Wheels and Tires: Service and Repair

Removal





1. CAUTION: Do not use heat to loosen a seized wheel nut. Heat can damage the wheel and wheel bearings.

Loosen the wheel nuts.
1 Remove the hub cap.
2 With the weight of the vehicle on the tires, loosen the wheel nuts.

2. CAUTION: Never use the differential housing as a lifting point.

Raise and support the vehicle.





3. CAUTION: Do not use heat to loosen a seized wheel because heat can damage the wheel and the wheel bearings. If the wheel cannot be removed by hand, use a wheel puller to remove the seized wheel.

Remove the wheel and tire assembly.
1 Remove the wheel nuts.
2 Remove the wheel and tire assembly, using a side-to-side rocking motion.

Installation

1. WARNING: When a wheel is installed, always remove any corrosion, dirt or foreign material present on the mounting surfaces of the wheel and the surface of the wheel hub, brake drum or brake disc that contacts the wheel. Installing wheels without correct metal-to-metal contact at the wheel mounting surfaces can cause the wheel nuts to loosen and the wheel to come off while the vehicle is in motion, causing loss of control.

Note: If there is significant corrosion of the nut or stud threads, lubricate the threads with a drop of oil prior to installation.

Note: When the wheel nuts are used to attach the mini-spare, and are correctly installed, the cone seat of the nut body will be in contact with the cone seat of the wheel. The washer on the nut will not be in contact with the wheel and will spin freely.

Clean the wheel and the wheel hub mounting surface.
2. Install the wheel and tire assembly.
1 Position the wheel and tire assembly.
2 Install the wheel nuts hand-tight, then lower the vehicle.





3. CAUTION: Failure to tighten the wheel nuts in a star pattern can result in high brake disc runout, which will speed up the development of brake roughness, shudder and vibration.

Tighten the wheel nuts to specification in a star-pattern sequence.