Do the drivers in your household know how to change a tire?

[FairyChatMom]

I was just at the grocery store, and when I went in, I saw a woman and, I presume, her grown daughter sitting in the back of their van with the rear door up, talking on the phone. When I came out, these same women were standing beside the van watching a man change their right front tire. Perhaps there's a physical reason that neither of them could take off the flat and put on the donut. It got me thinking about my first flat tire.

I was driving south through Alabama on my way to Pensacola, FL one January. There was snow on the ground, and it was nasty cold out. I decided to make use of the car wash at a gas station to clean some of the road salt off my car. When I pulled out, the attendent "helpfully" pointed out my hissing tire. Golly, what a coincidence... :rolleyes: He directed me to the adjacent garage, saying they could fix me right up.

Unfortunately for them, I pulled into a vacant parking lot across the street. I proceeded to empty my trunk (I was transferring at the time) and I pulled out my spare. Then I got out my owner's manual and read the steps required to change a tire. It was a challenge, but I got it done, loaded the flat tire and the rest of my stuff back in the trunk, and went on my merry way. (I got the hole in the tire plugged when I got to P-cola.)

Since then, I've changed at least 2 flats. It's not my favorite thing to do, but sometimes ya just gotta do things. I need to take some time and make my daughter changed a tire on her car - just so she knows how to do it. She's been driving almost 3 years now - shame on me for taking this long to teach her!

Do you know how to change a flat? Do your kids/sibs/spouses/SOs/whatever know? Would you be on the phone to AAA as you sat helplessly in a parking lot? C'mon - 'fess up!

[NinetyWt]

Of course we all do. In fact, when my daughter had to do a "demonstration" in speech class, she took the jack, lug wrench, and a "simulated" tire to class.

She got an A. :p

We do as much of our own work as possible. 'Course, it helps that Mr. NinetyWt has a degree in Diesel Mechanics. Plus lots of cool tools !!

[DougC]

- - - I carry a plug kit, some needle-nose pliers and a bicycle pump, and so far have not had to ever change a tire on the road. Wal-Mart sells plug kits for about $8. You locate the nail, pull it out with the needlenose pliers, run the hole-cleaner in and out (that comes with the plug kit) insert a plug and pump the tire back up. It's easier--no jacking or removing lug nuts is required. -Especially now, since so many wheels are aluminum, but the lug nuts are steel that STICK to the aluminum. Even with a big 4-way lug nut wrench, it can be a task for even a bigger guy to get them damn things off. I don't doubt that a lot of women couldn't do it.
----------
- But I also carry a "real" shop-floor jack, because the jacks included with newer cars suck. "Newer cars" being those made, say, after the late 80's or so. With my vehicle, you need to crawl halfway under the car in order to insert the tiny OEM screw-jack underneath the frame, and then you have your head and shoulders still under the vehicle when you crank the jack up, because the POS handle included isn't long enough.
~

[FairyChatMom]

I did teach my kid how to change her headlights - THAT is an adventure on the New Beetle. Luckily, we found a website with pictorial instructions. The owner's manual said to take it in to the dealer.... to change a burned out light??

Anyway, she's had to change both and she kept the printout in her car for when it happens again. She also knows how to change her wiper blades, and she learned the expensive way not to put gasoline into a diesel vehicle... :o

At least she doesn' t fuss about getting her hands dirty.

[Doomtrain]

We both do. I do and I'm fast as hell because my first car as a POS that got a flat tire just about every month, so I can throw it up on the jack and change it in Indy-car time. :D

I have roadside assistance on my insurance policy, but why wait 40 minutes to an hour for a tow truck driver when I can do it myself in 5?

[MLS]

I know how, but if there's another option I won't. Since I carry AAA, there rarely is. The one time I got stuck with a flat and no AAA, I tried to change the thing but the lug nuts had been tightened with a power tool and there was no way to get them off without one.

My sister says there was no reason for her to learn how because she is not strong enough to lift the spare out of the trunk anyway.

[Ringo]

I've changed more than I could count, and got to be very quick about it. But then I worked for several years wearing business suits all of the time, so I became acquainted with aerosol flat fixers. I haven't changed a flat in years. I have, though, given away many cans of the stuff to flat-stranded motorists. Remember to tell the people who repair the tire that you used the stuff, if you did.

[phouka]

I know, on an intellectual level, how to change a tire. I learned it in driver's ed in high school, but even after three flat tires I haven't had to deal with flat on my own.

