Jacking up a car is the first step for almost all car repairs at home. If you don't have a vehicle lift (most of them don't), or you are not using a drivable ramp (which will limit your workload), then you will jack up the vehicle to remove the tires and get access to what you plan to repair or replace Components. Although there are many types of jacks-including garages and emergencies, the most important thing is to understand how to properly jack up your vehicle and keep it safe.
Support points and other factors vary from vehicle to vehicle, so you need to consult the owner's manual for specific information about the vehicle. However, there are some general tips about jacks to know and understand.
Type of Jacks
Jacks are generally divided into several categories. There are service jacks, bottle jacks, airbag jacks, scissor jacks, off-road jacks, transmission jacks, axle jacks, jack stands, trailer jacks.
How to Properly Jack up a Car?
1. Proper Jack Placement
The first step in learning how to use a car jack is to understand where to place the car jack. Most vehicles today use "one-piece" bodies and subframes instead of full-frame cars. The only exceptions are trucks and vans.
On any vehicle, you will notice that under the doors behind the front wheels and in front of the rear wheels, the body often has rigid seams (sometimes called "pinch welding") jacking points. This seam extends along the entire underside of the car body and has reinforcement points at the front and rear. Put the jack on these exact locations under the car, and you can lift the car safely. Each car has a slightly different support point, so before attempting to lift the vehicle from the ground, you should make sure you know the support point of the vehicle, as you may damage the bottom of the car by jacking it up where you don't intend to bear the weight of the vehicle. Motor vehicle. Most emergency jacks on vehicles are designed to straddle this protruding seam extending along the bottom of the vehicle body in order to lift the vehicle safely. Trucks and vans can be safely jacked up along the frame itself. Generally, if you try to insert a rolling jack and jack up the front or rear of the car, the engine support beam and rear drive axle on most vehicles are a stable support point.
Double-check for your particular vehicle because placing a jack in a position that will not properly support the weight of your car is extremely unsafe.
2. Use the Jack to Lift the Vehicle
As mentioned earlier, there are many different types of jacks. You need to know the specific details of how to jack up the car with the jack you own. If you are using a scissor jack, place the jack under the car, insert the rod and turn the crank. Hydraulic jacks (bottle jacks or roll jacks) require you to place the handle in the proper position before pumping up and down.
You can reduce the amount of labor required to use a hydraulic jack by using a smooth and uniform stroke and bring the handle from the lowest point to the highest point in each completed action. As mentioned earlier, for rolling jacks, make sure that the jacks continue to roll forward and reposition when the vehicle rises.
3. Put Jack Stands in the Proper Position
In addition to knowing how to jack up a car, you also need to make sure that the jack stand is in contact with the car near the point where you place the jack. Raise your jack stand to the point where it can barely fit under the car, then lock the stand in place. The last step is to lower the jack until the car stops on the jack stand.
Many people replace jacks with boxes, bricks, or other things they find. However, this is a dangerous operation that is highly discouraged. One exception is in emergency situations. When jacking up the vehicle in an emergency (such as a flat tire), a good practice is to place the flat tire near the jack, directly under the vehicle as a safety net, until the spare tire is installed and the vehicle is lowered. It is very difficult to try to get the car off the ground due to the jack slipping, not to mention that the fall will cause damage to the vehicle, and the surface damage of the wheels is much less problematic. Similarly, for any off-road vehicle that undergoes tire changes, the same process is usually a good idea.
Keep in mind that these situations are rare. Whenever you jack up a vehicle you plan to get off, you should always use a jack stand in good working condition.
4. Make Sure Your Car is Secure Before Removing Your Jack
The fourth step in how to use a car jack is to swing the car slightly by hand. Doing this allows you to check whether the car is fixed on the jack stand. You can also check whether the wheel is properly blocked so that it does not roll.
5. Finishing Up
After you have completed the necessary repairs or inspections of your vehicle, it is time to lower the car to the ground.
First, reinstall the jack in the same place where you lifted the vehicle, lift it slightly and leave the jack stand.
Next, remove the stand by pulling up the release handle, which will lower the stand to its lowest position, where it can be easily removed. If there is any resistance or weight on the stand, you need to raise the vehicle slightly. After removing these, lower the vehicle safely.
When disassembling and replacing wheels/tires, it is a good practice to always double-check the final torque of your lug nuts after the tire is in contact with the ground and the jack is ready to be disassembled. This habit will help you keep remembering to check the final torque of the lug nut before completely removing and retracting the jack. Many people make the mistake of putting the wheels on the vehicle in the air so that the lug nuts are close to each other. Once the vehicle is lowered, it will roll over and forget to check the final torque.
When it is necessary to jack up the car for routine maintenance and inspection, it is very important to comply with all safety regulations. If you have questions about how to jack up the car or need supplies to complete maintenance, you can find useful help at your local ECPPAutoParts.
