Had my car up on jack stands bleeding brake lines when my father, a professional mechanic reached in the car, grabbed the steering wheel, and stepped on the brake pedal. The side-force generated by that pressure on the brake pedal tipped the car sideways, tipping the jack stands. As a precaution, I had put the spare tire under the flat floor pan of my Volkswagon, so as the car tipped, and moved sideways about 3-ft, instead of 5ft, I didn't get crushed between a fence and the side of the car. Obviously, my father would have been devastated and never forgiven himself if I'd ended up dead or FUBAR. Never trust jack stands alone. Chock and prop the tires as shown here. Trust jacks themselves even less. Safety always seems like an unnecessary PITA until you're FUBAR in a hospital and crippled for life. Then you have the rest of your life to regret your stupidity. "Be Safe" is the best advice you'll ever get.
Gravity bleeds for you. I’ve never understood the “ok push! Release! Ok push!...” method. Loosen all four bleeders, flip a bottle of brake fluid upside down into the reservoir, pull up a lawn chair and keep an eye on your fluid level. Close your bleeder screws up about five minutes later and you are good to go.
As a teenager I was changing oil on big Bonneville we drove in the 80's outside in the street on a hot summer day using just a car jack that came with the car. The black top bellow was hot to the touch under the scorching sun. I did my best to lift the car and it looked stable. With the car raised on the car jack I was reaching in under the car to unbolt the oil plug and in the back of my eye I noticed the car was slowly moving to the side. I knew this was bad and I pulled back under the car just as it sank some more and then it slid off jack . This happened because the thin framed base of the of the car jack sank into the hot asphalt after being initially stable . Yes,I was lucky to escape being pinned under or worse. Be mindful this can happen.
Red Phoenix lol I really do have a Smart Fortwo. I don't claim it to be the best at anything though. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone really. But I like it purely for it's size and funny look.
In all seriousness, please do not use cement blocks to hold your car up. A neighbor died when he put his car on cinder blocks and they crumbled, crushing him. After that I use jack stands but also put two hydraulic jacks just touching a jacking point and if the wheels are off slide them under the car too. Like Jason, I like to live and even if I wanted to die it would not be suffocating under a 1 1/2 ton vehicle 'cause that takes way too long.
In England in 1970, I was taking the front suspension of a Morris Minor to pieces. They have long torsion bars for suspension instead of springs/struts. I didn't understand them. As I undid a bolt, the torsion bar released and the car collapsed and the torsion bar threw the bottle jack past my head and it landed 50 yards down the road. That made me careful for 52 years until 3 weeks ago when the 12 inch fan cover came off my John Deere lawn tractor coz I didn't have all 3 bolts fastened down... It flew like a discus and mangled the choke cable, then hit the battery and smashed a gash so the acid came out on to the concrete and reacted and it was a cloud of acid gas....Then it continued on and missed my crown jewels by 2 inches and cut a hole in my jeans a gave me a big graze on my loins... Good fun this home mechanicing !
I would also take into consideration that the shocks on the car here are decompressed... If the jack-stands fail and the wheels fall on the wood, the shocks would compress and the car will probably still give you a nice slap on the face as it falls down. Gotta account for that extra travel if the car were to fall on its wheels.
Really like the idea of putting wood blocks under the wheels. Using the jack to provide further support is helpful too. Like to use chocks on both sides of the wheel, front and back. What do you think about using the subframe to support the car with jack stands?
audiophile man personally agree that subframe support much better with 5 mm rubber gasket pad material on stand cups to stop metal on metal rub ( rust point ). Now im in the process of about to do this...and wood squares are a top idea...i also feel i would do a double jack up method with 2 people... start back on both sides ...set it up....that way handbrake and chock holds on the wood bits ( note i would really use one big chunk of wood) the sheets could slide under tyres and stands......then do front same.... have a theory and hate stressing the chassis with that one wheel up at a time method, resulting in a twist to body...just irks me...thats why we all wish we had a scissor hoist in private garage...oh i wish... Ps the wood sheet bits could be glued together to match max wheel lift height to make one big chunk...use them as seats after..
Back in high school shop class, the substitute teacher was explaining lift points. When he finished with the unibody and walked over to a framed car he said all you have to do is shove the jack under and lift. The student assigned to rotate the tires on that car did just that. Who would have thought the oil pan was a lift point ;)
Great videos and very well made. Why only 3 boards on your rear wheels and 4 in front? Also, a caution for those who misplace the jackstands behind the front wheels. You need to get the stands about 12-13 inches back from the wheel well to get the reinforced area. (look at your vehicle to find the reinforced area). Putting the stands in the other closer area will bend the cars sheet metal underneath as that area is not reinforced.
Putting the wheels underneath the car when you take them off isn't a bad idea, also if you don't need the jack, it doesn't hurt to leave it where it is, gives you a little extra protection. Also congrats on the 1M woah!
Don't just shake it, shake it like you mean it! Good advice I got from a guy once. As if your worried about you nocking it over and screwing up the underbody of your car, then it probably wasn't safe enough to get under anyway! Better the car than your life.
Had to come back and like this video. I always think of it when I"m putting my car on all 4 jack stands. Literally the way I learned and it's been great
Do not use the jacking points shown if possible support the with Jack stand from the chassis rails. jacking point on sills can rust over time and collapse.
Your life must not be worth much if you'd risk it even the smallest bit to save on some plyboard. He's setup a multi level failsafe system as any proper engineer would do, to ensure he's not the unlucky one to get crushed to death.
Thank you for the very informative video as always! Quick question! I am just now getting into working on my cars by myself but lack all the equipment needed. By any chance do you have any plans of making a video in regards to beginners and what tools we should buy? What are the necessities for basic maintenance or even light mods such as bolt ons. Unfortunately my father does not live with me and my mother and I'm certain the only tools we have in the house are a philips head screw driver and a hammer lol.
What kinda car? Domestic or Japanese? When I was younger a basic metric socket set, wrench, 1/2" 3 foot breaker bar, floor jack , 2 Jack stands... got me through 80% of my 3rd gen Honda Prelude . Of course having other general tools like needle nose pliers, combo box wrenches, torque wrench, crescent wrenches, JDM impact screwdriver, etc... really helps as well. Just get one of those big sets you see for like 99$ at harbor freight or home dept with all the different tools and you'll be fine for basic work
As a suggestion I would invest in some pinch seam adapters to prevent damaging your car and also provide a more stable base for the top of the jack stands.
