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How to Use Car Jack Stand? – 2 Best Pro Tips!

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how to use car jack stand

One fine sunny morning! You’re going on a trip to the beach with your friends driving your very own car. Suddenly, you get your car tires leaked and you’ve to change the tires right away to move on.

What’ll you do then in the middle of the road? You mightn’t find any car repair shop nearby to fix your problems. For this, learn how to use car jack so that you can help yourself in such situations. Some simple learning can save you a lot of time and money also.

Why Jack Up a Car?

If you see someone jacking his car, there has to be some reasons behind it. He might be changing the engine oil or removing the wheel or replacing a flat tire.

If any of the parts on the undercarriage needs to be fixed, you’ve to lift the car to reach the part. For example- the exhaust, transmission, etc).

In emergency cases, knowing how to jack a car will save you from plenty of time and money.

Suppose you go to a repair shop, and ask them to do the work. Most often, you’ll face overpricing or low-quality products. Learn some of these skills so that you can handle these situations with ease. Find out Types of Car Jack to know more about car jacks.

Use Best Jeep All Terrain Tires to avoid using Car Jack to change your wheels (wink)

Precautions Before Using Jack Stand:

When you’re trying to jack a car, prepare yourself with some precautions. Don’t let your car get damaged heavily from just trying to fix a small problem. Moreover, it can be a reason for serious injury or even death.

  • Park the car on a firm, level surface like concrete or asphalt. A yard may be dangerous as the dirt need not be strong enough for supporting the car.
  • If there is no other way than jacking the car on a soft or broken surface, make the platform a bit stable by putting a thick, flat piece of wood.
  • Put a chock in front of the wheels on the opposite end of the car, from where you’re trying to lift. This will block the wheels of the car from moving. You can also use bricks, cinder blocks or large rocks instead of chocks.
  • Never change a tire on a highway. Always call road service or wait for the highway patrol for help by putting a white piece of paper out the driver’s side window.
  • If there is no alternative of jacking the car on a slight incline, park the car next to the curb. The wheels should touch the curb.
  • Double-check on the transmission gear and hand brake. You must keep the transmission in “P” (auto transmission) or the first gear (manual transmission).
  • Turn off the ignition. Remove the keys.
  • Put on the hazard lights when you need to jack the car having traffic nearby.

Also read: Where to Put Jack Stands Under a Car?

How to Raise the Car?

  • Identify the jack points: Read the owner’s manual to know exactly where  the car’s jack points are. Usually, there are jack points right behind the front wheels and in front of the rear wheels. If you’re unaware of their position, look for a flat metal area along the weld that is running down the side of the car beneath the doors. For other assistance, please contact the service department of your dealership.
  • Place the jack in the right position: Place the jack just in front of the wheel, if you need to raise to the rear wheels. Place it right behind the wheel if you need to raise the front wheels. Be sure to position the jack exactly on the midpoint of the front (or rear) wheels under the sub-frame. You may pose a life-threatening accident if you put the jack on a wrong position.

    Never put the jack under the body panel, oil pan, steering rack, radiator, or other non-structural components. Remember that the angle of the car will change when the car is raised. Look under the vehicle and be sure whether the position of the jack will make secure contact with the car or not.
  • Raise the jack: Pump the jack handle up and down continuously to raise the jack. Do it until the jack touches the car. On a regular floor jack (also known as hydraulic jack), close the release valve. While releasing the car, crank the main lever anti-clockwise. On a scissor jack, crank clockwise or anti- clockwise to raise or lower the car.
  • Place jack stands: If you need work beneath the car, place jack stands near the jack to safely hold the car. If you raise both ends of the wheel, placing stands on either side will work fine. You can now start your work.
  • Jack removal: When you finish the works, raise the car off of the stands, remove the stands, lower the car and then remove the jack. Slowly open the release valve of the jack while lowering the car to the ground.

Suggested Reading: Best ratcheting wrench

Pro Tip 1: Cautions for Removing Wheels

If you are working on removing the wheels, loosen up the wheels using a lug wrench before pulling off the ground if you want to avoid difficulties.

Pro Tip 2: Avoid using a Scissor Jack

If you ask me, I’ll say that you’ll be playing Russian Roulette if you use scissor jack regularly. Scissor jacks are weak and unstable. You shouldn’t use it on a rough or sloped surface unless it’s an emergency.

Moreover, they have a very short max lift height which sometimes makes the tall jack stands not fitting under the car, even at the lowest setting.

Final Words

Hopefully, by now, you’ve learned the basics of jacking up your car. Don’t let your valuable car make you worried about simple matters. Try to solve some of the basic problems all by yourself. Save your time and money whenever possible.

Don’t try these, if you’re not confident enough. Stay safe and stay cautious!

Last Updated on January 17, 2021 by Marcus Ford

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