spare wheel SATURN L-SERIES 2004 Owners Manual

When to Check
Check your tires once a month or more.
Don’t forget your compact spare tire. It should be at
60 psi (420 kPa).
How to Check
Use a good quality pocket-type gage to check tire
pressure. You can’t tell if your tires are properly inated
simply by looking at them. Radial tires may look
properly inated even when they’re 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 Inspection and Rotation
Tires should be rotated every 5,000 to 8,000 miles
(8 000 to 13 000 km).
Any time you notice unusual wear, rotate your tires as
soon as possible and check wheel alignment. Also
check for damaged tires or wheels. SeeWhen It Is Time
for New Tires on page 5-64andWheel Replacement
on page 5-67for more information.
The purpose of regular rotation is to achieve more
uniform wear for all tires on the vehicle. The rst rotation
is the most important. SeeScheduled Maintenance
on page 6-4for scheduled rotation intervals.
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When rotating your tires, always use the correct rotation
pattern shown here.
Don’t include the compact spare tire in your tire rotation.
If you are towing your Saturn vehicle with all four
wheels on the ground, the transaxle and tire
maintenance should be scheduled by mileage
accumulated through both driving and towing, not to
driven (odometer) mileage. Tire wear will reect actual
“rolling” mileage and may be greater than expected
for the current odometer mileage.
After the tires have been rotated, adjust the front and
rear ination pressures as shown on the Tire-Loading
Information label. Make certain that all wheel bolts
are properly tightened. See “Wheel Bolt Torque” under
Capacities and Specications on page 5-98.
{CAUTION:
Rust or dirt on a wheel, or on the parts to
which it is fastened, can make wheel bolts
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
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. See “Changing a Flat
Tire” in the Index.
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{CAUTION:
Mixing tires could cause you to lose control
while driving. If you mix tires of different sizes
or types (radial and bias-belted tires), the
vehicle may not handle properly, and you
could have a crash. Using tires of different
sizes may also cause damage to your vehicle.
Be sure to use the same size and type tires on
all wheels. It’s all right to drive with your
compact spare temporarily, it was developed
for use on your vehicle. See “Compact Spare
Tire” in the index.
{CAUTION:
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle, the
wheel rim anges could develop cracks after
many miles of driving. A tire and/or wheel
could fail suddenly, causing a crash. Use only
radial-ply tires with the wheels on your vehicle.
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 Saturn 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.
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The following steps will tell you how to use the jack and
change a tire.
Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
(Sedan)
The equipment you’ll need is located in the trunk.
1. Open the jack access door on the left side panel of
the trunk.
2. Remove the nut that holds the jack in place and
remove the jack together with the wheel wrench.
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3. Lift the trunk liner and place the plastic hook in the
lip of the trunk.
4. Remove the nut that holds down the spare tire.
5. Remove the compact spare tire. SeeCompact
Spare Tire on page 5-81
6. The wheel wrench is held in place by two clips
which are attached to the jack. Remove the
wheel wrench from the jack.
7. Fold out the socket portion of the wrench from the
handle.Removing the Spare Tire and Tools
(Wagon)
The equipment you’ll need is in the cargo area.
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1. Lift up the spare tire cover by the handle. Fold the
side panels in and then attach the cover to the
liftgate with the hook provided.
2. Remove the nut that holds down the spare tire.
3. Remove the compact spare tire. SeeCompact
Spare Tire on page 5-81
4. Remove the wing-bolt that holds the jack in place
and remove the jack together with the wheel
wrench.5. The wheel wrench is held in place by two clips
which are attached to the jack. Remove the
wheel wrench from the jack.
6. Fold out the socket portion of the wrench from the
handle.
The tools you’ll be using include the jack (A) and wheel
wrench (B).
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Removing the Wheel
You must take off the wheel cover or hubcap to reach
the wheel bolts.
For steel wheels with full plastic covers and aluminum
wheels with large circular center caps, do the following:
1. Loosen all ve hex-shaped plastic caps by turning
the wrench counterclockwise. Do not try to remove
plastic caps from the cover or center cap.
2. Pull the cover or center cap away from the wheel
and place it in the trunk.
When reinstalling full plastic covers or center caps,
tighten all ve plastic caps hand snug with the aid of the
wheel wrench and tighten them with the wheel wrench
an additional one–quarter of a turn.
Removing the Flat Tire and Installing
the Spare Tire
1. Use the wheel wrench to loosen all the wheel nuts.
Don’t remove them yet.
2. The jack has a bolt head at the end. Attach the
wheel wrench to the jack bolt head and rotate
the wheel wrench clockwise (to the right). That will
raise the lift head a little.
3. Move the jack over to where the at tire is.
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6. 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 t underneath the wheel well.
7. Remove all of the wheel nuts.
8. Take off the tire and wheel.9. Remove any rust or dirt
from the wheel bolts,
mounting surfaces
and spare wheel.
{CAUTION:
Rust or dirt on the wheel, or on the parts to
which it is fastened, can make the wheel bolts
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.
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{CAUTION:
Never use oil or grease on wheel bolts. If you
do, the wheel bolts might come loose. Your
wheel could fall off, causing a serious
accident.
10. Place the compact spare tire on the wheel-mounting
surface.
11. Reinstall the wheel nuts. Tighten each nut by hand
until the wheel is held against the hub.
12. Lower the vehicle by turning the jack handle
counterclockwise.
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13. Tighten the wheel nuts
rmly in a crisscross
sequence, as shown.
{CAUTION:
Incorrect wheel bolts or improperly tightened
wheel bolts can cause the wheel to come loose
and even come off. This could lead to an
accident. Be sure to use the correct wheel
bolts. If you have to replace them, be sure to
get new Saturn original equipment wheel bolts.
Stop somewhere as soon as you can and have
the bolts tightened with a torque wrench to the
proper torque specication. SeeCapacities
and Specifications on page 5-98for the wheel
bolt torque specication.Notice:Improperly tightened wheel bolts can lead
to brake pulsation and rotor damage. To avoid
expensive brake repairs, evenly tighten the wheel
bolts in the proper sequence and to the proper
torque specication. SeeCapacities and
Specifications on page 5-98for the wheel bolt
torque specication.
14. Lower the jack all the way and remove the jack
from under the vehicle.
15. Tighten the bolts rmly with the wheel wrench.
Do not try to put a wheel cover on your compact spare
tire. It will not t. Store the wheel cover in the trunk
until you have the at tire repaired or replaced.
Notice:Wheel covers will not t on your compact
spare. If you try to put a wheel cover on the compact
spare, you could damage the cover or the spare.
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