DIY: Jacking the car up
03-12-12, 05:48 PM
#32
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Location: TX
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This worked for me to jack up LS400
We recently acquired a low mileage 1999 LS400 that ended up being the spouse's car. The shop wanted a small fortune to change the upper and lower ball joints so I decided to do it myself. The problem was lifting a unibody vehicle without doing body damage. I had previously used a 2x4 piece of wood that I grooved to accept the pinch weld, bit it deformed after several uses.
I searched for a better idea and found one on the Subaru forum site. A hockey puck was the answer which I bought on eBay and then grooved. It fit perfectly on the jack and will not crack like the wooden form. Hope this helps.
I searched for a better idea and found one on the Subaru forum site. A hockey puck was the answer which I bought on eBay and then grooved. It fit perfectly on the jack and will not crack like the wooden form. Hope this helps.
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paulr1 (09-13-19)
07-03-12, 01:11 PM
#34
I still cant tell where to put my floor jack when i look under the car, can i put the floor jack under that "plate" that secures the lower control arm? Or how about just putting it along the sideskirt a few inches back? what about the rail where u put the jackstands? HELP! DIY for dummies asap please...
Last edited by DosyBoy; 07-03-12 at 01:16 PM.
07-03-12, 05:31 PM
#35
I still cant tell where to put my floor jack when i look under the car, can i put the floor jack under that "plate" that secures the lower control arm? Or how about just putting it along the sideskirt a few inches back? what about the rail where u put the jackstands? HELP! DIY for dummies asap please...
07-03-12, 08:11 PM
#36
That's what I've been doing since I use a low-profile jack instead of the scissor jack that came with the car. I've bent the rails some but I don't care since it ain't noticeable. Be sure to push the jack far enough but close to the rails to prevent bending of your sideskirts.
01-07-13, 05:51 AM
#37
funny, i have "jacked up" a lot of cars in my time ( that sounds messed up ) but, i looked under the gs and was like what the he11? knowing i dont want to use that little trunk jack to get her up in the air. This thread helps, but i guess i need to buy a d#mn hockey puck somewhere now
12-31-13, 09:03 PM
#39
This thread could use more info, and I'm bored so here goes.
I put my cars on stands in the garage a lot and I've learned to take great precaution when working under the car.
Here are some things I do everytime I lift a car at my house.
In my mind there are two different scenarios that require different lifting techniques for safety.
1. You're either lifting from the side to change a tire or maybe brake pads so you use the side pinch welds to do this.
2. You're putting the car into the air on jack stands so you will jack from the front cross member and rear differential to put the car up on stands.
**It take me about 20minutes to properly put my car on stands. It's not a race and I don't care how fast you can do it. This is purely about your safety and 20min isn't long to assure your good to go so take your time.***
**********
These are things I do below or tips to help keep you and your car safe.
1. If putting the car up on 4 jackstands I always get the front of the car in the air on stands first. The reason is that if you put the rear on stands first it's harder to get your jack up under the front of the car and when you do it will be hard to actually use the jack lever.
2. ALWAYS jack from the front center crossmember or rear center differential so the car does not shift side to side which is very dangerous. If you draw a line down the center of the car front to back, that is where you want the jack positioned so that the car goes straight up and straight down with NO side to side movement.
3. Use a flashlight to verify the front crossmember jacking point. Do not place the jack under the oil pan or trans pan on accident, use the flashlight or your hand to make sure the jack is only resting against the crosssmember once you start lifting the car.
4. Do not jack the car up from the frame rails as they may deform. Just stay away form the frame rails period, IMO. The pinch welds along the sides of the car have 2 spots on each side designed for lifting either the front or rear on that side only to change a tire.
5. If your car is lowered you'll need to use the stock jack at the pinch weld on front to lift the front end so that you can place the heavy duty jack under the front crossmember to actually lift the front end up into the air
6. Once you start to lift the car don't put it really high on stands at first. You want to get the front end up on stands securely first, and then put the rear up on stands at the same height. If you need to go higher then lift the front a little more and raise the stand a couple notches, and then do the rear. DO NOT let the car slide off the stands, use common sense here and take your time.
