So I’m going to be jacking up my Maxima for the first time by myself to do some work on it. So I know the four pinch weld spots that is meant for the scissor jack. Is it ok to use a floor jack on pinch weld? I’m afriad it will bend. How bout these 2 spots I circled in the pictures?

 

Yes, those spots are fine for a floor jack. I’m not sure if this is your first time under the Maxima or your first time in general, either way please make sure to use jack stands. Do not get under there without them. Leave the floor jack up as a backup. Good luck.

 

The jacking points you’ve proposed are incorrect and will cause damage.

The correct/safe spots for the 4th Gen are as follows:

 

Turbo is right, the safest would be at the very front. That’s the one I use most.

 

The answer would depend on how rusty or corroded your radiator support is.

My car does not have rust problems.

Notice the circled area center front of the diagram.
I sliDE my floor jack under the metal thong directly behind it. Some here convenient. I put jack stands under the frame behind the front wheels.

Notice the circled area on the rear suspenion. I slide my floor jack under there. I put my jack stands under the same suspension cross member close to each wheel.

You might have a corroded radiator support.
In that case you might want to use other lifting points. Other members might know which ones to use.

 

When you mean by suspension cross member do you mean the protruding part of the body in the middle section of the car and there's one on each side? Like the part I circled on the second photo?

 

We are discussing the rear of the car.

look at the diagram. Notice the circled area. It's in the middle of a beam/suspension cross member which the car rests on.

place the floor jack in the middle of that.
lift the car.
Place jack stands under that same beam near each wheel.
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Have you ever lifted the back of a rear wheel drive truck or old car ? This is the same principle

The circled area of your photo is what id call the frame. Don't place jack stands under that in the back of the car. But you will see a very similar looking frame thing in the front of the car behind the wheels. That's where the front Jack stands go.

 

You mean this bar at the rear suspension? Would it be an issue to jack from the rear suspension if I’m changing rear shock because that’s the part I’m going to replace?

 

I use the top circled spot,. but as far as that rail in the 2nd photo mine has some dents in it from trying to jack it there. The only part of the rail that seems strong enough is right at the very front where it appears to be double layered.

I've been debating getting one of these, lets you jack and jackstand from the same point

 

Yes, that is the bar I'm talking about.

It's would have been helpful if you would have mentioned that you will be replacing the struts.

You would still need to lift the car by placing the jack in the middle of that bar. But you should place the jack stands under the frame back there.

How much of this type of work have you done before? Which other cars have you worked on.

You might want to watch some videos on YouTube about what you want to to do. They can be quite helpful.

 

Well I have never worked on any other cars. I have done other work on the Maxima, but never anything that requires jacking up, this will be my first time jacking up the car. I have watched videos on replacing rear shock and also front shock specifically from carsntoys on Youtube(I need to do all 4 shocks but I'm starting from the rear since it's my first time doing this type of work). I noticed he jacked up the car from the circle shown in my first picture above and placed the jack stand on the frame towards the back. I do notice that the frame in the back is not as deep as the front. I could put the jack stand on the pinch weld instead right? So should I jack up from the circle area shown in my first picture or just do it from the center of the rear bar or is both acceptable?

 

^^^ there are specific locations under a uni-body vehicle appropriate for placment of the loads associated with lifting the vehicle.

These cars have no true “frame” ... don’t misunderstand that.

The spots you’ve circled in your previous photos are not the manufacturer recommended lifting points and will likely cause damage. Some may have indicated that these spots have been used with success, but ... those spots are not the manufacturer recommended lifting points.

The 4 “cornered” locations provided in the pervious illustration are the only appropriate body related lifting locations ... and those locations are on 4 body seams clearly identifiable by serrations in the seam at those spots.

In iorder to properly seat the head of a floor jack without crushing the seam, jack head cushions are needed.



A specific jack head position location is also associated with the use of the front engine member.

The rear “axle” is safe provided proper vehicle balancing is given attention.