My XC70 has a flat left front tire.

I cannot get the temp spare to bolt up properly. The screws only travel so far and it is not enough to fasten the wheel. They need to go another 1/8" to 1/4". Tried several bolts in several holes. I am missing something or doing something wrong. I do not understand what the problem is.

Any ideas?


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'79 242, '84 DL 2 door, '80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon, '15 XC70 T6 AWD

Must be because the spare wheel is stamped steel and the main wheel is thicker alloy. Is the spare wheel OE or was the car sold sans spare like our S60? That car doesn’t even have a well in the trunk floor for a spare storage. So we’ve lost trunk space to the spare tire I picked up at the junk yard, but I digress.

You may have to get shorter lug bolts to store with the spare. Or maybe some sort of wheel spacer?

Maybe the hub threads are rusty down deep where the bolts didn’t reach with the original wheel? Possibly clean the threads with a long narrow rotary brush.

Do the bolts screw in deeper if there’s no wheel present?

Do the bolts fit unusually tight in the spare wheel holes?

Okay, I'm an idiot. The holes in the hub were crudded up but I managed to clean them with a tiny amount of PB Blaster on the end of one of the bolts.

So it was me and not the car.


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'79 242, '84 DL 2 door, '80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon, '15 XC70 T6 AWD

Good to hear! Now hopefully you don’t have to do the same exercise on a cold rainy night.

Spare wheel is OE. And the difference in material thickness is certainly true.

The bolts only go so far sans wheel. However, in a lifetime of auto repair I have broken, stripped or otherwise ruined so many fasteners by applying too much force that I am somewhat reluctant to try it here. I did not want that to happen in the wheel hub.

I am beginning to think I am exercising too much caution. But this is an area where I really want to be sure. Cleaning the threads is a good idea. It may be that simple.

Today I just got into a lather over this because I needed the car, my only transportation at the moment, and I find the tire had gone completely flat since last driving it on Monday. It pretty much ruined my afternoon. I will examine the hub tomorrow when I have calmed down. I think the problem may be me and not the car.


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'79 242, '84 DL 2 door, '80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon, '15 XC70 T6 AWD