7. Stand size- I have like 8 jackstands in my garage. I have 4 large size heavy duty for transmission type jobs. I most often use the medium size stands for quicker work when I need the car on stands. When I'm going to be under the car myself... i ALWAYS have extra jacks under the car and my jack is always tight up against the lifting point as an extra safety net.
8. Putting your car high up into the air would be considered advanced, and imo is very dangerous to do if your not careful. You basically need to get the car up on your medium stands, and then you will lift the car up higher so that you can place the large stands under the car, front...then back. You HAVE to keep an eye on all jackstands during the lifting process to make sure the stands don't start to tilt!!
9. Taking the car down from up high EVEN MORE DANGEROUS. You should go slow and make sure those stands aren't tilting. Take it down slow a couple notches at a time and make sure to kep the car level as possibly at all times..you don't want the car to slide off the stands which is basically MAJOR FAIL and is the same as the car falling off the stands.
10. Do not trust black asphalt. It can give way...you need a hard concrete.
11. Don't jack the car up when it's on an angle...try to keep it level. You dont want to jack up the car if your driveway is angled...that's asking for major fail and hospital visits....
12. If the car is to be suspended in the air for logner than 5-10minutes you should be using a jackstand.
13. If I'm keeping the car up for a long time I will have 6 jackstands under the car and the jack will always be snug up against a lifting point as a safety net.
14. Most importantly...make sure the car is secure once up in the air by trying to push agianst the body or lift up or down. I've seen the car sit on 3 jackstands and then not sit down on the 4th jackstand which isn't that safe.
15. Not sure if it was mentioned but I place the jackstands at the 4 pinch welds along either side of the car. These are reinforced and will not bend or flatten if you place the jack within the center of the notched out spots designated for lifting. I think this is a good place for the jackstands because the stands have a wider footprint than if you used the frame rails. Also if you put the stands at the pinch welds you will always have good front rear weight distribution on the stands themselves so the car doesn't rock forward or back.
This is all for now..hope it helps out.
I put my cars on stands in the garage a lot and I've learned to take great precaution when working under the car.
Here are some things I do everytime I lift a car at my house.
In my mind there are two different scenarios that require different lifting techniques for safety.
1. You're either lifting from the side to change a tire or maybe brake pads so you use the side pinch welds to do this.
2. You're putting the car into the air on jack stands so you will jack from the front cross member and rear differential to put the car up on stands.
**It take me about 20minutes to properly put my car on stands. It's not a race and I don't care how fast you can do it. This is purely about your safety and 20min isn't long to assure your good to go so take your time.***
**********
These are things I do below or tips to help keep you and your car safe.
1. If putting the car up on 4 jackstands I always get the front of the car in the air on stands first. The reason is that if you put the rear on stands first it's harder to get your jack up under the front of the car and when you do it will be hard to actually use the jack lever.
2. ALWAYS jack from the front center crossmember or rear center differential so the car does not shift side to side which is very dangerous. If you draw a line down the center of the car front to back, that is where you want the jack positioned so that the car goes straight up and straight down with NO side to side movement.
3. Use a flashlight to verify the front crossmember jacking point. Do not place the jack under the oil pan or trans pan on accident, use the flashlight or your hand to make sure the jack is only resting against the crosssmember once you start lifting the car.
4. Do not jack the car up from the frame rails as they may deform. Just stay away form the frame rails period, IMO. The pinch welds along the sides of the car have 2 spots on each side designed for lifting either the front or rear on that side only to change a tire.
5. If your car is lowered you'll need to use the stock jack at the pinch weld on front to lift the front end so that you can place the heavy duty jack under the front crossmember to actually lift the front end up into the air
6. Once you start to lift the car don't put it really high on stands at first. You want to get the front end up on stands securely first, and then put the rear up on stands at the same height. If you need to go higher then lift the front a little more and raise the stand a couple notches, and then do the rear. DO NOT let the car slide off the stands, use common sense here and take your time.
7. Stand size- I have like 8 jackstands in my garage. I have 4 large size heavy duty for transmission type jobs. I most often use the medium size stands for quicker work when I need the car on stands. When I'm going to be under the car myself... i ALWAYS have extra jacks under the car and my jack is always tight up against the lifting point as an extra safety net.
8. Putting your car high up into the air would be considered advanced, and imo is very dangerous to do if your not careful. You basically need to get the car up on your medium stands, and then you will lift the car up higher so that you can place the large stands under the car, front...then back. You HAVE to keep an eye on all jackstands during the lifting process to make sure the stands don't start to tilt!!
