How to Change Your Tire 1997-2001 Toyota Camry

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Hi. I'm Tony with 1A Auto, and, today, we're going to show you how to change a flat tire with your spare on a 1998 Toyota Camry. Before changing your tire, you'll want to make sure that your vehicle is on flat, solid ground to the best of your ability. Make sure your hazard lights are on, the parking brake is set, and the vehicle is in park. Always be aware of your surroundings. If you don't feel that you can replace the tire safely, be sure to call an emergency service company to have them tow the vehicle, or take care of the tire for you.

Before jacking up the vehicle to change your tire, be sure to chock the wheel. If you don't keep a chock block or block of wood in the vehicle, look around for a large stick or rock or something to support the wheel. You can chock any wheel that's not going to be raised up. When you jack up the vehicle, our recommendation is the opposite side of the same axle. Chock your wheel at the front, if the nose of the vehicle is facing downhill or at the rear if the back of the vehicle is facing downhill. Move your carpet.

Unscrew the hold down for your trunk liner. Remove your trunk liner. Remove your tools from their retainers: tire iron, jack handle. Unscrew your spare tire and remove it from the vehicle. Remove the cover on the passenger side of the trunk floor. Lower your jack by hand to release it from its retainer. Remove the hubcap from the wheel simply by grabbing hold and pulling out.

Use your tire iron to break all of your lug nuts lose before jacking up the vehicle. Once your lugs are loose, you want to do your best to have your vehicle on a hard, flat surface before you start this process. If you can't be on a hard surface, you'll want to carry a block of wood with you to support your jack with. Put your jack on the ground on your block of wood. This notch here is designed to sit onto the pinch weld under the vehicle. The fastest to raise it up by hand. Then install your jack handle and crank the vehicle up the rest of the way. Make sure you bring the vehicle up high enough that the new tire will go on without hitting the ground before it gets onto the hub.

Use your tire iron to remove your lug nuts that rest of the way. Remove the tire from the hub. Place the tire under the vehicle as a safety in case something happens and the jack fails or the vehicle's knocked off the jack—this will catch it and keep you and the vehicle from being hurt and damaged.

Inspect the condition of your spare tire. Make sure that there are no wear marks around the sidewall, and that the tire's inflated properly, and that the tread is in good condition.

Reinstall the wheel onto the hub, and start your lug nuts by hand. Remove the tire form under the vehicle. Lower your jack until the wheel just touches the ground. With partial weight on the vehicle, tighten your lug nuts the rest of the way in a cross pattern. With the lug nuts tightened, bring the jack down the rest of the way.

Once it's off the vehicle, you can bring it down by hand. It goes a little bit faster. Remove your block of wood. With the full weight on the vehicle, check your lug nuts one more time, just to be sure.

Remember to always go in a cross pattern. With your hubcap, where this is a full size spare, we don't have to worry about mileage or top speed. It's going to be the same as the tire we removed. Find the notch in you hubcap and align it with the valve stem on the wheel. Tap the hubcap into place.

To reinstall your jack, place it into it's holder. Line up the notch with this tab here, pin the jack open until it's secure. Reinstall your cover.

Since we have a full size spare tire, we can secure the bad tire back underneath the floor liner. Line up the hold down with the threaded hole in the floor pan and screw your spare tire down tight. Reinstall your tools into the trunk liner. Install the trunk liner and screw it down.

Reinstall your trunk liner.

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