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Problem With The Spare Tire Hoist

pktwatch

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Sep 23, 2002
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Emporia, Indiana
I was visiting a friend tonight and when it was time to leave I had a flat tire. Well he had a nice floor jack so I thought it would be quick work to put the spare on and be on my way. NOT! We worked 10-15 min trying to got that spare tire hoist to let the spart tire down! I finely gave up and called my son to come and help us. In the mean time his son got home and all four of us were working on it. We never did get the spare tire to come down! We took my crank and put it in his Chevy pickup truck and it let the tire right down so we assume that there is something wrong with my hoist system! I had a tire plug kit with me so his son went and got his air tank and we blew the tire up, found a big leak and I plugged it! I will take it back to the dealer soon for this problem! Has anyone else had this problem? It a '02 Z66 that I bought new and the spare tire had never been lowered (still has not been lowered!)

Butch
 
This is a new problem....I have not read where anyone had this problem.......bummer....hope they fix for you
 
When I was swapping out my spare with a factory wheel and tire, I was reading in the manual about a lock that came on some AVs - mine does not have it (Late 03). Check the manual to see if you have this lock and how to disengage it. Sounds like that may be your problem unless the cable is knoted - it is a pretty simple cable lift mechanism.
 
Castle_Rock_AV said:
When I was swapping out my spare with a factory wheel and tire, I was reading in the manual about a lock that came on some AVs - mine does not have it (Late 03). Check the manual to see if you have this lock and how to disengage it. Sounds like that may be your problem unless the cable is knoted - it is a pretty simple cable lift mechanism.

Mine has a lock cyl that you put your key into and remove so you can get at the hoist. We removed it with no problem, just could not get the hoist to work!

Butch
 
Not that lock. This is another locking system under the truck that holds the tire to the hoist mount / bottom of the bed that would have to be disengaged in order to get the tire to go down after you pull the rear lock cylinder and insert the bar to crank it down. Check your manual.

Hope this is it,
Steve
 
I had a 99 Silverado that had a similar problem when new. On it there was a plastic tube which ran between the bumper and the cable winch assembly. On the Silverado that plastic tube had come loose from the winch end so the rod wouldn't go all the way through. I'm not sure if the Avalanche has the same plastic tube, haven't looked, but it wouldn't surprise me if it did.
 
I have needed to use the spare on mine once... it took me a couple of tries to get the crank handle all the way in so it would engage with the hoist. If not fully seated, you can turn the crank handle but nothing happens.

After a minute of fiddling with it, I pushed and twisted just right, and the handle fell into place, and the tire came right down.

-- SS
 
Castle_Rock_AV said:
Not that lock. This is another locking system under the truck that holds the tire to the hoist mount / bottom of the bed that would have to be disengaged in order to get the tire to go down after you pull the rear lock cylinder and insert the bar to crank it down. Check your manual.

Hope this is it,
Steve

Hmmm, I never heard of another lock but I will look at the manual in the morning. We did read the instructions that were on the tool pouch and they said nothing about a lock under the spare tire. Thanks!

Butch

 
See Page 5-81 in the 02 manual (looked it up in the resources section). Looks like you have this secondary locking system according to the manual.

I think this is even a different system than described in the 03 manual. Wouldn't want to get a flat on a backroad with that (02) system.

Steve
 
Hmm, I must be having a complete brain fart tonight because when I look at the '02 online manual it only goes to page 5-39 and there is nothing about a extra lock! Any other help?

Butch
 
In my copy of the '02 manual, lowering the spare tire is described on page 5-23.

It shows the spare tire lock on the bumper, which is easy to remove. After that, I see no other locking mechanism in the manual, and I don't recall dealing with one when I lowered my spare tire.

Call me confused... ???

-- SS
 
BTW, I really like the idea of that spare tire lock on the bumper, I wish my old Blazer had one. All it had was a small hole in the bumper with a plastic grommet.

One day, while I was at the movies, with my Blazer parked right in front, in the first parking space in direct view of the ticket booth, someone stole my spare tire. I couldn't believe it... as I was walking out of the theater, the first thing I saw was the cable dangling under my Blazer, with no tire attached! I figure someone had their own jack handle, walked up to my Blazer, lowered the tire, and took off with it. :8:

After that, I bought a steel cable and a padlock, and locked the replacement tire/wheel to the frame.

The Av has a much better built-in solution, and I am so glad that it is there.

-- SS
 
Yes, that is the same as the manual I'm looking at. No other lock listed!