The first was a blowout when I took a curve too fast on a rainy night. I was so rattled, I called my mom, and she sent out a friend and friend's teenage son did the job. The second, I had a friend and her boyfriend over. Boyfriend announced on the way into my house that my car had a flat, and he'd deal with it. While I was handing out cans of soda and catching up on news with the friend, he took off the tire, ran it to the tire shop, got it fixed, brought it back, and put it back on my car. He was very proud of himself, and I was mostly blinking in startled amazement that there are guys who do that sort of thing. The last one was the most embarrassing, though. It was a rental car while mine was in the shop, and I came out to find it sitting in my driveway with a flat tire (the road near my house must have been littered with nails). So I called the assistance number, thinking they'd send someone out with a new tire. Nope, an hour later, a tow truck driver arrives, jacks my car up and switches out the flat tire for the itty bitty spare while I stood there, trying not to look like an utter princess.

I swear, the next time I'm getting a flat - I don't care if I'm in ermine and pearls and it's raining vomit, I'm changing that sucker. I'll never respect myself if I don't.

[Girlbysea]

Not when AAA is on the way...

[odd-socks]

I could figure out how to do it, but am not physically strong enough to lug a tyre out the boot, or manage to get the nuts undone either. Not even invoking the name of the great Mechanical God in at least 10 swear words or more, helped. heh.

It's all academic now as the car failed it's MOT and has been scrapped. I am currently car less. :(

Being stranded with a flat, and not able to call for help always worried me.

[Airman Doors, USAF]

My best tire changing time is about 6.5 minutes. I have no idea whether Robin can change one or not.

[teleute12]

I've never even tried to lift the spare tire out of my trunk, so I don't know if I could do it or not. I suspect not, though. It doesn't matter, I have a cell phone and a AAA card, and I know how to use those.

[odd-socks]

*its.

need. to. sleep.

[Hanna]

I used to have a car with these fancy aluminum rims. I paid extra for them, they sure were purty. But when the temp got below zero, the tires would go flat. Only one at a time, thank goodness, but it was a pain. I learned how to change tires. But if there was someone else around to volunteer to help, or better yet, do it for me, I never turned them down. I can change oil and headlights (on reasonable cars), minor stuff like that. Now my SO will usually do all that for me, and I'm thankful for that.

[elfbabe]

It's all academic now

*its.

need. to. sleep

Nono, you were right! It is all academic now. The apostrophe belongs there, since you're not trying to indicate possession or ownership.

Yes, you do need to sleep. :p

As for me, I have a mostly academic understanding of how one changes a tire that might or might not actually do me any good in a flat-related situation.

[elfkin477]

I know how, but if there's another option I won't.

Me too. I know how to do it in theory but I've never gotten a flat. (knock on wood.) If using Fix-A-Flat wouldn't do the job, I'd probably call AAA. Why? Because every time I've been in a car that needed a tire change I've been plagued by the fear that the tire was going to fall off due to hand-tightening the lugnuts being inadaquate. It would be just my luck, too...

[hybrid_dogfish]

Yep, my Mum, Dad and I can all do a tyre change if we need to, although my Mum usually calls either myself or my Dad to do it, simply because I have never experienced a flat tyre occuring in anything other than the foulest, most god-awful weather that can possibly be concieved. The exception to this would be a flat on the motorway, I don't need to be playing with changing a wheel 2' from lorries doing 60mph, I'll pay to get the car taken somewhere safer thanks.

[seaworthy]

Yes I've had to change many tires before. Luckily my first flat was with a guy who knew how to do it, and I learned from him. Since then I've always changed my own tires and even changed a guy's tire for him once. That felt good.

The reason I got so good at changing tires (and changing oil and just knowing things about cars in general) is that I never, ever want to be in a situation where I have to accept help from a man. I didn't even like calling a tow truck when my transmission died. I remember once I got stuck in mud and these guys in a pickup drove up to help- I left my friends with the car and went for a very long walk, because I just couldn't swallow my pride and admit that I needed a man's help.

[Really Not All That Bright]

- - - I carry a plug kit, some needle-nose pliers and a bicycle pump, and so far have not had to ever change a tire on the road. Wal-Mart sells plug kits for about $8. You locate the nail, pull it out with the needlenose pliers, run the hole-cleaner in and out (that comes with the plug kit) insert a plug and pump the tire back up. It's easier--no jacking or removing lug nuts is required. -Especially now, since so many wheels are aluminum, but the lug nuts are steel that STICK to the aluminum. Even with a big 4-way lug nut wrench, it can be a task for even a bigger guy to get them damn things off. I don't doubt that a lot of women couldn't do it.

What if you can't locate the nail, or can't get enough arm into the wheelarch to pull it out?

