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Help! Spare Tire Won't Come Down


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I'm trying to get the spare off of the truck and it won't come down. The cable will lower all the way. The tire and the yoke that holds the tire will drop only about 4". The cable passes through, but the tire won't drop. I can shove the tire around, but it won't move down. Does anyone have a solution for this?

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I'm trying to get the spare off of the truck and it won't come down. The cable will lower all the way. The tire and the yoke that holds the tire will drop only about 4". The cable passes through, but the tire won't drop. I can shove the tire around, but it won't move down. Does anyone have a solution for this?

 

Crank it back up real tight till it clicks. This may release the safety catch. If not you will have to use the jack to jack up the tire some to release it. It is described in the manual.

 

I know this is closing the barn door after the horses have got out, but.... once a year or so I drop my spare and lube the safety catch and cable. Just so I don't get caught out at night, in the rain and the tire won't come down.

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I'm trying to get the spare off of the truck and it won't come down. The cable will lower all the way. The tire and the yoke that holds the tire will drop only about 4". The cable passes through, but the tire won't drop. I can shove the tire around, but it won't move down. Does anyone have a solution for this?

 

Crank it back up real tight till it clicks. This may release the safety catch. If not you will have to use the jack to jack up the tire some to release it. It is described in the manual.

 

I know this is closing the barn door after the horses have got out, but.... once a year or so I drop my spare and lube the safety catch and cable. Just so I don't get caught out at night, in the rain and the tire won't come down.

 

 

You just smear it in grease or spray something all over those parts?

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That safety catch is a pain in the ass for sure. The manual is somewhat useless in explaining how to make it work right, but just keep trying and it'll go.

I'd stay away from gobbing a bunch of grease on the parts back there, it may attract dirt and grit onto everything. Just cranking down, and back up once in while is a good idea though.

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That safety catch is a pain in the ass for sure. The manual is somewhat useless in explaining how to make it work right, but just keep trying and it'll go.

I'd stay away from gobbing a bunch of grease on the parts back there, it may attract dirt and grit onto everything. Just cranking down, and back up once in while is a good idea though.

 

It is a pain but it does keep your spare on the vehicle when the cable brakes.

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Absolute dumbest design ever. Useless Owner's Manual? That's the understatement of the century...The attached photo is how the geniuses at GM want you to fix this problem on the side of the road...any two year old who's ever played with wooden blocks knows this won't work very well...

 

 

I had this same problem on mine. I had also had an issue on an 07 NBS, which was MY fault for using the wrong end, but I still had a fit (I blame poor illustrations in the owner's manual)...then this happened to me about two months ago. The cable dropped but not the tire...Thankfully I was in my driveway. The winch never released, I used a 4x4 chunk of wood to support the jack and lift the wheel/tire and it still never dropped, so I ended up unbolting the bolt that holds the mechanism in place, cutting the wheel free and ultimately using that frame and a bolt to make something that WON'T give me a stress induced heart attack if I ever need the tire on the side of the road. It's a PITA to bench press the wheel up there, but once the bolt was welded stationary to the winch frame it was exponentially easier...it was the lifting and holding for measuring and design that was not fun. Anyway, I used a 5/8" grade 8 bolt and then, for added security wrapped the whole thing with chain rated at 3900 lbs and used 7/16" grade 8 bolts to hold the chain ends together... Sure, I could have easily gone to a junkyard and gotten a new winch, but I'd never trust it, and I'd probably put myself into the hospital with the tantrum I'd have on the side of the road if/when it let me down again...

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wow I have never messed around with the spare tire but this seems ridiculous if its that difficult to figure out.

 

If I had a flat tire at night and had to deal with this bullshit I would probably blow a gasket. I guess my spare is useless anyway with the bigger wheels and tires I might as well take it off.

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I had this same problem on mine. I had also had an issue on an 07 NBS, which was MY fault for using the wrong end, but I still had a fit (I blame poor illustrations in the owner's manual)...then this happened to me about two months ago. The cable ...

I know what you mean about using the wrong end...of the crank rod that is! I must have messed around for a half hour one day trying to figure it out and ended up digging out the manual, which was NO help at all. Very poorly illustrated and confusing!! I highly recommend taking some time to un-stow and stow your spare tire for people who have never done it, just so you don't have the kind of frustration and humiliation I had at home in my garage. Lots of cuss words flying around I tell ya...how dare those brainy engineers make something the average dummy like me can't comprehend and then use egyptian hieroglyphics to explain how to use it! :thumbs:

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I thought for sure a loyalist would see my post and insult me to no end...I'm glad I'm not the only one... And when I did this, both times, cuss words weren't the only things flying...tools, the jack handle, the 4x4 I mentioned using to balance the jack... It was a bad scene, man...real bad.

 

I had the same thought before my dumbed down solution above: If I ever had to do that BS on the side of the road the fit I would have would get caught on tape and I'd end up as the most popular Utube hit in the last 3 years. I would have been better off with no spare because if I had to call AAA anyway to come get my tire for me, they might as well give me a ride to a tire shop.

 

My dumbed down deal above will work fine if I ever need it...my father kept a rain suit behind the seat, anyway, so if I'm wearing nice clothes I'll don that, and then it's just bolts and gravity does the rest... and I'll be golden...

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The manual had a perfect illustration for me. I looked at it once and went and lowered the tire and it came right down. Every time I rotate my tires I drop the spare since I don't put the truck on 4 jack stands or anything like that. I've never had an issue with the spare tire hoist. I'm going to start lubing it every time I drop it for preventative maintenance. Probably nail the whole thing with some silicon spray.

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