"Jcarr" (jcarr)
05/27/2016 at 09:44 • Filed to: GM
0
9|
"Jcarr" (jcarr)
05/27/2016 at 09:44 • Filed to: GM | 0
| 9 |
I’d like to find the GM engineer who designed the mid-2000s spare tire winch assembly and give him or her one of these:
For those of you unfamiliar, this is what the piece of crap looks like:
When bolted in, the right side lines up with a hole in the bumper that allows you to crank the winch. The wheel then rests on the rectangular plate at the end of the cable. All well and good except for one little thing.
This piece of crap:
This is the secondary latch. It sits at the very end of the cable and is designed to prevent the spare from falling off in the case of a cable failure.
How does it work, you ask? When the cable is intact, the weight of the wheel and tire pushes down on the large black piece, causing the hook at the top to retract. This allows the winch to fully lower the wheel. If there is no weight on the black piece (like there would be in the case of a cable failure) the hook is deployed and catches on a lip in the winch assembly, preventing the spare from falling.
The problem with this design is that the end of the secondary latch assembly corrodes and seizes at the mere mention of moisture and thus prevents the hook from retracting.
The only way, then, to lower the spare is to do this:
You have to use jack stands and a jack to hold the spare in place while you let the winch out. Then you have to reach up to the secondary latch and force the hook back in with your hand/a screwdriver/etc. Then it can pass the lip and the tire can be fully lowered. Not a big deal when you’re in a garage with 4 fully-inflated tires. A gigantic pain in the ass when you’re on the side of the road with a flat.
I’ve found an aftermarket winch assembly that is of a different design, so I’ll be installing one of those once I can get one ordered. Until then, the spare is strapped down (thank God for cargo area eyelets) in the back.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> Jcarr
05/27/2016 at 09:50 |
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Ford, on the other hand, just did this for years and years and years and years. Giant PITA to lower enough to hook the clip sideways and get it out, but no mechanical considerations at all.
Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
> Jcarr
05/27/2016 at 09:54 |
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This is why they recommend dropping the spare once in a while as part of the regular maintenance. Kind of a pain in the ass, but not totally unreasonable. Just sort of old school thinking.
HammerheadFistpunch
> Jcarr
05/27/2016 at 09:58 |
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I’m no fan of the toyota winch...but it’s a damn sight better than this, being just a simple chain winch and plate
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Jcarr
> Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer
05/27/2016 at 10:22 |
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I have a standing monthly reminder on my phone to lower the winch. I also grease it a couple times a year. Still doesn’t help.
Chasaboo
> Jcarr
05/27/2016 at 10:25 |
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I had a GMC Sonoma. The cable became corroded, and the spare started to hang down. Stupidest design ever.
thebigbossyboss
> Jcarr
05/27/2016 at 11:25 |
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Whole we are hating on GM engineers can we also blame those people for poorly designed stepper motors. And also poorly designed windshield washer sprayers.
You can tell a Finn but you can't tell him much
> Chasaboo
05/27/2016 at 11:47 |
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I say nay nay. - John Pinette
I’m not sure if he was referring to the Honda Ridgeline spare tire setup, but he probably was.
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Jcarr
> thebigbossyboss
05/27/2016 at 12:31 |
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This could go on for a while...
VonBootWilly - Likes Toyota, but it's still complicated.
> Jcarr
05/27/2016 at 12:36 |
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The rust-belt turns them into brown goo. Which means they deploy the spare without warning. Usually on the highway.
I have an Uplander beater van that this mechanism has already rotted into a brown mass. The older ones I’ve dealt with take a few hits with a hammer and the wheel falls off (from the holder exploding with rust).