Omg I wish more people would use those. Every used car I've bought had THRASHED pinch welds! My current 1990 prelude has totally flat front pinch welds its crazy
I would have a question. There is always a lot of creaking and scary noises when i do this. Is that normal? Is the car really wobbly wobbly only hanging on the jack it self as you are jacking it up? On quite rough pavement, can i rely on my jack to move with its casters under the car as it keeps lifting it and the angle changes? Has it ever happened to you for the car to slip of the jack whilst jacking it up?
Mikee CZ its normal i work as a mechanic and when i was just starting it used tu scare me, but now i know that its normal, since you are putting preasure in a few points
A great tip I've learned is putting old rims (even better if they have tires on them) and placing them under the wheels on the car. Then lifting the car up on all 4 jackstands. But only lift them so you see the suspension unload. Try to keep the cars wheels standing on the old rims. If your car has a stock suspension you probably dont even have to lift it on jackstands.
In your case, since you don't have a front center jack point, how did you lift the car up incrementally? By the time you had all four corners up, on the first increment, you already had jack stands on all four corners. Where did you jack from, to lift up the front to the second increment? (I'm assuming you don't have a front center jack point because you're not using it, in your video.)
Don't really understand how four stands is unstable. I've got a safety factor of at least 7 when using 3t jacks on a car that's barely 1700kg soaking wet. I've used four jack stands numerous times, and I *shove* the thing, and it's more stable than when it's on the ground. It doesn't go anywhere. Also, the car weighs nearly 2t, wouldn't it take a hell of a lot to push it off? Would love to hear any advice here, because I'd rather be told I'm wrong now, than after I'm dead.
Much easier way to do this... Place the jack under the pinch weld just rearward of the mirror. When the car rises it will be roughly equal front and back as both sides rise. Place jack stands under the pinch wel at the support points. Repeat on the other side. The car is more than strong enough to do this. Had an S2000, did it this way for years.
i used the rear differential on my 350z..even if i had the front wheels secured..it slid and fell.. i had put a stand on the left side, to i was lucky that i had no damage..it ended up between differential and the gas tank..i will use YOU way hare..it seems a lot more safe and secure..thank you for keeping me alive.whew..
I would highly suggest buying solid rubber wheel chocks. They're soooo much more sturdy than plastic or metal ones. They're only a little more expensive, but well worth the expense if you enjoy living. Northern Tool and Harbor Freight carry them.
I totally agree. I bought some of those hard plastic chocks and they are completely worthless. They slide way too easily on concrete and aren't worth a crap. The solid rubber chocks are a bit more expensive but they do what they're supposed to.
They are 2x12s, cut in 18-20" lengths. Ymmv based on your tire size. I would use screws to secure the blocks together and incorporate a wheel stop/chock in the blocks (affixed to the wood) to not have to use the plastic ones so the top looks like this _\__/_ or this |___|
Whenever I am working under my cars on jack stands, I put the wheels under the car as the added safety (usually the OEM wheels/tires). Something you can do if you don't have the wood laying around.
I like the wooden blocks idea. I think I'll start using it. I generally use my floor jacks as backups to the jack stands while I'm under the car. (I have two.) And I never rely on screw jacks unless I have absolutely no choice. For some damn good reasons I won't get into here, I'm super paranoid about working under cars, as well.
Its called a helmholtz chamber I believe. It reduces the amount of drone/resonance at a specific frequency range in the exhaust note. A simple explanation is that the exhaust waves travel through the exhaust pipe and into the chamber where they hit the end of the pipe and come back at 180 degrees of the original wave - effectively cancelling that particular frequency range by matching it with a mostly equal and opposite force. Different size chambers target different frequencies, and there are formulas used to pick the correct sized pipe. Putting a random size on may not target your particular drone range.
The front of the car was initially lifted incorrect. Should have been lifted from the front center of the vehicle as per the FSM. This way the load is balanced and jacks are placed in pairs. The way shown at first is unstable and needlessly stresses the chassis when pivoting over that single jack stand, like a teeter-totter. Furthermore, using a floor jack at those jack points puts too much weight on the pinch weld, which risks folding it. Those should only be used with 4-arm hoist or the emergency jack, which is designed to fit around the pinch weld perfectly distributing the load and prevents the pinch welds from folding over. He does it correctly later when lifting it higher up. Curious as to why he chose to do it that way at first. The car is factory ride height and has a low-profile jack. If the jack still didn't fit, should have driven the car up on the wood planks. Also, should block a wheel from the front AND back side of it.
Agreed. On my Z4, the front-center point is too deep that even a lowpro jack can't reach. So I jack the rear up first, get the rear on stands, then insert the jack from behind the front wheel to reach the front-center jack. The wood plank thing is kind of a pain in the ass TBH.
"Needlessly stressing chassis" and "risk of folding pinch welds" are two issues I still haven't been able to solve. I have a constant battle in my head each time I lift my car. I have a FWD car and I've resorted to putting a block of wood under the chassis rail and jacking one side at a time from there. I'm not sure if this is best because I still have to put the stands on the pinch welds. I've also thought about using those hockey puck style things that go between the jack and the pinch weld but I'm not sure if that actually helps, would I then put the stands on the frame rails? I don't like doing that either because then the stands are in the centre of the vehicle to its easier to make it tip over.
Alex Derus all Hondas and Acuras have a beefy built up lift point at all 4 corners. As a Honda tech I personally never seen one damaged with a floor jack. Hitting curbs and other things will bend them. As far as other manufacturers with uni body construction I agree with you 100%
Alex Derus i honestly have never seen it happen. I only hear about folded pinch welds on forums when i search for it. The oem honda jack does not have a pinch to fit on thr pinch weld, it is a flat surface scissor jack
I'm trying to level my civic. For leveling does the front-jack-point to ground distance the same as the back-jack-point to ground distance? Would both have to be the same for the car to be level? What about your sloping garage floor?
