How to Change a Flat Tire on a Sprinter Van I Step-by-step Instructions
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- Опубліковано 13 лип 2024
- Don't get stuck in the backcountry with a flat tire. In this video, I share a detailed step-by-step tutorial of how to change a tire. Whether you have a Sprinter Van, like me, or a normal car, the process for jacking up the car and putting on the spare tire is similar...but before proceeding, you should always check the instructions in your owner's manual for your individual car, and if you aren't comfortable get help.
•Spare tire rack made by www.aluminess.com/
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🙋🏼 ABOUT KRISTEN 🙋🏼
I’m the gal behind outdoor travel blog Bearfoot Theory, and I dig mountains, music, and fresh air of all kinds. I live full time in a 4x4 Mercedes Sprinter Camper Van and you can usually find me wandering around the West with my GoPro in hand.
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The jack mount is about 15" in front of the rear axel towards front of the van. No need to crawl under the van to mount it on axel.
Good woman 👌🏾 I'm a tyre fitter here in Australia & so many people stand or jump on the bar when they're trying to crack wheel nuts loose - best motion is to actually PULL like you were doing - lean back almost in a wide squat stance as if you're at gym & use your biceps/straight back/leg muscles simultaneously & lean back. You actually have more controlled strength rather than pushing, not many people realise that!
Euro vehicles with 'stud located nuts' (unlike non-Euro's) are an absolute bloody pain in the arse (pointing at you heavy AMG SUV wheels I'm scared of scratching worth more than my month wage). Best thing to do when matching wheel stud holes is sit ya bum on the ground like you were doing but shimmy both feet under the wheel as you roll it side-to-side. As you 'cradle' & leverage up with the tops of your feet, you can spin/adjust once it's resting on the hub - trust me I'm a young lil lightweight bloke & it makes it easier!
If you can afford to accommodate the extra size/weight, a really good idea is to buy a supplementary small trolley jack (with suitable load rating - prob ask your tyre/mech pro) as they're HEAPS easier, faster, safer & more stable. Even if you only use it once in a blue moon it's still a worthy investment, particularly if you're racing in crap weather on the side of a bad road on a less than stellar surface.
LOVE your channel - you're living my dream, so till I pay a bit more off my home & in the position to nomad, I'm living vicariously through you lol 😁
PS beaut rig!
It's probably obvious, but if you have a flat, the car will sit lower than with an inflated tire. So when you jack the flat tire up, make sure you jack high enough to let the inflated tire in place.
"Make it as tight as possible". No. There are specs to respect and more torque doesn't mean safer. Most sprinter with alloys wheels are 138lbs/ft of torque. That 1 foot ratchet and a 140 lbs person could stand on the end, but not more.
Great Video for beginners!
Please use always a Star Plattern to tighten the nuts/screws! Otherwise you could damage your wheel! More over please use a Ratsche / Tool with limiting torque to prevent more damages.
Enjoy driving your Mercedes Benz Sprinter Van! Have always a safe and wonderful trip! Greetings from the home of Mercedes - Germany!😊
Thank you. This is a wonderful help for me with my Sprinter as I go bushwalking a lot! ❤️🙂 Michelle
Great advice! It helped us a lot. Nothing got damaged!
Your sprinter videos are so cute. Keep 'em coming!
Zack Ogle thanks for the encouragement
Does the manual tell you to jack it up from the axel? As far as im aware its a real no no. You have special jacking points on the van to place the jack.
Absolutely not! The Jack point is the thick loop hanging down from the frame as seen around 3:25.
DO NOT DO IT THIS WAY
OK!!! right on... congratulations and you have changed it! You did a great job Kristen! i love to change tires while on the road, it makes things much more interesting doesn't it?! :D
A few more tips if you don't mind. Always chock a wheel for safety in this case a front wheel.
Put the wheel that you removed under the car where you are working. In case of jack failure you want the car to fall on the wheel and not the ground.
And get a torque wrench. Not very necessary but I've seen bolts get torqued off easily (broken off).
Can't wait to see the next video.
Great video!
Solid advice to be prepared!!!
Mahalo...
Go Utah!
Always enjoy and learn so much from your channel Kristen! Happy New Year from Toronto, Canada!
