Hi all, Just wrested through getting the spare tire down. After prying, cranking both ways, prying some more while cranking both ways,prying and sliding a block of wood in, cranking and prying some more... decided that I needed to drill out the rivets that hold the crank mechanism together. Got the crank mechanism apart while under the Pilot and the cable was clear, not bunched up in the mechanism and came out of the crank mechanism just fine... but the tire still did not drop.
Got under the vehicle with a vice grip and put it on the end of the cable where the cable ends under the spring. Turned the cable counter-clock-wise (looking at it from below) with the vice grips (as to tighten the turns in the cable), and suddenly the tire released and dropped! It appears that the mechanism that holds the spare tire was jammed onto the mechanism fastened to the vehicle that turns the cable at the right angle. Once the cable was twisted, it released the tire.
Now I just gotta put the mechanism together and we'll be back on the road again.
Got under the vehicle with a vice grip and put it on the end of the cable where the cable ends under the spring. Turned the cable counter-clock-wise (looking at it from below) with the vice grips (as to tighten the turns in the cable), and suddenly the tire released and dropped! It appears that the mechanism that holds the spare tire was jammed onto the mechanism fastened to the vehicle that turns the cable at the right angle. Once the cable was twisted, it released the tire.
Now I just gotta put the mechanism together and we'll be back on the road again.