Edslittleworld carpenters put whole houses on wood blocks and I've been putting cars on rims since my early teens, no issues ever. Not saying the plastic car ramps are no good, but they're not free like old (not rusted out ones) rims.
This should begin a series playlist. "If you like cars and have a RAGING case of O.C.D., Watch this!!" :) I will say, that certainly is the most soothing way I have ever seen a car put on jack stands. The wood blocks are a nice touch!
Id like to add that the time the car may fall on you is when you are pulling gearboxes out from underneath. I prefer to take the engine and gearbox out in one piece through the opening in the bonnet if possible.
Good but there another quickest option is made two wood ramps then drive over the ramps with front wheels then next you only have to lift the rear wheeels :)
One thing omitted from your tutorial is the need for a relatively smooth surface on which to use your jack! The only reason I say this is because I nearly shat my pants when jacking the front end of my car up on a "solid and level" concrete & pebble surface (not loose pebbles, pebbles mixed in the concrete to make it look "good" but FUCK the way a jack likes to inch forward under weight) as the car started to lurch towards me when I used the jack. Needless to say, I survived as I was able to get the car stable on the stands and sat in it shifting my weight about like a loon to make sure the stands were stable. Paranoia never killed nobody.....
is it possible to safely raise the car up, then, continuously adding supports underneath the jack stands, jack, and tires, raising it to the point that you can stand underneath it? to accomplish what a shop lift can do but for people who can't afford one and don't need the car to be raised super quickly?
Where did you put the floor jack on the front of the car when you raised it higher and put the wood blocks underneath? It went under the front bumper so I am guessing a control arm mounting point but I was confused where it went
Stuff like this makes me wish that contractors that build houses would make a garage with a simple work pit, similar to how they do oil changes at places like jiffy lube.(Drive it in the garage then work from the pit.)
It's a very bad idea to do it by default. If you don't align the wheel, the car may fall in, let alone a person may fall in. However, it might be a good idea if it has a good metallic cover.
I think you are the first TH-cam channel I seen not using a harbor freight jack. they are the best jacks out there for the money. especially their new 3 ton Daytona.
Because of this video i went to home depot and custom cut alot of thick wooden boards to use as another precaution. Can you do a video on jack point pinch welds and wether a dedicated specific jack pad and jack stand pad is a good idea? I have yet to see any body have problems with their pinched weld jack points crumbling, except when i search about it on google. Even the stock s2000 oem jack for changing tires dont have a wedge to put at the jack point, it is just a flat spot
Wow, thanks for that, I was wondering the safest way to work under a car with axle stands, those wood blocks and wheel chocks are a great idea. Time for new transmission oil.
Ive built wooden ramps, very nifty for oil changes and engine work that needs access from beneath. No need to jack anything up. And if you need to do rear-end work or exhaust, just back on the ramps. Also if you need the whole car up, drive fronts on the ramps and now only the rear needs to be jacked up. You need a good driver to use these, or make loooooong ramps so you have the room for bad clutch management.
Say your car is lowered and you have to lift it, what seems to be, really high to get the stands under; is there no worry of tweaking the body or anything by jacking one corner at a time?
Do you really like the S2000 over the STI? I sold my S2K and I was looking to move to the STI. Let me know your opinion of the differences in the 2 cars please!
I really miss my S2K but I when I was driving that car I felt like it lacked power in it. I came from a 240sx with an SR20DET motor. The turbocharged engine gave me that satisfaction in power.
WHP is low (210ish) in the 8's but the delivery of power is amazingly smooth, where the turbo power comes in hard and violent in a tuned STI, but AWD makes up for it.
Where’s you get your wood from lol. Did you cut it or get it form HD precut. I don’t have a saw and that’s genius. What size wood pieces would you recommend?
Great video, thanks for posting... I have a 1951 Chevy truck that has some brake issues. It's got a modern brake kit system on it and unfortunately, the master cylinder is bolted under the driver's side floor pan. I may need to replace it. Safety is of course a huge issue for me as well. I was thinking yesterday about a teenager I met many years ago who was pinned under a car and somehow a fire was involved. Although he survived, he has massive scarring and a non-useable hand. Be careful!!!
I've been placing the jacks under the suspension for each wheel. This way the wheels don't sag. I jack the front of the car first then do the rear. I been storing my Integra this way for 25 years. I do like the added protection of placing wood under each wheel. I may do that this year.
On a 2011 Mazda 3 what are the best or safest jacking points underneath the car front and rear?(not including the main Jack points which are in manual)
Can you do some science about working on a car lifted like that when you do some high torque effort like unboltimg the flywheel or something like that ? I am really scared on getting under the car just on jack stands because it may tip to the front or the back ...
bbogdanmircea in my experience there isn't much you could do about that. just be safe when you do things like that in jack stands. try not to make hard jerks when you're working, just kind of ease into it or try to use breaker bars so you don't have to get too aggressive with your car
If you lifted a car in the manner he shows and made sure to do a good shove test as he wimpily demonstrated. You would be surprised at just how stable it is. There are some bolts I can't get loose on my Buick while it's on the tires because the suspension absorbs too much stress but lifted up I can wrench hard enough to shatter hardened steel sockets. Also a decent size bike seat post around a well made socket wrench works wonders. I use one of the better models of 1/2" drives that auto-zone sells like this. They stand up absurdly well. It took around 500lbs of people jumping on my floor jack handle to break one. The warranty covered the wrench, no receipt just take it in and they will swap it out with an equivalent model. In my case the new equivalent model was made to handle even more stress thanks to a couple ears of engineering advancements at their tool provider.
I prefer the 6 ton stands which have a much wider base. Makes for extra stability. Also, I remove the wheels and lay them under the vehicle just in case.
DO NOT let the wood blocks take any of the load when lifting the rear of the car up. If your surface has any type of a grade to it, the car/jack can start to roll. When lifting rear of the car, there is no resistance (brakes/drivetrain) to stop the car from rolling. The wood blocks should be the last step and should not make contact with the wheel. They should not take any of the load and only be a backup if for some reason the jackstands have a failure. @ 2:08
What wood are you using? I want to do this to lift my car because I don't want to use jack stands, I don't trust them. I would only use jack stands when I don't need to get under the car like changing a wheel or working on brakes. I can buy pressure treated sleeper wood but what else works?
is the differentcial designed to be able to support half of the cars weight? i never jack the car up at the differencial even tho im told its ok, just me i guess. good video could even have saved a life or two. i use two floor jacks at a time and seems to be faster way to get them up on four stands but most people dont have two floor jacks.