Thanks Gen! Glad you found it helpful!
Great video! Love that SnapOn 1/5 drive ratchet! Only the best, right!
Great Clip. also for folks who are beginners when you initially loosen lug bolt while tire is in contact with ground, just loosen 1/2 a turn or so.
Excellent work Kristen ! , and your Dad is a Star ⭐️ :-)
Happy new year
Oren
he sure is ;) Thanks Oren!
I only have a few things I'd like to advise. Instead of getting the small piston jack go to Wal-Mart and get the flat rolling jack for $20-$25. It's more stable, doesn't require you to put things under it for stability. Much safer.
Also, spend the extra money to get a torque wrench. Tightening the lugs to the specified torque is very important. Especially on European cars as they are a bit easier to over-torque and strip your lugs. DO NOT EVER OVER TIGHTEN YOUR LUGS. This can cause the heads to pop off.
I did stuff like this for a living for several years. You'd be scared by some of the stories I have of people who over tightened lug nuts or didn't tighten them enough. Torque wrench. If your traveling and not experienced with tire work I advise you to have one :)
glenrkat or even better, buy one from a real auto store.
Kristen, thanks for a nice video. Please consider jacking up the vehicle from the rear (jack lever pointing towards the rear bumper) so you won't have any part of your arm or body underneath the Van. Similar for the front tires, where the jack lever would point to the front. Also hand brakes should be engaged.
good job!
Thanks! Survival skills
good job :)
Great video, a couple other things to consider.. block at least one wheel Especially on uneven ground also consider putting a support under the frame somewhere close to the jack in case the jack fails, in a pinch a round of wood works instead of a factory jackstand.
Great vid .. Another tip .. when you are jacking up the van, have your spare tire
placed under the frame of the van - just in case it falls off the jack-
it won't fall on you. Then when you take the flat tire off, swap them.
This way you always have a safety net of sorts in case the van is wet
and slips off the jack. Cheers.
PS ... Happy New Year from Vancouver BC - And 2 Questions: 1- Why did you take off your ladder on the back. 2- Are you thinking of doing a video on the roof rack and the storage box at the back of your van? That would be awesome if you did : )
Hey! Thanks. That's a great tip. I took the ladder off the back for a couple of reasons. The guy who did my van put it there, but when I went into the dealership, they told me they don't actually recommend putting them on the back door because it's not strong enough. I also had to take it off t make room for the spare tire. I replaced it with an aluminess ladder that I put on the drivers side of the van. And yes, a video is coming soon!
Good to know, as I've seen a few vans with the ladders - but I like your spare on there.
And another tip, don t put the bolds on the ground but on a peace of rag, and spray them with WB 40 or oil them , then later they get lose more easy in case of a next time. , and a pair of gloves, lol.
Hey ! beAwsum , great tip . I have a question maybe you could help me sum up my thoughts on safety . Since a van self-made RV conversions are quite heavier. Are the jacks sturdy enough to bear the weight of the Van ?What would you suggest?
Very well done
good job lady
I am so happy to see an automotive video like this starring a female type person - thank you for making this and being awesome!
I prefer to see a person who's 54.6% female type, and 45.4% male type.
what size rims are those ? and size of tire ? i really like it!
I thought you did a good job making this process seem accessible to people who might be intimidated. I do think that you should have used the block of wood, not only to ensure that folks know how to use it, but it's also a good idea even on asphalt in order to keep the jack from punching through. Also, since this is a beginner's guide, I would have liked to see a bit more attention to safety (emergency brake on, parking off the highway, level ground, etc.)
Barefoot; I'm loooking for a top carriage rack, something like what I see at the top of the van. How does it hook on, without any gutters? I have a 2008 long 170" sprinter.
Hey Kristen, great videos as always. You should get some wheel locks for those beautiful wheels, even the spare which will be the easiest to steal.
Thanks! I have lock nuts on the spare.
That is what I thought, bad people will try to steel your spare tire, I you could have space anyware inside to safe it from the elements, I guess not.
