How to release a spare tire in a Ford Transit

[@oldhouseredux7733]

Thanks man! I miss the old pass-through retainers on the Econolines. Couldn’t figure the Transit’s till I watched your video.

[@DakotaHusted]

Same! I was like, there’s now way I’m doing this wrong….

[@LukeYarbrough-w6z]

Ford provides free Roadside assistance including changing a flat tire for 5 years or 60,000 miles. And while many criticize the design and location, I have not seen anyone offer a different solution that allows for a customer to still easily customize and up fit the rest of the van without blocking access to the tools or spare, or without giving up cargo space.

[@cargovanconversion]

My previous van had the spare attached to the outside of the rear door but I find the current location underneath a much more elegant solution. Despite all the issues around it. cargovanconversion

[@cfnovak1]

Disclaimer for individuals living above the rust belt: MAP Gas torch and PB Blaster Aerosal Can is required to remove cable from Spare tire retaining plate. Good luck!

[@RP-xk8ji]

Bad design my was so corroded I couldn't get the cable off the bracket. Should've made it to where the bracket slide through the wheel. Wait till you van has 180k and is exposed to winter salt covered roads. My advice is take it down once an year and spray it down with a lubricant.

[@italiansausagge9905]

@@RP-xk8ji 280k on the one I just removed from my wife's one company vehicle so they can junk it but keep the spare for the remaining vehicles. Kroil and Knipex Cobras did wonders. Design fail that bolt head should have been the same as lugnut.

[@vantime2911]

OMG try doing this at 3 am in the middle of a snowstorm. This has to be one of the most awkward setups. Not to mention the jack under the passenger seat. what a pain that was. tried jacking it up and it got 3 inches after about 20 moves of the handle. I threw everything back into the van and called a towing company to come out and change my flat.

[@cargovanconversion]

As long as you do it with a smile on your face :) And remember, it's not about changing a tire, it's the snow storm and what are you doing at 3AM outside ? Better move to Florida. Van Williams

[@gregchick3311]

Ford failed on this design. This is an unnecessarily difficult system. Try it yourself, but not just getting the spare out, but back under the van!

[@SuperPadsta]

The jack is a joke

[@madimakes]

that cable bracket winch thing is like an impuzzleble

[@patrickwatters7555]

You can use s 1/2 inch ratchet that fits the square hole.

[@MNFinest]

love the fact the i’m at the side of a road watching how to take out a spare tire

[@nathan09876]

Helped me out on the side of the freeway, thank you!

[@kristendees3860]

Same!

[@TheMrC99]

Is it the same for the Transit Connect?

[@bedrosnersesyan6975]

That's my question too. Doesn't look like my 2013 connect

[@rycher2007]

Flat tire in the driveway, this video helped me out. Thanks 👍

[@jamesdemarco5671]

damn thing will seize for sure in W. NY winters, and Ford thinks this was a💡better idea....

[@robertryan5508]

Thank you for this video! Blow out on the motorway !!!!

[@mikeb1039]

Awesome. Just dropped the spare and "how do I get this out of the wheel" :)

[@MrJoshcc600]

Aw craps. My used van is missing the tool kit under the passenger seat. Nice time to find out

[@cargovanconversion]

@@MrJoshcc600 That would be funny if it wasn't you 😆🍀

[@sylviahamilton3658]

And what are the pieces inside that blue roll-up for?? Haven't figured that out

[@VehicularHommie]

Extender to provide leverage for the tool maybe?

[@noemartinez8521]

Thanks. You saved my life 🤣🤣

[@qualityswisswatches1]

Hi there, somone has boarded over my trasit spare wheel release? could you help me out and measure where it is inwards and lengthways please for me to drill saw a hole thrugh the wood..?

[@1Odama]

a simple task with a great video!!!!

[@johnlee8523]

Thanks for the video, employee from another store I work at had a flat and I was looking for a key to fit in there. Turns out someone has tried to remove the spare before and rounded the corners of the lug wrench so we couldn't get the tire out 🤦.

[@KingofNewark]

On the Ford transit Im looking at now the part that twists at 2:04 is rusted to all hell.

[@cargovanconversion]

I find it an awkward design. I'm lucky to be located in Florida. Rust here is usually not a problem. Van Williams

[@joshuafortuna6669]

I’m up in Canada trying to change a flat right now and the twist is all rusted and corroded. I really don’t know who thought this was a good idea

[@bonegasser]

@@joshuafortuna6669 Just had a battle with mine too. Even on a brand new van (as in the video), getting the wire through 90 degrees and then pushing out the cylindrical nut is difficult. Wires are strong in tension but weak in compression - the designer should have done some basic physics before inflicting this design on us!

