How to Change a Flat Tire on a 2002 F150 Super Crew
Road hazards such as debris in the roadway puncture the F-150's tires and leave you stranded along the roadside. Ford equipped their 2002 model-year F-150 SuperCrew trucks with provisions to change a flat tire. The spare tire and jacking equipment are stowed in storage compartments in the truck. Removing the flat tire and installing the spare requires basic mechanical skills and can be performed along the roadside in an emergency.
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Instructions
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Removing the Tire
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1
Park the truck on level pavement. Put the transmission in "Park" (or in "Reverse" if your transmission is manual). Set the parking brake by fully depressing the parking brake pedal and then turn off the engine. Turn on the hazard flashers if performing a roadside tire change.
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2
Retrieve the jack and lug-nut wrench from the rear storage compartment on the passenger side of the Supercrew. Retrieve the jack handle from the front of the engine compartment on top of the radiator support. Retrieve the spare tire lock key from the glove compartment.
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3
Insert the hooked tip of the jack handle under the lip of the spare tire lock key. Insert the handle at an angle to engage the lip, then straighten the handle so it locks into the key.
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4
Position wheel blocks on the tire diagonally opposite the tire you are changing. Block both front and rear sides of the tire.
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5
Insert the jack handle with the key equipped through the bumper hole adjacent to the left license plate lamp. Press the key in until it engages and then turn the handle counterclockwise. Continue turning the handle counterclockwise until the spare tire is lowered to the ground underneath the truck and there is sufficient slack in the loading cable to pull the tire toward you. Pull the tire toward you and remove the cable retainer from the center of the spare tire.
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6
Pry off the wheel trim and wheel cap with the flat tip of the lug-nut wrench.
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7
Loosen the lug nuts with the lug-nut wrench by turning them counterclockwise one-half turn each. Use force to break the torque on the lug nuts.
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8
Insert the jack handle into the hole at the base of the jack, then position the jack under the wheel's jack point. The jacking point for a front wheel on a 4X4 is a raised boss located on the wheel's front suspension lower arm. The jacking point for a front wheel 4X2 is a flat portion on the frame located behind the front tire and wheel assembly. The rear jacking points are the rear axle between the embosses right behind the wheel assembly and in front of the shock mount.
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9
Turn the jack handle clockwise to lift the truck. Lift the truck until the wheel is clear of the ground.
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10
Remove the lug nuts. Grasp the tire at the 3 o'clock position and the 9 o'clock position. Pull the tire to remove it from the hub.
Installing the Spare
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11
Remove dirt and debris from the back of the spare tire's wheel, then roll the spare tire into position in front of the hub with the tire's valve stem toward you.
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12
Evaluate the height of the hub against the level of the center of the spare tire. Raise the truck higher by turning the jack handle clockwise if the center of the spare tire is higher than the hub. Continue raising the truck until the spare tire can be installed on the hub without the tire touching the ground.
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13
Lift the tire and align the holes in the wheel with the studs in the hub. Slide the wheel assembly onto the hub.
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14
Install the lug nuts and tighten them by hand.
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15
Turn the jack handle counterclockwise to lower the truck to the ground. Remove the jack.
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16
Tighten the lug nuts with the lug-nut wrench in a star pattern. Torque the lugs nuts to the proper foot-pounds with the torque wrench. If your wheels have five lug nuts or 14mm wheel bolts, tighten them to 150 foot-pounds. If your wheels have seven lug nuts or 12mm wheel bolts, tighten them to 100 foot-pounds.
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17
Install the wheel trim and cap with a rubber mallet. Return the jack and wheel-lug wrench to the storage compartment.
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18
Install the spare tire lock key onto the jack handle again. Lay the flat tire on the ground behind the truck with the valve stem facing up.
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19
Slide the tire under the truck until you can insert the retainer into the center of the wheel. Insert the retainer, then position the tire under its stowage compartment.
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20
Insert the jack handle with the key equipped through the bumper hole. Press the key in until it engages and then turn the handle clockwise. Continue turning the handle clockwise until the flat tire is raised into the stowage compartment. The mechanism ratchets when the wheel assembly is fully raised.
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21
Remove the wheel blocks. Return the jack handle and the spare tire lock key to their respective storage locations.
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1
Tips & Warnings
If your lug-nut wrench is stowed in two pieces, assemble the pieces before starting the tire change. Screw the threaded, male end of the nut socket half of the wrench into the threaded, female end of the tip half of the wrench. Unscrew the two halves to stow the wrench after the task is complete.
If your wheels don't have trims or caps, skip step 6.
Do not attempt to change the tire if you cannot move the truck out of the road's travel lanes far enough to be reasonably safe.
Shut down the electrical power to the air suspension system prior to jacking up a Supercrew equipped with air suspension. Turn off the air suspension switch located in the right hand kick panel area.
Never use the differential housing as a lifting point when setting the jack. Costly damage can result.
Do not get under the truck or put arms or legs under the truck while it is supported on the jack. The jack is meant to lift the truck to change a tire only.
If your F-150 SuperCrew is equipped with the 4X4 option, do not use the truck's spare tire unless it is the same size as the tires mounted on the vehicle. Driving the 4X4 truck, even for short distances, with mismatched tires can result in costly damage to driveline components.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Tire with a nail image by Scott Griessel from Fotolia.com
