Experience changing tires yourself in the middle of a journey
During the September 2nd holiday, many families choose to travel far away. If a tire blows out, the driver needs to stay calm and handle the situation.
Mr. Vu Quynh, a car mechanic in Cau Giay, Hanoi, shared that during the long September 2nd holiday, many car repair shops are also closed. Therefore, during this time, car repairmen are very few in number. In case of a flat tire in the middle of the road, the vehicle owner can change the tire himself.
“Normally, cars are equipped with spare tires and repair tools in the trunk. Vehicle owners can open the trunk to get them,” Mr. Quynh shared.
To ensure safety, first of all, the vehicle owner needs to drive the vehicle to a flat, unobstructed place and turn on the hazard lights. Then the driver needs to perform the following steps in order.
Accordingly, the driver needs to find hard objects such as rocks, wood, concrete to block the front and rear wheels. Doing this can help the vehicle balance when repairing and disassembling.
Once the vehicle is in a safe location, the driver needs to prepare all the necessary tools including: spare tire, tire changing kit and car jack.
When ready, the driver needs to place the jack near the tire to be replaced. The jack must be perpendicular to the ground. The jack head must be in contact with the metal part of the chassis. Never place the jack on the plastic cover or plastic cover under the chassis. Current car models often have a groove or mark to let the user know the exact jack position. This position is usually 20 cm behind the front tire and in front of the rear tire. After placing the jack in the correct position, lift the jack so that it fits tightly against the chassis. Note that at this time there is no need to raise the chassis, the wheel still needs to be close to the ground.
After jacking, the driver loosens the tire lug nuts. The driver uses a tube to turn the lug nuts counterclockwise. It will take a lot of force to remove the lug nuts. If you don't have enough strength with your hands, you can use your entire body weight or hold onto the car and use your feet to push the tube.
After loosening all the nuts, jack up the car so that the tire is about 2 cm off the ground, enough space to easily remove and install the wheel.
When jacking up the chassis, pay attention to the stability of the jack and the vehicle. If you see the jack or the vehicle shaking a lot or the jack tilting, quickly lower the jack, check the jack placement and start again.
Having completed these steps, the driver proceeds to remove the punctured tire. Accordingly, the driver completely removes the lug nuts from the tire. Using both hands, skillfully lift the punctured tire off the axle and place it directly under the chassis to prevent the chassis from falling down if the jack fails.
If the tire is rusty and difficult to remove, you can use a rubber hammer to tap the inside or use the spare tire to hit it from the outside. This will help loosen the tire and make it easier to remove.
Next, the driver mounts the spare tire. The driver slowly lifts the spare tire onto the axle, paying attention to aligning the lug nuts so that they match. Note that the tire is mounted in the correct direction, avoiding reverse installation. The tire valve stem should always face outward.
At first, just install the nuts by hand. Then use a tube to tighten the nuts. Do not tighten each nut to its full capacity at once, but tighten it in a rotation. Tighten each nut a little in order, then repeat the second and third tightening cycles. Note that at this step, there is no need to use force to tighten because it can easily cause the car to shake, just fix the nuts in place.
Finally, the driver lowers the jack and tightens the lug nuts. Accordingly, the driver slowly lowers the jack until the tire is firmly on the ground, then takes out the jack. Use all your strength to tighten the lug nuts in the order of the star diagram. You should use your entire body weight or hold on to the car and use your feet to push the lug nuts to tighten the lug nuts.