ALT-9 Diy Automotive Repair how to Change a Flat Tire
It's one of those things that happens when you're alone and in a rush. Just driving along the highway when the car jumps and makes a noise like it just burped. A tire has blown. Don't panic, you can do this.
1. Pull over to a safe place and get out the car's owner manual. It's probably raining, it usually is in these situations, so stay in the car and read the manual to find out where your spare tire is located.
2. Brace yourself, you're about to change a tire.
3. Find the damaged tire and get out the needed tools. If you have a small, or older car there may be an inflatable spare and a supplied air pump, but most cars have a fully intact spare tire. The car will have a jack and a lug wrench, a special wrench that fits the bolts on your tires. These tools are specifically for changing tires, not for trying to be super mechanic and crawling under the car to "check it out".
4. Use the lug wrench to loosen the bolts, this takes a lot of strength so it's best to do this before the car is off the ground.
5. To lift the car the jack needs to be placed on a secure part of the frame on something called a pinch weld. Pinch welds are grooves located beside all tires under the doors, where the metal has been pinched. The jack should fit nicely into a groove. If there are no pinch welds on the car simply find a sturdy metal part of the body beside the wheel. The lug wrench also works as the rod that jacks up the car; there will be a slot for it near the bottom of the jack.
6. Depending on the jack, either crank the wrench up and down, or in a clockwise motion to raise the car.
7. When the injured tire is off the ground, take off the bolts and put them in a safe place.
8. Now, lift off the tire; careful, it's heavy.
9. To finish, just work backwards. Place the new tire on the car and tighten the bolts as much as possible. Lower the car and put all the tools and the broken tire away.
10. You did it! Now go see a mechanic and get a new tire, the spare won't last long, and you don't want to do that again.