I can change a tire on my current vehicle in under three minutes, since it has dinky 14" steel wheels and a surprisingly well-thought-out jacking arrangement.

Used to take at least 10 when I had an Altima.

FairyChatMom and others, I'd strongly recommend picking up a shop manual (or Haynes manual for an older car) for any vehicle you buy. Whether or not you actually need the directions, you'll get a much better idea of the size of any job that needs tackling before you have to decide to do it yourself.

[Eureka]

I can. The circumstances where my tire became flattened were that one evening I turned too sharp pulling into the church parking lot and hit my tire really hard on a sharp curb, which resulted in a flat tire. It was dark and late and my head hurt so I begged a ride home from someone else and got a ride back over to the church the next day. Then I changed the tire and drove it to get a new tire the day after that.
My brother and his wife called AAA for a flat tire gotten on a mountain road( I believe). His story makes it sound like AAA laughed at him for needing help, but when the help arrived, he directed him to drive on until there was a better shoulder, and then swapped the tire. If brother had known that he would not hurt the car or the rim by driving on it for that distance, he'd have driven on, saved himself the time spent wasting and gotten to show off his muscles changing the tire.
My dad could change a tire. My mother (at the time I got my flat) was not sure if she could change one on her present vehicle or not. I'm not sure that has changed (although the car she drives has).

[Gary T]

Nono, you were right! It is all academic now. The apostrophe belongs there, since you're not trying to indicate possession or ownership.
You're thinking of the first "it's" in the sentence. She's acknowledging the error in the second "it's."

It's all academic now as the car failed it's MOT...

[whiterabbit]

I know how, in theory, but I don't have the muscles to do it. That is WHY I have AAA. It's a bit embarassing to call them for a flat tire, but it's way more embarassing to call them because I locked the keys in the car (it only happened once!).

[SunTzu2U]

Yep I know how to change a tire and my wife does as well. She would prefer to have someone else do it because its a dirty task at best! I drive a Ford....enough said. I carry a set of jumper cables, 4-way lug wrench, 2 quarts of oil, 2 quarts of transmission fluid, 1 quart of brake fluid, 1 quart of power steering fluid, 2 gallons of water, a full tool bag with a full socket set, a portable air compressor, a tire repair kit and wrenches, screwdrivers and the like. Oh and don't forget JB weld, duck tape, super glue, a few lengths of pvc pipe, hose clamps, flares, dry matches and a blanket or two.

I've had to do many roadside repairs on my Ford Exploder....er Explorer, from changing a flat to tightening my starter. I've had 2 batteries explode on me, the heater core rupture (imagine driving on the interstate and having hot scalding water shoot down on your legs blocking access to the pedals esp. the brake pedal) two blow outs at the same time, a tire lose all but one lug nut a hose rupture and a radiator rupture.

All of these would have stranded the more faint of heart but in every situation I was able to keep going after a little bit of roadside repair.

When I lost 4 lug nuts on one of my tires (I had just purchased 4 new tires and the idiot tightened all but one of my tires) I simply went around the car and took one lugnut from each of the other tires. The tire company bough me a new hub cap for their trouble. With the heater core rupture I simply pulled off the road pulled the inflow and outflow hoses to the heater system and then took a piece of 1/2" pvc pipe and two hose clamps and by-passed the heater core.

The radiator rupture was temporarly cured with JB weld held down with duck tape until set. After putting in my two gallons of water I was back on the road in about 45 minutes. During an attempt to jump start my truck the batteries exploded on two separate occasions. The first time all I did was raise the hood and check the battery terminal connections. A spark must have set off the vapor in the top of the battery. All I remember was a ringing in my ears, my hand and arm throbbing where the battery casing hit them and a fine mist of battery acid sprayed all over my custom tailored shirt and tie. Lucky for me I was wearing sunglasses because a few days later my facial skin peeled as if it had been sunburned.

So after cleaning myself off from the acid blasted on me and getting some of my hearing back I simply pulled the remnants of the batteries out and connected the juper cables directly to the battery cables and started the truck. I drove it to the nearest battery outlet and parked it out front with the engine running. A car will run without a battery until you shut it down but make sure you don't ground out the system by letting the positive terminal hit any metal objects attached to the car frame.

The mechanic when he opened the hood was surprised to find no battery. The second time I had battery trouble I made sure I was not over the battery when it blew. My friend was trying to jump me off and I was trying to get a better connection with the cables. I told him to wait but he thought I said ok and hit the switch. The battery blew with the force of a grenade. Again my hearing was shot and I was stunned for about 3 minutes or so. He thought he had killed me because of the loud explosion. The battery top came down about 100 feet from the truck so you can guess the power one of these things has. Again, we wen't direct to the cables and I took the truck back to the place which sold me the battery. They replace it free of charge this time.

