What kind of jack stands do you use and where do you place them?
Sup all! (My first post, so please bare with me)
I'm somewhat new to doing general maintenance and repair, but not completely. I have also read other posts regarding this topic, and I am not using ramps, especially for my upcoming projects (mostly discs, rotors, drums, CV axles, coolant, hoses, etc.) I am also only making this post lengthy to avoid too much "back and forth"
I originally used only a jack to raise one side of the vehicle at a time, as that was all that was necessary (and often used a donut or spare rim as a support). However, I recently replaced my (front) rotors and discs, and was forced to invest in jackstands <-- I know. I really need 'em.
I did alot of YouTube research, and most of the videos showed guys with shop lifts talking about the location of jackpoints. I'm sure others have ran into this problem.
I came to the conclusion that I should jack the front of my vehicle from the center sub-frame and place jackstands on both front rocker flanges on the pinch rail. This works great for working on the front of the vehicle. However, here is question one:
1. I bought jackstands that have a small notch in the top center of the ratchet bar, figuring this will fit nicely on the pinch rail. Is it necessary to have this notch on the ratchet bar when lowering the vehicle on the pinch rail? It seems like the semi-circular shaped jackstands would not settle well after lowering the jack.
These jackstands have been working fine for the front of the car, for the most part. After several uses, I noticed one of the pins in the ratchet handle was half way out (I'm still fighting to return them).
Now I have to work on the rear drums (amongst other things). I have a low profile aluminium that lifts to ~18in. Two days ago I serviced the jack (new hydrolic oil, bled system), so I know its lifting to full potential and lifts great. I am using the tow point to jack up the rear, which leads me to my second series of questions:
2. I cannot jack the car high enough (from this jack point) to place my jackstands below the rear rocker flange pinch rails. Must I buy another jack with a higher lift? I can barely get the rear wheels off the ground at full chassis (and it doesn't look so "stable"), much less get my jackstands under the rocker flanges. Must I buy a lower profile set of jack stands (which none have that notch I think I need)? Or is there a better jack point? If so, I'm not seeing it.
I could always try one side at a time, but this leaves the same dilemma. Do I jack up at the rocker flange? Or, do I need to place the jack stands on the rocker flange?
Furthermore (the big question), can I jack the car on the pinch rail where there are no reinforcements?
Hope this is not all too much for one post. I just wanted to be thorough in describing my situation. Below is my vehicle information:
2004 Honda Civic LX, 4-door Sedan, 1.7L SOHC, Automatic Transmission. Factory.
EDIT: If I were to jack up the front of the car, place it on jackstands, and then attempt to jack up the rear of the car, would this be dangerous? Or would this help in lifting the rear of the vehicle further now that the front raised? I would think that even with a second set of stands, something is going to slide off, or not? Can a vehicle SAFELY be held up on two sets of jackstands and no wheels????
I'm somewhat new to doing general maintenance and repair, but not completely. I have also read other posts regarding this topic, and I am not using ramps, especially for my upcoming projects (mostly discs, rotors, drums, CV axles, coolant, hoses, etc.) I am also only making this post lengthy to avoid too much "back and forth"
I originally used only a jack to raise one side of the vehicle at a time, as that was all that was necessary (and often used a donut or spare rim as a support). However, I recently replaced my (front) rotors and discs, and was forced to invest in jackstands <-- I know. I really need 'em.
I did alot of YouTube research, and most of the videos showed guys with shop lifts talking about the location of jackpoints. I'm sure others have ran into this problem.
I came to the conclusion that I should jack the front of my vehicle from the center sub-frame and place jackstands on both front rocker flanges on the pinch rail. This works great for working on the front of the vehicle. However, here is question one:
1. I bought jackstands that have a small notch in the top center of the ratchet bar, figuring this will fit nicely on the pinch rail. Is it necessary to have this notch on the ratchet bar when lowering the vehicle on the pinch rail? It seems like the semi-circular shaped jackstands would not settle well after lowering the jack.
These jackstands have been working fine for the front of the car, for the most part. After several uses, I noticed one of the pins in the ratchet handle was half way out (I'm still fighting to return them).
Now I have to work on the rear drums (amongst other things). I have a low profile aluminium that lifts to ~18in. Two days ago I serviced the jack (new hydrolic oil, bled system), so I know its lifting to full potential and lifts great. I am using the tow point to jack up the rear, which leads me to my second series of questions:
2. I cannot jack the car high enough (from this jack point) to place my jackstands below the rear rocker flange pinch rails. Must I buy another jack with a higher lift? I can barely get the rear wheels off the ground at full chassis (and it doesn't look so "stable"), much less get my jackstands under the rocker flanges. Must I buy a lower profile set of jack stands (which none have that notch I think I need)? Or is there a better jack point? If so, I'm not seeing it.
I could always try one side at a time, but this leaves the same dilemma. Do I jack up at the rocker flange? Or, do I need to place the jack stands on the rocker flange?
Furthermore (the big question), can I jack the car on the pinch rail where there are no reinforcements?
Hope this is not all too much for one post. I just wanted to be thorough in describing my situation. Below is my vehicle information:
2004 Honda Civic LX, 4-door Sedan, 1.7L SOHC, Automatic Transmission. Factory.
EDIT: If I were to jack up the front of the car, place it on jackstands, and then attempt to jack up the rear of the car, would this be dangerous? Or would this help in lifting the rear of the vehicle further now that the front raised? I would think that even with a second set of stands, something is going to slide off, or not? Can a vehicle SAFELY be held up on two sets of jackstands and no wheels????
Last edited by cmeyer; Dec 4, 2012 at 09:46 PM. Reason: Forgot another factor that comes into play.
Re: What kind of jack stands do you use and where do you place them?
In my opinion you need to visit service center and ask the about the same problem and depending on what they recommend update us here. I would not recommend you using jack stands - I doubt if that can be safety.
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