[@gregchick3311]

@@bonegasser Ford failed us.

[@pryormio3853]

I had no idea 🤷‍♂️ until I watched this video how to get it off 😂 thank you

[@cargovanconversion]

Yes, it's a weird setup. Thanks. Van Williams

[@danimuellin7407]

Buen vídeo , no tengo ni papa de inglés pero la rueda de repuesto está coloca en su sitio.

[@TheMcooper17]

i did this with my neighbours tourneo, lowered spare, undone breakaway cable then released winch cable

[@erdemgokce4517]

i think I lost the screw for to place it back.. do anyone know how to find it ?

[@repenney]

WARNING! Anyone attempting to change a tire on a 2010 Ford Transit should be aware that the Owner's Guide contains inaccurate and potentially dangerous information. This relating to the stowing of the flat/spare tire. On page 190 the guide states "Lay the tire on the ground with the valve stem facing up towards the vehicle." If you follow these instructions you will find the tire will not seat firmly against the car body. It just dangles loose. The hazard this poses is incalculable but potentially fatal. The tire must be installed valve stem down as this video clearly shows. That Ford engineers thought this "Rube Goldberg" method of tire attachment appropriate simply defies credulity. "Stupid Device" is how Roadside Guy refers to part of it. NB: Ford should copy how the Peugeot 505 Wagon accomplished the same task; clever with simple and solid , nearly fool-proof engineering.

[@nitzanstern9581]

Hello, in my car the whole wait is ruined. Can anyone recommend a generic part that can be purchased perhaps at car scrap yards or a generic new part because Ford part is expensive! Any other car maker that can fit here? Please...

[@edrivera8268]

Thank you 🙏🏻. You saved my day.

[@redhongkong]

any tank would u recommend if i wanna replace this spare tire with diesel fuel tank to power my diesel heater? titan seems to be developing a 42gal auxiliary fuel system for transit, but their tanks are super expensive

[@miamiwax5504]

Goddamn thank you! Just had fun on the highway.

[@cargovanconversion]

Never thought, it would be used in such a way. Great to hear from you. I hope this is the last time, that you'll have to change your tire! Van Williams

[@orellisupplyl4178]

This video is all said and good for vehicles not in the North East region of the U.S. where they salt the roads in the winter. I wouldn't wish my worst enemy to try and unearth the spare tire of a Ford Transit Connect van alongside the highway, and it's impossible without a can of PB Blaster, and a hacksaw. My van didn't come with a spare tire; a feature that exalts less weight you haul. Regardless, when that day you face a flat tire, or worse, a kinked rim on top of it, you're basically not even stupid to just drive back to where you came from on the rim, if only a mile away, for you already destroyed the sidewall, and kinked the rim. Fortunately, my neighbor has the same van, but five years older. Theirs a '15, and mine a '20. I couldn't access their giant flat head screwdriver in the van's tow kit because of shelves they screwed into the wall frames. So I used a Toyota Tacoma jack kit and managed okay to lower the rusty thing down on the ground. Once I got it on the ground and realized all the mechanisms weren't as clean as in this here video, I went and got PB Blaster and sprayed every last up and down thing I could on the cleat attached to that cable. It simply wouldn't just twist with hand pressure. I knocked the security nut in the lug nut hole lose with vice grips, but it kept the cable attached with it as I cranked it counter clockwise. I had to use my left hand to hold the bottom mechanism that was fastened into the top part I was twisting with the vice grips, so it wouldn't spin the cable, inhibiting you from even being able to get it off. After it finally came off, which made me smile, then there was the lowering cable and its cleat, which you can't just finagle out of the hole like you would think any other set up like this. In this video, he just snaps the cable easily at a 90 degree angle, and with downward pressure, spins her to the right and out the slot. It didn't matter how much PB I put on that. I don't have a lift. I'm a contortionist and did all this on my belly with a perpetual trunk lift, no head space, and a U-Haul attachment for putting a wench in; not jacked up at all. Hot ground. 91 degrees. There is so little room to get even both of your arms in there. No room for any torque. I just couldn't get that cable to snap into its out place. It was gone. Maybe heat would have worked, but I didn't have any. I asked my neighbor about two hours after he gave me permission to use his spare, covered in sweat and dirt, if I could just cut the bastard out. Without hesitation, he said yes and even offered me some bolt cutters to do the job, but there was too big a gap in its clamps. I couldn't get enough ass with even really good tin snips. I had to perfectly get the tire on the ground, not too much that the cable isn't tight, but not so much that the tire starts to dangle. Get the cable as tight as you can. Maybe put a kneecap on the tire as you try to keep your face away and try to let the hacksaw bite into it. She will eventually splinter, and you'll get your prize. Even if I would have cut that cable, and not been able to get the security nut off the lug nut hole, it would have been futile, without other measures beyond my meager tools. You have to get that security nut off or it doesn't matter if you hack it off, is what I mean. I'm happy the PB Blaster helped me with the first part, and the hack saw with the second part. This stupid two step anti theft crap. The lowering nut aspect was kind of cool, but damn it all to hell was the rest just junk crap. I wonder what college scholar invented it? I advise all Ford Transit Connect owners that have their spare tire, regardless of the region you're in, to just get it out from under the van, if you can according to this video now, and store it somewhere handy, or strap it to the van wall somehow, because, it's a total pain in the ass, if it's not as clean as it is in this video. It must be a spankin' new van here. Thanks for this video by the way. Many people make vague videos on these vans. These vans have vague owner's manuals. Oh yeah, my Toyota bottle jack(s), I needed two. Had to jack it up, then put bricks down, put the second jack on the bricks, and jacked high enough. Got the tire on, jacked down the jack on the bricks, had to use the other jack to free the jack from the bricks, which I did by sliding them out. This van is so European and bass ackwards that it's no wonder so many people call a tow company. Ones without a spare are straight up just for AAA. It's a really cumbersome and lame design that might have more potential if made with more of an anti-corrosive approach, otherwise, it's sheer pain. End rant.

