Mercury Villager 1998 Owner's Manuals

3. Fit the hex-shaped end of the lug wrench over the hex nut in
the floor of the cargo area. Turn counterclockwise until the
cable extends far enough to lower the spare tire to the ground.
4. Continue to turn the hex nut counterclockwise until the
spare tire retainer can be seen for removal.
5. Remove the retainer from the center of the wheel. It may be
necessary to lift one end of the tire to disengage the
retainer.
The spare tire in the lowered position
Removing the spare tire retainer
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Stowing the spare tire
1. To raise the tire to the stowed position, lay the tire on the
ground with the inboard side facing up. Install the retainer
through the wheel center and slide the tire under the
vehicle. Fit the hex-shaped end of the lug wrench over the hex
nut in the floor of the cargo area. Turn the lug wrench
clockwise until the tire is raised to its original position
underneath the vehicle.
NOTE: The lug wrench ratchets when the tire is raised to the
stowed position. It will not allow you to over-tighten.
2. Check for proper seating against the underbody supports and
retighten if necessary.
WARNING
Make sure the spare tire and jacking equipment are
stowed and secured in the proper storage location.
Preparing to Change the Tire
You should only raise your vehicle with a jack properly placed at
the front or rear jacking points.
1. Make sure that your vehicle will not move or roll and that the
tires and jack are on a level, solid surface. Put the gearshift
lever in P (Park). Set the parking brake and block the wheel Ð
in both directions Ð that is diagonally opposite the tire that
you are changing.
WARNING
When one of the front wheels is off the ground, the
transaxle alone will not prevent the vehicle from moving
or slipping off the jack, even if the vehicle is in P
(Park).
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WARNING
To prevent the vehicle from moving when you change a
tire, be sure the parking brake is set, then block (in both
directions) the wheel that is diagonally opposite (other
side and end of the vehicle) to the tire being changed.
WARNING
If the vehicle slips off the jack, you or someone else could
be seriously injured.
2. Remove the spare tire and jack. See previous section for
instructions on spare tire removal. The jack is located in the rear
storage compartment in the right door panel of the cargo
area. You will have to unfasten the jack before removing it as
shown in the illustration. The jack handle is in the tool kit
located behind the jack.
NOTE: All occupants should be out of the vehicle while it is
on the jack.
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3. Insert the tapered end of the jack handle behind the wheel
cover of the tire to be changed and gently pry it off. When
you want to replace the wheel cover, simply align the valve stem
to the slot in the cover and press it back on.
Removing the wheel cover
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If you have optional cast-aluminum wheels, remove the wheel
cap to gain access to the lug nuts. Insert the tapered end of the jack
handle behind the notch in the wheel cap and gently pry it off.
To replace it, press it back on. You must line up the raised circle on
the back of the wheel cap with the indented area on the wheel
in order to press the wheel cap on.
4. Fit the hex-shaped end of the lug wrench over the wheel lug nuts
and loosen them one-half turn (counterclockwise). Do not
remove the wheel lug nuts until you raise the tire off the ground.
If your vehicle has the optional locking lug nuts, you must
use the lug nut removal tool provided with your vehicle's tool
kit.
Removing the optional wheel cap
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5. Fit the jack under the proper jacking point indicated by the notch
in the bottom of the door frame panel.
Anti-theft lug nut
The notches for the jack
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WARNING
Do not jack on the running board.
WARNING
To avoid injury, never run the engine with one wheel off
the ground, such as when changing a tire.
WARNING
To lessen the risk of personal injury, do not put any part
of your body under the vehicle while changing a tire.
Do not start the engine when your vehicle is on the jack.
The jack is only meant for changing the tire.
Placing the jack
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WARNING
Never raise your vehicle by using a bumper jack. The
bumper could be damaged or the jack could slip and you
could be injured.
6. Insert the jack handle into the jack, and then slide the tapered
end of the jack handle through one of the slots in the lug nut
wrench. All of these tools are needed to jack up a vehicle.
NOTE: If Ford Accessory Running Boards have been installed,
use the jack adapters supplied with the running boards
as described on the inside of the jack storage area
cover.
The jack and handle assembly
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7. Turn the lug nut wrench (attached to the jack handle)
clockwise to raise the vehicle off the ground.
8. Remove the wheel lug nuts with the lug nut wrench.
9. Remove the flat tire and replace it with the spare tire.
10. Place the wheel lug nuts on the spare tire. Use the lug nut
wrench to screw the lug nuts snug against the wheel, but
do not tighten fully.
11. Lower the vehicle by turning the jack handle
counterclockwise.
12. Use the wheel lug wrench to tighten lug nuts in the
appropriate sequence. Re-check for complete tightness.
The lug nuts should be tightened to 72-87 ft-lb (98-118 N²m).
Lug nut tightening sequence
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WARNING
Never use wheels or lug nuts different than the original
equipment as this could damage the wheel or mounting
system. This damage could allow the wheels to come
off while the vehicle is being driven.
13. Replace the wheel cover by pressing it into place. If you have
the standard wheel covers, you must align the notch in the
wheel cover with the tire's valve stem and align the recess in the
back of the wheel cover with one of the lug nuts. If you
have the optional aluminum wheel, press the center wheel
cap into place after matching up the design of the wheel cap
to the wheel.
14. Make sure the jack is securely fastened. When you replace
the jack in the jack storage compartment, place the base
against the square-shaped fastening bracket and open the jack
slightly so that the jack is snug against the fastening
brackets.
15. Store the flat tire under the vehicle just as you would store
the spare tire. Refer to the section onStowing the Spare Tire
in this chapter.
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