9. Taking the car down from up high EVEN MORE DANGEROUS. You should go slow and make sure those stands aren't tilting. Take it down slow a couple notches at a time and make sure to kep the car level as possibly at all times..you don't want the car to slide off the stands which is basically MAJOR FAIL and is the same as the car falling off the stands.
10. Do not trust black asphalt. It can give way...you need a hard concrete.
11. Don't jack the car up when it's on an angle...try to keep it level. You dont want to jack up the car if your driveway is angled...that's asking for major fail and hospital visits....
12. If the car is to be suspended in the air for logner than 5-10minutes you should be using a jackstand.
13. If I'm keeping the car up for a long time I will have 6 jackstands under the car and the jack will always be snug up against a lifting point as a safety net.
14. Most importantly...make sure the car is secure once up in the air by trying to push agianst the body or lift up or down. I've seen the car sit on 3 jackstands and then not sit down on the 4th jackstand which isn't that safe.
15. Not sure if it was mentioned but I place the jackstands at the 4 pinch welds along either side of the car. These are reinforced and will not bend or flatten if you place the jack within the center of the notched out spots designated for lifting. I think this is a good place for the jackstands because the stands have a wider footprint than if you used the frame rails. Also if you put the stands at the pinch welds you will always have good front rear weight distribution on the stands themselves so the car doesn't rock forward or back.
This is all for now..hope it helps out.
Last edited by RyanV; 12-31-13 at 09:07 PM.
01-01-14, 01:51 PM
#42
I don't want to say it's not right because it does work if you do it right. I think you're fine if you are careful with the frame rails and use a block of wood against them.
If you use a scissor jack on that frame rail...it'll probably crush. If you use a piece of wood to disperse the pressure it should be ok.
When I wrote those notes above..I didn't realize the side skirt plastic wraps up around near the pinch weld so close. I was still able to use the jack safely from that spot using the oem scissor jack without damaging the plastic part. They actually sell adapters at like Harbor Freight that go on your jackstands that are designed for the pinch weld so it doesn't fold over.
http://www.harborfreight.com/2-piece...and-95952.html
I prefer to use the jackstands on the pinch welds because it leaves more room under the car to move around and it's a safer wider footprint overall
Take a look at the picture that shows the jacking points..it's an SC, but it's the same deal.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...-points-2.html
If you use a scissor jack on that frame rail...it'll probably crush. If you use a piece of wood to disperse the pressure it should be ok.
When I wrote those notes above..I didn't realize the side skirt plastic wraps up around near the pinch weld so close. I was still able to use the jack safely from that spot using the oem scissor jack without damaging the plastic part. They actually sell adapters at like Harbor Freight that go on your jackstands that are designed for the pinch weld so it doesn't fold over.
http://www.harborfreight.com/2-piece...and-95952.html
I prefer to use the jackstands on the pinch welds because it leaves more room under the car to move around and it's a safer wider footprint overall
Take a look at the picture that shows the jacking points..it's an SC, but it's the same deal.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...-points-2.html
Last edited by RyanV; 01-01-14 at 02:11 PM.
01-01-14, 02:09 PM
#43
Took a couple pictures.
I used the OEM jack at the side pinch weld to lift the front a bit so that I could make sure the floorjack was exactly where it should be. If you put it under that brace...it could bend so it goes directly in front of that brace.
Even though it looks like it...the floor jack pad is not close to the oil pan just make sure that enough of the floor jack pad is under the crossmember as you don't want to try and lift it when it's barely on the crossmember. The jack should butt up against that brace bracket connected to the crossmember.
Floorjack at the rear diff just like this...easy.
I used the OEM jack at the side pinch weld to lift the front a bit so that I could make sure the floorjack was exactly where it should be. If you put it under that brace...it could bend so it goes directly in front of that brace.
Even though it looks like it...the floor jack pad is not close to the oil pan just make sure that enough of the floor jack pad is under the crossmember as you don't want to try and lift it when it's barely on the crossmember. The jack should butt up against that brace bracket connected to the crossmember.
Floorjack at the rear diff just like this...easy.
Last edited by RyanV; 01-01-14 at 02:13 PM.