Not sure I like jacking the car from the front side to put a jack stand in back. That's some twisting in the chassis for a convertible. On my Eclipse I used to use the scissor jack on the side front pinch weld to lift it high enough to get a jack under the front center lower engine mount and then jack the front and then put the stands on the sides where the pinch welds are. Once I had the front up, the rear was easy.
How long can you leave a 2010 rav4 under jack stands? I need to take off all 4 wheels, put them into my car, drive to a different city 30 mins away then drive back 30 mins so i can leadve it on jacks for an hr?
I always lift my Integra using the radiator support up front to lift the whole front end, then place jackstands behind both front wheels. Then lift the rear center tow hook and put stands in front of the rear wheels. On my wife's old Corolla I did the same up front but had to stick the jack way under the center subframe where the control arms attached on the rear. Very little jack handle clearance so it took forever to raise it up. When rotating tires, I simply jack up each side behind the front wheel, which will raise the rear wheel also, and swap each wheel front-to-rear.
Radiator support or front motor support beam. If you're using the radiator support you're asking for trouble because its not a strong point nor is it supported. Its basically almost a body panel. Now the beam right behind it(unless the radiator support is on this beam as well?) Is a solid piece. I have a 2002 Ep3 that's similar to integra GSR and the radiator support is only a thin part of the front bulkhead
@@blazeaglory yes the radiator support beam on the 90’s Integra and Civic chassis is load bearing and is perfectly acceptable as a Jack point. I’ve been using that point for over 20 years with no issues.
When i see this video im happy that i drive a EV. Its awsome to not have to fix stuff. The only thing underneath my Tesla Model S is a flat titanium sheeld.
where's the link for the high-tech wood??
Had my car up on jack stands bleeding brake lines when my father, a professional mechanic reached in the car, grabbed the steering wheel, and stepped on the brake pedal. The side-force generated by that pressure on the brake pedal tipped the car sideways, tipping the jack stands. As a precaution, I had put the spare tire under the flat floor pan of my Volkswagon, so as the car tipped, and moved sideways about 3-ft, instead of 5ft, I didn't get crushed between a fence and the side of the car. Obviously, my father would have been devastated and never forgiven himself if I'd ended up dead or FUBAR.
Never trust jack stands alone. Chock and prop the tires as shown here. Trust jacks themselves even less. Safety always seems like an unnecessary PITA until you're FUBAR in a hospital and crippled for life. Then you have the rest of your life to regret your stupidity. "Be Safe" is the best advice you'll ever get.
Yikes.
@Abrahm Mondido
Exactly, they're perfectly reachable without getting underneath
H
Gravity bleeds for you. I’ve never understood the “ok push! Release! Ok push!...” method. Loosen all four bleeders, flip a bottle of brake fluid upside down into the reservoir, pull up a lawn chair and keep an eye on your fluid level. Close your bleeder screws up about five minutes later and you are good to go.
This is also a good reason why to reverse bleed brakes with a mityvac.
2:10 when you shake it you also gotta say “yup, that ain’t going anywhere”
I feel personally attacked...
Personal confirmation is the most important thing
this is a requirement
Love it!!!!!
As a teenager I was changing oil on big Bonneville we drove in the 80's outside in the street on a hot summer day using just a car jack that came with the car. The black top bellow was hot to the touch under the scorching sun. I did my best to lift the car and it looked stable. With the car raised on the car jack I was reaching in under the car to unbolt the oil plug and in the back of my eye I noticed the car was slowly moving to the side. I knew this was bad and I pulled back under the car just as it sank some more and then it slid off jack . This happened because the thin framed base of the of the car jack sank into the hot asphalt after being initially stable . Yes,I was lucky to escape being pinned under or worse. Be mindful this can happen.
I have a smart car so I can just lift it with my hands onto cement blocks, and all the parts I need i can get from Toy R Us.
That made my day. :D The worst thing about the Smart ForTwo is its name. What kinda pretentious jackass comes up with such names?
Red Phoenix
lol I really do have a Smart Fortwo. I don't claim it to be the best at anything though. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone really. But I like it purely for it's size and funny look.
In all seriousness, please do not use cement blocks to hold your car up. A neighbor died when he put his car on cinder blocks and they crumbled, crushing him. After that I use jack stands but also put two hydraulic jacks just touching a jacking point and if the wheels are off slide them under the car too. Like Jason, I like to live and even if I wanted to die it would not be suffocating under a 1 1/2 ton vehicle 'cause that takes way too long.
same here...my whoopee cushion airbags are making weird noises think ill return them to Toys R Us
xinic5 nice I think I will get my next car from toys r us!
In England in 1970, I was taking the front suspension of a Morris Minor to pieces. They have long torsion bars for suspension instead of springs/struts. I didn't understand them. As I undid a bolt, the torsion bar released and the car collapsed and the torsion bar threw the bottle jack past my head and it landed 50 yards down the road. That made me careful for 52 years until 3 weeks ago when the 12 inch fan cover came off my John Deere lawn tractor coz I didn't have all 3 bolts fastened down... It flew like a discus and mangled the choke cable, then hit the battery and smashed a gash so the acid came out on to the concrete and reacted and it was a cloud of acid gas....Then it continued on and missed my crown jewels by 2 inches and cut a hole in my jeans a gave me a big graze on my loins... Good fun this home mechanicing !
Didn’t see that coming..
I would also take into consideration that the shocks on the car here are decompressed... If the jack-stands fail and the wheels fall on the wood, the shocks would compress and the car will probably still give you a nice slap on the face as it falls down. Gotta account for that extra travel if the car were to fall on its wheels.
Pro tip: If you are removing the wheels slide them under the car by the jack stands to give some extra protection in case they fall or slip
Thats correct!
cjfourty6 thats great and all but you wont have room to work on the exhaust or transmission area.
Someone's wheels costs more than life itself :-D
and run the risk of scratching my rims??!! ID RATHER DIE
Great advice considering Harbor Freight Jack Stands were recalled. Check the sticker for Jack Stands (#56371, #61196 and #61197)
Good to see that no one is above a Harbor Freight floor jack.
