What do YOU use for a jackpoint?

[Red Dragon]

All,
I thought for sure this would have been debated a few times on here, but a search for jack points yielded nothing...

I just got a new floor jack, so its goodbye to the old crap bottle jack. Question, with this new jack, it has resparked my age old dilemma of where to jack the mkiii. I have never been able to use the factory jack points as it requires a deep groove in the lifting plate to avoid bending the metal tab, so I have used various points on the car, with differing degrees of sucess. Now that I can lift much higher with the floor jack, I'm thinking of trying different places, as I have never felt quire comfortable where I have jacked the car before, and so I would always try and use ramps whenever possible.

So where do you guys put your jack when lifting: each corner, entire front, entire back? Do you do it with the bare metal of the jack or have you made a wood block to help you? And where do you jack a corner if you plan on putting a jack stand in there, and where do you place the stand?

thanks for teh suggestions. And if anyone has crafted some neato block of wood to use the factory lift points lemme know about that to, as thats what I was thinking about doing.

 

[NDBoost]

bump i hate the factory mk3 locations

 

[Squid699]

I have a standard floor jack with a roughly 8" wide cup-type lifting surface. I use this regularly on my factory jack points with great success. No grooves needed, all you need to do is make sure that the edges of the lifting surfaces (uplifted edges on mine) aren't in the notches on the seam to avoid damage. If you center the load properly, you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[americanjebus]

i use 3 jacks each with 3-4 inch plates.

two on the front behind the front mudlfaps and in on that protruding rail just next to where fuel lines run. towards the front theres a thicker part where i lay the front jacks and then i use my biggest jack on the rear differential. usually bare metal no wood blocks.

 

[Red Dragon]

I have a standard floor jack with a roughly 8" wide cup-type lifting surface. I use this regularly on my factory jack points with great success. No grooves needed, all you need to do is make sure that the edges of the lifting surfaces (uplifted edges on mine) aren't in the notches on the seam to avoid damage. If you center the load properly, you shouldn't have a problem.

You mean you put the lifting cup right on the extruded metal seam hanging down at the factory jack point and lift the car by it, esentially putting the weight of the car on a contact point of about 2mm(width of seam)X2mm(width of metal cup edge)?! Aren't you worried its going to fold the metal seam over and perhaps shift the car enough to fubar the whole thing with you under it? Maybe im misunderstanding you.

 

[Red Dragon]

i use 3 jacks each with 3-4 inch plates.

two on the front behind the front mudlfaps and in on that protruding rail just next to where fuel lines run. towards the front theres a thicker part where i lay the front jacks and then i use my biggest jack on the rear differential. usually bare metal no wood blocks.

For the two behind the mudflaps, where do you space it so it doens't contact the metal seam that has the factory jack points?

I've always wanted to jack right on the LSD, but have been afraid to, that doesn't put any odd stresses on anything? So say I jack the LSD, where woudl I put the two jack stands on the two back corners so I could get under there?

thanks for the info

 

[87centertips]

i use a hoist and i put the arms right on the frame of the car my dad says it the best spot cause it's the stongest

 

[Squid699]

You mean you put the lifting cup right on the extruded metal seam hanging down at the factory jack point and lift the car by it, esentially putting the weight of the car on a contact point of about 2mm(width of seam)X2mm(width of metal cup edge)?! Aren't you worried its going to fold the metal seam over and perhaps shift the car enough to fubar the whole thing with you under it? Maybe im misunderstanding you.

It's stronger there than if you put it on the flat metal part.......if you put it on the flat part, it'll just crumple. It works man, I've had this car for over 2 years and I did it with my old Celica too. If you don't feel comfortable with this, that's understandable and you can use the reinforced sections of the unibody (they look like frame rails) towards teh centerline of the car just as easily.

 

[jetjock]

I usually jack the entire front or back. When I jack a corner I use the sub frame. I always use a 6 inch piece of 2 X 4 on the jack to get a bit of extra height and to protect things.

