A Father's Day lesson.

My dad and I observed Father’s Day today by changing a tire on the Jeep.  This morning while driving, I had heard a clicking sound on the right side of the car, consistent with the speed of the tire revolutions.  After a small amount of detective work back at home, we found the culprit. 

Rogue bolt.

So my dad showed me how to change a tire.  (He has actually shown me this before several years ago, but I didn’t pay very good attention then.  This time, however, I was a good student and even feel as if I can troubleshoot other related problems that may arise with a flat or damaged tire.)

HOW TO CHANGE A TIRE IN NINE EASY STEPS

Step 1.  Find the jack and the spare tire.  (The jack was in some secret compartment in the trunk and the spare tire was under the car.)

Step 2.  Take the rod thing with the square end, stick it in the square hole (located somewhere in the trunk), and loosen the spare tire that is under the car.  The spare tire is attached to this cable that slowly lowers the tire down to the ground as you spin the rod thing.  Magic.

Step 3.  Take the jack and find where it needs to go under the car.  My dad said usually it’s pretty clear where it should go.  On the Jeep, there was a spot for it on the axel.  Then use the rods plus wrench thing to jack up the car so the offending tire is just a bit off the ground.

Expertly positioned.

Step 4.  Use the wrench to loosen the lug nuts.  I’m kind of remember my dad saying to loosen the lug nuts and then do something else, and then completely remove the lug nuts and the tire…But I can’t remember that in between step…hopefully not too important.  Anyways, take off the bad tire.

Jim removes the bad tire.

 JIM’S IMPORTANT TIP #1: DO NOT LOSE THE LUG NUTS.

Lug nuts.

JIM QUIZ #1:  What do you do if you lose the lug nuts (if, for example, a car zooms right by you after you had removed the lug nuts and sent them scattering all over the place)?

CLAIRE ANSWER, attempt 1: Call AAA.

JIM: Pretend there is no AAA.

CLAIRE ANSWER, attempt 2: Take lug nuts from other tires?

JIM THE PROUD FATHER: Take one lug nut from each other tire.

Step 5.  Do not step on spare tire with bare feet because it is dirty.

Gross.

Step 6.  Take spare tire and line up the holes with the screws on the wheel.

Step 7.  Put on the lug nuts.

JIM’S IMPORTANT TIP #2: TIGHTEN EVERY OTHER LUG NUT SO THE TIRE ALIGNS CORRECTLY WITH THE REST OF THE WHEEL.  Do this multiple times (with the wrench) until they are all tight.

Jim tightens the lug nuts.

 *If you lost all the lug nuts and already retrieved a lug nut from each other tire, put those lug nuts in every other hole in order to balance out the stress.

Step 8.  Go back to the jack and lower the car down to the ground again. 

Step 9.  Use the cable/wrench contraption to raise the offending tire up below the car.  Put the jack and all the other stuff back where you found it.

CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE REPLACED A TIRE...on Father's Day no less!

If I were alone, I still probably would have called AAA and had them do it.   But I’m sure it’s good to know how to change a tire myself, in case I were ever trapped in that pretend world with no AAA. 

Thank you, Daddy, for imparting your wisdom, today and everyday.  Happy Father’s Day—you are the best.

CLASSIC JIM QUOTE, said again today during tire change: “It understands force!”

(Usually, he precedes that with “Must be German”, but I think because we were working on a Jeep, he omitted that part.  Maybe next time on the Benz.)