Float Meal I have two of them.. And they work like a $300 Snap-on jack....a good or better than most actually...
More times then I would like to say.
+Battosai Jenkins Happened to me today actually haha
I like cheap tools and expensive tires haha.
Can't beat them for the price.
Really like the idea of putting wood blocks under the wheels. Using the jack to provide further support is helpful too. Like to use chocks on both sides of the wheel, front and back. What do you think about using the subframe to support the car with jack stands?
audiophile man personally agree that subframe support much better with 5 mm rubber gasket pad material on stand cups to stop metal on metal rub ( rust point ). Now im in the process of about to do this...and wood squares are a top idea...i also feel i would do a double jack up method with 2 people... start back on both sides ...set it up....that way handbrake and chock holds on the wood bits ( note i would really use one big chunk of wood) the sheets could slide under tyres and stands......then do front same.... have a theory and hate stressing the chassis with that one wheel up at a time method, resulting in a twist to body...just irks me...thats why we all wish we had a scissor hoist in private garage...oh i wish...
Ps the wood sheet bits could be glued together to match max wheel lift height to make one big chunk...use them as seats after..
Now take the wheels off and run before the owner spots you.
Haha, good, Stanica Projekt - Z ulice
That means if only satan can catch me.
Back in high school shop class, the substitute teacher was explaining lift points. When he finished with the unibody and walked over to a framed car he said all you have to do is shove the jack under and lift. The student assigned to rotate the tires on that car did just that. Who would have thought the oil pan was a lift point ;)
The wood blocks add so much in terms of safety.
Great videos and very well made. Why only 3 boards on your rear wheels and 4 in front? Also, a caution for those who misplace the jackstands behind the front wheels. You need to get the stands about 12-13 inches back from the wheel well to get the reinforced area. (look at your vehicle to find the reinforced area). Putting the stands in the other closer area will bend the cars sheet metal underneath as that area is not reinforced.
i did this and died wtf man
The timeline for your story is off.
It's a good thing you're a cat. You still have 8 lives left.
rhcrcgvp Lol
rhcrcgvp That does fix his story's plot hole.
lollol
Putting the wheels underneath the car when you take them off isn't a bad idea, also if you don't need the jack, it doesn't hurt to leave it where it is, gives you a little extra protection. Also congrats on the 1M woah!
Don't just shake it, shake it like you mean it! Good advice I got from a guy once. As if your worried about you nocking it over and screwing up the underbody of your car, then it probably wasn't safe enough to get under anyway! Better the car than your life.
Had to come back and like this video. I always think of it when I"m putting my car on all 4 jack stands. Literally the way I learned and it's been great
2:03 I'm glad I'm not the only one who has used a hydraulic jack as a scooter xD
Then your jack’s wheel hit a small rock
😂
Do not use the jacking points shown if possible support the with Jack stand from the chassis rails.
jacking point on sills can rust over time and collapse.
Peter great tip. And frame rails can be used as jacking points aswell
Yep my pinch welds were coated and when I went to go jack it up, it broke apart.
Thanks for the video. Why didn’t you use the front center jack point?
Also keeping your hydraulic jack slightly lower than the car is also an added safety thing
Ninja Master I mean, I will probably do that to if I lift the whole car why not.
jesse sanders Because a ramp for me serves only one purpose. I don't see how I can lift the entire car with simply using ramps.
easy my friend you put giant spare wheel in middle of car and use Mercedes to pull out ramp under from car .
Your life must not be worth much if you'd risk it even the smallest bit to save on some plyboard. He's setup a multi level failsafe system as any proper engineer would do, to ensure he's not the unlucky one to get crushed to death.
TheMidnightNarwhal with ramps you lift the back on jacks and a tire underneath
Thank you for the very informative video as always! Quick question! I am just now getting into working on my cars by myself but lack all the equipment needed. By any chance do you have any plans of making a video in regards to beginners and what tools we should buy? What are the necessities for basic maintenance or even light mods such as bolt ons. Unfortunately my father does not live with me and my mother and I'm certain the only tools we have in the house are a philips head screw driver and a hammer lol.
you're so cute poor thing.
What kinda car? Domestic or Japanese? When I was younger a basic metric socket set, wrench, 1/2" 3 foot breaker bar, floor jack , 2 Jack stands... got me through 80% of my 3rd gen Honda Prelude . Of course having other general tools like needle nose pliers, combo box wrenches, torque wrench, crescent wrenches, JDM impact screwdriver, etc... really helps as well. Just get one of those big sets you see for like 99$ at harbor freight or home dept with all the different tools and you'll be fine for basic work
As a suggestion I would invest in some pinch seam adapters to prevent damaging your car and also provide a more stable base for the top of the jack stands.
Omg I wish more people would use those. Every used car I've bought had THRASHED pinch welds! My current 1990 prelude has totally flat front pinch welds its crazy
I would have a question.
There is always a lot of creaking and scary noises when i do this. Is that normal? Is the car really wobbly wobbly only hanging on the jack it self as you are jacking it up? On quite rough pavement, can i rely on my jack to move with its casters under the car as it keeps lifting it and the angle changes? Has it ever happened to you for the car to slip of the jack whilst jacking it up?
Ive got brand new mx-5 ND tho :D
Mikee CZ its normal i work as a mechanic and when i was just starting it used tu scare me, but now i know that its normal, since you are putting preasure in a few points
Thanks for answers
A great tip I've learned is putting old rims (even better if they have tires on them) and placing them under the wheels on the car. Then lifting the car up on all 4 jackstands. But only lift them so you see the suspension unload. Try to keep the cars wheels standing on the old rims. If your car has a stock suspension you probably dont even have to lift it on jackstands.
Top tip: Don't but a convertible. Just lower the windows of a sedan and lift it up using a forklift. It's faster and you can lift higher.
Shut up meg.
Instructions unclear, forklift fork stuck in my ass
no worries, a lil penetrating oil should loosen it up
will this work on a ferrari 360 spyder?
will this work on a ferrari 360 spyder?
Use hockey pucks on you jack and jacks stands. This will give a non slip no scratch jacking surface, keep from mangling those pinch welds.