There are a lot of stories associated with this Ford and there is several other reasons I call it a Ford Exploder but in a sense of brevity I'll save them for a future post.

[Lsura]

Yep.

One of my brothers and I used to race each other whenever there was a flat. One time it was his turn, then next mine. We were running about even with around 5 minutes.


That's not to say that I won't allow someone else to change one if the opportunity presents itself.

[Rabid_Squirrel]

Haven't had to replace a flat yet, but I have rotated my tires!

It took me 1 hour, which includes
- 15 minutes, struggling to take off the lugnuts before realising that I should have lossen the nuts before I jacked the car up.
- 20 minutes wondering how to take the tire off, change the jack, than swap other tire with only two wheels on the car. After 10 mins, I realised that you're supposed to use the spare :smack:.

[j666]

When I got my driver's liscense, my father taught me to change a tire, replace the belts (and save the worn belt for emergencies), change the oils, change the wires, gap the plugs, change the plugs, replace the distributor cap, fill all the fluids, jump a dead battery, and hit the starter with a wrench.

Then he bought me a subscription to AAA.

Yes, I know how to change a tire, and, no, I haven't in half my life.

TWICE I saw a tire suddenly come off a moving car on my street; I'll never change a tire again unless it's an emergency. And I am pure hell on tires.

But I always offer the AAA person hot cocoa.

[beegirl13]

I only knew how to change a tire in theory until a few years ago. My mom decided she was going to sell her car, but had recently put new tires on it. My tires were crappy, so we decided to switch all the tires from her car to mine and vice versa. My brother and I each got to change 4 tires this way, and it was great practice. Now I'm confident I could do it if I had to, though I do question the safety of changing a tire alongside the interstate.

[wolfman]

Both me and my sister lnew how to change tires by the time we were twelve or so. My dad was one of those dads who has mastered reverse psychology to the point where he made it seem so cool to do things like change tires, replace disributer caps, Water pumps, etc. that by the time he finally decided we were old enough to do it we happily did all kinds of work for him feeling grown up. Damn I wish I had taken notes ;)


My best tire changing time is about 6.5 minutes.
I've never timed myself for best time, but I did once change a tire roadside for a bride going to her wedding in a downpour in about ten minutes or so. Beat that :)

[Ca3799]

I can do it!! I have done it a couple of times. My dad taught me!!

The least fun one was just last summer. Returning from a multi-family trip to a holiday cabin, I was bringing myself, my two small children, and another very young lady I didn't know well and who had a newish baby who seemed to be developing an ear infection over the weekend and was quite cranky.

When the tire blew and I pulled over on the interstate, the young lady started freaking out- she began to cry and shake and howl which woke up my kids who began to cry, which then woke up the small cranky baby who began to cry, too. All this made me want to cry!

Young lady then grabbed her baby from the carrier, and clutching the kid to chest and stating out the back window, told me she was worried that we were going to be hit by an 18 wheeler. I told her to just turn around because if that was gonna happen, she probably didn't want to see it coming. She said wanted to sit on the side of the highway while I changed the tire, but at this piont I didn't trust her to not off herself by running into the roadway in a panic. I ordered her to stay in the car and shut up.


I unloaded the stuff, changed the tire, loaded back up and hit the road. I wanted to teach the helpless teenager how to do it, too, but she was such a basket case, I decided to ply her with McDonald's instead. I was hoping all her sobbing into her chicken nuggets wouldn't make me have to practice the Heimlich maneuver, too.

[InternetLegend]

I certainly can change the tires on any vehicle I drive, as can Mr. Legend. I can also jump-start a car, check ignition components and all fluid levels, and change the oil. I can theoretically change the belts, too, but I've never done it in practice on our newer car, and I somehow doubt I could get the mammoth belt I see in there replaced and tightened properly.

I've changed a tire on the side of the freeway two or three times (once at night), in pitch-darkness on a side road once, in my own driveway once, and in parking lots at least three times. I've changed my mom's tire rather than wait for AAA, just because I was more willing to get dirty than to wait for an hour or so. The only time I've had to call for help with a tire was when the idiots at Big-O replaced my lug nuts (after destroying the originals) with bigger ones my lug wrench did not fit. Because of my experiences, I always ask the people at the tire store to hand-tighten the lug nuts, and I test them before I drive away, just to be sure I can budge them on my own.

My daughters will know how to do basic maintenance, including minor repairs on the road, before I allow them to get their drivers' licenses. AAA is a great thing to have, but there's no real substitute for knowing how to do something yourself.

