Jacking Car From Front

[jackcramerr]

I have discussed something similar before but this time it's a different question.

Jacking car from the front. Now there is a spot just after the oil filter and before the oil pan. there is a shield sort of. I think it's the cross member ?? Anyway...

I thought to jack up a lexis one would slide the floor jack from the front I. e. when you stand looking at the vehicle from bonnet.

And then use the previously mentioned point and jack up the car. this will raise the whole car from the front. However this leads to two questions

-Floor jack, will it slide under all the way there and will I be able to pump up the jack?

-Contacted a floor jack manufacturer and he said floor jacks are meant to be used from the side and is not meant to slide under the vehicle from the front... if so then how would one jack up a car and put jack stands under the pinch weld? Since he said pinch weld is used for jacking the car up...

[johnatg]

Here's a sketch of the official jack points:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hpvwkq2ykohmd2n/jack%20points.pdf?dl=0

You need quite a low trolley jack to get under from the front - or run the car up on to ramps or blocks of wood first.

BTW - ramps are much safer then a jack - never venture under a car supported by a jack only - at least put axle stands under the side sill jack points

[jackcramerr]

OK. But is it the correct way to jack the car by sliding the jack from the front or does one have to do it from the side... I don't know how one can get access to the cross member from the side.

Any example you have of a very low profile trolly jack ? Which do you use ?

The objective is to jack up the car from the front cross member so both tyres get lifted up. then use jack stands below pinch weld. Thus we rule out jacking it from one side by pinch weld. Which means we are only left with cross member.

[johnatg]

I have a 2 ton hydraulic trolley jack - 'Master Mechanic' brand - which I've had for a long time! I usually run the car on to two planks of wood first to give a bit more room. I do have ramps but since I had my (imprinted concrete) drive refurbished a little while ago it's too slippery (even with long straps which reach to under the back wheels) and the ramps just slide if I try and drive onto them.

I do it from the front. Most garages (when they use a jack - these days they usually have a lift) use a much heavier duty jack which inevitably has a higher saddle at minimum height so they would find it difficult to get in from the front. I see nothing wrong with doing it from the front if you can. And you can do it from the back - saddle under the diff.

Machine Mart is a good place if you want to buy a new jack. They have a 85mm min saddle height one, but it's expensive (£102). And an el cheapo 130mm min height one for less than £25.

[jackcramerr]

I am thinking of getting this:

http://www.sgs-engineering.com/garage-equipment/trolley-jacks/tja25-aluminium-trolley-jack

Max height of jack when not up (out of box ) is 144mm.

It has a max lift of 460mm.

Question: when I slide the jack from front under cross member... won't the jack slip out when jacking? ... Like jack will have downward force on it and the wheels of the jack face the front... Not sure if I am explainin my concerns right...

[johnatg]

That will work fine. As long as the saddle is located centrally ( fore and aft and left/right) on the cross member it won't slip.

[jackcramerr]

Thanks.

To confirm the jacking point, in the attached picture, is the yellow circle the jacking point ? It looks like where the manual says but .... it doesn't look like that strong... is it ?

Also once you jack up and place the jack stands under the pinch weld, where do you place the jack itself as a safety ... say if you are changing oil.

[johnatg]

Yes. Once you've got the axle stands in place, lower the car on to them then remove the jack.

[jackcramerr]

Please see the attached picture

Now my question is, when I slid this jack from the front and under the cross member jacking point in the previous picture. Once the car starts to lift, won't the downward force of the car make the jack slip out of place and push it out since the wheels are free moving? Or are the wheels supposed to be free moving so the jack can adjust it's position with load and arching of the cart?

thanks.

[johnatg]

If it's on level ground (and you should only jack on level ground) it won't slip. Set the handbrake and chock the back wheels if you're raising the front - even if only with bricks or something.The weight of the car makes for a pretty solid joint between the jack saddle and the cross member of the car. The jack does need to adjust it's position a bit - as the car lifts the jack wheels will creep forward slightly (ie move towards the back of the car if you're going in from the front). That's because the effective length (horizontal) of the jack reduces as the saddle rises. (The arm goes to an angle rather than being level-ish)

[jackcramerr]

OK got it.

I don't have any 100% flat ground anywhere near unless tesco car park... There is slight slant not seen by eyes but if I lower the hand brake in neutral geat the car moves forward. Is that not acceptable if I chock both the wheels?

[johnatg]

So long as it's not too much of a slope you'll be OK. Just make absolutely sure that the car cannot move. And park in the direction such that the car becomes more level when jacked, rather than sloping more, if you see what I mean - ie the car should be front to downhill when jacking from the front and front to uphill when jacking from the rear. Be specially careful when jacking from the rear - no handbrake action and no in-gear brake so chocks (on the front) doubly important.

[jackcramerr]

thanks again.

Two more questions :)

Do I need to use a piece of wood between the saddle and the cross member to avoid any damage or marks ? Notice the jack I have , the saddle has rubber in the middle but has claws around it.

The other question, is there no way to jam the front wheels? sounds too scary relying on chocks only. I use chocks from Halford. They are not that impressive compared to the big tyres of lexis.

[johnatg]

I noticed in the original description of the jack that it has a rubber pad and that's good. It seems a bit sunk in the saddle, though! You won't do any significant damage using it as is - I wouldn't put anything else between the jack and the car.

My jack just has a metal cup like yours - no built in pad. But I have an ice hockey puck trimmed to fit sitting in the saddle - it sticks up more than your pad. (Ice hockey pucks are made of really hard rubber, are just the right size and are dead cheap on eBay!)

There isn't really any way to lock the front wheels - you just have to rely on chocks - get bigger ones if you feel the need!

[jackcramerr]

OK thanks.