Norevlimitr o.O I hope your joking... never put anything on top of a stand dude especially not a puck.
Been doing it for years..
They also sell rubber covers for jackstands and jacks.
do you watch autotestservice?
Norevlimitr how do you fit and balance pucks on jack stands?
In your case, since you don't have a front center jack point, how did you lift the car up incrementally? By the time you had all four corners up, on the first increment, you already had jack stands on all four corners. Where did you jack from, to lift up the front to the second increment? (I'm assuming you don't have a front center jack point because you're not using it, in your video.)
Hello
Where did you get the wood blocks from? Can you please provide a link?
Regards
Bought them at home depot. Took two 2x12" by 12 feet boards and asked them to cut it in 18" segments. They'll cut it for free in house.
Thanks!
Correction 2" x 12" by 8 ft (96")
Don't really understand how four stands is unstable. I've got a safety factor of at least 7 when using 3t jacks on a car that's barely 1700kg soaking wet. I've used four jack stands numerous times, and I *shove* the thing, and it's more stable than when it's on the ground. It doesn't go anywhere. Also, the car weighs nearly 2t, wouldn't it take a hell of a lot to push it off? Would love to hear any advice here, because I'd rather be told I'm wrong now, than after I'm dead.
Didn't you listen to him? If you are paranoid, .....
Much easier way to do this... Place the jack under the pinch weld just rearward of the mirror. When the car rises it will be roughly equal front and back as both sides rise. Place jack stands under the pinch wel at the support points. Repeat on the other side. The car is more than strong enough to do this. Had an S2000, did it this way for years.
i used the rear differential on my 350z..even if i had the front wheels secured..it slid and fell.. i had put a stand on the left side, to i was lucky that i had no damage..it ended up between differential and the gas tank..i will use YOU way hare..it seems a lot more safe and secure..thank you for keeping me alive.whew..
Sooo close to that magic milestone. Only 2k to go Jason!
Pumped!!
I'm unsubbing to keep you pumped longer!
Maybe I should sub now years later...
+Engineering Explained LOUDER!
lol
I would highly suggest buying solid rubber wheel chocks. They're soooo much more sturdy than plastic or metal ones. They're only a little more expensive, but well worth the expense if you enjoy living. Northern Tool and Harbor Freight carry them.
I totally agree. I bought some of those hard plastic chocks and they are completely worthless. They slide way too easily on concrete and aren't worth a crap. The solid rubber chocks are a bit more expensive but they do what they're supposed to.
They smell terrible though, so don't keep any in your car, or it will stink.
Hey what dimensions for the wood blocks do you use?
They are 2x12s, cut in 18-20" lengths. Ymmv based on your tire size. I would use screws to secure the blocks together and incorporate a wheel stop/chock in the blocks (affixed to the wood) to not have to use the plastic ones so the top looks like this _\__/_ or this |___|
Whenever I am working under my cars on jack stands, I put the wheels under the car as the added safety (usually the OEM wheels/tires). Something you can do if you don't have the wood laying around.
What are the measurements of those wood blocks you have?
I like the wooden blocks idea. I think I'll start using it. I generally use my floor jacks as backups to the jack stands while I'm under the car. (I have two.) And I never rely on screw jacks unless I have absolutely no choice.
For some damn good reasons I won't get into here, I'm super paranoid about working under cars, as well.
Same I hate going under the Car flatnet 😂
What is that weird pipe coming off the exhaust at 2:36?
cancels out the drone at cruising speed
Its called a helmholtz chamber I believe.
It reduces the amount of drone/resonance at a specific frequency range in the exhaust note.
A simple explanation is that the exhaust waves travel through the exhaust pipe and into the chamber where they hit the end of the pipe and come back at 180 degrees of the original wave - effectively cancelling that particular frequency range by matching it with a mostly equal and opposite force.
Different size chambers target different frequencies, and there are formulas used to pick the correct sized pipe. Putting a random size on may not target your particular drone range.
The front of the car was initially lifted incorrect. Should have been lifted from the front center of the vehicle as per the FSM. This way the load is balanced and jacks are placed in pairs. The way shown at first is unstable and needlessly stresses the chassis when pivoting over that single jack stand, like a teeter-totter. Furthermore, using a floor jack at those jack points puts too much weight on the pinch weld, which risks folding it. Those should only be used with 4-arm hoist or the emergency jack, which is designed to fit around the pinch weld perfectly distributing the load and prevents the pinch welds from folding over. He does it correctly later when lifting it higher up. Curious as to why he chose to do it that way at first. The car is factory ride height and has a low-profile jack. If the jack still didn't fit, should have driven the car up on the wood planks. Also, should block a wheel from the front AND back side of it.
Agreed. On my Z4, the front-center point is too deep that even a lowpro jack can't reach. So I jack the rear up first, get the rear on stands, then insert the jack from behind the front wheel to reach the front-center jack. The wood plank thing is kind of a pain in the ass TBH.
"Needlessly stressing chassis" and "risk of folding pinch welds" are two issues I still haven't been able to solve. I have a constant battle in my head each time I lift my car. I have a FWD car and I've resorted to putting a block of wood under the chassis rail and jacking one side at a time from there. I'm not sure if this is best because I still have to put the stands on the pinch welds. I've also thought about using those hockey puck style things that go between the jack and the pinch weld but I'm not sure if that actually helps, would I then put the stands on the frame rails? I don't like doing that either because then the stands are in the centre of the vehicle to its easier to make it tip over.
Alex Derus all Hondas and Acuras have a beefy built up lift point at all 4 corners. As a Honda tech I personally never seen one damaged with a floor jack. Hitting curbs and other things will bend them. As far as other manufacturers with uni body construction I agree with you 100%
Alex Derus i honestly have never seen it happen. I only hear about folded pinch welds on forums when i search for it. The oem honda jack does not have a pinch to fit on thr pinch weld, it is a flat surface scissor jack
Yup!
I'm trying to level my civic. For leveling does the front-jack-point to ground distance the same as the back-jack-point to ground distance?
Would both have to be the same for the car to be level? What about your sloping garage floor?
