I changed my tire.....

[Cheli]

......for the first time ever.

Yup I'm 46 and have never changed a tire, that's what AAA and my ex-husband were for.  hahaha  


I came out to a flat tire Monday morning, a tow company was there in five minutes (it's nice to know people) put my spare on and off I went.  I went to a tire shop after work and they said it couldn't be plugged because the piece of metal was too close to the sidewall and I would need a new tire.  I just bought this tire a couple of months ago and I'm no tire chick but it looked like it could be plugged to me because it didn't look to close to the sidewall to me.  I figured it was worth getting a second opinion before spending money on another new tire.  My boyfriend grabbed it from me yesterday and brought it to his car guy that his father has been dealing with for 30+ years so I knew he could be trusted.  He said it could totally be plugged safely so he did.  He said the tire place was just trying to sell me a tire.

Anyway, long story short......I decided this was a perfect opportunity to finally learn how to change a tire in the safety of my own driveway.  So after work my bf came over and watched me change my tire.  I did it!!!!!!!

Yes it's the little things that make me happy.

I'm sure this is just a silly story to most of you but I've kind of led a spoiled life where I haven't ever had to deal with these kinds of things, my ex-husband always took care of me in these areas, all I ever had to do was pick up the phone.  So to me it was something I thought was important to learn since I'll be on the road by myself and may have to do this again by myself and at least doing it once helps my confidence.

 

[GotSmart]

Another option is to have a tube put in.  Tire places hate when you ask that!

 

[ArtW]

That's a good idea
I have a trick for bolts like the=at, maybe I should make a vid haha

 

[Cheli]

Cheli,

Congratulations on another step towards self sufficiency. I would suggest that you make a round of your vehicle with your wrench to make sure that you can loosen all the nuts. Sometimes the tire place tightens them beyond an individual's ability to remove them. I had one nut that I found impossible to loosen no matter what I did, heated words followed.

Guy

Yes good point.  I admit I needed a little muscle help from my boyfriend to get one of the nuts off but if I am happy that I did everything else on my own. 

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Congrats!, there is no better feeling knowing you can take care of yourself should the situation ever arise.

Reminds me of the time I got a flat on Christmas Eve and actually found a repair shop that was open near by. I was only about 17 at the time and found out my car didn't have a spare. Owner of the shop had just stopped in to grab a few things he had left there. He said I'd never find a repair shop open that night that could replace the tire so he plugged the sidewall for me. Told me to never tell anyone he did it, to take backroads home and replace it as soon as the Holidays were over. I agreed and followed through with my promise. Ever since then I travel with a tire plug kit, tire pump and make sure my car has a working spare.

 

[highdesertranger]

congrats, good for you. now replace that engine, just kidding. on the serious side it wouldn't hurt to be able change the oil and filters and do other service steps. I know one step at a time, and you took a big step. again congrats. highdesertranger

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Cheli,

Congratulations on another step towards self sufficiency. I would suggest that you make a round of your vehicle with your wrench to make sure that you can loosen all the nuts. Sometimes the tire place tightens them beyond an individual's ability to remove them. I had one nut that I found impossible to loosen no matter what I did, heated words followed.

Guy

Another congratulations.

Good idea to check that you can loosen all lug nuts.  BUT, retighten them as tight as you can get them and then go back and check them all.  Check again after ~ 100 miles.

That's a good idea
I have a trick for bolts like the=at, maybe I should make a vid haha

It's called a 6 foot pipe that fits on the end of my breaker bar.

 -- Spiff

 

[Gunny]

Yours is not a silly story at all, just one more step to independence. I am the father to a gaggle of kids, four girls and two boys and every one of them had to know how to change a tire, check the fluids and know what they were checking before being turned loose in a car.Congratulations...

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

There are places with poor cell coverage to get help. I had triple a out west of phoenix to change a flat on the SUV. The tire housing was rusted and froze, 2 guys couldn't get the tire out from the housing. The camper and SUV had to be towed to where it could be removed, the spare is what I'm talking about.

