I try and do as much maintenance on my car as possible, the jack and stands that I use are leaving dents and disfiguration all along my subframe rails. Aside from the unsightly looks will it cause any irreparable harm if this trend continues?

 

You could bend the bottom of the car out of shape. If they are leaving dents, you have them in the wrong places.

 

Put them on the correct jack points. If you're still having problems, put a small piece of sturdy wood in between the jack and the car.

 

Use the support points shown in your owner's manual.

 

You may need some adapters to put on the tops of your jackstands to prevent damaging your underbody.

 

You think you're the only one? I'm having the same problem when i use the floor jack to jack up where the jack notches are and it was bending part of it. It pisses me off cuz this is one darn heavy car I ever encountered.

 

You need something like this for your floor jack.

 

Good find - thats a good site as well.

 

You shouldn't have any problems if you use the correct jack points listed in the manual.

 

That is true if you're using the factory jack. If you want to use a floor jack, you will have problems if you don't use some type of adapter.

 

I have no problem using a floor jack with the jacking points, at least the rear ones. For the front I always use the front end of the C-brace (where the engine mounts mount), which has a protrusion that fits perfectly into the cup of a floor jack.

 

Unless you have an adaptor like the one shown above, you are NOT supposed to use the floor jack on the side jacking points along the rocker panels. Those are for the emergency jack and 2 post lifts only.

If you're using a floor jack there is ONE point on each end of the car that you should be putting the jack saddle on to raise that end of the car. TWO more points on each end to put the jack stands (not the side jacking points) to support the car once lifted. You do not need any kind of adapter for these points.

These points should all be identified in a repair manual diagram for you.

 

Ah, just checked the manual.
Garage jack points are the front protrusion at the end of the C-brace, and the center of the rear axle-beam.
The 'jacking points' listed are usable with the emergency scissors jack, and they are also Safety Stand points which are usable by jackstands if you use the aforementioned adapter piece.

 

Does anybody know where these adapters can be picked up or ordered from? People look at me weird when i ask about them. If anybody knows where to get them, a little help would be much appreciated.

 

The type I use came from JC Whitney. I can't find that type anymore. The one in the pic above is from this website.
http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/s...d=jack+adapter

 

Kilo, Eastwood made the jack stand adapters that you have, and you purchased them at JCWhitney? Even though eastwood's site doesn't have them, do you remember about how much you paid for the jack stand adapters?

 

No, the floor jack adapter that I use came from Whitney. When I use jack stands, I put them under flat surfaces on the underside and not the jacking points.

 

I'm with Blue on using a spare piece of wood. No need for fancy adapters.

 

Yeah I dont no why but you just cant seen to find the right spot to put the stands underneath. Because every where you put it, it dents up the bottom of the car.

 

I think that there are 2 sets of adapters talked about here. one is the floor jack adapter that charliekilo3 posted a pic of:



but as charliekilo3 first mentioned, the adapters that NoMotive and I are looking for are the ones that will let you use jack stands at the factory jack points where you would jack up the car w/ the scissors jack. The adapters are in the bottom half of the pic.

 

Yes, you are correct, Sir. Since I don't know where to find any jack stand adapters, I never support my car by those jacking/jackstand points. I place the stands under flat areas of the underbody.

 

What flat parts? The only flat parts we have is the floor. Why in the world are you putting the jacks there? Do you think it's safer to put stands where the manual indicates or somewhere that you think may be fine?

 

If you look inboard of the circled areas on that lifting points pic, you will see the flat areas I'mtalking about. I would never place a jackstand underneath a floor panel.

 

If you are making dents in the metal and bending things (not just marking up the undercoating), then you are putting the jack and stands in the WRONG PLACES and are damaging your car. Stop immediately until you find the right places.


Before anyone goes and orders one of those jack saddle adapters, I just thought I'd mention that they will only work with jacks that have a replacable saddle. MOST jacks that people have do not fit into this category. Only the very large, professional type floor jacks, typically 3 ton capacity and about 100 lbs, seem to take a saddle with the right size pin (it's big... don't remember the size off the top of my head). Most smaller jacks and even some large home use ones take a smaller saddle so this adapter won't fit.

I haven't looked really hard for them, but I have never seen or come across a floor stand adapter for the rocker seams like the one shown in the diagram.... It would sure be nice to have though. I suppose somone with some enginuity could make one up, although I would be careful about noting the direction of the grain if using wood.

 

Typically I put my jackstands on either side of the rear axlebeam, and under the semi-circle shaped rear mount of the Control Arm.

 

Here's where I put my jack stands. No dents, no problems.

 

Well its no wonder i'm seeing damage.

 

Damn, no kidding. That's nothing but a ridge in the sheetmetal.

 

I like your front stand points but I would put my rear stands under the beam axle instead of where you put yours. I have not had my car on jack stands yet. My 92 had much thicker supports than my 02 does. I would not support it in the same place as I did on the 92.

 

I have been looking for adapters like that, or even just jack stands with that top, for a while. I currently use wood blocks positioned to the inside of the factory jack points. I haven't had any dents, but I am not 100% comfortable with resting the car just on those. I should make some better wood blocks that fit *over* the top of the jack stand. Not that the car is going to fall off how it is, but my crappy driveway + not being able to get the car that high up + having to squeeze underneath from the side because I like to leave the jack in place = a pain in the butt. If I had decent metal ends I would be more comfortable taking the jack out from under the engine so I can get in from the front where it's not so tight. Oh well...I guess I should just bust out the ramps when I need to get that far under.

 

Okay so I just went down and measured the saddle hole on my garden variety 2 ton craftsman jack and it's 1 1/8". So the adpater will work for me. That still doesn't help my main problem which is jackstands, but it will be good to have anyway. So definitely check your jacks people...that's not really that big a hole for a regular floor jack.

 

Can't put stands under the beam if I'm trying to work on the rear suspension...

 

That would be an exception.

 

i use those same points as pictured earlier and it works. guys running aftermarket rear sway bars, how do you raise up the entire rear end?

 

Nice diagrams guys... this is some impt info for many of us...

 

so are there ANY stands or adapters for stands available online any where? I get get the adapter for the floor jack, but that does me no good when I will be doing the suspension. I'm thinking about useing both scissor jacks ( one from my 4th gen and on from the 5th ) together when I want to work on suspension instead of jack stands.

 

I was poking around on some other forums, and it looks like some guys just put the jack stands right under the pinch welds, no adapters or nuthin..just the welds/notches on the stands. I'm not comfortable doing that, but do any of y'all do that?

 

For the front I put the jack underneath, by those two large bolts. It's actually supposed to go further back along that chunk of metal, but my jack won't fit (most won't without putting the car on a small ramp first). Then I put the jackstands under the notched parts on the side, where you'd put a scissor jack if changing wheels.

On the rear, since I see _nowhere_ to use a jack (although using a piece of wood is a good idea, and then I could lift from the bottom metal skirt) other than the notched part, I just jack it up there and leave it there, along with a jackstand elsewhere just in case. I'm not underneath the back of the car though so it's safe I think.

 

nice thread. This should be a stickey