Hi all,

This seems like it should be such a simple thing but I can't seem to figure it out. All I want to do is securely fasten my spare tire inside the trunk without any rattling. 2008 Honda Fit Sport.

I've got the spare tire and a mounting "cup" with threaded bolt and washer. On the receiving end, I've got a small raised section of the trunk bottom that has 3 holes in a line.




(Photo isn't mine, but I do have the same problem with the water leaking into the trunk/spare tire area, which I'm working on fixing this weekend.)

The middle hole is what I would expect to use, but it's too big for the bolt, and also it has no threads at all.

The other two holes have threads, but they must be very rusty, because I can't get the bolt to screw into them. Also it seems like using those holes would result in the spare tire being off-center.

Is there a piece that's missing? Maybe something that goes underneath the middle hole to give it some threads for the bolt to screw into? (I'm not the first owner of the car.)

Hopefully someone can shed some light as to how to make this mounting system work.

 

Nothing is missing. You can use either threaded hole and have a bit of storage space for tools either in front of the tyre or behind it. They come from the factory with the tyre secured by the rear hole and thus with a bit of space in front. If it's rusted then try using some wd40 and maybe you can recover it.

 

place wheel with front side of wheel facing down, slide up to the top threaded hole(one furthest away as you're standing at trunk facing forward), the tab is generic and is used for multiple vehicles so the bottom hole is actually for a full sized spare, once you get the tire in position, place the cone pointed side up and center it in wheels center bore, then thread the bolt in to the hole and tighten down pretty snuggly. If the thread is too rusty, then spray it with some penetrating oil and let it sit for 5-10mins and try again.


Dean

 

Thanks for your help, and apologies for the duplicate thread. (This one seemed to take over a week for moderator approval, likely because of the embedded photos, and I thought it might be a glitch in the system so I posted again.) Here's what I wrote in the other thread:

It works now!

24-hour soak in vinegar plus a thorough scrubbing got rid of a lot of the rust. At that point I was able to thread the bolt in but with difficulty - had to use pliers to do so. Then I put some anti-seize compound on the bolt threads and let it sit for a week. Tried it again just now, and it turns pretty easily just by hand. Finally, no more spare tire noise.