Tech / General EngineIs your car making a strange sound or won't start? Thinking of adding power with a new combination? Need other technical information or engine specific advice? Don't see another board for your problem? Post it here!
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if you have a single floor jack you should
only jack the whole front end off the ground.
put the jack squarely under the center of the main cross member under the engine. Always support your car with good jack stands, they go under the A arms close to the wheel.
Be sure the car is solidly supported before you get under it.
Do not use cement blocks to hold your car up. They'll split.
Do not jack at or near the rockers. always under the frame
at the strongest points ( torque boxes). or under the axles in the center.
Of all the stuff I found when searching this made the most sense.
But... I am a simple fool.
If anyone has pictures of a front end on jacks, that would be nice.
But for clarification, to jack the front end. I do it all at once, jacking from the main cross member under the engine, while two jacks stands hold it up at the a arms(which ones are the a-arms?)?
Do'h, I jacked my car up a bit using the flanges, but it wasn't high enough to have a wheel off the ground, just enough to stick my stupid head under the car and have a look-see. I wanna set of jack stands!!!
Now, as for the factory scissors jack, you know, for an emergency, where are the front jack points for that? I can easily tell where the rear ones are, but I don't see any for the front.
Originally posted by Maverick H1L Vader, that looks like a great idea!
Now, as for the factory scissors jack, you know, for an emergency, where are the front jack points for that? I can easily tell where the rear ones are, but I don't see any for the front.
The factory scissor jack is a cheap (and unsafe) device to just jack a wheel offf the ground, just long enough to change a tire.
You can put the jack under one of the A arms in the front. But only long enought to change a tire.
Do not leave the car jacked up on one side like that, or work under the car with out jack stands.
A)What kind of noises should a 20 year old car be making as it gets jacked up? Is it a silent process? Or is there a noise I should listen for like a pop or creak that should immediatly warn me to lower the car.
B) I am jacking my car up like how Zepher has it, but I only have one jack, should I borrow another? Or can I safely jack up one side just high enough for a jackstand, then move the other side, raise it a little higher, then move back to the other side. And continue thise back and forth process untill I get it high enough?
A)What kind of noises should a 20 year old car be making as it gets jacked up? Is it a silent process? Or is there a noise I should listen for like a pop or creak that should immediatly warn me to lower the car.
B) I am jacking my car up like how Zepher has it, but I only have one jack, should I borrow another? Or can I safely jack up one side just high enough for a jackstand, then move the other side, raise it a little higher, then move back to the other side. And continue thise back and forth process untill I get it high enough?
I jacked it up from the k-member then stuck the jacks and jackstands on either side to hold it all up. I wanted to have 4 points holding the car up.
Originally posted by Midnight Sun It wont hurt the car any to only have the front end jacked up will it? I wont be doing any rear end work, so jacking the rear up would be pointless.
Just jack it at the K-member and put two jackstands under the frame (not the a-arms)?
yep, jack it from the k-member if you can get it under there, just make sure the jack is centered on teh k-member so it won't slip off, and have your car in park or in gear if it's a manual and have the e-brake pulled up.
I would say it depends on what your doing and the kind of jack you have. I have just a small floor jack and jacking on the K member will not even get the wheels off the ground.
In the front I tend to jack on the A-arm. Jack head fits nice into
the "shock" hole and gets the tire off the ground much easier. There is just so much travel in the front end you gotta have a big floor jack to get the front end up high enough to use stands.
The easiest thing to do with only one jack is, on a hard level surface, to raise the front end of the car to the desired hight with the rear wheels blocked and slip the stands under it at the desired location at each corner of the car. Lower it onto the jackstands. Stick the jack under the lip on the diff housing and then jack that end up to the desired hight and place stands under the axle tubes near the rear wheels or under the rear sub frame rails. Dont worry, nothing bad is going to happen. Just make sure your clear of the car while jacking in case any thing goes wrong and it falls. I had the car fall off the jack once and you definatly dont want to be under it while its falling.