Hey guys.... I'd appreciate some help on this.... I'd like to work on replacing by break pads this weekend...

I have a 2 1/2 ton garage jack (w/ large surface area lifting head.. for now i'm interested in jacking up the rear but will eventually also need to do the front.

I was told before that I could place the jack on the rear axle; however, the "teeth" on the lifting surface would make contact to the inner beam before the the rest of the surface would contact the outer axle housing.

Will this damage the axle beam? is there a stronger point to place the jack? Do I have to do one side at a time or could I do both at once? Finally, Do I place the stands on the inside surface of where the 2 notches for the stock jack are? Thanks for the Help....

-Sergio

 

I have always put the floor jack on the axle, there is a little flex, but no damage. Now that I have a RSB, I have to put a piece of scrap plywood between the RSB and axle whenever I jack up the car.

I also place the jack stands on the axle. You could put them on the jacking points on the body, just have to do a lot more jacking because of the axle travel.

 

A general guideline for jack points:

Choose a sturdy reinforced part of the unitized car body floorpan. Look under either side of the vehicle and you will see a boxed section of the floorpan, running fore-and-aft. This amounts to a "frame" on a frameless vehicle. You may position the saddle of your floor jack under the leading end of this "frame" (just behind the front wheel) or under the trailing end (just ahead of the rear wheel).

A specific guideline for jack points:
This information comes from the '99 Maxima factory service manual. The four points identified above are designated "safety stand points". (Safety stand = jack stand.) In my opinion these four points may also be used as jack points.

In addition, the manual identifies two "garage jack points":

(1) the leading end of the fore-and-aft stamped steel brace which is under the engine/transaxle in the center of the vehicle.

(2) the center point of the rear axle.

I replaced the original cup-like steel saddle on my floor jack with a rubber-faced flat plate. This is kinder to the car, marks it up less. Another approach would be to fashion a rubber insert for your cup-like saddle. Collect one of those truck tire treads which litter the highway roadside. Look for a thick one. Cut out a piece which will fit inside the saddle. Let it "float" or secure it with a big gob of adhesive, as you wish.

 

Thanks guys... I'll give it a try tomorrow...