After seeing how hard it would have been for me to handle that big tire, even if the mechanism worked right, I said just put the spare back in the trunk. At least I can wrestle it out by myself to change it if needed.

 

[Cheli]

Good idea to check that you can loosen all lug nuts.  BUT, retighten them as tight as you can get them and then go back and check them all.  Check again after ~ 100 miles.

Yes, I tightened them and mentioned to my bf that I was worried the tire would fall off.  He said "you tightened them right?" and I said I tightened them as much as I could and he said "good, now go back and tighten again and you'll be fine."  hahaha

But I will go tighten again over the weekend, good idea.

Yours is not a silly story at all, just one more step to independence. I am the father to a gaggle of kids, four girls and two boys and every one of them had to know how to change a tire, check the fluids and know what they were checking before being turned loose in a car.Congratulations...

Thank you.  And great job dad for teaching them that.  I was always a tomboy growing up and my dad taught me everything from yard work to fixing things and even building things.  I'm very handy but for some reason he never taught me things with my car.  I swear that man could do anything but he was never a work on the car kind of guy.

I definitely want to start learning things like changing my oil and some maintenance things.  I do know how to check my oil and add coolant though.  LOL  I had this one car that had a problem and I had to keep adding coolant every couple of days but that's the extent of my mechanics.  


Thanks everyone for not thinking this was silly to share.  I'm just really excited that I'm becoming more self sufficient.  I have never been a "spoiled brat" but I was always treated like a princess (it's embarrassing to even admit that) by my ex and dad so I never really had to do these kinds of things in the past.  It feels really good to be learning so much here and reaching out of my comfort zone to learn things that I may need to do myself.

I'm learning as much as I can before I hit the road, and I'll figure the rest out when I'm on the road.  hahaha

 

[ArtW]

It's called a 6 foot pipe that fits on the end of my breaker bar.

 -- Spiff
[/quote]
yep, that's the best trick, Mine's for folks that don't have a 6 foot cheater
All my kids (ok step kids) learned the basics,and beyond, if they wanted, when I was working as a fleet mechanic
"hey Dad, can you (name of vehicle service / repair job)?'
"nope, but I'll let you use the lift on Saturday and show you how, then you'll never have to pay someone to do it again"
They also 'inherited' my low end tools as I upgraded

 

[johnny b]

i hope you're not using that 6 footer to tighten the nuts. Wheel studs are not indestructible, and replacing a broken one can be a whole new learning experience (depending on vehicle).
Also if you've got aluminum wheels, they can be cracked quite easily if over tightened.

Learning "how tight is 'tight' " is one of the trickiest parts of being a good mechanic....drilling out broken studs or bolts (not just wheel), and learning to use an 'easy out' (which is a funny name 'cause it aint that easy) soon teaches the limits of 'as tight as you can get it'.

A torque wrench for final tightening of wheel nuts, in a star pattern of course, is a whole lot cheaper than replacing an aluminum wheel or paying someone to replace a broken stud. :idea:

As i get older it seems the nuts are tighter (insert joke here), so I carry an inexpensive 18 volt Ryobi (Home Depot) 1/2 inch impact driver to save wear and tear on the old joints. I'd recommend it to anyone to ease the job of tire changing. Just remember to only snug the nuts with the gun, do the final tightening by hand with a torque wrench.

(Yes I know this advice is a little overkill for those with heavy duty vehicles with steel wheels, but for those with lighter duty vehicles or aluminum wheels
it could be the difference between a minor inconvenience and a 'really bad day'.

 

[29chico]

i hope you're not using that 6 footer to tighten the nuts. Wheel studs are not indestructible, and replacing a broken one can be a whole new learning experience (depending on vehicle).
Also if you've got aluminum wheels, they can be cracked quite easily if over tightened.

Learning "how tight is 'tight' " is one of the trickiest parts of being a good mechanic....drilling out broken studs or bolts (not just wheel), and learning to use an 'easy out' (which is a funny name 'cause it aint that easy) soon teaches the limits of 'as tight as you can get it'.

