Oldsmobile Aurora 1998 Owner's Manuals

Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change a tire. The equipment you'll need is in the trunk.
Instructions for changing your tires are
on the inside of
the tire cover. You can rest the cover near you for easy
reference while you change the tire.
1. Lift the tire cover to gain access to the spare tire and
2. Remove the wheel wrench and jack from the
jacking equipment.
jack
container.
3. Remove the spare tire from the trunk.
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The tools you'll be using include the jack (A) and the
wheel wrench
(B).
Insert the hooked end of the wheel wrench in one of the
two small notches in the center cover and pry the cover
off. Do not drop the cover or lay it face down, as it
could be scratched or damaged.
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Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the Spare Tire
3. Turn the wheel wrench to the left by hand to lower
the jack head until it fits under the vehicle.
1. Position the wheel wrench securely over the wheel
nuts to loosen, but don’t remove them.
2. Attach the wheel wrench to the bolt on the end of the
jack to create a jack handle.
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1 13.5 INCHES I
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4. Near each wheel well is a notch in the frame to
position the jack head. You’ll find the
word JACK
and an arrow stamped into the plastic near each
notch. Position the jack under the vehicle and raise
the jack head until it fits firmly against the sheet
metal next to the word
JACK. Do not raise the
vehicle yet. Put the compact spare near
you.
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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.
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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.
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5. Raise the vehicle by rotating the wheel wrench to the
right on the jack. Raise the vehicle
far enough off the
ground so there’s enough room for the spare tire
to fit.
4. Remove all the wheel nuts and take off the flat tire.
7. 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.
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
8. Place the spare tire on the wheel-mounting surface.

9. 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.
If a nut cannot be
tightened by hand, use
the wrench, and see your
retailer right away.
10. Lower the vehicle by rotating the wheel wrench to
the left on the jack. Lower the jack completely.
11. Using the wheel
wrench, tighten the
wheel
nuts firmly
in a crisscross
sequence
as shown.
1 CAUTION:
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).
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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.
12. Then replace the wheel cover. Be sure to position
the alignment pin
on the cover with the notch in the
wheel. Apply pressure around the edge
of the cap to
snap it in place. Do not use a hammer or mallet to
install the cover.
Don’t try to put the wheel cover on the compact
spare tire. It won’t fit. Store the wheel cover in the
trunk
until you have replaced the compact spare tire
with a regular tire.
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 the Flat 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.
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Store the flat tire as far forward in the trunk as possible.
Store the jack
and wheel wrench in their compartment in
the trunk. For storage,
the jack must be raised until the
screw
end is flush with the edge of the jack.
Storing the Spare Tire and Tools
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.
The compact spare tire is for temporary use only.
Replace the compact spare tire with a full-size tire as
soon as you can. See “Compact Spare Tire” later in this
section. See the storage instructions label
to replace your
compact spare into your trunk properly.
A
SPARE TIRE COVER
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Compact Spare Tire
Although the compact spare tire was fully inflated when
your vehicle was new, 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 your vehicle, you
should stop as
soon as possible and make sure your
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 your full-size tire
repaired or replaced where you want. Of course,
it’s best
to replace your spare with
a full-size tire as soon as you
can. Your spare will last longer and be in good shape in
case you need it again.
NOTICE:
When the compact spare is installed, don’t take
your vehicle through an automatic vehicle wash
with guide rails. The compact spare can get
caught on the rails. That can damage the tire and
wheel, and maybe other parts
of your vehicle.
Don’t use your compact spare on other vehicles.
And don’t mix your compact spare tire or wheel with
other wheels or tires. They won’t fit. Keep your spare
tire and its wheel together.
NOTICE:
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Tire chains won’t fit your compact spare. Using
them can damage your vehicle and can damage
the chains too. Don’t use tire chains on your
compact spare.

If You’re Stuck: In Sand, Mud,
Ice or Snow
What you don’t want to do when your vehicle is stuck is
to spin your wheels too fast. The method known as
“rocking”
can help you get out when you’re stuck, but
you must use caution.
If you let your tires spin at high speed, they can
explode, and you or others could be injured. And,
the transaxle or other parts of the vehicle can
overheat. That could cause an engine
compartment fire
or other damage. When you’re
stuck, spin the wheels as little as possible.
Don’t
spin the wheels above 35 mph (55 km/h) as shown
on the speedometer.
NOTICE:
Spinning your wheels can destroy parts of your
vehicle as well as the tires. If you spin the wheels
too
fast while shifting your transaxle back and
forth, you can destroy your transaxle.
For information about using tire chains on your vehicle,
see “Tire Chains” in the Index.
Rocking Your Vehicle To Get It Out
First, turn your steering wheel left and right. That will
clear the area around your fiont wheels.
You should turn
your traction control system off. (See “Traction Control
System”
in the Index.) Then shift back and forth
between REVERSE (R) and a forward gear, spinning the
wheels as little as possible. Release the accelerator pedal
while you shift, and press lightly on the accelerator
pedal when the transaxle
is in gear. If that doesn’t get
you out after a few tries, you may need to be towed out.
If you do need to be towed out, see “Towing Your
Vehicle” in the Index.
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