tire.
In order to remove the spare tire, you may need
someone to assist you.
5-76