Cant Put My Spare Tire Back

arctictwist · September 8, 2010

Had a flat on my 08 crew cab silverado. Besides that junky jack under the seat, i really had no issues changing it out for the spare. Now the tire is plugged and back on. I cant lower the lifting mechanism to put the spare tire back. The cable comes down but thats it. In the manual it says something about needing it inspected before you can put the tire back. Do i really need to drive to the nearest dealer ( 1hr) and have them "inspect" it, before i can put my tire back?

Wires · September 8, 2010

Had a flat on my 08 crew cab silverado. Besides that junky jack under the seat, i really had no issues changing it out for the spare. Now the tire is plugged and back on. I cant lower the lifting mechanism to put the spare tire back. The cable comes down but thats it. In the manual it says something about needing it inspected before you can put the tire back. Do i really need to drive to the nearest dealer ( 1hr) and have them "inspect" it, before i can put my tire back?

No, you should just be able crank the center cable up and down using the jack handle. Is the lifting mechanism not moving, or are you not getting the handle on the lifting crane right? I used to have issues with my '00 where I didn't get the handle on the flat shaft of the crane, so I'd fight to get it to work.

arctictwist · September 8, 2010

No it's not that, the cable lowers but not the attachment. So the cable and spring come down but not the metal bar and the attachment it sits on.

[email protected] · September 8, 2010

I'm pretty sure you have to tighten it pretty tight, then loosen it. It has fingers that hold that thing up there for safety if the cable breaks or comes loose.

tanked_darren · September 8, 2010

Did you physically look at the piece that is stuck up there??

arctictwist · September 8, 2010

Yea I tried that a few times to. Ran out of time, I'm sittin in a room waiting for the doc now. I guess I'll have to try again later. Maybe I'll try going more than the two clicks it says to do in the manual.

arctictwist · September 8, 2010

Did you physically look at the piece that is stuck up there??

Yea I went under there and tried pulling on it and wiggling it around.

tanked_darren · September 8, 2010

Did you physically look at the piece that is stuck up there??

Yea I went under there and tried pulling on it and wiggling it around.

Hmm... did you tighten it up without a tire under there?? (I put my flat up under there when I used it). Thats the only thing I can think of, maybe you've wedged it really good? I'll take a look at mine tonight.

BigBlueLB756 · September 8, 2010

Perhaps a perfect time to run that set of pipes out the back that require removal of the spare?

[email protected] · September 8, 2010

Haha, true that. I don't even run a spare on mine just two cans of fix a flat.

sc4808 · September 9, 2010

You need to get someone to put some weight on the piece that goes in the tire while you crank it down.

Follow the instructions and crank it up first to release the lock and then crank it down with someone pulling down on it.

For future reference, with no tire on it don't crank it all the way up, only crank it all the way up when a tire is in place, don't worry the cable will not spool out and drag down the highway.

Oh and don't forget, when you put the tire back on, the valve stem goes down.

arctictwist · September 9, 2010

Thnx guys, I'll try pulling on it tomorrow.

hatfishr · September 9, 2010

Thnx guys, I'll try pulling on it tomorrow.

Yeah...crank it up until it clicks a few times (like when you overtighten your gas cap). Then lower it and it should release.

I had a flat last month and I couldn't get the tire to come down so I had to actually (GASP!!!) get the owner's manual and read the instructions.

It's a safety lock............

99-2door · September 9, 2010

There is a small latch on the part that is supposed to come down. Once the winch is lifted all the way to the top without a tire/wheel on it you have to press that latch to get it to come down again. Just look on there and you will see it. Pretty simple once you see how it works.

hrspwr · September 9, 2010

There is a small latch on the part that is supposed to come down. Once the winch is lifted all the way to the top without a tire/wheel on it you have to press that latch to get it to come down again. Just look on there and you will see it. Pretty simple once you see how it works.

+1. There is a secondary latch on it incase the cable breaks. Hard to describe it, but once you get underneath the truck and see it you will know what we mean. Let the cable out all the way and you will see how the latch is set.