A torque wrench for final tightening of wheel nuts, in a star pattern of course, is a whole lot cheaper than replacing an aluminum wheel or paying someone to replace a broken stud. :idea:

As i get older it seems the nuts are tighter (insert joke here), so I carry an inexpensive 18 volt Ryobi (Home Depot) 1/2 inch impact driver to save wear and tear on the old joints. I'd recommend it to anyone to ease the job of tire changing. Just remember to only snug the nuts with the gun, do the final tightening by hand with a torque wrench.

(Yes I know this advice is a little overkill for those with heavy duty vehicles with steel wheels, but for those with lighter duty vehicles or aluminum wheels
it could be the difference between a minor inconvenience and a 'really bad day'.

If you buy a set of torque sticks you can use your electric impact to torque your lug nuts.  See the link below for an example:

Link:

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/...ormance-tool&gclid=CIbes62yrc0CFYaTfgodAAoL2Q

 

[Txjaybird]

YOU DONE GOOD!      Your posting reminded of the time a female co-worker asked me quietly if she could speak to me.  She said she had seen me messing around under the hood of my truck and didn't think I'd laugh at her like one of the guys might.  

She was going thru a divorce and her Ex had always taken care of the cars.  She wanted to know where her dip stick was and how to check her oil........we did that and I showed her the master brake cyl.......windshield washer fluid and radiator over flow...and how to check her transmission fluid...and said don't ever open a hot radiator or add cold water to it if car is over heating. 

 She still had a question to ask on another subject........So I explained that all a "French Tickler" was is a condom with a feather glued to the tip..........WHAT??    :angel:   WELL I NEVER LAUGHED!          Texas Jbird

 

[rvpopeye]

Changing a tire for the first time is a very empowering moment , now on to other easy to do vehicle stuff !

TJB
You have a sense of humor I can relate to ! Skuh kuh kuh kuh kuh ZZPop(eye)

 

[DannyB1954]

No reason a female can't be a great mechanic. All it takes is an interest. Righty tighty lefty loosey. Most mechanical things work in the same way. If you changed a tire, with a few tools you could replace an alternator or whatever you pleased. Remember to disconnect the battery when replacing anything with an exposed power terminal.

 

[ArtW]

Of course a woman can be a great mechanic
When I worked in a shop i was always being asked about Automotive stuff by women, who often hadn't a clue what i was talking about when I would say, for example, you need a new master cylinder, and might have wondered if they were being shafted
When I got a question, I'd ask "the long version or Reader's digest?"
Those who asked for the long version got an explanation, in layman's terms, how the system and all the parts in it worked, how I had diagnosed it, and an invite to watch the work being done if they wanted
My fellow mechanic thought I was a 'tard, untill the shop's 'outside' business started picking up, with a heavy leaning toward women as clientele

 

[GotSmart]

No reason a female can't be a great mechanic. All it takes is an interest. Righty tighty lefty loosey. Most mechanical things work in the same way. If you changed a tire, with a few tools you could replace an alternator or whatever you pleased. Remember to disconnect the battery when replacing anything with an exposed power terminal.

I guess you never worked on a 70 Challenger.  

They have Right Hand Thread and Left Hand Thread lug nuts.   :huh:

I am so glad they stopped that nonsense! 

 

[ArtW]

All Chrysler products prior to, I think, 1965 had that feature
The idea was supposedly that the nuts might self loosen on the off side if they were right hand threads, is what I heard
I wonder just what Chrysler engineers were drinking in those days?

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

i hope you're not using that 6 footer to tighten the nuts. Wheel studs are not indestructible, and replacing a broken one can be a whole new learning experience (depending on vehicle).

 Just remember to only snug the nuts with the gun, do the final tightening by hand with a torque wrench.

Bar is for removing nuts that some cretin decided to see how far he could stretch the threads (or that are rusted on).

A co-worker did some experiments for a NASCAR team in the late 70's on consistency of torque from an air gun.  Short answer: if you have a consistent air supply a good gun will give ±2 lbs torque.  You will get more variability from the condition of the lug studs on any but new, clean or greased studs.

 -- Spiff