Great video, but I wanted to point out one very important detail that goes against part of your instructions. You should never stand on the ratchet / torch wrench to tighten lug nuts. If you overtighten the lugs, there can be serious repercussions such as damaging specific parts and can even lead to an accident. Every vehicle has a specific torque set.
If changing a tire, its obviously recommended to take to a shop soon after for repairs and proper wheel torque. In the event you can't make it to a shop, its best recommended to tighten each lug nut in a star pattern once you start to feel resistance in turning. No more and no less.
I hope this message comes across in a positive manner and I wish everyone a Happy New Year!
Thanks! That's super helpful. I did follow the star pattern as it mentioned in the manual. Happy New year!
It would be good to jack it up high enough to get the spare on before taking the flat off. That will be an estimate. But by looking at the spare you should be able to make a good guess. If you put the tire iron or jack handle under the spare tire as you put the spare on it will be a nice lever to lift the tire. It basically reduces the weight of the new tire so it is easier to lift through leverage.
looks fantastic and some great tips here but its easy on a rear tyre so how about a video showing how to jack up the front with that bottle jack and change a front tyre which is a lot harder ? unless you can prove me wrong please ?
Your dad rocks!
Is it safe to put the floor jack in the same place on the Mercedes v-class?
Hello !
can you give me the type of rims? name and dimensions as well as the tires? thank you very much.
Hi how many miles you got in your van, any problems or problems with def system, thinking to buy for my work
can you shear the wheel and tire sizes? and if you have some lift kit ho many inches, thanks
You should get a cordless impact wrench and have extra batteries with proper torque stick, help you in time of panic! And way easier :)
Nice video!
MedjOOL Maker great suggestion. Thanks!!
Just get a Torque wrench. It's cheaper, doesn't use power and is less likely to strip the lugs.
Great enthusiasm, I like it .....,
I'll give you some campers friendly advices about changing flat,
- Safety, your front wheels need to be straight and please put something in front of diagonal wheel from flat, just in case and activate parking brake
- jack need to be placed on the spot where factory recommended ( check the owner manual book ), very important for safety reasons
- because of your physical power get some 1 1/2 inch steel pipe, 2 feet long for better leverage
and more easy do the job and please do not use your back, use your upper body with arms to do the job ( using your back power you have big chance to hurt your back )
- you need "Drive click torque wrench" to tighten the aluminum wheel and be safe that you have right amount of torque on the bolts
- cut some 4x4 peace of pressure treated stud ( long 15-18 inch ) to support your van beside your hydraulic jack
- pair of leather gloves will be good thing to have and use
- Sprinter hydraulic jack sometime get the air in and good thing to know is how to bleed air from jack, its very easy, UA-cam video will show you how ....
- refill all your tires with NITROGEN, best place for that is Costco tire shop, why nitrogen, more safe than air and tire temperature do not change the inflation pressure
Have a safe and pleasant trips .....
Thanks for these helpful tips!
I like share my “ short” driving experience, just about 46 years ….. hahahahaaa
Happy New Year :)
Thanks! you too Linda!
If I were doing this I would probably stand on the ratchet to undo the wheel bolts (at home I would be using a breaker bar). I would also also have the jack handle pointing out the back of the vehicle. If I were doing this in an emergency I would haul up on the ratchet to tighten the wheel bolts, but I weigh 105 Kg and can pull a fair amount; if I were you I would stand on the ratchet and get the torque settings checked later, 180 Nm is a lot of torque. If not on a level ground it might be an idea to chock at least one of the other wheels with a brick or rock.
It's not a "Car", it's a "Van" LOL J/K I know you know that but you keep saying car. Love your videos and keep learning so much. Cheers
Tip: Rather than pulling on the wrench handle, place it in a position under you so that you can push on it, using your body weight to assist you. Happy camping!
Great Job! others have given great suggestions like wheel chocks. i would add, if you have space, bring a good size block of wood to put underneath to add safety while the van is on 3 wheels. normally i would use the tires but since you have nice rims. you probably dont want to do that. and yes a 18 or 24" breaker bar is a good idea. remember to tighten to factory specs as soon as you can.
Changing a tire is a skill that all drivers should have! You never know when you might need it.
i like your van , just wondering how long it is
It's the 144" sprinter. All the details here: bearfoottheory.com/4x4-mercedes-sprinter-van-conversion-tour/
What wheel/tire combo you running? Size of wheel 16"? Thxs
Yes I'd like to know as well...
