Quote:
Originally Posted by MadScience
I'm not sure I can picture how a wheel would be held under your van if you didn't have nearly all of the mechanism.
The cable doesn't go to the bumper. You remove the plate with the little plastic top screw and stick a long 3/8" square drive socket extension into the hole from the back bumper. Then you crank it down with whatever handle or ratchet you want.
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Yeah, I had it wrong. My other van has the tire outside on the rear door so I wasn’t very familiar with the mechanism and how it works at first. After working on it for an hour or so yesterday, I finally got the wheel down. But the hoist mech has seen better days. I soaked it with PB Blaster overnight and will see if it’s working better this morning. I do have a line on a new one from a forum member.
I can’t imagine doing that whole process though on the side of the road and in the dark and rain (as Murphy’s Law would require) if I got a flat. For those who haven’t touched their spare in years, I’d suggest spending some time lowering it, lubricating the mechanism, and airing the tire up BEFORE you need to!