This is very interesting. Could you elaborate on this? I think this would be very helpful as our rigs age and change hands. Give us the skinny on this. I smell possible reps here.

 

The skinny is...some pickups had the anti-theft system for the spare tire...which means that the vehicle came with a "key" (really a lug) that is to be placed on the end of the jack handle extension. Without the key, the jack handle will not turn the winch to lower the spare.

I found this out the hard way...19 miles out in the middle of nowhere at the end of a mountain road with no one around...got a flat as my son and I were turning around to go fish the Snake River. We searched the truck high and low for a special "socket" after shining a flashlight down the tube to try to determine why the winch would not turn. My son climbed half way up a mountain to try to find cell signal...no luck. After I hiked about a mile, I was able to call a buddy from work...whose truck didn't require such...then he called another guy, whose truck also didn't require, or so he thought. Just as it looked like we'd have to drive 19 miles of very, very bad river road back to someone, I found a pair of side-cutters (dykes) in my small tool box. We spent about 45-60 minutes tagging teaming squeezing our arms up around the tire at the corner of the frame, then trying to cut the winch cable with the dykes...then our arms would cramp and spasm as we wrestled around trying to extract our arms from the tight fit...all while a nice mountain shower pours down on us...to keep us cool...and muddy.

I was told by the local stealership that you can't just buy a key...but have to buy the entire unit...which was way too costly. They told me they usually just drill them out...which also was costly and not what I wanted to do. Until, until I called a salvage place that specializes in salvaged Strokes etc...and he told me that there are about 6 or so different key combinations...and that I'd have to go out and search the salvaged vehicles for the key, try it on mine and if it didn't work, put it back in the correct vehicle then search for another to try. Sounded like way too much work...to try to do in only the 15 minutes they would remain open when I got off work...closed on Sat's & Sun's.

So, I removed the bolts, dropped the winch, knocked out the special socket with a hammer and chisel, spliced the cut cable with a couple parts from Home Depot and was up and running. The hardest part of "fixing" the unit was the dirt that kept falling into my contacts.

If someone has the jack extension and wants my spare bad enough...I guess they can take it...but at least I won't be stranded again and unable to lower the spare.

So, save yourself some time and find out if you need the special "key" and if you do, find your key and make sure you know where it is.

 

Pretty much what he ^^^^ said is all there is to it. It's been awhile since I did it to mine, but I was trying to get the spare out one time.....didn't even know the stupid thing had a lock on it so I finally just cut the cable to get the tire down. Later on I went to fix it so I spliced the cable back together then went to get a new key, that's when the dealer told me to just pry the stupid thing out and be done with it. I had forgotten about taking the mechanism off the truck but IIRC it was really easy, and now no worries about loosing (or finding) the key.

 

I ran into the same problem one night about 40 miles from home. Had the key but not the handle. Owned the truck only a couple of months and thought I could find a jack handle soon. I had to call the wife and have her bring an almost matching jack handle out of her cherokee. Filed down a couple of places and was able to fit the key onto it and get the spare down.

 

I was kinda looking for the how to on this to help those who may have a truck, and have no idea their spare is not going to come down. All it takes is one of these and you are screwed:

 

Been there done that.....unfortunatly if you are in that postition and find you have no key for the spare you are gonna be SOL. You need to take the winch mechanism out from under the truck to remove the adapter....and like said before it will take a BFH and a chisel or something of the like to get it to come out. I'm not sure how else to explain it but once this is done no more worries!

 

I bought mine used also and had no key of course so before we went on vacation last summer I crawled under there to see what I could do . I have a dually so I don't know if there are any differences but there was no way I could get to anything with out pulling the bed . So I cut the plastic spacer block and removed it and gave the tire a spin and blam its on the floor broken cable. It now resides in the bed till I get a new assembly.

 

great info guys, this has been a huge help. So in closing ford came up with a ****** system for something as easy as removing a spare tire. They locked the spare tired but didnt want to put factory installed alarms on our $45K Trucks? What a bunch of MORONS! Well im just lucky that i have the key - i guess its off to find a spare jack tool. I think my dads lame-o-ram has one... *EVIL LAUGH*

 

Joe, did you get the exhaust installed? Here are a couple of pics, maybe they will help with getting the pipes in the correct order.

If you need clearer pick, I can back the truck in the garage and get under there better.




Mike, that's a very familiar pic, though mine was the right rear.

 

call me agian I will walk you threw it 208-313-3668

 

The first picture - Do you have a Long bed or short bed? My muffler delete sits further back then yours does...or so it seems in the picture.

 

Im ok - The problem lies in me not having a tool to drop the spare tire. I will have to find someone who does. Uncle has an excursion, ill try him. So far the system souns GREAT. All my friends are drop jawed when i go WOT. Thanks for the help and system. Everything will turn out ok.

 

I have a long bed. If you'd like, I can get some more pics of the whole system. Second exhaust pic didn't appear.

When I installed the 5" system a little over a year ago, I didn't have to move the spare. There was just under 1" of clearance between the pipe and the tire, this is with a 265/75/16 tire.

 

I got the system in tonight. I had to cut the Last extension about a foot. I had no idea that you needed to cut if you had a LB. After fitting and cutting a couple times finally the fruits of my labors were done went to put the tip on, the finishing touch...and...It STUCK OUT ABOUT 7 INCHES. So more cutting i assume - Thanks for the help everyone.

 

Well I am glad it is progressing along, but still say that I never cut a single pipe???? I don't know what is going on here, but I wish you well.

BTW, the extension or tip, is an option so you can install it over the tailpipe or cut it.