U should use your FOOT to assist you on your wheel installation .... and should not disturb the "Jack".
hahaha ~~ 你臉黑黑的，看起來比較可愛！
You should add always set the parking brake...and a 4-way lug wrench is a very handy tool for changing tires, one of the sockets will be for your size lug nuts, and the others might fit other vehicles you come across with a flat tire and they dont have the wrench. Plus, a 4-way wrench is a handy tool for wedging under the tire and lifting it a few inches to match up the studs to the holes...
And yeah, the passing drivers probably wondering why is that dude letting a girl change his flat tire?
Everyone here has their idea on how the vehicle should be jacked up; but I've always gone by that after the lug nuts have been broken and you can turn them by hand, you should jack up the vehicle till the bottom of the bad tire can be rotated freely about a few inches off the ground (0-5")...
Please do a 3 part series on how to change a lightbulb.
Speaking as somebody who worked on cars for a living for a very long time, you'd be surprised how many people, regardless of gender, don't know how to change a car tire. This isn't as inconsequential a tutorial as somebody who already knows how to do this would think.
where are your wheel chocks????
I never changed a tire in my life but I seem to remember reading somewhere that after a tire change you should have it double checked by an expert for proper torquing of the bolts and to see if the wheel is "out of round" (not sure if that is the correct term). Good job on the video. I like watching your vids.
Thanks! I hopefully will never have to change my tire, but this is intended to get me/you from a dirt road with no cell service to the nearest town where you can get your original tire fixed.
I noticed you didn't chalk the wheels.Though I have only chalked one wheel, many suggest you put chalks on the other three wheels to keep the vehicle from moving and falling off the jack.
Gotcha. Thanks so much for the tip.
Chocks. But....yeah.
Cool. So you never have to change the front, eh?
You forgot the final point...have plenty of baby wipes on hand!!!
Windkisssed try gloves
haha true that. my face was looking pretty silly by the end
Changing a tire is not a fashion contest.
David troll
Constructive criticism.
never use your leg to close or open the lug nut!
Lug bolt guides would make aligning the wheel to the hub a lot easier. They don't take up much space in your vehicle and you will be glad you have them.
www.reverselogic.us/lug-guides.html
#1 First make sure your vehicle is in park!!! It's a no-brainer, but people do have to be reminded.
#2 Put some chocks in front of and behind the wheels in case your parking brake does not hold the vehicle in place! Walmart sells light-weight yellow plastic ones or you can use wood chocks.
Putting your spare tire under the frame too close to the tires could make it difficult to remove it, if your vehicle rolls forward a couple of inches.
And is that spare tire you tucked under the vehicle wider than your head when the vehicle falls?
I wouldn't want to find out! You should never be under the vehicle when jacking it up. If your short, you can pick up a longer pipe at a hareware store to go over the jack handle so you won't be under the vehicle.
you need to torque the nuts! Not tighten them as tight as you can!
Why aren’t u putting the jack where it should be. There is a spot that look like a ‘U’ in front of the struts. I think all sprinter has that. Saw it in another video.
This is bad advice. You do not jack up the axle. There are jacking points on both 2500s and 3500s. Jacking the axle or the differential could cost you thousands in damage. Read your manual.
Go to Dunkin donuts, pick up a half dozen spares at the counter, pick up your toy van with a stick and push a new spare on. Then wind it up and go again.
I say jack it up all the way
I pray no one has to endure you show this in person
Get some gloves like your dads....😁
2.58
Please don't go under your car hands first like that again too dangerous
Thank you
NOT a Lug nut. Most of European vehicles use LUG BOLT. Especially German vehicles. Just you to know.
too bad u did not remove the spare tire.
That is totally unsafe jacking up the van while being under it! Oh is this how its done by manufacturers instruction?
Wheres how to remove the spare.the mpst imporyant thing.
Why not just put how to change a tire.
FAILURE
what heck u teaching ppl , thats not where u put the jack lady !!! sprinter got you a specific spot in the rear near that tire ,, check ur owner manual