M35a3

How to change a tire

and / or
How to fix a leaky tire
Disclaimer

1. I am not a mechanic. Use this at your own risk.

2. Using this document could cause serious property damage,

personal injury and / or death as I am not certified, trained or
experienced in changing a tire on cars or trucks.

3. Use this as a reference to what I did, not what you should do.
Please follow military Training Manuals for the correct procedure.

4. Special thanks to my Dad who while I am 46 at this point; we are

still able to have father son bonding experiences changing tires.

5. This was created for the dedicated members of my favorite web

site. www.steelsoldiers.com
©Jay Cann / AnonymousOne Duplication in entirety approved. Partial duplication denied.
Corrections welcomed
Step 1. Jack up truck and place on a correct weight rated jack stand. Remove all air from the tire by
pressing on the manual tire inflation valve with a blunt tool. Here is a sample of a notch on the back of a
tire gauge which is designed to be pushed against the valve to release air.

Step 2. Remove the CTIS cover and valve assembly.

Step 3. Remove Lug Nuts and remove wheel from axel. (Heavy – use extreme caution)

Step 4. Place tire flat on the ground and remove split rim nuts.
Step 5. Place comercail tire lubricant around the rim edge and the tire. Stand on the tire to work the
lubricant between the rim and the tire.
Step 6. Remove the top rim half with a crowbar or two. Work your way around the rim by inserting the
crowbar every 2 to 4 inches and spreading them apart. ONLY Use the flat part of the blade on the
crowbar as turning the blade sideways will damage the rim. Add more lubricant as needed.
Step 7. Remove the rubber O-Ring and inspect it for damage. It may be hard to remove and you might
need to wait to remove the o-ring until after the bottom half of the rim has been removed from the tire.
(Note this o-ring is a sample – your o-ring should be black and a lot skinner than this one).
Step 8. Turn the wheel over on top of a block or something that will only touch the rim inside (so the
tire can fall down off the rim). Here I have used a milk crate to create the desired effect. Repeat the
step above with the lubricant and the crowbars to remove the bottom rim from the tire.

(Caution – Half way down the rim there is an air pipe that sticks out of the rim. Use the crowbar to push
the tire away from the pipe)
Step 9. Remove the air pipe from the rim. The black rubber gasket will need to be replaced and
possibly the pipe and brass nut. At bare minimum sand down rust / paint and clean threads.
Step 10. Begin inspecting the rims for damage or rust. Remove rust and try to remove pits. Removing
excessive pitting may cause un-even sealing / air leaking. Use your best judgment and consider
replacing the rim all together. Below are samples of a good rim vs a bad rim and other rust removal
activities.
Step 11. Paint areas where rust was removed and where the crowbar scratched the paint. Let dry
overnight. Also now is the time to ensure that your tire has no water in it and let it also dry overnight if
needed.
Step 12. Begin the process of putting the wheel assembly together. Place tire lubricant on the wheel
and bead lock. Please note this tire lubricant has rust inhibitors. This photo has a good view of the bead
lock insert that keeps the tire pressed against the rim in the event of a tire failure. (Not to be confused
with a run flat donut – Also note the vertical groove in the bead lock for the air pipe )
Step 13. Screw back in the air pipe into the rim. (Yours should be clean, painted and shiny)

Step 14. Coat the rim with lubricant and push into the tire using care to line up the groove in the bead
lock with the air pipe. Don’t forget to use the crowbar to assist over the air pipe.
Step 15. Line up the rim inside the tire and the bead lock ensuring equal spacing around the inside edge.
Here I am using the back of a brush to gauge the distance all the way around the wheel.
Step 16. Use a small paint brush to place lubricant on the rim edge where the new o-ring will sit.

Step 17. Coat the new o-ring in tire lubrication and insert on the bottom rim using a stick (I choose a
paint stick to do the job). When done re-apply the lubricant on the o-ring using the paint brush. Do not
pool the liquid. Use just enough to coat the o-ring where the stick / fingers might have rubbed it off.
Step 18. Coat the top rim and tire with lubricant and place the top rim onto the bottom rim. Careful of
the air pipe. Finger tighten nuts on rim.
Step 19. Tighten down nuts using alternating / opposite side pattern. I used rocks to note which bolts I
already tightened down. Not shown but now would be a good time to add the CTIS Counter Balance to
the tire. It should be placed on the forth bolt counter clockwise from the air pipe.

Step 20. Mount the tire by tightening the lug nuts finger tight first. Rotate the wheel while doing this to
help a line the wheel on the axel bolts. Tighten down with power tools using the alternating / opposite
pattern. Note lug nuts are tapered. Small end goes into the rim.
Step 21. Clean and use plumbers tape on all the air pipes and connect the CTIS valve
Step 22. Inflate the tire with air. Warning this step is the most dangerous and could cause serious injury
or death if the tire or rim fails and explodes. Proper tire inflation should be done inside a steel cage.
(YouTube videos have some nasty tire explosions if you want to see how easy it is to get killed)

As I don’t have a steel cage I used a lock on air chuck.

Step 23. Test all connections with soapy water. For this to work, water must be made to bubble.
Cracks and leaks will not create bubbles. The water must already have bubbles so the leak can enter the
bubble and make them bigger. Watch for expanding bubbles.

Step 24. I would recommend leaving the tire on the jack stand for a few hours and coming back and
mesuring the tire pressure. If the tire presure has dropped you have a leak – Yikes. Apply more soap to
determine where the leak is. I left my truck on the jack stand over night to ensure zero tire presure
drop besides the little amount cause by the night time tempature drop.

Step 25. Wipe sweat off your forehead, stand back and smile you only have 5 more wheels to go.