Butch
 
Sorry, I was looking at the 03 online Manual. I have been trying to open up the 02 but it keeps locking up my system. Check out that page (5-81) in the 03 manual to see what I am talking about. Sorry for the confusion.
 
Castle_Rock_AV said:
Sorry, I was looking at the 03 online Manual. I have been trying to open up the 02 but it keeps locking up my system. Check out that page (5-81) in the 03 manual to see what I am talking about. Sorry for the confusion.

Thanks, I did find that in the '03 manual but it is not in the one for the '02. I'm to old and fat to climb under there and follow all of the steps that it takes to change a tire on the '03 so I hope I don't have to do it on my '02!

Butch
 
Ok folks I might have the answer to this question because I too had the same problem one day. Ok so I had just got my AV about 6 month before and I went over to Pilot Rock to go off-roading with a friend so we are having a good time and all the sudden I hear a POP so we get out sure a flat tire. So I get the jack and stuff out I put all "3" Rods togeather and put it in the hole to crank it down and nothing and keep trying and trying and we have NO CELL PHONE service but I did have onstar so they call a wrecker and remember I am up on some USFS road well final the wrecker gets there and tells me you only put "2" rod togeather to get the spare tire down and put all "3" to jack up the truck

So were you using all 3 rods or just 2?
 
We tried it both ways! I think all 3 rods are the same? Maybe there is one that is a little different and it needs to be on the end that goes into the hoist? I will go take a better look tomorrow.

Thanks, Butch
 
See that is what I thought that all 3 were the same but the 2 rods have a square end and the 3rd one has a flat head looking end.
 
Z66 BUTCH said:
Thanks, I did find that in the '03 manual but it is not in the one for the '02. I'm to old and fat to climb under there and follow all of the steps that it takes to change a tire on the '03 so I hope I don't have to do it on my '02!

Butch

HEHEHE....me too.......If I gotta get on my back and crawl under to get the spare down.....I am calling someone.....hehehehe

 
Everyone got me interested in looking at the book (the 03 book). I sure hope I never get a flat and have to use my spare, especially at night. And when you finally do get your spare down, the book says.....

Have the hoist assembly inspected as soon as you can.
You will not be able to store a spare or flat tire using
the hoist assembly until it has been replaced.
 
Q said:
Have the hoist assembly inspected as soon as you can.
You will not be able to store a spare or flat tire using
the hoist assembly until it has been replaced.

DAYUM that stinks........time for me to read the 2003 manual......

ANother reason to keep my 2002.....
 
ygmn said:
Q said:
Have the hoist assembly inspected as soon as you can.
You will not be able to store a spare or flat tire using
the hoist assembly until it has been replaced.

DAYUM that stinks........time for me to read the 2003 manual......

ANother reason to keep my 2002.....

I read it.....it seems there must have been a bad batch of these spare tire hoists....as they dropped the tire.....so they came up with a doohicky to catch the falling tire should the hoist break.....

SO if everything is OK then the 2003 hoist works as normal not a bog deal......but if it ever slipped or dropped tire...then this secondary thingy held up tire and then you have to crawl under to get spare out......

Then they want you to go to dealer as your tiore hoist was damage when it dropped the tire....

SO as long as it did not drop tire it will be normal.......

Man....I wonder if this means 2002 will drop their spare and drag them down the highway.......eeeeeeeeeeeekkkkk that could be bad
 
Where did you get the information of this applying only if the tire dropped? I read the instructions to lower the tire. Then you get the note about being unable to use it again. I saw no mention of certain circumstances. I went back to read the online manual some more and that window froze.
 
Q said:
Where did you get the information of this applying only if the tire dropped? I read the instructions to lower the tire. Then you get the note about being unable to use it again. I saw no mention of certain circumstances. I went back to read the online manual some more and that window froze.
...in the first part it talks about lowering like always turn crank tire goes down.....Then they issue NOTICE

"If spare tire does not lower to ground; the secondary latch is engaged causing the tire not to lower. See "Secondary Latch System" later in this section."

Now in this secondary latch system section it says:

"Its designed to stop the spare tire from suddenly falling off your vehicle."

SO....It seems from first part the hoist should work as normal.....UNLESS the secondary latch had to catch tire......And if it had to catch the tire then the normal HOIST broke and was letting the spare fall to the ground....

Again which means they had some hoist failures and probably a few lawsuits to make em add this new secondary latch thingy....

HTH
 
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