Author Topic: Help..spare tire (Read 1640 times)

beenthere · « **on:** January 03, 2009, 07:13:36 pm »

Not for the weight loss thread....

I have run into a problem, when I decided to drop the spare tire off my GM Chevy Trailblazer.
Followed the directions, and turned the crank handle to supposedly lower the spare that is hanging on a cable. Appreciate any help from the Forum. Thanks

It came down about 3 inches and no more. Now it will not go back up, nor will it come further down, regardless of how much cranking on the handle.

Pics showing the bracket hanging off the cable end, and one showing the bracket held up off the knob on the end of the cable. Spare tire is seen above this bracket, held up with a strap.

I'm trying to decide if this "end" is supposed to come off to be able to remove the bracket, and is just rusted, or if the cable is hung up in the "winch" mechanism (which I cannot see).

breederman · « **Reply #1 on:** January 03, 2009, 07:21:56 pm »

The dingus on the end stays on. I would guess that the cable is hung up. Are you down far enough to stuff the dingus through the hole so you can get the tire off?

beenthere · « **Reply #2 on:** January 03, 2009, 07:35:44 pm »

That was kind of what I was afraid of...but good to know that the dingus on the end isn't supposed to come off. I cannot get it down far enough to thread the cross piece back through the rim/hole.

Maybe I need to somehow add weight or a stong pull on the cable to see if it will release from the "winch" (which I cannot see as it is above the tire).

I'll try to jack the tire up tight, and see again if the cross piece will thread through. Thinking I need a cutting torch. Might get in there with the sawzall.

thanks

Burlkraft · « **Reply #3 on:** January 03, 2009, 07:43:21 pm »

Mebby you should shoot it with a shotgun ..........

It don't look like even Rust Reaper can help that $:-\$ $:-\$

breederman · « **Reply #4 on:** January 03, 2009, 07:48:42 pm »

The I'm not a mechanic, nor do I play one on tv, but If it were mine I'd probably end up pulling on it until it came down or something broke, then put the spare in the back seat.

Burlkraft · « **Reply #5 on:** January 03, 2009, 07:51:14 pm »

Quote from: breederman on January 03, 2009, 07:48:42 pm

The I'm not a mechanic, nor do I play one on tv, but If it were mine I'd probably end up pulling on it until it came down or something broke, then put the spare in the back seat.

jbeat · « **Reply #6 on:** January 03, 2009, 07:56:14 pm »

If the cable has not been altered there should be enough to let the tire to the ground and drag it partially out from under the vehicle. Then turn up and push the self centering plate through the center hole. Easy process if things aren't rusted to the point of having to rip and tear. Looks like you may as well cut the cable and end the agony.

beenthere · « **Reply #7 on:** January 03, 2009, 07:59:06 pm »

jbeat
Thanks (for not laughing...

)
What you suggest is the way it appears it is supposed to work. but 3 inches of cable just is not enough.

150,000 miles and I've never used the spare. Guess I might cut it free and forget having one. It would be worthless stuck under there like it is, if there had been a need for it.

I'm trying to think of a way to grab the end of the cable, and a lever to put some good pull on it, in hopes that the cable will come out of the "winch" mechanism.

In the meantime.....

breederman · « **Reply #8 on:** January 03, 2009, 08:17:00 pm »

Living here in the land of salt and rust and driving 35000 miles a year I have in fact broken them before. I now make a point of running the winch all the way out a couple times a year to keep it loose as well as to keep the spare from "welding" it self to the underside of the car. A stone hammer is a hard thing to find when you are sitting along side of a back road with a flat and the spare stuck up there like it will never come loose.

Reddog · « **Reply #9 on:** January 03, 2009, 08:17:29 pm »

150,000 is pretty good.
Most self deploy about 100,000 when the cable rusts through.
Then they try and say someone stole it. All that is left is the stub of the broken cable.

I have had to pry and turn the winch to get them to drop down in the past.

Gary_C · « **Reply #10 on:** January 03, 2009, 08:39:39 pm »

Looks to me like it's time to throw that chevy away and drive a new one over that spare. Should be able to get some good deals now. For a while some dealers were having a buy one, get one free deal. Get together with a friend and flip a coin on who buys.

beenthere · « **Reply #11 on:** January 03, 2009, 08:53:00 pm »

I'm taking your advice Gary..

New one is here, and just waiting for me to give them the money.
This old one I have sold..and thought I should switch the tires around so good ones are on the ground, and that is the reason for lowering the spare....shoulda left well enough alone.

Now, I discovered where the problem is...I thought the winch for the cable would be straight above the tire center. Nope, the cable runs up and across over the muffler where the winch is at. Have it unbolted, but not out yet. Cable is messed up some from my cranking it too much.

