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I just got a jack and stands for fluid changes. The manual of the jack stands state that only the front or the rear of the car should be supported by the jack stands. In other words, the car should not be supported on 4 jack stands... Is this really dangerous?
What is an easy way to replace the transmission fluid using two jack stands? Will it be wrong if I fill in the transmission while the front is jacked up?
The manual in my car said to drive conservatively the first 1,000 miles.
Make sure the ground is completely level. I jack up front and then back. Make sure the ebrake is on and the car is in gear. Side to side works also though.
It doesn't surprise me that you shouldn't use four jack stands. From a liability standpoint, that's a wise statement.
If you really want to jack up all four corners, I suggest that you jack up the rear (using a jack under the pumpkin) and put car ramps under the rear tires then jack up the front and put stands behind the front tires. The ramps make it stable and allow the parking brake and gears to be engaged.
Please note that I did not suggest driving up on the ramps. They're really not designed for a low-clearance car.
Most dealerships use four two post lifts with 4 jacking pads. So I would not worry about damaging the car if they have to use 4 lift points, just be careful!
The best way to get the car on 4 jack-stands is to jack the front first, then the back. If you jack up the rear first you most likely won't be able to get your jack under the front to reach the front jack point (which is hard enough when the car is level).
Here are some techniques that I use to ensure the safest lift possible:
Obviously - only jack the car on level ground.
Place a chock behind at least one of the rear tires and another chock approximately 6 inches forward of a rear tire (I explain this below) - instead of setting the parking brake.
Do this in lieu of using the parking brake because there is the possibility that your jack may not roll freely as you raise the front of your car up, and the jack pad may slide off the front center jack point if the parking brake is set.
I used to set the parking brake when I put my car up on jack stands - until exactly what I described above almost happened (last week). I noticed the jack pad was sliding forward on the center jack point as I jacked the car - luckily I was paying attention and prevented my car from sliding off the jack.
Once you get the front jacked up, place the jack stands under the front jack points (listed in your manual). However, before you lower the car onto the front jack stands reset the rear chock(s) behind the wheel(s). This is due to the fact the jack will pull the car forward (about 3-5 inches) as it jacks up the front of the car. As noted above, setting the other chock about 6 inches forward of the rear wheel ensures the car won't roll too far forward. Reseting the chock(s) behind the wheel prevents the car from rolling backwards as you lower the car onto the front jack stands - which can result in knocking over one or both of the jack stands and/or the car contacting the jack stand forward of the intended support point (possibly forward of the jack point).
Then jack up the rear via the diff and set the jack stands either under the rear jack points listed in the manual, or on the rear subframe.
If the pad/saddle on your jack stands have a deep "U" groove, there's a chance that part of the pad may extend up high enough to contact and damage the floor pan of your car. Jack stands are relatively cheap and I recommend buying a set with a shallow groove to prevent damage to your car.
I have one set that's perfect for the designated jack points and another that has a deep "U" groove with a slot in the center of the groove. The saddle on the second set is too deep for the normal jack points, but perfect for the rear subframe.
To ensure I have the car perfenctly level (for fill time), I use a bubble level along the rail that joins the factory jack points (or the fake body frame rails under the car). I level side to side via the front cross member. If I need to fine tune the level job, I use RV screw-type leveling jacks positioned under front and rear subframe bolts.
The RV leveling jacks are shown in the picture below (my car in deep storage) - the outside jack stands, positioned under the lower ball joint.
On a side note: I stored my car for 3 years while I was stationed in the Middle East. Those RV leveling jacks were perfect for getting my car perfectly level and for loading my suspension with the tires off (prevents the suspension from just hanging). The standard jack stands barely supported any weight of the car, but provided a sturdy and safe back-up to the RV leveling jacks. For storage I used four standard jack stands (two under the front jack points, two under the rear subframe), four RV leveling jacks under the lower ball joints at all four corners, and four other RV leveling jacks under major sub frame bolts (two front, two rear).
This is obviously not required for periodic maintenance, but may be useful for someone.
I've never been a fan of the side to side method due to the fact there's no central side jack point.
07-02-2008, 07:19 AM
Getting the car up on 4 jack stands
