To Change a Tire
Nov 21st, 2011 by Art
These days it seems like fewer and fewer people know anything about basic car repair and maintenance. In the old days, like back in your grandfathers day, if your car broke down, the first thing you do it try to fix it yourself. Knowing how to work on a used car was just an everyday part of life. Now days it’s getting rarer and rarer as more people rely on services like AAA or they would just rather pay somebody straight up to fix it. I once stopped to make help a girl out who was stalled in the turn lane. She didn’t even know how to open the hood. I was shocked. However, knowing basic car repair is not only a good idea that can save you money, but also you never know when you might break down in the middle of nowhere. While you don’t need to be a mechanic, there are some very basic things you should know how to do. One is changing a tire.
If you are driving and have a flat, the first thing you want to do is pull off the road as fast as you can. The longer you drive on it, the more likely you are to damage your car. At least pull over to the side of the road but ideally you want to find an empty parking lot or side street. Also make sure you are clearly visible and there is plenty of light. Try to find a place that is level as well, being on an incline makes things more difficult and dangerous.
The first thing to do is put your emergency break. While changing a tire is very safe affair, you don’t want to run the risk of accidental movement. Next if it is dark, there is traffic, bad weather or any other “unsafe” conditions flip your hazard lights on. Open your truck, you SHOULD always have a spare tire, jack and lug wrench in your trunk. Pull them out and place them near the flat tire.
Okay there are many different types of jack but they all have the same basic principle. There is usually a little crank you have to turn or there is a lever you pump up and down. Often times the crank or lever is a separate piece you must insert and sometimes they use the other end of the lug wrench as the lever. You are ready to place the jack.
Place the flat side of the jack under the car. Where you place the jack is very important. You want to place it between the two tires, not on the outside, this gives the used car more stability as the center of gravity is further in. Place the jack near the flat tire side as well.
Very important! Place the jack under the metal frame of the car, NOT the plastic or fiberglass body on the outside. If you raise the jack on the body, it will crack the plastic and it could also collapse. Often car will have a notch on the metal bar under the car to fit a jack into. Once your jack is in position, you can begin pumping the jack. As it goes up, it will lift the car up in the air. Pump until the tire is a few inches off the ground…
(Stay tuned for part 2)
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