slowmachine
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Mike
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2020
- Threads
- 39
- Messages
- 930
- Reaction score
- 1,972
- Location
- New Hampshire
- Vehicle(s)
- 2015 Jeep Wrangler, waiting for a Ranger PHEV
- Thread starter
- #1
Where I live, winter road treatment is salt and/or sand. When I lowered the spare for rotation (5 tires) it would go just to the garage floor before binding. Working the mechanism back and forth with the tire tools made no improvement. I had to lift the tire off the garage floor to remove the cross-piece that holds the wheel center. I pulled on the chain from both directions, and it still would go no farther. When rotating the next wheel into the spare carrier, I also had trouble with binding while lifting into the stored position. Working the chain back and forth, with the weight of the spare on the chain, got it to move somewhat smoothly into the stored position. This is very bad news for a roadside tire change.
To complicate things, I recently had undercoating applied which has a fairly hard waxy consistency, and it was applied to the lift chain. Before the salt/sand regimen began, the spare lift worked fine with the wax on the chain.
Every other vehicle I have owned with a spare lift mechanism has had a steel cable, and has not been affected by the winter road treatment. I have always wiped the extended cable with a greased rag before reeling the spare back into the stored position.
I can only guess that the chain lift mechanism is fouled with sand and undercoating wax. How can I clean it out, and what can I do to keep it working through the winter?. Moving the spare to the truck bed until spring is not an option.
To complicate things, I recently had undercoating applied which has a fairly hard waxy consistency, and it was applied to the lift chain. Before the salt/sand regimen began, the spare lift worked fine with the wax on the chain.
Every other vehicle I have owned with a spare lift mechanism has had a steel cable, and has not been affected by the winter road treatment. I have always wiped the extended cable with a greased rag before reeling the spare back into the stored position.
I can only guess that the chain lift mechanism is fouled with sand and undercoating wax. How can I clean it out, and what can I do to keep it working through the winter?. Moving the spare to the truck bed until spring is not an option.
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