njtls

i think im gonna invest in some jacks stands and a hydrolic jack...just wondering if anyone of you know a brand is better then the rest or how which ton jack should i get..like 2 or 3 or whatever...also...i want a to get a torque wrench...and maybe a toolset...and i realy like a air compresser....but anyway...what ton rating should i get for the jack?

2007AcuraRL

Well the TON rating isnt really as important as the size of the jack. The 'cheapie' $29.99 2 ton jacks from Autozone will work just fine to get the car up in the air and as long as you use it on conjunction with jackstands there isnt much to concern yourself with. The monster sized jacks (which I've seen in both 2 ton and 3 ton flavors) that you see used at the service station lift the car higher in the air because their arm is longer. This is particularly nice because for example you can jack the entire front of the car (both wheels) off the ground with one of these. From to to time I've seen Craftsman selling its big jack and a pair of jackstands for about 89 bucks. A pretty good deal.

njtls

hmm...so with the smaller jack i cant lift the entire front end at once?....at what points would i jack the car up on anyway?

TypeSDragon

If you look under the car, there are 4 points that you can jack your car up. Looks like a vertical metal plate.

njtls

well i know there are jacking points..but if i lift from those points...where would i put the jack stands?...is there a place o nthe car where i could lift the entire front/back up and place jack stnads on those for jacking points....also..is 15inchs high enough for a jack ot lift?

JaDia4

Should I buy 'jackstands' to install my CT sways? I know better than to get under a a car on a jack, but I just assume to use some blocks of wood and the e-brake to suspend the car. Po' folks style.

njtls

i was looking at sears...cheapest jackstands are 10$ a pair...might aswell for peice of mind

yield2s

is knowone else here worried about jacking a unibody framed car up w/jack and stands?
i think it bairly acceptable to jack just 1 corner of our cars up just enough to do a tire change but any more than that and its asking for trouble IMHO.
I think the lifts at the garages are the only good way to raise more than 1 corner of a uni-body car.
I could be comp off on this one but the one time i tryed lifting the whole front end of my old accord with a jack on the main lower brace, the car looked like it was going to fold in half with every pump on the floor jack(fold over like an upsidedown taco right at the windshield)

Eternal TL2k3

njtls... some things to keep in mind are the following:

1. u want jackstands with sufficient height that you can get under if you need to. So, look for something that can go as high as you want
2. also check to see what is the lowest height setting for your jackstand (last thing you want is the height setting too high that you cant lift the car high enough to put it on)
3. you will want a hydraulic jack that can lift pretty high and will stay sturdy underneath. i would suggest one that cna lift from 4'' all the way up to 20'' ( i have one that goes up to 16'' but as i get to that height, it sorta feels shaky since the jack seems like its losing stability ) --- even if u get one that is 16'' , thats fine as long as you can slide the jackstands underneath it

MahaRaja

craftsman!!!!!

Chemmech

Normally I would never recomend Harbor Freight, but they sell jack stands made by Lincoln at a bargain price. Lincoln is a very reliable name for automotive lifting and support equipment. However, don't buy a jack from them, unless it's also a Lincoln. If Harbor Freight Doesn't have the Lincoln Jack, then try Sears for a good jack. Look for a jack that will utilize the slotted lift points on the car, regular jacks will crush the unibody. Good Luck

njtls

so its not good to put a our cars on jack stands? ....ive seen unibody cars up on chassis lifts and they seem fine....and i probably jack it up from a a brace in the center of the car or by a control arm...

Moo

I bought a craftsman 2 1/2 ton jack with 2 jack stand.

I've heard horror stories of ppl jacking the car up using the mount points. Be careful.

The Helms manual recommends jacking the car up either from the front or the back (jacking both wheels up at once).

fsttyms1

i would look at the craftsman they are really good and i have been using them for years. ALSO BIG ALSO look for one with the largest lifting pad. it makes a differance and is safer. the smaller ones can cause more damage. i bought a 3 ton with 2 jackstands from sears not that long ago for 99.00$ well worth it!

njtls

fsttyms1..yeah..im gona buy the 3 ton with jackstands too...there offering a free creeper with it now for the same price...

and Moo...what points in the front and rear woul;d i jack by to bring it up togeter?