What's with the dead leg in your exhaust system at 2:36? Some kind of resonator?
possibly a helmholtz resonator maybe , unsure
Resonator. the S2k drones at low rpm's without one
I put a huge catalytic converter on my Chevy Prizm, took out the droning from losing the resonator and helped with the bottle neck on flow and power.
It's not about saving money it's about not having the money.
Using the wood is a good idea.
What I do is set cars onto a set of wheel rims when I need access to lower areas or underneath.
Not good. Wood cracks, splits and can shift. Rims are not good either. Plastic 3 ton car ramps slide under just fine and that's what they're made for.
Edslittleworld did you just tell him plastic is better than a metal rim or wood block? Hahahahahahaha!!!
snakerb Yep. Molded plastic CAR RAMPS (by Rhino) that you buy at an autoparts store rated to 3000 pounds. What is the wood rated to?
Risto Mladich It's your life, do what you want. Standing on a chair with books on it is probably just as safe as a ladder...right.
Edslittleworld carpenters put whole houses on wood blocks and I've been putting cars on rims since my early teens, no issues ever. Not saying the plastic car ramps are no good, but they're not free like old (not rusted out ones) rims.
This should begin a series playlist. "If you like cars and have a RAGING case of O.C.D., Watch this!!" :) I will say, that certainly is the most soothing way I have ever seen a car put on jack stands. The wood blocks are a nice touch!
Id like to add that the time the car may fall on you is when you are pulling gearboxes out from underneath. I prefer to take the engine and gearbox out in one piece through the opening in the bonnet if possible.
Good but there another quickest option is made two wood ramps then drive over the ramps with front wheels then next you only have to lift the rear wheeels :)
after I was done watching the video I headed straight to the like button only to find out I already liked it before watching haha. I love your videos!
+Matthew Oneill thanks! Appreciate the likes!!
Nicely done, lots of critics in the comments, but you did a good job here
So where did you get the wooden blocks? what kind of wood, what weight rating? strength?
Can someone please tell me what type and size are those wooden blocks?
One thing omitted from your tutorial is the need for a relatively smooth surface on which to use your jack!
The only reason I say this is because I nearly shat my pants when jacking the front end of my car up on a "solid and level" concrete & pebble surface (not loose pebbles, pebbles mixed in the concrete to make it look "good" but FUCK the way a jack likes to inch forward under weight) as the car started to lurch towards me when I used the jack.
Needless to say, I survived as I was able to get the car stable on the stands and sat in it shifting my weight about like a loon to make sure the stands were stable. Paranoia never killed nobody.....
is it possible to safely raise the car up, then, continuously adding supports underneath the jack stands, jack, and tires, raising it to the point that you can stand underneath it? to accomplish what a shop lift can do but for people who can't afford one and don't need the car to be raised super quickly?
Where did you put the floor jack on the front of the car when you raised it higher and put the wood blocks underneath? It went under the front bumper so I am guessing a control arm mounting point but I was confused where it went
Stuff like this makes me wish that contractors that build houses would make a garage with a simple work pit, similar to how they do oil changes at places like jiffy lube.(Drive it in the garage then work from the pit.)
It's a very bad idea to do it by default. If you don't align the wheel, the car may fall in, let alone a person may fall in.
However, it might be a good idea if it has a good metallic cover.
I think you are the first TH-cam channel I seen not using a harbor freight jack. they are the best jacks out there for the money. especially their new 3 ton Daytona.
but he is. Pittsburgh is HF's tool line. He also linked to a completely different jack in the description.
Robert Spratlin oh I thought he was using the one is the description. He should get a Daytona to match his car.
What type of wood is that, and the size of those wooden planks? thanks
The best advice can be found at 00:20
Great video. I just came across yours while searching for jacking up cars. I also have a S2000, it's perfect and clear.
Because of this video i went to home depot and custom cut alot of thick wooden boards to use as another precaution.
Can you do a video on jack point pinch welds and wether a dedicated specific jack pad and jack stand pad is a good idea? I have yet to see any body have problems with their pinched weld jack points crumbling, except when i search about it on google. Even the stock s2000 oem jack for changing tires dont have a wedge to put at the jack point, it is just a flat spot
Wow, thanks for that, I was wondering the safest way to work under a car with axle stands, those wood blocks and wheel chocks are a great idea. Time for new transmission oil.
Thank you for making mechanic life safe!
ur Honda is simply awesome😘
Thank you for all the videos over the years! Can you post the dimensions of the wood blocks you use in this video? Please and thank you!!!
Video starts at 2:51
Finally fixed haha, thanks!!
Ive built wooden ramps, very nifty for oil changes and engine work that needs access from beneath. No need to jack anything up. And if you need to do rear-end work or exhaust, just back on the ramps. Also if you need the whole car up, drive fronts on the ramps and now only the rear needs to be jacked up.
You need a good driver to use these, or make loooooong ramps so you have the room for bad clutch management.
+1 I just made a set this afternoon. Heavy af but that's a good thing.
yep,is what i did and do.
Say your car is lowered and you have to lift it, what seems to be, really high to get the stands under; is there no worry of tweaking the body or anything by jacking one corner at a time?
Do you really like the S2000 over the STI? I sold my S2K and I was looking to move to the STI. Let me know your opinion of the differences in the 2 cars please!
Yes indeed! I explain why here: th-cam.com/video/jtry6Cn8pEA/w-d-xo.html
+ Christopher Carrasco - my 06 STI was a great car,but my RX8 was waaay more fun to drive, even at 100hp less.
Christopher , how was to own an s2k ? pros & cons
I really miss my S2K but I when I was driving that car I felt like it lacked power in it. I came from a 240sx with an SR20DET motor. The turbocharged engine gave me that satisfaction in power.
WHP is low (210ish) in the 8's but the delivery of power is amazingly smooth, where the turbo power comes in hard and violent in a tuned STI, but AWD makes up for it.
What wood would be good for the blocks? Pine? Oak? Willow?
Glad that I'm not the only one that uses that Harbor Freight low profile high lift jack :-)
I always just prefer to use the force.
Andre Gross may the force be with you
Do you use two fingers, three fingers, or all five?
it is good to bend those tiny tabs on your jack stands - it prevents the moving part from pulling off when you grabing your jack stand to move it
Where’s you get your wood from lol. Did you cut it or get it form HD precut. I don’t have a saw and that’s genius. What size wood pieces would you recommend?
