dutchboy

My rig is in my signature.
I have a cracked valve stem on my left rear. With a nice continuous air leak. I tried smearing some gasket sealer on the crack,to try and slow the leak. Automotive shops are closed due to the holiday...I need to get my spare down,but I can not.
Of course...RUST!
With the crappy extension,wind down tool that Toyota supplies with the truck...I can't even break the winding mechanism loose. So bad,that the square hole in the winding tool handle is now round!
I know...spray some rust breaker of sorts up in their. Gotcha,but...ever try to get a spray can,up on top of the spare tire,that's under the back of the 4runner? Next to impossible. I did my best to "blindly" spray up in their with a tip/straw,on the end of the spray can.
No...cutting the chain holding it up,is not an option. As I eventually want to put the spare back in it's place and cannot afford to store the spare in the bed.
Any other suggestions? Of course Im desperate,as I only have 1 spare like most people and it's stuck up under the truck!
Rrrrrrrrrr!

abecedarian

Maybe let the air out of the spare and see if that'll give you enough wiggle room to get the tire down?

91 4Runner

I agree about letting the air out, than jack up the tire/rim on opposite sides and then tip the support plate through the hole.

DupermanDave

How do you even get the spare down? I just pulled out and used my jack the other day, but what tool do you use to lower the spare? The extension rod things?

Team420

I used an angle grinder and cut the damn thing out! Gotta stay on top of them or they are junk IMO

Team420

there should be a rod under the on the floor just under the backseat, easier to see if u lift the seat bottoms...

dutchboy

Abe...
Once again,your wisdom.
I never even thought of that. I did have the spare out 4 yrs ago and the spare was flat at that time,so...hmmmm Although,it was a real treat breaking the winch loose then too. Hopefully tomorrow I will have luck in getting down. Although...I did waste my extension tool handle. The square hole...is now round! Nothing a pair of vice grips can't handle (I'm hopin).
I did get my original tire,valve stem leak fixed. Luckily,a friend stopped by and we just took the tire off and to his shop. He has a tire changing machine. Popped the bead...out with the old stem,in w/the new. I marked the tire to the rim,so we didn't have to remove the wheel weights and rebalance it. Worked out sweet! Only down side to this freebie is the new stem is longer and sticks out further. Luckily I'm a good parallel parker,when in the cities. My weekend project is to get that spare down and I'm gonna get my bud to fab me a better tool and handle using my worn out ones as proto types. I need something that wont bend,twist or strip out.
thanx again abe...I'll let ya know how I make out when and if I get the spare down!

Yes,The extension rod "things"
Read what "abe" suggested. If your tire winch is stubborn. Try letting the air out of the spare.
On my rig,I cannot use the whole in the rear bumper to slide the tool in,for some odd reason,the hole doesn't line up w/the spare winch inset. Luckily,if I drop my tailgate...in between the tail gate(when open) and the top of the bumper their is plenty of space for me to jam the rod up through their.

Gizler00

iTrader: (1)

I had the same problem. Mine was frozen. I tried soaking it for three days with PB Blast and still wouldnt budge. I took Abe's advice from another thread and unbolted it. So I just unbolted it from the cross member. It was three bolts and then it fell to the ground. Then I hit the rusted little winch through the tire, aired it up and threw the spare in the bed.

dutchboy

You unbolted it from the crossmember?
How'd the h*ll did you do that if the spare tire was still up in their?

abecedarian

may have been a different size rim or tire and maybe some wobble extensions and such that let Gizler00 get to the bolts and get the tire down? who knows, eh?

Either way, glad you've got the tire fixed, even though you don't have the problem of getting your spare down solved.

874runnersr5

Yeah, i was in the same situation.. I was just getting pissed off so i took the sawzall to it..
Bottom line, i had a spare tire on in no time.

