Spare tire key orientation

  OK clearly a newbee question...trying to take the spare tire cover off it is so tight I'm concerned I'm trying to break something. So when the cover is unlocked..the key slot is vertical orientation like the key slots to the back hatch?...and horizontal when locked? Turn handle counter-clockwise to loosen?

I was going to stash a sewer hose in with tire as others have done..I guessing no need to tie it down someway but if needed...any suggestions welcome.

Thanks!

..Mike

What a timely question!
For the first time in three years of ownership, I had to access the spare tire compartment today (with great hopes in my heart that the tire was indeed in there).
Horizontal is locked.  So, yes, turn to unlock it.
Then pull the handle out and, yes, turn it lefty-loosey like a screw and it will gradually loosen the cap to the point where you can lift it off.  The trick is to keep turning until the cap is free.

The spare tire latching system is a tricky one to understand.  If you study the inside of the latch and the iron pipe that it attaches to, it then makes a lot of sense.  One thing that had me spinning over it in my early days was putting the cover back on.  The key locks the handle in only one position relative to the vehicle.  If the handle is in position but the key won't turn, unscrew the handle a half turn and it will work.

It's quite a spare tire cover.  Non-intrusive (nice looking), weather-sealed, and lockable, it's so much better than anything else I've seen in the RV industry.  I am so glad to have it.

Well, I got it off OK but I cannot get it to latch back on.  Looking at the mechanism it should be a simple process. After many tries it only caught and tightened some a couple of times... but the cover would rock and if you put any pressure on the cover and it would pop off. Why is this so hard??

Interesting observations: Although the chassis came with Hankook tires, the spare is Michelin. The spare tire rim is all scratched up..no idea what caused that but had to be done at the factory.

The tire cover has a shallower fiberglass extension at the top and bottom..not clear why as the open space around the tire is the same all the way around.

Just bought a new tire and rotated spare to front.  Nice to have new rubber up there, had poor toe so wore unevenly.
Wondering how the spare's studs are attached.  Tech said they torqued nuts to 140# and surprised they didn't strip out.  Hope I never need to remove them.

Hopefully the break in the cover seal lines up at the bottom for drainage.
Just keep turning and turning should eventually tighten.

We got some "repeatability" in that if you open the screw latch all the way to start it can tighten up but from there if you jiggle the cover or continue to tighten it pops off. The locking bar piece jiggles when loose and I thnk its either that or the bar is too short for where it tries to hold and can't take any force or angular motion.

ideas?

Try compressing the cover when first turning the latch to engage the slot further.

Hi gandalf42,

As randallandchris said, make certain the drain hole and gasket seam is down.

Maybe this was just covered.  A risk of repetition.

MOST CRITICAL......
"Before" putting the cover back on, unscrew the handle a lot so the back-side lever is far from the cover.  Just before placing the cover against the wall, that lever must be to the "LEFT".  Then start screwing/tightening the handle to the right.  That lever will immediately make a 1/4-turn and stop by hitting the end of the notch in the pipe, seating itself properly.  Don't allow the cover to move....Keep turning the handle to the right until it is won't turn anymore.  Then set the handle and lock with the key.  Remember that if the key won't turn, loosen the handle 1/2 turn and the key will work.  If the cover is not properly aligned, unscrew the handle just enough to allow rotation of the cover.

I appreciate all of the responses, really do as I am hoping for a solution. So thank you each one for taking time to jot your thoughts and suggestions! 

The drain hole, break in the seal is at the bottom, as far as trying to compress the cover while engaging..have tried it repeatedly with two men pushing on it (3 arms/hands pushing and 1 turning the knob)..and have completely unscrewed the handle and placed the lever at the 10 oclock position (as not totally sure a 9 oclock won't hit the edge of the pipe). I understand that as soon as you turn the handle the locking latch goes all the way to the right (3 oclock position).

Once fully screwed in it either pops out immediately or pops out once you put any light pressure on the cover. The thought may be I need to screw it in even tighter..the one time I tried that...yeah, it popped out. 

I tend to think the locking bar is barely engaging the catch i.e. a misalignment or the locking bar is just too short. Neither would be a customer fix though perhaps Phoenix could ship me a new locking mechanism.

More thoughts or ideas very welcome. Thanks!

If you could post some pictures of the iron pipe and the back side of your cover.  They might help us in detecting something out of place.

We have gotten the cover to stay on now...remain concerned about tightening it down much vs leaving it not tight enough and losing it somewhere along the roadside. Basicly afraid to touch it. 

We have gotten the cover to stay on now...remain concerned about tightening it down much vs leaving it not tight enough and losing it somewhere along the roadside. Basically afraid to touch it. 

  That is not how the locking mechanism is supposed to work.  You should be able to tighten it down with muscle. I would not "call it a day" for you could loose your cover.  Worse yet, you might hurt other drivers and be held responsible for an accident if it falls off.

I wonder if your locking ever has excessive play in the PC forward/rearward direction.  Maybe there is a missing component to prevent it from moving that way.

Call Phoenix.  They might have seen it before and might send you the parts needed and instructions on how to install them.