Wagon spare tire storage

I just bought a 1996 Taurus wagon. The previous owner had the spare under the third row seat. I want to install it where it goes in the side but can't figure out how to do it right. I can get it in there just fine but it is loose and causes rattles. I also can't figure out where the jack goes.
Can anyone tell me how to properly stow a spare tire on a 1996 Taurus wagon?

i have a 94' taurus wagon and my spare is mounted there, the way it is done is that the wheel is put in first with the "outside" of the wheel pointed away from you, then the jack is put about 1/4 to 1/8 of the way up and the jack handle with the hole in it will fit over the long bolt and then a nut should hold it all together! Any questions at what i am trying to say just message back, i can see if i can make it easier, if i find my camera i will send some pics of how it looks together

Your owner's manual should detail how it installs. If you don't have the owner's manual, you can download it from links that have been posted on this forum numerous times. Use the "Search this forum" feature from the Taurus forum main page to find the links.

-Rod

I've got a '97 wagon. It's pretty much what Shorod already said. The jack goes into the cavity of the wheel's rim - you can pretty much sit the jack in there with the feet at 6 o'clock. Then, fold the jack rod inward across the front face of the jack such that the washer welded to it is in position to allow the threaded rod from the car's sidepanel to pass through. Then screw on the large plastic wingnut until everything snugs up. I usually have one hand on the spare tire wiggling it while tightening the wingnut to ensure it can't move. Don't overtighten as it might be possible to damage the plastic wingnut. Also, don't forget that the factory lugwrench gets snapped into a double clip welded to the sidepanel just behind the spare tire BEFORE you place the tire and jack in there!

Important:

Make sure you turn/screw the jack rod until the embossed arrows on its frame point to each other (on mine they're near one of the pivot points). Look close and you'll see them. If they're not there, however, you'll have to do it by trial and error to get the jack to fit right. Then once you establish how much the jack needs to be opened to fit properly inside the rim well (while also accepting the threaded bolt), you should mark the jack's face with masking tape or paint so it'll be easy the next time. The jack has to fit inside the rim well with the welded washer in the proper position to allow the threaded bolt from the car's sidepanel to easily slip through the washer. If the jack is raised too much or too little, the washer will not line up to accept the threaded bolt. The sidepanel threaded bolt ends up going either just underneath (or just over) the threaded bolt of the jack itself when the jack is opened the proper amount.

By the way - how the heck did the spare fit underneath the third row seat? My wagon also has the 3rd row seat and it has a storage compartment under the cargo floor (which I think is where the kids' feet would rest if the seat was in use), but I doubt the donut spare would fit in there. Right now I've got a phone book, a couple quarts of oil, and my lug wrench in there and it's pretty full. Not very deep inside. Also, if I were you, I would never use that 3rd row seat. I bought my wagon looking for that feature but then decided against using it because it's just plain dangerous. If you get rear-ended, any kid sitting in that "seat" (and it's barely a seat even though it has seatbelts) is liable to be killed! Besides, it's very bare bones with very thin padding. Probably uncomfortable to sit on for any length of time - even for a small kid. Also, the gas tank is pretty much directly below. It's a bad feature.