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Spare tire won't budge!

54232 Views 13 Replies 11 Participants Last post by  glenn27
So I went and had new tires put on my truck (well, newer then what I had) and figured since I have a spare wheel that matches the ones I got on now, I might as well have my brand new spare mounted on it (literally, the spare is the stock spare from the factory and is still brand new). When I took it to my favorite tire shop, 4 of us were working on it for about half an hour, and could not get the damn thing to budge. My tire guy told me to head down to the dealer and they would help me get it off (he said they most likely wouldn't charge me). When I got to the dealer, they said they wouldn't do it unless I paid them the hourly rate which is $98 an hour!

I found this thread: http://www.gmtruckclub.com/forum/sh...are-Tire-Removal&highlight=spare+tire+removal

I'll try the pinching method, but I think I will end up getting frustrated and resorting to the kicking method. The guy at the dealer said there is a bold that holds the mechanism assembly to the frame that I can remove, but I could not feel it. Anyway, I am going to do this tomorrow, but figured I would see if anybody had any other advice.
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I would suggest not using WD-40. WD-40 attracts dust and dirt I would use something else. WD-40 has a great use..it is a Water Displacement product not a lubricant.

Just my 2 cents.


Mine was rusted and easy to release once you know the trick.

1) Get two jacks (I used the OEM bottle jack and my floor jack) and a couple of 2x4s.
2) Support the spare tire near each side using the 2x4s so the hub is accessible
3) Lower the cable/latch until it stops. At this point, the secondary latch is keeping it from coming down further
4) From the passenger side (that was easiest for me), you can pull the latch mechanism over and liberally spray WD-40 all up in there
5) Go have a beverage to let the WD-40 do its job
6) Get a pair of channel locks and you'll want to squeeze only one side. You can't just squeeze both sides that that doesn't move the mechanism. You want to squeeze the side that is sticking out the LEAST. You are tempted to squeeze the larger side, but only engages the clip more (although doing that might help break up any rust holding it in place).
7) Keep trying a few times, move it around, up & down, etc. and it will release.
8) Crank the cable back up, get rid of your jacks, lower the tire down.
9) Take it all apart and lube well.

PM me if you have questions.

Here's a video that might help:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhZ2LP7nfLU&list=FLPPTjw1LUGFM&index=13
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