PONTIAC VIBE 2003 Owners Manual

5-20
2. Lift up the cargo area floor panel, remove the hook
attached to the bottom side of the panel and hook it
over the weatherstripping.
NOTICE:
Make sure to place the hook in the proper
location in order to avoid damaging the vehicle.
Be sure to remove the hook when finished and
place it back in its original position before closing
the liftgate.
3. Remove the jack from the tray on the right side of
the compartment and the jack handle and wheel
wrench from the top side of the compartment.

5-21
4. Unscrew the center retaining nut and lift up the
plastic tray to expose the compact spare tire.5. Unscrew the center bolt from the compact spare tire
and pull out the compact spare tire. See ªCompact
Spare Tireº later in this section for more information
about the compact spare tire.

5-22
The tools you'll be using include the jack (A), jack
handle (B) and wheel wrench (C).
6. Attach the jack handle to the jack.
7. Turn the jack handle clockwise to raise the lift head.
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing the
Spare Tire
1. Using the wheel wrench, loosen all the wheel nuts.
Don't remove them yet.

5-23
2. Position the jack and raise the jack lift head to fit
over the car flange between the two notches nearest
the tire.
CAUTION:
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.
CAUTION:
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.

5-24
3. Raise the vehicle by turning the jack handle
clockwise. Raise the vehicle far enough off the
ground so there is enough room for the compact
spare tire to fit underneath the wheel well.
4. Remove all the wheel
nuts and take off the
flat tire.
5. Remove any rust or dirt
from the wheel bolts,
mounting surfaces and
spare wheel.

5-25
CAUTION:
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.
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.
6. Reinstall 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.

5-26
7. Lower the vehicle by turning the jack handle
counterclockwise. Lower the jack completely.
8. Tighten the wheel
nuts firmly in a
crisscross sequence
as shown.

5-27
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 the
proper torque specification. See ªCapacities and
Specificationsº in the Index for the wheel nut
torque specification.
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 ªCapacities and
Specificationsº in the Index for the wheel nut
torque specification.

5-28 Storing the Flat Tire and Tools
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.
Return the jack, jack handle and wheel wrench to the
storage area. The compact spare tire storage area is
designed only for the compact spare tire, the standard
tire cannot be stored there.
To store the flat tire do the following:
1. If your vehicle has aluminum wheels, remove the
center wheel cap before storing the flat tire.
2. Place the flat tire on the rear cargo area floor panel
with the outer side of the wheel facing up
3. Use the tire tie
-down belts located under the floor
panel to secure the flat tire.
4. Hook the belts (end closest to the buckle) to the rear,
upper tie
-down hooks.

5-29
5. Pass the belts through the center hole of the wheel.
6. Attach the other end of the belts to the rear, lower
tie
-down hooks.
7. Position the tire edge against the rear center end of
the floor panel. Pull the end of the belts to make sure
the tire is secure.