DIY: Jacking the car up
05-20-07, 01:08 PM
#1
DIY: Jacking the car up
Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any mishap(s). This is merely a guide. Do not cherish it as if it was the Holy Bible. I am also not responsible if your equipment is not up to the task as I have no control over what product you use. I am not responsible for any defects in your equipment. Only work on the car if you feel comfortable, and even then, have someone there with you for help.
Q&A:
Q: Why are you making this DIY? I already know how to lift my car
A: Congratulations!
This thread isn't for you though. Some people do not have the expertise in working on cars. Everyone has to start somewhere, even the best mechanics out there.
Q: Why do I need to jack up the car?
A: For various reasons. Many people on this forum enjoy working on their own car, rather than spending their life savings at the dealer. This includes changing their own engine oil, to changing out their OEM suspension for aftermarket parts. You'll find that for most jobs, you'll need to jack up the car.
Q: Is it an easy job?
A: It depends how skilled you are. Those who have never touched a wrench before will find themselves having trouble finding the jacking point. If you've changed your own oil before, this is an easy job, especially since you need to jack up the car to do so
. From 1-10, with 10 being the hardest, I'd say this is a 2.
Q: Can I use the OEM jack?
A: To jack up the car? Sure! However, the OEM jack has its limitation. You'll quickly learn why if you have ever tried using one of those scissor jacks.
. Give me an aftermarket jack anyday. The OEM jack takes forever to lift and you'll have to lift one side at a time, which can be dangerous.
Q: Can I use any type of jack? I see there are jacks rated for different tons, which one should I use?
A: Most high quality jacks today will do fine. If you find a 2 ton jack at XXXX store for $9.95, I would stay away. It's not worth saving a few bucks if you value your life. As far as weight capacity is concern, 1.5 ton (3000lbs) is sufficient. I myself have a 2 ton jack (4000lbs). Remember, you're only lifting one end of the car, not the whole car. But for those who are ****, you can try a 3 ton jack (6000lbs) if you're not comfortable with a 1.5 or 2 ton jack.
Q: Where can I get myself some floor jacks and jackstands?
A: Here are some of the jacks. You do not have to have these to lift up your car. These are just some of the higher quality/expensive jacks out there. I've seen people used jacks from local stores (like Harbor Freight) that will work fine. I'm not affiliated with these companies at all. Feel free to add to the list of other jacks. There's always more than one opinion on a product.
Jackstands: http://www.asedeals.com/jack_stands.html
Floor Jacks: http://www.asedeals.com/aluminum_jack.html
http://www.asedeals.com/Ranger_floor_jacks.html
http://www.asedeals.com/automotive_floor_jacks.html
http://www.asedeals.com/hydraulicjacks2.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=91039
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=47246
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92782
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=40105
Tools Needed:
-A reliable floor jack
-A pair of reliable jackstands
-A pair or two of wheel chokes
Optional: Another pair of jackstands if you want to lift up all 4 corners of your car
Step 1:
Put your transmission lever into the "P" (park) mode. There is a time and place for D, N, 2, 1, etc, but now is not it. Engage your e-brake. This is very important. You want the car to be as stable as possible to prevent any unwanted movement.
Step 2:
Take one of your wheel choke and put it behind one of your rear wheel. Snug it in as much as you can.
Step 3:
Push your jack towards the center of the car. The lifting point will be where the crossmember is at. Yes, it's pretty far in, but what can we do. Lexus didn't think of us when they built the car. Take a close look at the picture before you go out and try to lift the car. You do not want to lift at the wrong point because you can damage your car, or even worse, drop the car. In this picture, I am vieing from the passenger door behind the passenger wheel. If you need me to draw a picture of where to slide the jack, let me know. But I'm sure most will figure it out by looking at the picture
Hint: For those who cannot reach the crossmember because the jack is too big, drive your car on 2x4 wooden studs to gain extra clearance. Then start over at Step 1.
Step 4:
Start lifting your car up until you have reached this point:
This picture is viewing the frame rails on our car. You'll see them when you look under your car. We have two of those (left and right). I use this because it's much better than the OEM jacking point. Not to mention, it fits the contour of my jackstands
At this point, do NOT lower the car just yet.
Step 5:
Take your other wheel choke and snug it in on the other side of the wheel. You do this because as soon as you lower the car, the wheel will be pressed against the wheel choke. If you put on the wheel choke after you have lowered the car, there will still be free-play between the tires and the wheel chokes. The point of this is to minimize free-movement as much as possible.
