Spare Tire Tribulations

[Envoy_04]

I had to change a flat on the Voy the other day, and I got a very quick reminder on how much of a pain it is to get the spare tire down due to the stupid secondary safety latch. I could NOT for the life of me get the thing to come down, not with several times of letting the spare up and down like the manual says, not with some rather harsh and aggravated beating and shaking from the underside, and not with cursing at repeatedly.

Finally, I stumbled onto the magic solution. I cranked the tire to the point where the weight of the tire was barely hanging on the cable, but the safety latch had not caught yet, and I reached under and spun the spare around and around with one hand, while then gently cranking it down with the other. This worked like a charm and on the first try. I'm considering cutting the secondary latch off so that it doesn't cause me this issue again, but I plan to do some testing on my method of getting it to release first to see if it works several times in repeated tests. If it does, I will leave the latch for safety's sake knowing that I have a method that will work to get it down. Just thought I'd post this info so that others who may be having the same issues could see it, and if anyone has their own technique that makes it easier for them feel free to post it.

 

[Wooluf1952]

Free-up the secondary latch with penetrating oil. Then grease it. (I use a spray-on white lithium grease.)
I do that every time I rotate the tires and never had a problem.

 

[meerschm]

http://www.vadengmpp.com/owners-manual/chevrolet/2004-Chevrolet-TrailBlazer.pdf

see 5-72

you can use the jack to push up and release.

(this will get the spare off, but then you will likely have to repair/replace the hoist.)

wooluf has the right idea, operate, and lubricate often. tire rotation is a good time, fall or spring is a good time too.

 

[kickass audio]

what I do with mine is I drop the tire down until the secondary latch stops it and then I pull the tire back up one turn so the latch isn't holding the tire up anymore but the winch is. Then i get under the truck and use a flat head screwdriver to pry over the secondary latch on the assembly and then I reach with my foot out to the tire iron and kick it so it is spinning to drop the tire down. After 2-3 turns you can pull the screw driver out and get out from under the truck and proceed with removing the tire completely. The only thing with this is that you need to know which part of the assembly has the latch for you to push it in and not out. My secret to this is that when you raise the tire up I let it turn around like it normally does when you winch it and then once it gets to be at the very top I hold it so the tabs for the secondary latch face my drivers side of the truck and then I hold the tire in that position and continue cranking it up until the winch clicks.

Mine was never maintained before I owned it so I had loaded up the cable with bearing grease and sprayed the death out of the secondary latch assembly with PB Blaster to free it up and I took a small screw driver and had use it to pry out the rust that was between the spring mechanism for the latch and the outer housing for the end of the cable. Mine was almost rusted shut, in fact it was so rusted that when I dropped the tire the latch remained locked in an inward position from the rust build up.

As I said, all I did to mine was load the death out of the winch cable with bearing grease, I loaded it up 4 times because you lose grease in the tubing when it gets pulled in. I then sprayed the death out of the latch with pb blaster and cleaned it out.

 

[smokey262]

Simple solution is flip the tire over, then that POS latch is irrelevant and you can check your spare tire pressure while it is still up in place. I did grease the cable though

 

[blazinlow89]

The best solution is to remove it in preparation to ship it to playsinsnow.

 

[Darkrider_LS]

The best solution is to remove it in preparation to ship it to playsinsnow.

And then replace it with the hitch mounted/bumper mounted spare tire carrier of ones choice....

 

[blazinlow89]

And then replace it with the hitch mounted/bumper mounted spare tire carrier of ones choice....

I was admiring the one on offroadtb.com, however it would be some time before Wi could make something like that. Right now I'm looking at using a pintle plate and foldable one for an rv. Will cost about $50 in parts.

 

[Darkrider_LS]

The guy who makes MBD bumpers on here made this one for his awhile ago and this is the route i will prob be going now that i have studied it again and seen how he braced it up behind the bumper to stop it from wobbling.



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[Playsinsnow]

The best solution is to remove it in preparation to ship it to playsinsnow.

If it is in good working order I'll take it. I had to remove the entire carrier assembly. I just want something to bolt on for long trips and take off once home.

 

[Instrumental]

The previous owner flipped the spare on mine, I've left it that way to avoid the misery. My Aztek did not have any sort of latch, only the crank. Wife's windstar is the same way. Seems like a solution without a problem.

 

[Darkrider_LS]

I will probably flip mine soon so im not fighting with that latch at -30 lol

 

[JerryIrons]

Every time I rotate my tires, I lower the spare tire, take it off the cable, check pressure, blow dirt etc out of it, and then grease the hell out of the cable with synthetic grease before raising it back up. I have 180,000 miles on my tb and the spare tire raises and lowers like it was brand new.

If you think it's hard now, wait until you are on your way to a friends house for dinner with the family staring at you.

-Jerry

 

[Envoy_04]

Thanks for all the responses guys!

I've greased the cable and greased the heck out of the secondary latch and put it back under for now just the way it came out. If it gives me trouble again I'll just flip it so I can easily check the pressure without lowering it. The plan now is to lower it frequently enough for PM that it doesn't become a pain plus I can avoid a half flat spare again. I always wondered what purpose the latch served - my old high school ride, a 93 S10, has the winch system for the spare and it doesn't have a safety latch and it's never once offered to fall.

 

[meerschm]

the secondary latch is there in case the primary fails, so you don't drop the spare when you are moving along and just hit a bump.

this would be in case of failure.

I would ask anyone who has flipped the spare to frequently check that the cable and latch are operating well. esp. check the cable for any kinks or frays. this is double for folks in the rust belt as these get older.

I do not want your spare in my lane should I be behind you.

this is not a frequent event, but just google up "spare tire fell off"

 

[smokey262]

The spare on my 1997 Chevy K1500 does not have a latch, nor did the one on my 1997 Explorer, 2005 Explorer, and 2010 Explorer Sport Trac. The spares have never fallen off. Ever. Having the valve stem on top is just plain stupid and a bad design.

 

[blazinlow89]

The spare on my 1997 Chevy K1500 does not have a latch, nor did the one on my 1997 Explorer, 2005 Explorer, and 2010 Explorer Sport Trac. The spares have never fallen off. Ever. Having the valve stem on top is just plain stupid and a bad design.

Remember that for every 1 person that does maintain their vehicle there is a proportion that does not. The cables have snapped on people, usually while raising or lowering but it is entirely possible to happen with no user input. You would also be purposely bypassing a safety system which can be a crime.

A good reason to keep the valve stem up. Let's say you run over some road debits that gives you flat. By the off chance a piece of that debris contacts the valve stem and damages it causing air to leak. Now you have no spare because rotating the tire 1/2 a turn while lowering is that difficult. Not saying it has happened, but it is possible.

 

[Wooluf1952]

Remember that for every 1 person that does maintain their vehicle there is a proportion that does not. The cables have snapped on people, usually while raising or lowering but it is entirely possible to happen with no user input. You would also be purposely bypassing a safety system which can be a crime.

A good reason to keep the valve stem up. Let's say you run over some road debits that gives you flat. By the off chance a piece of that debris contacts the valve stem and damages it causing air to leak. Now you have no spare because rotating the tire 1/2 a turn while lowering is that difficult. Not saying it has happened, but it is possible.

Agreed. Having the valve stem facing UP also forces you to lower the spare and do some preventative maintenance to the latch and cable when checking the pressure.

 

[xtitan1]

*looks sideways back and forth, slowly and inconspicuously backs away whistling... and then goes to truck to check spare tire for the first time*