How To Change Front Strut 2004 Town Car

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Have you ever been stuck on the side of the road with a flat tire? Do you lot want to exist able to change a tire without having to enquire for help? Fortunately, irresolute a tire is a pretty elementary job, provided you lot're prepared and willing to exert a little effort.

Steps

i

Detect a apartment, stable and condom place to alter your tire. You should have a solid, level surface that volition restrict the machine from rolling. If you are almost a road, park as far from traffic as possible and turn on your emergency flashers (take chances lights). Avoid soft ground and hills.^[i]
2

Apply the parking brake and put motorcar into "Park" position. If you have a standard transmission, put your vehicle in starting time or reverse.^[2]

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3

Place a heavy object (eastward.g., rock, concrete, spare cycle, etc.) in front of the front end and back tires.^[iii]
4
Accept out the spare tire and the jack. Place the jack under the frame well-nigh the tire that you are going to alter. Ensure that the jack is in contact with the metal portion of your car's frame^[4]
- Many cars have molded plastic forth the bottom. If you don't place the jack in the right spot, it volition scissure the plastic when y'all beginning lifting. If you're non certain about the correct place to put the jack, read your possessor'southward manual.
- For most mod uni-body cars, at that place is a small notch or mark merely behind the front end bicycle wells, or in front end of the rear wheel wells where the jack is intended to exist placed.
- For most trucks or older cars that accept a frame, await to identify the jack on one of the beams of the frame but backside the front end tire or in forepart of the rear tire.
5

Raise the jack until it is supporting (just not lifting) the car. The jack should be firmly in place against the underside of the vehicle. Cheque to make sure that the jack is perpendicular to the ground.^[5]
6
Remove the hubcap and loosen the nuts by turning counterclockwise. Don't have them all the manner off; just intermission the resistance. Past keeping the wheel on the ground when you commencement loosen the basics, you'll make sure that yous're turning the nuts instead of the cycle.^[6]
- Use the wrench that came with your car or a standard cross wrench. Your wrench may accept different sizes of openings on unlike ends. A correctly-sized wrench will slip hands over the nut, merely will non rattle.
- Try to prepare for any unforeseen tire changes by keeping the exact socket size for your lug nuts as well equally a billow bar handy in the trunk.
- It can take quite a lot of force to interruption your lug basics complimentary. If all else fails, you can use your body weight or stomp on the wrench (be admittedly certain you are turning it the correct mode - counterclockwise). However, using your body weight or stomping means you run the risk of stripping the lug nuts, as it is difficult to maintain full contact.
7
Pump or crank the jack to lift the tire off the footing. Yous need to lift it high plenty to remove the flat tire and replace it with a spare.
- As you elevator, make sure that the car is stable. If you notice any instability, lower the jack and fix the problem earlier fully lifting the car.
- If you notice the jack lifting at an angle or leaning, lower and reposition it and so that it can lift direct upwardly.
- It is always a good idea to keep a small jack stand handy in the vehicle also, in case the jack gives out during the tire change. Using both the pocket-sized jack and the normal jack will proceed you lot safe in the event of a jack failure.
eight
Remove the basics the rest of the fashion. Turn them counterclockwise until they are loose. Repeat with all lug nuts, so remove the nuts completely.
- Although rare, some vehicles actually have reverse threaded lug nuts. These are usually much older cars from Chrysler and GM.
9
Remove the tire. Place the flat tire under the vehicle and then in the result of a jack failure the vehicle will fall on the old wheel, hopefully preventing injury. If the jack is placed on a apartment, solid base of operations, y'all shouldn't take any problems.
- The tire might stick due to rust. Yous could try hitting the inside half of the tire with a prophylactic mallet to loosen the tire, or use the spare tire to hit the outside half.
10
Place the spare tire on the hub. Take care to align the rim of the spare tire with the bike bolts, then put on the lug nuts.^[vii]
- Be sure to install the spare tire the correct way and not backwards. The valve stalk of a doughnut tire should face outwards, away from the vehicle.
- If your vehicle uses acorn-style lug nuts, information technology is like shooting fish in a barrel to put those on backwards besides. Exist certain the tapered part of the nut faces the wheel when tightening it down.
11
Tighten the basics past hand until they are all snug. They should plough hands at first.
- Using the wrench, tighten the nuts as much every bit possible using a star pattern. To ensure the tire is balanced, don't completely tighten the nuts one at a time. Going in a star design effectually the tire, one nut across from another, give each nut a full turn until they are equally tight.
- Avoid using so much force that you risk upsetting the jack. You will tighten the lug nuts over again once the car is downwardly and there is no risk of information technology falling.
12