Here is the work area, with lever to put pull on the cable.

Here is the winch partially unbolted from the frame.

Here shows the cable nest caused by unwinding but not letting the tire pull the cable out. If I'd only known....

Gary_C · « **Reply #12 on:** January 03, 2009, 09:12:59 pm »

Good to see you are not working out in the snow.

So did Steve get the free one?

isawlogs · « **Reply #13 on:** January 03, 2009, 09:57:44 pm »

Its good to see you got to the problem and are fixing it . I have a friend that had the same issue ... but he took the easy way out ... He drove to work with cable a little loose , he only needs to drive 1/2 hour , got to the parking , let out some air from one tire and called CAA

That is a car assossiation that comes to help out the members .... well they freeed up his spare and put it on for him .

Corley5 · « **Reply #14 on:** January 03, 2009, 10:08:40 pm »

Dad was driving my old GMC last fall and on his way home from the woods noticed a tire and wheel laying along the road and thought that it looked like a tire and rim that would fit on the truck so he picked it up thinking he'd found a prize. The tire appeared almost new but was flat

After lunch he was putting the hitch on the old girl and noticed there wasn't a spare under it. He called me at work to ask if there had been one. There had been and he found it before someone else did

The cable rusted through after 14 years and 150,000 miles

Chuck White · « **Reply #15 on:** January 03, 2009, 10:15:00 pm »

Well, you came out ahead of me in the spare tire dept.
Besides my 97 Dodge p/u, we have a 2005 Grand Caravan.
A few weeks ago we started getting this flapping/clunking noise at certain speeds and thought it was coming from the spare tire area of the van.
Well, a few days later when our mechanic had it up on his hoist, I decided to do some checking and when I tipped the spare tire cover down, I immediately noticed that there wasn't a spare on top of the tire cover.

beenthere · « **Reply #16 on:** January 03, 2009, 11:09:33 pm »

Well, am a bit smarter now, but that's about all.

Became obvious that the cable nest wasn't going to unravel, so with the handy sawzall, cut the tube and cable.
No rust on the cable, but still took a lot of leverage (my 200 lbs) on the 4x4 to pull that cut cable through the tube and the tire down.
Last pic, I promise.

I'm thinking that I will try to make a bolt/hook to fasten that tire back in place. As I suspect it will be $300-400 to replace that piece of engineering. Mostly because I suspect the tube and bracket above the spare tire needs replacing too. That dingus on the end of the cable appears to be just an assembly that is likely handy to snap on the end of the cable at the factory, when tossing the spare tire on dead last. Tried opening it back up, but couldn't.

Corely5
I was going to just drive it to see if the bouncing would pull the cable through, but figured I'd lose the tire and cause something bad to happen on the road.

semologger · « **Reply #17 on:** January 06, 2009, 09:24:02 pm »

Dont ya hate it when something simple turns out to be a pain in the back.

LeeB · « **Reply #18 on:** January 06, 2009, 10:08:38 pm »

If you use a hooked bolt, Ford used to use them years ago, be aware that they too will rust up and you cannot get them off without tearing something up.

stonebroke · « **Reply #19 on:** January 07, 2009, 08:46:57 am »

That is what neverseize is for

Stonebroke

flip · « **Reply #20 on:** January 07, 2009, 10:29:55 am »

Other brands are not immune from that problem either. We have had a handfull of people over the last few years that have been driving down the road when their spare just "came off". Usually cable breaks where the ball is crimped on the end and when this happens you usually get to watch a show in the rear view mirror. Cable winch in back bottom of truck=bad idea.

cheyenne · « **Reply #21 on:** January 07, 2009, 04:30:46 pm »

And we wonder why the car companeys went broke....Cheyenne

stonebroke · « **Reply #22 on:** January 07, 2009, 05:27:11 pm »

Yeah but they all worked when they left the showroom.

Stonebroke

Ron Scott · « **Reply #23 on:** January 11, 2009, 07:18:35 pm »

Experienced the same problem with my 1993 Tacoma pickup. Luckily I was in a tire shop at the time and asked them to take the spare tire down. It took them quite awhile and effort to pry the cable and tire down with some deformation of the mechanism. A good spraying of Rust Reaper might have worked if we had some at the time.

Toyota has since replaced the cable with a chain mechanism which doesn't seem to freeze up like the cables did. At least I never had the problem over 265,000 miles with my 1996 Tacoma. The chain mechanism always worked the few times the spare was needed.

easymoney · « **Reply #24 on:** January 12, 2009, 09:16:24 am »

back several years ago i had an older datsun station wagon with the spare tire held up on the bottom . one day i was working in the yard near my car and i heard a plop. the spare tire had turned loose and fell down with the car standing still in my driveway.

News:

Author Topic: Help..spare tire (Read 1640 times)