BusyShifter

To change engine oil myself, I ordered ramps from Sears. The reasons I wanted to get ramps instead of hydraulic floor jack are: 1.) I don't have a lot of space to store floor jack; 2.) I am not sure if I can raise the frontal side of the car high enough from the jack point stated in the manual (rear center, under the trunk) for oil change.

Then I saw this post, describing one can jack up TSX directly from the frontal section of the car. And I found this hydraulic jack from Sears website (link below). I am wondering can anyone provide some more descriptions on where are the jack points at the frontal section of the car. I know the L-shaped plates where the jack stands should go, but I am not certain where are the locations that I can jack up the car using the jack. Any comments and suggestion on the jack points or the hydraulic jack will be appreciated.
http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/0...=0.5,1.0,0.0,0

mg7726

perfect shots of the front and side jacking points:
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27088

what happened to your owners manual??

GIBSON6594

Plus there is a GINORMOUS arrow pointing right at it

BusyShifter

Thanks for the speedy reply. From the second picture, I guess another service panel (different from the one to drain engine oil) need to be removed in order to access the jack point.

My owner's manual is in the car. I thumb through it, but don't recall finding any description on the frontal jack points, only the rear one under the section for tire rotation. I will check the manual again.

BusyShifter

I recall that I saw the arrow (from 2nd picture) before, but I did not know what it points to. Interesting.

jlukja

You don't need to remove anything to access the front jacking point. Just look under the front bumper, its exposed.

From gsclifton's thread:

BusyShifter

Ahh, I do remeber there was a (significant) horizontal metal bar located around the area. I guess that is the structure could be used to support the car??

jlukja

I have a 04. Mine has two rectangular metal loops, about the thickness of a thumb. It looks like you can slip a hook through it for towing. I used that as the jacking point. Its attached directly to the frame and is SOLID.

BusyShifter

I flipped through the manul again, but did not see any information on the frontal jack point.

I have a 2004 as well. I guess I will try to find the arrow and compare to the pictures tomorrow. Thanks for all the help.

Now, any comment on the hydraulic jack?

jlukja

Not familiar with the hydraulic jack in the picture in your link. The jack I used when installing my mods was my dad's jack and it was the same style as the blue one in the pics above. I remember that my dad's jack didn't raise the car high enough to slip the jack stands under the sides. I needed to add a 5" piece of wood as a spacer (which is bad practice and I shouldn't have done it). The jack needed should be minimum 2-1/2 ton and which should raise the car at least 17" (this was the minimum for my dad's jack stands and gets the tires off the ground by about 2"-3"). Also need two jack stands. Don't get under the car with only the jack supporting it. Always use jackstands.

BusyShifter

Darn, the hydraulic jack (without 'floor' in its name) only goes to 15-3/8 inches (see link). Can you explain why it should be more than 17"? Thanks, mod!!

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00950281000

jlukja

My dad's jack only went up to I think 14-1/2" and I had to add another 5" spacer to get my dad's jack stands to fit. They had about 2" clearance when the jack reached its maximum height. That's why I said 17".

The stands you buy/have might be different. I don't have the jack here anymore, I returned it. My advice is to wait a day or two and see if someone posts about a jack they have that works for them.

Alin10123

the points to put your jack stands are the points where you use the spare tire jack. It should have an illustration of that in the manual.

BusyShifter

^^ Got it.


I went under the hood to check the jack point indicated by the arrow. It was very obvious, and probably the only area at the frontal section that is exposed. I wish I have found it out earlier.

BusyShifter

I went ahead and bought the hydraulic bottle jack, along with the 2-1/4 ton jack stands (Craftsman) from Sears. I did not want to wait any longer to change the engine oil; I had done so using these new toys. I took a few pictures. I guess I could send them via P.M. for those who want to see.

First, the minimum height of the bottle jack is more than the ground clearance of TSX. So in order to place the bottle jack under the car, I had to raise the car with the "spare tire jack" first. Using the bottle jack, I was able to lift the car high enough so the front wheels were about a inch in the air, which gave me enough space to work and apply jack stands to support the car. I was able to raise the car higher, but there was no point. However, I wonder if I could lift the rear wheels above the ground using my bottle jack.

Bottom line: A hydraulic floor jack should be more practical than the bottle jack that I bought, but the bottle jack gets the job done, and is easy to store, which is what I need.

moda_way

One other point should be mentioned, bottle jacks don't typically have a large jacking point, making the car less stable once you get the wheels off the ground. Jack stands are always necessary if you are going to be under the car for safety. Bottle jacks are great for lifting via the side jack points and storage, but I wouldn't get one for lifting the front. Go with the floor jack and get everything you need.

BusyShifter

I agree -- 1.)The contacting area between the bottle jack and the jack point is small and under a lot higher pressure. It is less stable. This is something to think about. 2.) Floor jack is more practical, not more expensive, and gets to do everything one needs.

But I am going to keep my bottle jack, mainly for lifting the car, so I can apply jack stands. I would no way go under the car with the support only from the bottle jack, using no jack stands.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

Be very careful with the placement of the bottle jack. The small contact surface puts all the pressure at the center point can potentially punch a hole or put a dent in the sheet metal.

BusyShifter

Yes, it for sure is something I would be cautious of. Thanks for all the inputs.