Mercury 1997 Cougar Manual page 185

To remove the spare tire:
1. Remove the spare tire cover.
2. Unscrew the wing-nut holding down the
spare tire.
NOTE: Wing-nut is not removable.
3. Lift out the spare tire, jack, and lug wrench.
Preparing to Change the Tire
1. Make sure that your vehicle will not move
or roll. Put the gearshift in P (Park). Set the
parking brake and block the wheel that is
diagonally opposite the tire that you are
changing.
When one of the back wheels is off the ground,
the transmission alone will not prevent the
vehicle from moving or slipping off the jack,
even if the vehicle is in P (Park). To prevent the
vehicle from moving when you change a tire, be
sure the parking brake is set, then block the
wheel (both directions) that is diagonally
opposite (other side and end of the vehicle) to
the tire being changed.
If the vehicle slips off the jack, you or
someone else could be seriously injured.
To avoid injury, never run the engine
with one wheel off the ground, such as
when changing a tire.
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