Ram Has a Spare Tire Issue

The spare wheel/tire winch is located behind the right rear tire.

Use a pitman shaft puller to compress the winch spring.

1. Start to lower the spare wheel/tire. Only loosen the winch 3-4 turns.
2. If the spare does lower, proceed to Step 4. If it does not lower, proceed to Step 3.
3. Reach under the vehicle, grab the tire and move it around to free it from the undercarriage.
4. Lower the wheel/tire all the way and remove it from the winch.
5. Raise the vehicle on a hoist and inspect the anti-chip coating. Check for excessive coating/sags that may have caused the tire to bind in the opening.
6. Carefully trim off any excessive coating, making sure not to remove too much of the coating.
7. Lubricate the shaft on the winch spring seat to help reduce rattle/squeaks.
8. Use a pitman shaft puller to help compress the spring.
9. Hand tighten the puller to gain access to the lower part of the bushing.
10. Pull up on the bushing to expose the lower part of the bushing.
11. Spread lube around the lower part of the bushing (Chrysler recommends Nye Synthetic Lubricant 05019061AA.
12. Loosen and remove the pitman shaft puller.
13. If needed, reposition the cables closer to the body by pushing the cables up until they are about 2 inches from the floor.
14. Lower the vehicle and put the spare wheel/tire back on the winch.
15. The cable must be located between the floor pan and tire.
16. Raise the spare wheel/tire with the winch. When the wheel/tire has been lifted completely, a yellow mark will appear in the winch window.