For front or rear jacking I've placed a dymo label (or use tape) on the jack handle that corresponds to either the front lip of the spoiler or the bottom of the rear bumper when the jack is in the right place. That way I no longer need to get down and look every time.

And not insult you but two words no matter what you do: jack stands.

 

[Red Dragon]

I usually jack the entire front or back. When I jack a corner I use the sub frame. I always use a 6 inch piece of 2 X 4 on the jack to get a bit of extra height and to protect things.

For front or rear jacking I've placed a dymo label (or use tape) on the jack handle that corresponds to either the front lip of the spoiler or the bottom of the rear bumper when the jack is in the right place. That way I no longer need to get down and look every time.

And not insult you but two words no matter what you do: jack stands.

no insult, jack stands are a must! So when you jack the front or back, what is your jack lining up with underneath? LSD for back? And what for front?

 

[Idealsupra]

no insult, jack stands are a must!

pffft...jackstands are for pansies!

i actually very rarely use jackstands.... unless the car is going to be up for longer then like an hour or two i dont use jackstands....

and i use all the factory jacking points for the sides of the car and my "special points" for the front and rear works fine. i dont understand why people dont like jacking the car up on the pinch rail when its SUPPOSED to be jacked up there....

 

[tissimo]

the oil pan for the front and spare tire well for the rear

 

[jetjock]

no insult, jack stands are a must! So when you jack the front or back, what is your jack lining up with underneath? LSD for back? And what for front?

Good deal. Safety glass are a must at times too. I've seen people do some amazingly stupid stuff around cars. I have a great photo of a guy working under a truck tipped up 45 degrees, held with 2 X 4s. Between working around toxic and flammable chemicals, high current electricity, hot or rotating parts, high tool forces, on and on, many folks forget just what a vehilce can do to you in a heartbeat.

When lifitng the entire front or back I jack on the front cross member or the LSD. Jack stands or ramps follow and the jack is either bled off slightly to allow the ramps or stands to take the weight and then either left or removed if I need the access.

 

[jetjock]

pffft...jackstands are for pansies!

i actually very rarely use jackstands.... unless the car is going to be up for longer then like an hour or two i dont use jackstands....

Hey, it's your life. If you're willing to risk it on a tiny valve in a cheap jack it's no business of mine. As long those you leave behind (assuming you don't end up in a wheel chair) with shattered lives scape off the mess before selling the car it shouldn't be a problem

 

[Squid699]

the oil pan for the front and spare tire well for the rear

riiight........too bad that pesky gas tank is in the way lol

 

[shaeff]

the oil pan for the front and spare tire well for the rear

and you're crushing your oilpan every time you jack up your car!

and denting your gas tank, too, as it covers the spare tire well... as squid stated..

-shaeff

 

[encomiast]

Tadaa....

 

[hot dayam mk3]

i jack up on the front tow hooks and the rear i believe there is a spot where the rear trailing arms are mounted are located that match up with a floor jack perfectly. its actually pictured above ^

 

[tissimo]

riiight........too bad that pesky gas tank is in the way lol

oh yea :biglaugh:

 

[Asterix]

Jack points:
1. Front cross member, near, but not on the oil pan
2. Rear cross member just behind the differential, but not on the differential
3. Either front lower control arm

Jack stands go where the subframes meet the unibody. There's a large plate at each of the 4 corners where the rubber isolator lives. You can jack up that point, too.

If I'm not working on the suspension, sometimes the rear the jackstands go under the #2 arm as close to the wheel as I can get them.

The front stands go on the subframe just inside where the lower arm bolts on.

I leave the jackpoints near each wheelwell for the emergency jack since it fits so nicely. You can buy rubber jack pads, but I'm going to make up a new cup for my floor jack out of polyurethane. You can get a 1" thick square foot from McMaster for not too much.

Asterix