[TeaElle]

i think my husband can change a tire, but in all the years I've known him, I've never known him to need to. As it's worked out, he's the lucky one.

I had to learn how to check and add all of the oil, check and replace all of the basic belts, check and add the coolant and change a tire before my parents would allow me to get my license. I've had three flat tires while out on the road over the years, but I only changed one myself because we've always had AAA and in the other two instances, I haven't been dressed appropriately for tire-changing. Squatting on a roadside in a skirt and heels just isn't happening!

[FairyChatMom]

<snip> ... though I do question the safety of changing a tire alongside the interstate.To my mind, safety trumps all. Better to destroy a tire, and maybe even a wheel, by driving to a safe area rather than risk your life in high-speed traffic. If the shoulder isn't wide or level enough, you'll see me putt-putting slowly along till I find the space I need.

[odd-socks]

elfbabe - *grin, thanks. I think we both could've done with the sleep!

GaryT - yes indeed, the 2nd one. Thankyou. :)

SunTzu2u :eek:

"ford exploder" made me laugh. Tea over a keyboard - never a good idea.

[GingerOfTheNorth]

Yes, I can change a tire on my own. There was a time when I actually had to, and couldn't loosen the lug nuts, and had to get a client (who was in the office at the time, and a car shop owner) to do it for me. I then changed the tire in heels and a short skirt, in Yellowknife, in the winter. The new tires I had put on shortly after that, I asked the fellow to not use a torque wrench, because I needed to be able to loosen them on my own. Well, I drove away from the shop, and in three minutes drove right back in - he hadsn't tightened them enough, and it was pretty apparent in the driving of the vehicle.

However, I have a Weirddave, and he'll do it for me if he's around. Come to think of it, Airman Doors also changed a tire on my car - after he replaced the radiator, when my husband was away. Let's hear it for Daves!

[TheLoadedDog]

If you can't:
- change a tyre
- jump start a car
- push start a car
- change a fan belt (using nylons/panty hose if necessary)
you shouldn't be driving, IMHO.

These things are not a macho wank. They are slightly grimy activities, but are basic common sense. To learn how to do all of these things properly would only extend the learning-to-drive process by half a morning maximum.

[In Conceivable]

I can change a tire. My father showed me how and made me practice when I got my first car.

I have never had to change a flat tire. I have had a flat tire three times and each time a man stopped and offered to change it for me before I could even get my spare tire out of the truck. I figure that if some random passerby wants to change my tire for me I should let him.

[misstee]

I probably changed more tires by the time I was 12 than most people do in a lifetime. The last time I had to change a tire, I was 8 months pregnant, it was shitty weather ( winter ) and I was on the interstate. I had my dad's truck. It was a big Chevy 3/4ton that had super heavy tires on it. Not one person stopped to offer help. Since then, I can only remember having one flat tire and hubby was home to take it up to the repair shop.


It takes a lot of effort and muscle to break lug nuts loose. They are put on in shops with air ratchets, I don't know if a lot of women (and some men) can even loosen the lug nuts.

[FairyChatMom]

I usually have to loosen lug nuts by standing on the wrench, although carrying a cheater bar would be safer. There was only one occasion where I absolutely could not break the nuts loose. I was driving my husband's 'vette (oh, how I hated that car!!) - I was able to pull into a parking lot and I called a friend to see if he could help me out. He wound up calling AAA for me - those nuts were tight!!

A few years ago at work, I had to change one of my van tires. I remember being there with 3 or 4 guys from my office standing around. They really really wanted to help and I really really didn't want them to. It was my van and I was quite capable of changing my tire. I kinda felt sorry for them - obviously their mothers had taught them to be gentlemen and I wasn't allowing them. :D

[odd-socks]

If you can't:
- change a tyre
- jump start a car
- push start a car
- change a fan belt (using nylons/panty hose if necessary)
you shouldn't be driving, IMHO.

These things are not a macho wank. They are slightly grimy activities, but are basic common sense. To learn how to do all of these things properly would only extend the learning-to-drive process by half a morning maximum.

Yes, it is your opinion and that's fine - it just made me think a little more about this topic. :) I do see your point, but I don't agree. Whilst I can (and indeed have done) pushed a car - both my own and other people's - with no worries, I still am unable to lug the spare wheel out of the boot and manhandle it onto the car etc. It's not a case of being worried about getting dirty, dirt washes off. Neither it is a case of having a lack of common sense.

Some people who are physically disabled would have trouble changing a wheel - should they be excluded from driving because of their physical limitation?

