I've been fighting an epic battle with my spare tire for a while now. Just to explain my pain, it started with the locking lug being completely "bonded" to the alloy wheel. I couldn't get that lug off to save my life! After buying every type of stripped head removal tool and frozen bolt removal tool and freeing chemical spray in the metro area, I gave up and went a different route. I removed the spare and the carrier from the door and drilled out the bolt through the back of the carrier. That FINALLY separated the spare from the carrier. I ended up having to drill out the locking lug and bolt veeeeery carefully right through the hole in the alloy rim to get that *^&%$ thing free! And of course, I ruined the carrier when I drilled out the bolt, so I bought a used one from Roverland.

The new carrier is installed and I reattached the spare (using the original lug, not a locking one). Here's my problem: within 2 days I noticed the spare was rattling. I checked the lugs, thinking they had worked loose. It turns out not one, but TWO of the bolts had broken off the carrier! WTF? I didn't torque the lugs on too hard (not as tight as I would for the road wheels, that's for sure) and I know I'm using the spare tire lugs because of the metal bump on the end caps. Did I do something wrong or did I just get a bad used carrier?

I really irked I'll have to drop $$ to buy ANOTHER spare carrier, but I'd like to make sure I don't repeat this problem.

 

you dont have to buy a whole new carrier... go to a hardware store and buy some grade 8 bolts in the size and thread you need, drill out/grind off the old bolts from the tire carrier, slide the new heavy duty bolts in from the backside of the carrier, and tack weld the bolts in place from the back... if you dont have a welding machine, then just use a good bit of JB weld all the way round the bolt head on the back side and it should be good...

 

Here is a tip from your uncle Spike, every 6 months check the tire PSI is your spare and completly remove the three nuts that hold the spare on and coat the threads with anti-sieze, do this EVERY six months or next time you will be sitting on the side of the raod at 3am with no cell signal and a pregnant wife on the way to the hospital trying to remove your spare in the freezing rain.

 

call roverland and tell them what you are dealing with. They may send you another if you pay shipping, and it hasn't been too long. That said, they tend to rust right where the bolt connects. use a wire brush to make sure all of the rust is gone and re-paint it. Then use some anti-seize compound on all of the threads.

I have been through this as well...

 

I did what discoxd said. I bought the same size bolt at a hardware store and took it to a local guy I know who welds. I haven't had a problem with it since.

 

Thanks for the replies!

It's been many months since I bought the part from Roverland, so I really don't think I have a valid gripe to take up with them. If I had installed the carrier right away, I might have a valid reason to complain, but I'm well past their return period.

That's a great idea to just replace the bolts! I can't weld, but I'm sure I find a friend who can. Thanks for the suggestion and the second for the suggestion!

I've always checked my spare tire pressure at least twice a year. And I've always unbolted/rebolted my spare lugs at the same time, just to make sure they haven't seized. Of course, before I did that as part of my "Thank goodness winter is over in Wisconsin!" worklist on my Disco, I got a flat and tried to remove the spare, thereby starting the whole saga I explained in my OP.

 

did that really happen to you spike?

 

i'm putting my money that it did happen to spike, get a sprint phone spike!

 

Roarke, what is simple to swap them out, i ordered a used one today then come across this thread. mine has one bult as all chipped paint, i want no cover now, but it looked bad