Moo

The diagram really sucks. It's underneath the front bumper pass the plastic floor cover. I never jacked the car up this way before. I'll take some pics tomorrow.

njtls

cool thanks..do you know where to jack form the back?..actualyl..where could i get this manual?

yield2s

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Originally posted by yield2S
is knowone else here worried about jacking a unibody framed car up w/jack and stands?
i think it bairly acceptable to jack just 1 corner of our cars up just enough to do a tire change but any more than that and its asking for trouble IMHO.
I think the lifts at the garages are the only good way to raise more than 1 corner of a uni-body car.
I could be comp off on this one but the one time i tryed lifting the whole front end of my old accord with a jack on the main lower brace, the car looked like it was going to fold in half with every pump on the floor jack(fold over like an upsidedown taco right at the windshield)
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so its not good to put a our cars on jack stands? ....ive seen unibody cars up on chassis lifts and they seem fine....and i probably jack it up from a a brace in the center of the car or by a control arm...
thats exactly my point a chassis lift evenly distributes the wieght.

fsttyms1

the car has lift points on both sidesjust behind the front tire and just infront of the rear. those are safe places to lif and support with jack stands. also in the front under the bumper there are 2 tow hooks, if your jack has a largenough lift pad you can safely lift with those also

njtls

oh you can left form the tow hooks?..they look more like holes in a peice of metal right?...and if i lift by the jack points then i would be albe to put the jackstands there....i need to find a point in the middle possibley

fsttyms1

you can lift the front of the car by the tow hooks and support the front of the car with jack stands on the factory locations. in the rear you can lift the car by the mount just ahead of the rear tire(see picture) and still get a jack stand on the factory location

Tom Blasing

Go to http://www.eastwoodco.com and look at these two item numbers: Item No. - 43042 and Item No. - 43183 .


The first number I ordered about 7 years ago and it has been invaluable to me when I had my Talon. The Craftsman 3 1/4 ton jack and a pair of deep saddled jack stands would compfortably rest the front and rear of that car and only have to jack up the front only. The rear would just come up with it (not much suspension travel on that 2,713 lb. car. The second one item I plan to get when I start rotating my own tires.

The air compressor was also a great investment I made. Got a Campbell Hausfeld 26gal. 5hp (175psi max.) from Tractor Supply just down the road afor a little over $350. It's similar to this one: Model: VT6271 (Extreme Duty) but mine runs on 115v instead of 240v. Then you get to buy all kinds of cool toys to go with it! Just think, you get in your car to go to the gas station to put some air in your tires. But no! The reading you get from your tire guage is wrong because the tires are (partially) warmed up. With your own compressor you can do it in your own garage and not even have to start the car! The only drawback is that I had t run a dedicated 20 amp. line to the garage for it since it draws 15amps.

SK2003TypeS

What about pads guys ? Or did I skim over that. I have a craftsman 2 1/2 and a 1 inch thick hunk of rubber which I use in between. One of my older cars ('82 280zx) had some really soft metal under and would actually bend a little bit. I don't have a Helms manual, so when I did an oil change on the TL, I kinda eyeballed it. Might want to get rubber pads for the jack stands too. Unless it's been so long since I've been to sears that they all come with 'em now. Just another thought.

Moo

Here's the instructions for the front and the back. This is from the Helms manual. You can find the manual at Helmsinc.com

Moo

Moo

Sorry typo...it's helminc.com

tdoh

I recently bought the Sears Craftsman Pro 3-ton SUV jack (IIRC it has a 5" to 20" lift range) w/ free Craftsman pro stands for about $60 after sale and Craftsman membership card 10% discount. The nice thing about it is that it takes only two strokes of the handle to raise the vehicle to maximum jack height; the one negative about it is the somewhat small saddle, but I can live with that.