Step 6:
SLOWLY lower the car. Makes sure the car is resting on the jackstand. If the jackstand is angling or if it's not centered with the frame rails, lift the car back up and repeat steps 4 and 5.
Step 7:
Now you're almost done! Just to be extra cautious, take out the floor jack in front of the car and move it to the tow hook on our cars. It should be located near the front of the bumper. You'll see that it's just a round hook. Place your jack under it and lift up to the point where it reaches it, but dont lift up the car at all. You want the jack there "just in case" anything should happen, to support the car. I have the jack touching the tow hook. Lift it enough to the point where you feel tension. If your jack does not lift high enough, or you cant fit the jack in there, you can always pull the floor jack to the side and have it support one side of the frame rail; preferrably, the side you'll be working on.
You're done!
If you have questions/comment/request, please let me know. Its important that you fully understand how this works before jumping on wagon. As of now, I'm only doing the front. The rear is even easier (lifting point is at the rear differential). I'll make a continuation of this DIY if there is enough interest.
Q&A:
Q: Why are you making this DIY? I already know how to lift my car
A: Congratulations!
This thread isn't for you though. Some people do not have the expertise in working on cars. Everyone has to start somewhere, even the best mechanics out there.
Q: Why do I need to jack up the car?
A: For various reasons. Many people on this forum enjoy working on their own car, rather than spending their life savings at the dealer. This includes changing their own engine oil, to changing out their OEM suspension for aftermarket parts. You'll find that for most jobs, you'll need to jack up the car.
Q: Is it an easy job?
A: It depends how skilled you are. Those who have never touched a wrench before will find themselves having trouble finding the jacking point. If you've changed your own oil before, this is an easy job, especially since you need to jack up the car to do so
. From 1-10, with 10 being the hardest, I'd say this is a 2. Q: Can I use the OEM jack?
A: To jack up the car? Sure! However, the OEM jack has its limitation. You'll quickly learn why if you have ever tried using one of those scissor jacks.
. Give me an aftermarket jack anyday. The OEM jack takes forever to lift and you'll have to lift one side at a time, which can be dangerous. Q: Can I use any type of jack? I see there are jacks rated for different tons, which one should I use?
A: Most high quality jacks today will do fine. If you find a 2 ton jack at XXXX store for $9.95, I would stay away. It's not worth saving a few bucks if you value your life. As far as weight capacity is concern, 1.5 ton (3000lbs) is sufficient. I myself have a 2 ton jack (4000lbs). Remember, you're only lifting one end of the car, not the whole car. But for those who are ****, you can try a 3 ton jack (6000lbs) if you're not comfortable with a 1.5 or 2 ton jack.
Q: Where can I get myself some floor jacks and jackstands?
A: Here are some of the jacks. You do not have to have these to lift up your car. These are just some of the higher quality/expensive jacks out there. I've seen people used jacks from local stores (like Harbor Freight) that will work fine. I'm not affiliated with these companies at all. Feel free to add to the list of other jacks. There's always more than one opinion on a product.
Jackstands: http://www.asedeals.com/jack_stands.html
Floor Jacks: http://www.asedeals.com/aluminum_jack.html
http://www.asedeals.com/Ranger_floor_jacks.html
http://www.asedeals.com/automotive_floor_jacks.html
http://www.asedeals.com/hydraulicjacks2.html
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=91039
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=47246
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92782
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=40105
Tools Needed:
-A reliable floor jack
-A pair of reliable jackstands
-A pair or two of wheel chokes
Optional: Another pair of jackstands if you want to lift up all 4 corners of your car
Step 1:
Put your transmission lever into the "P" (park) mode. There is a time and place for D, N, 2, 1, etc, but now is not it. Engage your e-brake. This is very important. You want the car to be as stable as possible to prevent any unwanted movement.
Step 2:
Take one of your wheel choke and put it behind one of your rear wheel. Snug it in as much as you can.