I wish drivers. ed would include a couple of sessions on oil changing and basic car maintenance - that would've saved me a packet of cash over the years ;)

[badmana]

I've changed tires in -10C weather...not fun but I can do it if I have to.

Since I change tires (winter and summer tires) changing tires is very simple for me. I carry everything I need (I use my OEM jack and it's pretty good). I also use a little grease on my wheel nuts to prevent them from seizing.

I have Toyota Road side but if the weather isn't too bad, and I'm safe, I will change a tire myself and save time than wait for the tow truck. I can also fix the flat with a plug but never had to.

I don't know if my sister can change a tire. I'm not sure she has the physical strength to do it (she's 5 foot, 100 lbs).

[Lute Skywatcher]

When I was a kid, I learned to change a tire by watching my dad. Of course, things have changed a bit since then.

What's funny is I once showed one of my sisters how to change a flat. I was about 5 years old at the time and she's 19 years older than me. :)

[BiblioCat]

Yep. My dad taught me how to change a tire, check the oil and various fluids, how to add said fluids if needed, and how to drive a stick shift.
Best things he ever did, in addition to basic home repair - like being able to turn off the water at main and electricity at the box and how to light a pilot light. (I should add that I'm a girl)

[j666]

Bibliocat, yes, you should mention that you are a girl because too many fathers STILL forget to teach these things to daughters.

Do they think there is an auto-repair genie, or do they WANT their little girls to marry the first idiot with a socket wrench and a MAPS cylinder that comes alongs?

[DougC]

...What if you can't locate the nail, or can't get enough arm into the wheelarch to pull it out?...
- - - Well to locate the nail, just put some more air in the tire, and you can usually hear where it is leaking--especially if you run your hand over the tire. I have a bicycle pump too, remember? :D
- The "not enough space in the wheelarch" problem I haven't had. You could just buy bent-nose pliers if you were really worried about that.
.......
If you can't:
- change a tyre
- jump start a car
- push start a car
- change a fan belt (using nylons/panty hose if necessary)
you shouldn't be driving, IMHO.
- Here's a fun fact: most people I have ever seen don't know how to jump-start a car properly: did you know that you're supposed to disconnect the dead vehicle's battery? You should hook the running vehicle's power up to the dead vehicle's starter, and nothing else! The dead car should start up and run just fine with no battery attached at all, and you should make sure by letting it run with no battery for at least 2-3 minutes. If you "charge up" the dead battery, their alternator could be totally non-functional and the car would run for a couple minutes by firing off the battery alone --but then the car will just stop running again, a mile down the road. And hooking up a running alternator to a totally-dead battery can destroy the alternator on the "running" car-- alternators come with instructions that tell you NOT TO HOOK IT UP TO A TOTALLY DEAD BATTERY!
- Also, automatic cars can't be push-started that I have ever seen.
- And modern engines use serpentine flat belts that pantyhose does not substitute well for..... And in fact I recently had a breakdown due to the belt--my serpentine fan belt came off, because the belt tensioner was old and wouldn't hold tight enough. So having another fan belt wouldn't have helped much; without a new bent tensioner and the tools to put it on, any belt wouldn't have stayed on anyway. And the belt was in good condition, but the tensioner was old, and you can't really tell that by looking at it.
~

[cornflakes]

- Here's a fun fact: most people I have ever seen don't know how to jump-start a car properly: did you know that you're supposed to disconnect the dead vehicle's battery? You should hook the running vehicle's power up to the dead vehicle's starter, and nothing else! The dead car should start up and run just fine with no battery attached at all, and you should make sure by letting it run with no battery for at least 2-3 minutes. If you "charge up" the dead battery, their alternator could be totally non-functional and the car would run for a couple minutes by firing off the battery alone --but then the car will just stop running again, a mile down the road. And hooking up a running alternator to a totally-dead battery can destroy the alternator on the "running" car-- alternators come with instructions that tell you NOT TO HOOK IT UP TO A TOTALLY DEAD BATTERY! DougC, I've never heard this before. Is this the procedure described in your owners manual? I find it interesting that the National Safety Council (http://www.nsc.org/library/facts/batjump.htm), Battery Council International (http://www.batterycouncil.org/jumpstart.html), Pep Boys (http://www.pepboys.com/learning_center/car_care/articles/jump_start.html) and the Nebraska (http://www.autoclubgroup.com/nebraska/autos/car_maintenance/articles.asp?articleID=29&sectionID=1) and Michigan (http://www.autoclubgroup.com/michigan/autos/car_maintenance/guides/jump-start.asp) AAAs among others all say to connect the jumper cables between the two batteries with the final connection to the engine ground of the car being jumped. I wouldn't trust Pep Boys if they were the only ones saying this, but they aren't the only ones and you are the first person that I have heard claim that one should drive without a battery rather than jump a weak one. Besides which, I've had enough times where a car couldn't be jumped because the battery was too weak; I've never tried to jump a car without a battery.

