2006 Pontiac Montana SV6 Owner's Manual - Page 388

Storing the Spare Tire To store the spare tire, do the following: 1. Lay the tire near the rear of the vehicle with the valve stem down. {CAUTION: The underbody-mounted spare tire needs to be stored with the valve stem pointing down. If the spare tire is stored with the valve stem pointing upwards, its secondary latch won't work properly and the spare tire could loosen and suddenly fall from your vehicle. If this happened when your vehicle was being driven, the tire might contact a person or another vehicle, causing injury and, of course, damage to itself as well. Be sure the underbody-mounted spare tire is stored with its valve stem pointing down. 2. Remove the small center cap by tapping the back of the cap with the extension of the shaft, if the vehicle has aluminum wheels. 3. Slide the cable retainer through the center of the wheel and start to raise the tire. Make sure the retainer is fully seated across the underside of the wheel. 4. When the tire is almost in the stored position, turn the tire so the valve is towards the rear of the vehicle. This will help when you check and maintain tire pressure in the spare. 5. Raise the tire fully against the underside of the vehicle. Continue turning the folding wrench until you feel more than two clicks. This indicates that the compact spare tire is secure and the cable is tight. The spare tire hoist cannot be overtightened. 5-84