[@repsolsingh7557]

Thanks for the upload you saved my day

[@cargovanconversion]

Hi Repsol, Another happy customer :) Thank you for commenting. Van Williams

[@rsz90182]

1:26 That thin braided cable rusts and that wheel can kill someone on the highway. Mine broke but it is a 2016 Transit Van and has an extra cable to drag the tire home with you. Engineers? Nooo!!! People with no common sense.

[@bjarteolsen9604]

This was a lifesaver!

[@cargovanconversion]

Thanks you for commenting. Hope you got home, safely. Van Williams

[@Ximcha]

Thank you and youtube! You saved my ass on a highway in a forest in Russia.

[@ivkuasenov]

scary

[@robbyb2798]

Thanks for the video the music is even better what’s the song please

[@cargovanconversion]

Hi Robby, Sorry, couldn't recover the title of the song. But thanks for the comment. Hope everything worked out well. Van Williams

[@walterforero2528]

Thanks a lot just buy one of a second hand and have no idea how take out the spare wheel ... Thanks!

[@metrivers]

The best video .. TY

[@cargovanconversion]

@@metrivers thanks

[@esco9158]

Thx a lot. It saved us big time

[@TheBreaster]

I’ve just released the bolt to lower the wheel and it’s still locked up there.What a Poxy design

[@beepseatsfindingfoodtreasu8756]

That's a great idea! Not much information out there! Thanks Van!👍

[@cargovanconversion]

Strangely (or not) one of my most watched videos with more than half a million views. Van Williams

[@bryanmartinez6600]

for a second I thought the thumbnail was another whole new level of camber lol

[@cargovanconversion]

I'm amazed how some people see unusual things in some of my videos. But you're right! Van Williams

[@Hitchens-t5c]

Thank you!

[@ldarm]

Fuck dude, this bassline 🤘🏻

[@tarnowek1]

why do the van makers make these things so awkward and complex ?

[@cargovanconversion]

I agree, but it's still better than having the spare tire mounted on the rear door.

[@thesteezylifeofdrew]

@@cargovanconversion no its not

[@TheMrC99]

Try changing a headlight bulb on an 08 Megane. Its absolutely ridiculous for such a part

[@samarcher1830]

For the love of god,why put the spare tire release inside of a cargo van and not thru the bumper like every truck I've driven. My van has plywood on the floor with rubber mat on top.with service cart and tool boxes on top of that.

[@23toxic23]

I've just put the spare wheel back underneath the van from a puncture 2 months ago. Yes I've left it that long as it is the most stupid, difficult and stressful procedure ever designed. Why... Just why? Next time it's a job for the AA or as I've 6 tyres being a twin wheel axle. I'm simply going to swap the front (if punctured) with a rear and continue to drive to the nearest tyre shop and they can sort it. A rear tyre will just be driven on until the above reached again. I'm never going through that mentalist job again. 😁😁😁😁😁

[@Snoshado]

Thanks so much for this!

[@nestorautorepair]

Thanks for the video

[@pircmodern]

Could have cut the time of thiS video in half.

[@jrchenard]

Thanks... make my day.

[@cargovanconversion]

Hope you got home safely :) Van Williams

[@lupixpr8233]

Thx🎉🎉🎉❤

[@agnieszkafredrick8985]

You saved my life!!