Step 3:
Push your jack towards the center of the car. The lifting point will be where the crossmember is at. Yes, it's pretty far in, but what can we do. Lexus didn't think of us when they built the car. Take a close look at the picture before you go out and try to lift the car. You do not want to lift at the wrong point because you can damage your car, or even worse, drop the car. In this picture, I am vieing from the passenger door behind the passenger wheel. If you need me to draw a picture of where to slide the jack, let me know. But I'm sure most will figure it out by looking at the picture
Hint: For those who cannot reach the crossmember because the jack is too big, drive your car on 2x4 wooden studs to gain extra clearance. Then start over at Step 1.
Step 4:
Start lifting your car up until you have reached this point:
This picture is viewing the frame rails on our car. You'll see them when you look under your car. We have two of those (left and right). I use this because it's much better than the OEM jacking point. Not to mention, it fits the contour of my jackstands
At this point, do NOT lower the car just yet.Step 5:
Take your other wheel choke and snug it in on the other side of the wheel. You do this because as soon as you lower the car, the wheel will be pressed against the wheel choke. If you put on the wheel choke after you have lowered the car, there will still be free-play between the tires and the wheel chokes. The point of this is to minimize free-movement as much as possible.
Step 6:
SLOWLY lower the car. Makes sure the car is resting on the jackstand. If the jackstand is angling or if it's not centered with the frame rails, lift the car back up and repeat steps 4 and 5.
Step 7:
Now you're almost done! Just to be extra cautious, take out the floor jack in front of the car and move it to the tow hook on our cars. It should be located near the front of the bumper. You'll see that it's just a round hook. Place your jack under it and lift up to the point where it reaches it, but dont lift up the car at all. You want the jack there "just in case" anything should happen, to support the car. I have the jack touching the tow hook. Lift it enough to the point where you feel tension. If your jack does not lift high enough, or you cant fit the jack in there, you can always pull the floor jack to the side and have it support one side of the frame rail; preferrably, the side you'll be working on.
You're done!
If you have questions/comment/request, please let me know. Its important that you fully understand how this works before jumping on wagon. As of now, I'm only doing the front. The rear is even easier (lifting point is at the rear differential). I'll make a continuation of this DIY if there is enough interest.
Last edited by GSteg; 05-20-07 at 01:13 PM.
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05-20-07, 07:20 PM
#9
Pole Position
Henry = my hero. 
One thing to mention, Henry. The frame rail on which you positioned the jack stand does not run all the way to the back of the car (even though it appears that it does). I learned this the hard way when I tried to jack up the car on that rail. The rails supported the car at the front of the car just fine, but when I tried to jack up the car on that rail at the back of the car, well, let's just say there was a lot of compression.
Let me add one more point here. For those of us who wouldn't know a front cross-member if it jumped up and bit you, Eastwood Co. makes this nifty pinch weld adapter which allows you to use your hydraulic floor jack from the OEM lift point (between the notches). It retails for about $20, and I've used it a few times. Here's a picture:
One thing to mention, Henry. The frame rail on which you positioned the jack stand does not run all the way to the back of the car (even though it appears that it does). I learned this the hard way when I tried to jack up the car on that rail. The rails supported the car at the front of the car just fine, but when I tried to jack up the car on that rail at the back of the car, well, let's just say there was a lot of compression.
Let me add one more point here. For those of us who wouldn't know a front cross-member if it jumped up and bit you, Eastwood Co. makes this nifty pinch weld adapter which allows you to use your hydraulic floor jack from the OEM lift point (between the notches). It retails for about $20, and I've used it a few times. Here's a picture:
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paulr1 (09-13-19)
05-20-07, 07:47 PM
#10
Correct my friend. The rail does not run all the way to the back of the car. In this case, you can use your OEM jack point in the rear, or you can use this:
Turn your jackstand around so that it fits under this part. Then use your jack to support the rear tow hook (next to the exhaust).
Turn your jackstand around so that it fits under this part. Then use your jack to support the rear tow hook (next to the exhaust).
05-20-07, 07:54 PM
#11
Pole Position
Kind of tough to see what you've circled there, Henry.
In the meantime fellas, here's what happens if you try to jack up the car from the frame rail in the back of the car:
In the meantime fellas, here's what happens if you try to jack up the car from the frame rail in the back of the car:
Last edited by e-man; 05-20-07 at 08:12 PM.
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paulr1 (09-13-19)
03-20-08, 02:50 PM
#13
Thanks for the tip....I wish I woulda looked at this thread first as I put my floor jack under the wrong area. Fortunately it wasn't damaged much and even more fortunate I hadn't gone under the car
... Great Step-by-step write up ...