Lower the motorcar without applying full weight on the tire. Tighten the nuts every bit much as possible.
13

Lower the car to the ground fully and remove the jack. Finish tightening the nuts and replace the hubcap.
14

Put the old tire in your torso and take it to a mechanic. Get an estimate for the cost of repair. Small punctures can usually be repaired for less than $15. If the tire is not repairable, they tin dispose of it properly and sell you a replacement^[8]

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VideoRead Video Transcript

If your wheels have locking lug basics, be sure to proceed the key-lug where you tin can easily observe information technology. Y'all will demand it to alter the tire.
Cheque occasionally to brand sure that your spare tire has sufficient air pressure level (PSI).
A cross wrench will give you much more torque than a standard unmarried-handled wrench.
When loosening and tightening the nuts, arrange the cross wrench so that y'all are pressing downward (with gravity). This will remove adventure of injury to your dorsum and also allow you to utilize your trunk weight rather than just your arm strength. Press on the end of the wrench for the best leverage. You can fifty-fifty use your foot, merely brand sure to continue your residuum and steady yourself against the automobile.
Familiarize yourself with this procedure and with the particulars for your motorcar before you lot get a apartment tire, so that you don't have to acquire by the side of the road, in the dark or in the rain.
Rotating your tires at manufacturer's recommended intervals can prevent a common problem when changing a flat.
Be sure to get spare tires replaced with new ones because they are temporary and should not exist used every bit a permanent replacement, unless it is completely identical to the main tires and is included in the previous tire rotation.
When replacing basics, be sure that the tapered side goes into the bike. This centers the wheels and locks the nuts in identify.
Sometimes the wheels will seize to the hub, resulting in smashing difficulty in removal of the flat tire. If this happens, you will need a sledgehammer and a 2x4 or other piece of wood to remove a seized wheel rim. Rotating your tires volition forbid this from happening when y'all practise have to change a tire.
If you're planning to change tires yourself frequently (i.e. installing/removing winter tires, rotating tires every year), invest in a hydraulic jack, a cross wrench, and torque wrench. These will brand the process go much faster.
If the spare tire is not included in the previous tire rotation, apply it temporarily in the same manner every bit the previous tip above, as information technology has significantly different treadwear compared to the other tires.

Be enlightened of your surroundings. If you're on a decorated road, be especially wary of vehicles driving past that might go too close. There are hundreds of people killed each twelvemonth while changing a tire on the side of the road; don't do this unless you must.
Don't get under the car when information technology'south supported only by a jack. If you lot're planning on working under the motorcar, place it on jack stands, or bulldoze information technology up on ramps if the wheels don't need to be gratis.
For rubber, place an object such as a log, large rock, etc., nether the vehicle after jacking, but before removing the tire. Place information technology and then that it will stop the vehicle from dropping in case the jack is dislodged or shifts for some reason while the wheel is removed. Place information technology near a part of the frame or other supporting part not too far from the bike.
Never use cinder blocks or makeshift jacks. A car is very heavy and if you use anything else you lot are putting yourself and your car at take a chance.
Most spare tires (the undersized "donut" tires) are not designed for speeds of more than l mph (lxxx km/h) or for long distances. Exceeding this speed tin can cause problems, including failure of the spare tire. Instead, bulldoze slowly and carefully to a store and take your tire repaired or replaced.

About This Article

Article Summary Ten

To change a tire, first chock a wheel on the opposite end of the automobile that you'll be working on. You can apply a piece of wood or a rock if y'all don't have a wheel chock. Chocking the wheel will prevent the auto from rolling when you jack information technology up. Adjacent, remove the lug nut encompass on the tire y'all're irresolute if at that place is one, and use a lug wrench to loosen all of the lug basics on the tire. Now, locate the jack point underneath the car side by side to the wheel yous're changing and position a car jack under it. Creepo the jack until the tire you're working on is lifted off the footing. And then, remove the loosened lug basics from the tire, and utilise your hands to pull the tire off. Align the holes on the new tire with the studs on the hub, and then push button the new tire into place. Put the lug nuts back on using the lug wrench, and lower the automobile dorsum downwards to the ground using the jack. Finally, tighten all of the lug nuts with the lug wrench in a crisscross pattern so they're as tight as possible. To learn more from our Mechanic co-writer, like how to store the old tire then yous tin get it inspected, keep reading the article!

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