I could see how an internally shorted battery might load down an alternator, but I doubt that a battery would short so quickly and so severely that it would kill the alternator the first time that the car was jumped. Beyond that (and ignoring that the battery can act as a sort of filter for the charging system), what do you do with the loose battery cables to keep them from touching grounded parts?


Re: the OP, my wife can change her own tires, but I think she would rather make a service call. As for myself, I've pretty much rebuilt my truck by now. I have changed tires on it, but I usually get lazy and just use fix-a-flat.

[DougC]

DougC, I've never heard this before. Is this the procedure described in your owners manual?
- - - No, it isn't in the owner's manual, but it's the best way to do it.
A car can have a "dead battery" for at least two reasons: a battery that won't hold a charge, and an alternator/electrical system that is damaged and cannot charge the battery anymore. If the alternator is damaged, charging the battery up and sending the person on down the road is only going to get them a couple more minutes at most, because the engine's going to be firing off the battery and not re-charging it. And if their battery is simply depleted from, say, having left their headlights on, then hooking your alternator up to it is bad, because of the lack of electrical load, that will hurt your alternator--it can be nearly the same as running a short, and that can destroy your alternator as well. ....So un-hooking the battery from the dead car accomplishes two things at once: it protects the good car's alternator from operating without a load, and it allows you to detirmine if the problem with the non-starting car is just the battery, or something else. Because once the dead/batteryless car is started, it should stay running, even with no battery attached--as long as the rest of the electrical system is working well enough. There's a certain amount of self-preservation instinct here: if after the dead car is started, the owner wants to hook up their alternator, then fine, feel free--after your car is disconnected, they can only damage their own alternator.
I find it interesting that the National Safety Council, Battery Council International, Pep Boys and the Nebraska and Michigan AAAs among others all say to connect the jumper cables between the two batteries with the final connection to the engine ground of the car being jumped.
- I don't doubt that they say that--but I can say that they have made a poor choice to do so, in that it is a tradeoff of convenience for the risk of ending up with two non-starting vehicles instead of one. Doing it the way I noted ensures that the good car does not suffer any damage, and also tells you something about the electrical condition of the non-starting car. And I can say that all of the dozen or so alternators I have replaced or seen replaced had a instructions that explicitly warned not to jump start a car that had a totally-dead battery, because it can ruin the alternator.
~

[Silver Serpentine]

Of course I do! I'm a female that makes regular cross-country trips all by my lonesome.

Fix-A-Flat rocks. I also have a plug set. I've fixed two flats. One only needed FaF. The other needed a plug. I can't get to my tires without taking them off, so I had to take it off to plug it. I'm never far from a gas station, so I just pull into one, plug my tire, steal the free air, and I'm on my way.

I got some amazed looks when I fixed my tire, being a 20-year-old female. The Manly Men just looked at me like, "Holy crap, she knows how to fix a flat? Damn."

[wolfman]

So un-hooking the battery from the dead car accomplishes two things at once: it protects the good car's alternator from operating without a load, and it allows you to detirmine if the problem with the non-starting car is just the battery, or something else. Because once the dead/batteryless car is started, it should stay running, even with no battery attached--as long as the rest of the electrical system is working well enough. There's a certain amount of self-preservation instinct here: if after the dead car is started, the owner wants to hook up their alternator, then fine, feel free--after your car is disconnected, they can only damage their own alternator.

I'm a little confused by this. If you jump start a car with a battery disconnected yeah it will run, until it's turned off, Then your back in the same boat. You could drive home, then hook it up to a trickle charger, but not everybody has those. You need to get the battery charged eventually to start on it's own again. And if you are suggesting they reconnect the battery on the running car, that is a bad idea. The voltage regulator will not like the sudden load change and cause spikes that can fry important stuff like the computer. I really don't see the benefit in disconnecting the battery. If your afraid, then don't give a jump, but I have never heard that as advice before.

[sewalk]

After 10 mins, I realised that you're supposed to use the spare :smack:.
I use the lift at work, personnaly, but you might want to think about investing in a set of jackstands. For what most shops charge to rotate tires, you can buy a set of inexpensive stands. Serious under-car work should be done using a lift or professional-grade set of stands but the el-cheapo stands suffice for wheel and brake work.

I taught both my sisters to change tires, belts, and hoses and made sure they knew to keep the spare maintained and extra belts and hoses in the trunk. The older sister routinely ignores me and has been stranded; my baby sister took me at my word and has never been stranded by a simple problem.

