How To Safely Raise And Support A Car
October 22nd, 2009 Posted in Car Care, Eric Peters, Tips | 14 Comments »
By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist
Before you can change engine oil or do many other minor (and major) vehicle service, it’s usually necessary to raise the vehicle sufficiently to gain access. Even if all you’re doing is changing a tire, it’s important to raise (and support) the vehicle properly.
Here’s how:
* Do not use the factory-supplied tire jack to raise the car except in emergencies (such as a flat tire) and even then, never get underneath the vehicle when it’s only supported by the factory tire jack. These jacks are often marginally safe, not particularly stable, even flimsy.
* Obtain a good-quality floor or bottle-type hydraulic jack with a load rating sufficient to safely raise the car. A jack with a 2 or 3 ton capacity is typically plenty for most passenger cars. Floor jacks (the ones that roll on four little wheels, etc.) are more expensive but more stable and thus safer than bottle-type jacks. They also have (typically) a larger contact pad and are easier to use.
* Obtain a pair of good-quality fixed jack stands to support the car once it’s been raised by the hydraulic jack. Hydraulic jacks can leak or fail, which is why it is very important to use fixed jack stands to support the weight of the vehicle. (The fixed stands are height-adjustable; once you set the height you need, you lock them into place with a ratcheting mechanism or pin.)
* Let someone know you are about to do some work on the vehicle — just in case.
* Park the vehicle on a level, firm surface such as a driveway pad. Avoid surfaces such as grass and loose sand/gravel, etc. which may shift or be compressed by the weight of the vehicle.