Home Depot/Lowe’s, and they’ll cut it for you at the store!
Hi, I have a quick one. How high does a jack have to go to lift a car by the front/rear jack point?
Great video, thanks for posting... I have a 1951 Chevy truck that has some brake issues. It's got a modern brake kit system on it and unfortunately, the master cylinder is bolted under the driver's side floor pan. I may need to replace it. Safety is of course a huge issue for me as well. I was thinking yesterday about a teenager I met many years ago who was pinned under a car and somehow a fire was involved. Although he survived, he has massive scarring and a non-useable hand. Be careful!!!
I've been placing the jacks under the suspension for each wheel. This way the wheels don't sag. I jack the front of the car first then do the rear. I been storing my Integra this way for 25 years. I do like the added protection of placing wood under each wheel. I may do that this year.
On a 2011 Mazda 3 what are the best or safest jacking points underneath the car front and rear?(not including the main Jack points which are in manual)
Can you do some science about working on a car lifted like that when you do some high torque effort like unboltimg the flywheel or something like that ? I am really scared on getting under the car just on jack stands because it may tip to the front or the back ...
bbogdanmircea in my experience there isn't much you could do about that. just be safe when you do things like that in jack stands. try not to make hard jerks when you're working, just kind of ease into it or try to use breaker bars so you don't have to get too aggressive with your car
impact gun. expensive, but better than dying.
If you lifted a car in the manner he shows and made sure to do a good shove test as he wimpily demonstrated. You would be surprised at just how stable it is. There are some bolts I can't get loose on my Buick while it's on the tires because the suspension absorbs too much stress but lifted up I can wrench hard enough to shatter hardened steel sockets.
Also a decent size bike seat post around a well made socket wrench works wonders. I use one of the better models of 1/2" drives that auto-zone sells like this. They stand up absurdly well. It took around 500lbs of people jumping on my floor jack handle to break one. The warranty covered the wrench, no receipt just take it in and they will swap it out with an equivalent model. In my case the new equivalent model was made to handle even more stress thanks to a couple ears of engineering advancements at their tool provider.
I prefer the 6 ton stands which have a much wider base. Makes for extra stability. Also, I remove the wheels and lay them under the vehicle just in case.
DO NOT let the wood blocks take any of the load when lifting the rear of the car up. If your surface has any type of a grade to it, the car/jack can start to roll. When lifting rear of the car, there is no resistance (brakes/drivetrain) to stop the car from rolling. The wood blocks should be the last step and should not make contact with the wheel. They should not take any of the load and only be a backup if for some reason the jackstands have a failure. @ 2:08
@@cjcoleman8525 you rely on conjecture, I rely on experience. also, it doesn't take that much force to make a free spinning wheel (front) roll. GFY
What wood are you using? I want to do this to lift my car because I don't want to use jack stands, I don't trust them. I would only use jack stands when I don't need to get under the car like changing a wheel or working on brakes. I can buy pressure treated sleeper wood but what else works?
What size pieces of wood blocks did you use Engineering Explained?
Where did you buy the wood blocks from??
It's good to be paranoid once and while, thanks for the great video!
I have a miata nb, in the back can use the diff ?
And what about the front ?
Tnx
hello everyone and welcome chris fix here and today were going to show you how to jack up your car *proudly sponsored by justcar insurance*
And remember, be safe, have fun, and stay dirty.
MightyCarFixExplained
any suggestions for lifting cars with only side jacking points. My car doesn't have any front or rear jacking points.
Are the wooden blocks screwed together or just loose? I need to get my GT-R off the ground and she's a heavy beast!
Screw em together to be safe
is the differentcial designed to be able to support half of the cars weight? i never jack the car up at the differencial even tho im told its ok, just me i guess. good video could even have saved a life or two. i use two floor jacks at a time and seems to be faster way to get them up on four stands but most people dont have two floor jacks.
What wood block did you use? 2x4?
Can I lift the car by using the subframe? Is it the production lift point when OEM is building the vehicle?
where should you jack the rear up if the car is fwd, or in other words, what if i dont have a differential to jack it up on?
Not sure I like jacking the car from the front side to put a jack stand in back. That's some twisting in the chassis for a convertible.
On my Eclipse I used to use the scissor jack on the side front pinch weld to lift it high enough to get a jack under the front center lower engine mount and then jack the front and then put the stands on the sides where the pinch welds are. Once I had the front up, the rear was easy.
How long can you leave a 2010 rav4 under jack stands? I need to take off all 4 wheels, put them into my car, drive to a different city 30 mins away then drive back 30 mins so i can leadve it on jacks for an hr?
I always lift my Integra using the radiator support up front to lift the whole front end, then place jackstands behind both front wheels. Then lift the rear center tow hook and put stands in front of the rear wheels. On my wife's old Corolla I did the same up front but had to stick the jack way under the center subframe where the control arms attached on the rear. Very little jack handle clearance so it took forever to raise it up.
When rotating tires, I simply jack up each side behind the front wheel, which will raise the rear wheel also, and swap each wheel front-to-rear.
Radiator support or front motor support beam. If you're using the radiator support you're asking for trouble because its not a strong point nor is it supported. Its basically almost a body panel. Now the beam right behind it(unless the radiator support is on this beam as well?) Is a solid piece.
I have a 2002 Ep3 that's similar to integra GSR and the radiator support is only a thin part of the front bulkhead
@@blazeaglory yes the radiator support beam on the 90’s Integra and Civic chassis is load bearing and is perfectly acceptable as a Jack point. I’ve been using that point for over 20 years with no issues.
I was literally planning on jacking up the car in a few hours... Timing is mint
what do you think about turbo s2000 with stock engine with that high compression
hey jason, next year im going of to college and im not quite sure which engineering degree to study. Which one did you do? mechanical?
I did mechanical, but I'd recommend asking your college about it and talking with folks in the various departments.
When i see this video im happy that i drive a EV. Its awsome to not have to fix stuff. The only thing underneath my Tesla Model S is a flat titanium sheeld.
Would it be safe to use those wooden blocks instead of jack stands on one side of a truck? I only have two jack stands.