Speaking of belts, did you know that on many cars with serpentine belt systems, the OEM lug wrench can be used to load the idler pulley so you don't need any tools to change the belt?

[sewalk]

I don't know if my sister can change a tire. I'm not sure she has the physical strength to do it (she's 5 foot, 100 lbs).
Trust me, it is all a matter of determination. My baby sister is only 4'9" and about 90lbs and she has no trouble loosening lug nuts. 90lbs standing on a 12" lug wrench is 90ft-lbs, enough to loosen them most of time. If that doesn't work, she just has to bounce on it and that has worked even on nuts that had been applied with an impact wrench set at full torque (did I mention there was a test when I taught her? :D ). She also had trouble lifting the spare out of the back of her carf but then she just jumped in with it and easily lifted it out of the spare tire well.

[DougC]

I'm a little confused by this. If you jump start a car with a battery disconnected yeah it will run, until it's turned off, Then your back in the same boat. You could drive home, then hook it up to a trickle charger, but not everybody has those. You need to get the battery charged eventually to start on it's own again. And if you are suggesting they reconnect the battery on the running car, that is a bad idea. The voltage regulator will not like the sudden load change and cause spikes that can fry important stuff like the computer. I really don't see the benefit in disconnecting the battery. If your afraid, then don't give a jump, but I have never heard that as advice before.
- - - For this example, we need to establish a perspective here: YOUR vehicle is running fine, and someone else's won't start, and they want to get a jump-start from you. Okay?
- Now--the point here is that hooking any alternator to any uncharged battery is bad--it makes no difference if the two are in separate vehicles. So if you jump-start another vehicle, if they want to risk frying their own alternator, that is their decision--but you don't want them frying yours right there and then, because then both of you will need tow trucks to get home. Get it?
---->Yes it is true: assuming that their battery is still good, then it will need to be trickle-charged--because hooking it up to any alternator can fry that alternator. They may choose to do that; it's their own decision. You cannot stop them from ruining their own alternator but you can certainly stop them from ruining yours--and doing it this way is better for the owner of the non-starting car as well, because it demonstrates if the problem is within the battery or elsewhere in the electrical system. If the only problem was that the battery is bad or uncharged, then the vehicle will run perfectly fine without a battery attached--and they're going to need that battery either trickle-charged or replaced if it's bad, either way. If the problem is the alternator or some other electrical part, then the car won't run for more than a few seconds after being disconnected from the other vehicle--and charging up their battery would only get them another couple minutes of driving time anyway.
........
-And you really only need to disconnect one terminal from the battery, after all....
~

[Sangre Azul]

I've never had a blow out on the road, but I've changed flats before . The first time my mother borrowed my new car, she returned it to me with a flat. Gee, thanks, mom. So, you felt it as you went over the nail? Mmm hmm. And people were hailing you at red lights to tell you you had a flat? I see. So you decided to drive back to me, yes? Oh, perfectably reasonable. :rolleyes: (She had a cellphone. I had a cellphone. She should have called me.)

And it didn't end there - she had returned my car while I was at work (we swapped cars for the day, as her RV was much too unwieldy to drive to the hair salon). I knew the tire was flat, but put off changing it until the end of the day... which for me, meant after most of the office had already gone home.

As I hadn't changed a flat before in this particular car, it took a moment to locate the jack. I gave it a tug... and then another... and then I was outright swearing because I couldn't get the damn thing out of my car - the bolts holding it in might as well have been welded together. I was all alone in the parking garage, with a flat tire and a shiny new car jack mocking me from its secure little cubby hole inside the trunk.

So, back to the office I trudged, to borrow a jack. Now, despite being 26, I look like a 16 year old boy and have a certain delicacy to my build, and especially my hands, that makes most people assume I can't even unscrew a pickle jar. Anyway, I found a couple guys I knew to help me, but they insisted they try to remove my jack, rather than lend me one of theirs. "Azul, we'll help you out," they smirked. "Don't want you to hurt your hands."

Cut to the garage again, now with two guys swearing at the jack and one fighting back "I-told-you-so"s. In the end, I ended up borrowing one, after all. I continued to have my revenge on my comrades, as none of them were able to loosen the lugnuts. They grudgingly deferred to me as a "last resort", and I popped those suckers right off. I may have bony fingers, but there’s nothing wrong with my wrists!

The next day, I had the guys at the tire shop remove the jack for me. "Holy crap, no one would have been able to take that out by themselves!" It now rattles in the trunk as I drive, but I can at least use the damn thing, should my mother ever borrow my car again.