I finally found a jack and tool set at a local junk yard. No wonder I could not get anything to mate up inside the tube for the let down hoist. It turns out that the proper tool is hexagon shaped an it turns the whole tube! Using the proper tool my spare let down fine. I will still give it a good serving to help keep it in working condition.
Best $30 I have spent in a while!
It looks like at some point the General changed from the slotted connection shown in the video
to an internal hexagon drive? Shortly after the '99 C2500 followed me home, I made sure that
the spare tire hoist was functional and the mechanism was greased for corrosion control.
Here's a pic of the '99 hex drive business end that slides into the spare tire mechanism:
You must be registered for see images attach
(For pic of entire hex hoist driver see attached.)
And here's a shot of the other end of this spare tire hoist driver set up with the OEM ratchet:
You must be registered for see images attach
Note: The OEM part number stamped into the drive ratchet is visible in this photo. (#
15659721) Good news -- this is still a valid part
number, and can be used to search for a previously enjoyed replacement in all the usual places. (See attached, ebay auction snap)
Looks like you still have the choice to purchase a brand new one if that's your preference. (
GMpartsGiant)
Re: The slotted drive vs the internal hex drive. Is anyone familiar with the timeframe when GM switched from the slotted drive
to the hex drive?
EDIT: Rewatching the video it definitely looks like the same ratchet was used with the slotted drive adapter on
an earlier GMT400 truck?
You must be registered for see images attach
Bottom line, I'm wondering if I should just add a large square shank Craftsman slotted screwdriver (& matching
adjustable wrench) to the spare tire kit in order to be better prepared if I happened across a fellow GMT400 traveler
with a flat on the side of the road?
****
For anyone still reading this, the bottom line is that making your spare tire self-help subsystem fully functional in
your driveway is time invested vs time spent. By default I always stop and help a fellow traveler if they are on the
side of the road with a flat, and it's amazing how many vehicles don't have a serviceable spare, and what would have
been a no-cost temporary inconvenience becomes a tow + tire shop bill, and if they don't have your size in stock
you have to overnight in a nearby motel, blah blah blah. I've seen vacations cut short by this kind of thing. :-(
For me, a '99 truck with an undisturbed '99 spare tire subsystem is not up to even the lightest DD level of usage.
(Old truck
users are not like the old 'vette
collectors, where "The original air in the original spare" is their ultimate goal. :0)
On the other hand, driving a '99 chore truck with a functional '23 spare tire subsystem is part of my approach to getting
this machine up to a longer road trip level of readiness. (
Functional resto of spare tire setup.)
This all kinda falls into the same category as the recent leaf spring U-bolt renewal thread. These trucks are now old enough
that we have to actively look for trouble, and fix any showstoppers in the relative comfort under our shade trees instead
of on the side of the road with traffic whizzing by.
Safest possible travels --
