does anyone ever put there spare on?

[FloridaState]

I just recently tightened the cable up. I heard what sounded like rubber rubbing against metal, so I looked under and saw that the spare was loose and wiggling around. So I just tightened it. But I'm afraid to lower it all the way down, lest the cable snap and I can't get it back up. My X is originally from Delaware, so the spare and everything under there is rusted to hell. I'm pretty sure the tire is the original Firestone and I checked the psi....it was at a whopping 12.

So yeah I'm afraid to check it out. Maybe one day I will gather the strength, but I'll leave it for now.

 

[safn1949]

I used mine last year in Moab for a day and it was still new,I put it on the 2000 when I bought it as it was a pos.Then I bought a aluminum rim and mounted the tire I had to buy in Moab as a spare on the 94.I also have the stainless steel replacement cable on it so I don't lose the tire.

 

[KobeJ05]

5000 would mean the 50th week of the year 2000.

025407 would be the 2nd day of the 54th week of 07, but since there are only 52.177457 weeks in a year, I would guess that's not the date code, or it was made during an extremely long year, or on some other kind of calendar.

i figred it was from 2000 i bought the explorer in 07 and it had 30 to 40 percent tread left on it and it had the same treads as th spare. when they got tires for it in 00 they replaced the spare with it.

 

[92exp4x4]

I was working out in the yard one day and I heard a "Wump". The spare fell out of my ex when the cable broke from rust while it was parked in the driveway. The truck came from northern Illinois where the winters are brutal.

I now grease all of the cable assembly and check tire pressure when checking the other tires in spring and fall.

 

[GRNMACHINE]

Cable is decently rusted. Still works. I sanded and painted the spare wheel a few years back. The spare is a never been used 235/75/15 Goodyear Wrangler RT/S. Not sure what good it would be to me with 33x12.50x15's though (even if it was brand new). Not even sure why I still carry it....

 

[apollo607]

Rim valvle

Last year i went for vacation and i need to use the spare tire due to a blown tire. I found it almost flat, around 20 psi when the spare the day before i put some air around 40 psi. Luckly i always carry a small air compressor for some case, and i had to fill it due to pressure lost before of arriving to the next shop. I found that the air lost was due to a crack on the rubber rim valvle. From the pictures attached at the begginig, i guess that the flat issues could be due to we are facing down the valvle and in this condition some can damage it. Now i have my spare with the valvle faced up to the body in order to protect it.

 

[GRNMACHINE]

Carry fix a flat in other vehicles. Wonder how many cans I would need for a 33.

 

[KobeJ05]

Carry fix a flat in other vehicles. Wonder how many cans I would need for a 33.

arent those bad for the rims?

 

[GRNMACHINE]

Didnt have a problem with having the tire repaired after using it. Was in a less than desirable neighborhood around 1am with a flat. At the time I was only interested in getting out of there as fast as I can. Deserted street, no lights. It was my personal "work" car at the time. Fix a Flat was able to get me home about 50 miles. By morning the tire was flat again, I took it off, brought it in for repair. Told them I had put Fix a Flat in the tire, they said no problem.

 

[92exp4x4]

It just makes a mess for the tech who changes the tire. It will not hurt the rim or anything else. Tire guys just don't like sticky fingers.

 

[GRNMACHINE]

That was my understanding as well. I did tell the tech that I had to use Fix a Flat when I brought the tire in. Common Courtesy.

 

[safn1949]

You know fellas,there was a service bulletin to replace the old cable with a stainless steel one.I have it on my 94 and it looks new after 3 years in MN and it started it's life in MD.

 

[92exp4x4]

Did not know that, they should have been in the first place.

 

[KobeJ05]

You know fellas,there was a service bulletin to replace the old cable with a stainless steel one.I have it on my 94 and it looks new after 3 years in MN and it started it's life in MD.

hmmm probably too late by now to get it replaced by the dealer.

 

[Nightwatcher]

I pulled my stock spare out when I lifted my Ex... It just sat around the shop. Then the other day I needed to put it on a parts truck to move it around the yard... and SURPRISE... it won't fit on the front. The centre hole isn't big enough to go over the Auto Hubs... kinda surprised me. I don't know if someone swapped out the spare at some time or what the deal is, but it only slides over the hubs a couple inches then stops... weird.

I have a 1994 Explorer 4x4 XLT 4 door with Auto hubs and got a flat tire a few weeks ago during blizzard conditions out in the country. Due to health issues, I had to call a wrecker to help me change the tire on the left front which went completely flat. I have the 4 stock aluminum rims but the spare tire rim is steel. Long story short, the steel spare rim looks like the spare steel rim pictures that KobeJ05 posted. The spare tire rim would not fit over front Auto Hub. The hub had to be taken off so that the spare could be put on so that I could drive back home. I could not understand why the spare steel rim would not fit over the front hubs. My thoughts were that somebody switched the spare tire rim during the Firestone tire recall or later when I had to get a second set of tires. Why would Ford install a steel rim spare that would not fit over the front hubs?

No mention was made in the owner's manual that the spare would not fit over the front hubs. It mentions in the manual that the spare tire is identical to the other tires although the rim may not match. Later it mentions "To stow spare tire".... "NOTE: Stow aluminum wheel and tire with valve stem down"
Now why would Ford mention how to stow the aluminum wheel but not mention that the steel spare rim would not fit the front hubs? Anybody know?

 

[Nightwatcher]

You know fellas,there was a service bulletin to replace the old cable with a stainless steel one.I have it on my 94 and it looks new after 3 years in MN and it started it's life in MD.

I bought my 1994 Explorer new and Ford nor the dealer never advised me about the stainless steel cable. I still have the original spare tire cable.

 

[2stroke]

The cable has been rusted out on mine for years. I put on new cable once, but it was very rusty in no time, and the winch didn't work when I needed it. I bolted 2 chunks of ready rod right through the bracket and floor, and bolted the tire up.

 

[safn1949]

Sold the old girl last October and the cable still looked good after 7 years in Minnesota.

 

[2stroke]

Sold the old girl last October and the cable still looked good after 7 years in Minnesota.

Really? Did you keep it lubed with grease?

Edit: never mind, I just saw you changed yours out for stainless steel.

 

[vq5speed]

My original spare got stolen years ago someone cut the cable. I never fixed it or carried a spare since. Just recently last year I made a custom tire carrier.