[@SamirAnel]

Saved me thanks !

[@Wxll_YT]

Me today also, thanks

[@petetasker8599]

Who the hell designed this??

[@cargovanconversion]

Sure, wasn't me :) _Van Williams_

[@mochamark3040]

good video. My nut is rusted and I couldnt even loosen it with pliers. I will try some wd40 next. Trying this just in case of emergency. Good thing to do in this case.

[@cargovanconversion]

Hi Mark, Use the WD40 and let it stand overnight. Good luck! Van Williams

[@mochamark3040]

OK thanks!

[@guyv77]

Thanks for this great video. On my 2021 cargo Transit, the end of the tire iron is square instead of flat like in your video. That seems like a good idea, but I had to spend quite a bit of time filing it before I was able to insert it. If I had not needed to access the underside of the floor and discovered this problem I could have been trying to change a tire away from my tools and unable to lower the spare wheel.

[@undertheradarvan]

I just picked up my 2021 transit a few days ago. Your comment makes me think I should practice this stuff.

[@stevew9563]

Sure it's square and not a 6 sided allen head?

[@JetHeartland]

Yep and some models have this stupid dumb plastic wedge that goes onto the square end, I don't recommend using that as it'll get ate up then stuck... so stupid

[@sarawong2470]

Thank you, you saved me!

[@Jumangee_]

Thank you indeed.

[@alejandrosalinas7867]

Gracias uuf fue de mucha bendición

[@HONCH123]

This design is really bad, Thieves can steal this so easy, I had mine stolen outside my house, they just cut the cable, please complain to Ford Head Office as they are very expensive.

[@megapixal1]

try the twat once its rusted its fecking hard work if ford done a better where to get wheel down would be nice

[@cargovanconversion]

It could have been implemented better, but it still is an improvement to having one on the rear door. Van Williams

[@megapixal1]

TRUE

[@SimDeck]

The music to this video is a perfect match. I came here to see how to change a tyre now im deep into jazz funk music ffs!

[@cargovanconversion]

Well, now you can have fun changing a tire :) Van Williams

[@SimDeck]

Indeed. Unfortunatley the retaining nut is rusted. I just spent my bank holiday morning sweating and swearing with a hangover trying to get it off . However all the pain was offset with that funky music in my head.

[@cargovanconversion]

I did not know I had the power to do that :) Van Williams

[@sosteve9113]

Sim Deck haha great

[@RMACIAS2460]

Stop smoking that stuff . 😂 that’s porn music 🎶

[@LG-ct8tw]

Beautiful! Now show us again on a 10 years old van.🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬....Ford engineers😠😠😠😠

[@cargovanconversion]

Right! You should at least once or twice a year, release the spare and grease all the parts. But who does?

[@tedwoghiren4002]

One of the worst designs ever. Whoever came up with this idea and signed it off should be fired. This gets rusty and doesn't come off

[@cargovanconversion]

I agree. And it will get rusty, unless you live in California or Florida :) Van Williams

[@teggisser5534]

Stupid design! That retainer went rusted and impossible to turn without tools! Make sure you have tools or piece of pliers

[@cargovanconversion]

I agree, it is a complicated design. With regard to the van conversion, it's great to have the spare underneath and not hanging on one of the rear doors; but this also diminishes space for waste water tanks. Van Williams

[@cargovanconversion]

@Suzanne Gauthier On my previous vehicle, I had a ladder and the spare on the rear doors. I never used the ladder and the spare always hindered the rear access. The van also looks a lot better without a visible spare :) Van Williams

[@neil6919]

Cheers

[@hugolafhugolaf]

WORST. DESIGN. EVER. One of many on that vehicle.

[@adriang4168]

Thank you

[@cargovanconversion]

You're Welcome! Van Williams

[@ghostwisp2945]

Me...🤷‍♀️...Just buy a new van

[@RandomObservations-cn5tk]

about as much use as a chocolate tea pot. when you release the cable the tyres still under my transit connect and awkward to get at. citeroen belingo has way better design than this garbage

[@sosteve9113]

RandomObservations1986 I had to do it a couple of times,I never did this with a berlingo

[@КубатАбдурахманов-ю8р]

Музыку

[@stephenboulton1347]

Bloody idiotic design...best to get it off and keep in the load area...get a grip ford

[@saniclean8519]

Worst design ever

[@cargovanconversion]

Worst, I don't know, but close to it. It is a repeated theme in these comments. Van Williams

[@EVILalwaysDIES]

I swear they couldnt make it simpler? Im standed and dont know how to remove

[@willsolt8177]

thank you