Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Changing a Tire: How to Do It

Here we begin our journey into the world of the automobile. Indeed, in this blog we set out not just to learn how a car works, but also to learn how to maintain a car, how to fix it, among many other topics. That is why today we start our journey learning about a very useful skill: How to Use a Jack. 

Using a jack (safely, of course) can indeed be a very useful skill. It is useful to change a tire, but also to do other jobs, such as inspecting brakes. The purpose of a jack is only to get a vehicle off the ground and into the air. But after the vehicle is up in the air, it is crucial to hold the vehicle in place. Now, the jack was NOT designed to hold the car in place. Instead, be sure to use jack stands when working underneath your car. Not doing so puts your life in risk.

Now, here are some simple tips when using a jack: Always park a vehicle on level ground before jacking it up and use bricks or wooden wedges to block the wheels before jacking it up. Also, do remember to have your car in Park before jacking up your vehicle and to have the emergency brake on.

Now, you are ready to use the jack:

1) When changing a tire, make sure to remove the hubcap and loosen the nuts before jacking up the car. This will make your life a lot easier.

2)
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Place the jack as it is instructed on your owner's manual or ask the service department at your dealership to show you which is the proper place. If the information is not available, try placing the jack near the car frame or the bar that supports the front wheel suspension or near the real-wheel axle. 

3) Lift the vehicle using either your hydraulic, tripod, or scissor jack.

4) Place the jack stands under the car, near where the jack is touching the vehicle.  You can then lower the jack until the car is resting on the jack stands. 

5) Make sure the car is in place by wiggling the car.

There it goes, see, it was that bad. But again, be very careful when working with a vehicle. It is definitely not a task to be taken lightly.

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