Lumpy

I had no luck at all. I wanted to get them down before I really needed them and no luck at all (rigs in sig). I had to cut them both out, so now I'm in the market for not 1 but 2 external spare tire mounts. The spare on the 4Runner was never down and the gear setup fell right out as soon as I tried to turn it. Sawzall it!!!

dutchboy

Oh,I'll get er down. I'm in a slow process of having a friend fab a kick a$$ extension that don't require that goofy stick extension kit to get the tire down. Worst case scenerio...I'll cut that blasted chain.
I am going to be trying your ("abe") suggestion of letting the air out of the tire and seeing if I can get er down that way before I do any cutting.
I'd hate to cut it,'cause I can't afford losing space in my bed,just to haul a spare.
If I am able to succefully get the spare down. I'm gonna dismantle that winch assmbley and do a total rebuild on it to ensure that it never jams again.
Ever price one of those extension tool kits from the stealership?
Wow...I remember about 4yrs ago,when I 1st took the spare down. I didn't even have the extension tool. I called the stealership...$40 for each link of the extension!!!
Luckily,I knew a guy that had a spare and he just gave them to me. All in all...that extension kit is the worst tool ever designed.
I have along rod(the piece that fits into the slit on the winch),besides having the 4 piece extension kit.I think I'm just gonna have my friend,weld an impact socket onto the end,backwards,so I can use a 1/2 drive beaker bar and/or ratchet to work it. I'll see how that does.
the multi piece extension I'm not even sure if that was for the 4runners,as mine wont fit through the hole in the bumper,due to the the screws on the extensions protruding. Besides the fact that the hole in my bumper doesn't exactly line up with the winch slot.
I'll let ya's know how I make out after a bunch of cold beers and swear words tomorrow. :>)

874runnersr5

Not so much it jams, just gets rusty and stops working.. when i cut mine off, someone else put like one of those rings with a threaded nut? to fill a link that was cut off.... probley from being cut off.

91 4Runner

That's what I did when I cut mine to get the spare down. But to have the matching gate is also really nice.



Good luck with finding one. Mine came on a parts truck that I got, with a mint gate in the same light blue as my truck was originally!

dutchboy

Well,well,well...I got that friggin' spare down and out w/out having to hack anything.
I had her soaking over night with some "Knock'er Loose" from CRC.
Pic's below:
The blasted pieces of scrap metal Yota supplies to get spare down. The smaller pieces I got from a friend a few years ago...the long piece was in my rig when I bought it.

The handle. This hole is supposed to be square!(but,not)

The method to my madness.

I put this piece of tape on to make sure it wasn't slipping around. The bolts that hold it together were wiped out from the previous night's attempt.

OUT FINALLY! Yup...gonna dismount the tire,clean the rim up,repaint.

Some pretty good stuff!

Got her soaking and gonna continue to do so,and keep working the mechanics for a few days yet to make sure it's good. It actually works really good now. Im soakin the 3 mounting bolts to get the assembly out to clean it up good. Upon re-install,it's getting about a full can of Anti-Seize globbed on it all:>)

Bungee'd up to keep from rattling around for now.
Promo shot...LOL
Oops...how'd this get in here (My roomies 71 "Chebby")

All in all...thanx "abe"...for the tip of letting the air out. Thanx "Knock'er Loose" for qlinching the deal!

Lumpy

Good deal man, Glad you gotter out...My pickup when straight in like that one. The one on the 4Runner had the cranking think off to the drivers side??? But the bumper had the slot to put the stupid lil wrench thingy in. I think she was wrecked once or twice though...

dutchboy

I tell ya...it took about 4 beers,a lot of swearing and about 20 minutes of nut busting 1st crack attempts just to break the damn thing loose. Not to mention,like I said,shredding the 4 link tool. Now,Im on a project of fabbing an indistructable winch tool....
:>)

Lumpy

I tried to get each one down just cuz I wanted to be able to use them. But after the "Swearing" and knuckle busting I just got out the sawzall and said the heck with it. But I was smart enough to get a jack and a board so the tire did come down on me chest. I'm all smart-an-nat!

dutchboy

Yeah,I was sure to have a floor jack under the spare. primarily to jack it up a tad,after releasing all the air from the spare.
This is just a horrible plan from the fac. Ya think they make that spare winch enclosed to keep road grime and H2O outta their.
Hmmmm...that's an idea. Might have to sketch that one out tonight.