Car Stand/Jack Points When Jacking Up My DC2R

[rayDC2R]

Hey guys,

I've done lots of searching online and have had to result in starting a new thread.

I just want to jack up my car so I can change my oil. I've done it a few times at my cousin's place and he has a nice trolley jack that was able to lift my car high enough so we could put the car stands under the two side jacking points just behind the front wheels...

Now I've gone out and bought a cheapie trolley jack, and yes it doesn't lift the car high enough for me to use those jacking points behind the front wheels... I am jacking the car up from the front jacking point with the trolley jack.

I have tried to jack up from the side points (behind the front wheel) and then put the car stand under it, but because the jacking point is so small in length, its hard to get it proper as my trolley jack is in the way of the stand.

So my question: is there any other place I can put the stands rather than those side jacking points? I've heard some people putting the stands under the lower control arms and then some people saying it is unsafe to do that. Somebody help me! And if you have (or can find) a picture to show me an alternate jacking point that I might be able to put my stand on, I would definitely appreciate it. Thanks!

p.s. not too sure where on the LCA I can put the stand under either so maybe a diagram with a circle or something pointing out to me where I can safely put the stand...

[Zilli]

when i lift the front i put it on the chassis rails rather than the jacking points

[DLO01]

I put my stands under the 2 tow hook tabs at the front and either side.

[ChargeR]

Get three thick pieces of wood. Jack up front of car and put two of the bits of wood under the front tyres, lower the jack then put the other underneath the floor jack and jack the car up again. Hey presto you have achieved a bit of wood's thickness more height than you did before. This might be enough to get you there.

I am very wary of putting stands anywhere but where the manufacturer intended, any part of a unibody not particularly reinforced is generally pretty flimsy.

[tinkerbell]

Get three thick pieces of wood. Jack up front of car and put two of the bits of wood under the front tyres, lower the jack then put the other underneath the floor jack and jack the car up again. Hey presto you have achieved a bit of wood's thickness more height than you did before. This might be enough to get you there.

this is a great method!

but i skip step one as i have a very low 'race jack' - the bit of wood i use is a 20cm long, 10cm wide, 5cm thick bit of pine.

I am very wary of putting stands anywhere but where the manufacturer intended, andy part of a unibody not particularly reinforced is generally pretty flimsy.

yeah 100% agree.

so - ray - dont put it on sussy components, and dean - i'd even be nervous about stands under the tow hooks...

(that said, when doing an oil change, i jack from the left tow hook, remove the rim, put rim under the chassis and change the oil, so i am dodgy anyways! but for a oil and filter change i do use stands.)

[JORDS]

an old timber fence post that extends from jack point to jack point works fine.

[rayDC2R]

Get three thick pieces of wood. Jack up front of car and put two of the bits of wood under the front tyres, lower the jack then put the other underneath the floor jack and jack the car up again. Hey presto you have achieved a bit of wood's thickness more height than you did before. This might be enough to get you there.

I am very wary of putting stands anywhere but where the manufacturer intended, any part of a unibody not particularly reinforced is generally pretty flimsy.

do you guys think bricks is okay as an alternative to wood? i have bricks readily available but not wood...

[tinkerbell]

bricks tend to shatter... so don't put under the tow points or jack points, under tyres would probably be OK...

the best thing about wood is that it has a slight amount of give to it... i.e. it crushes a bit so is more stable than a hard object...

[rayDC2R]

so dave, in an earlier post on a different thread, you mention on page 2 that the two tow hooks are okay to use for stands... do you still stand by those words?

here is the thread: http://forum.clubitr.com.au/showthre...ht=jack+points

p.s. i plan on using the jack and car stands equally to hold up the car, not just the car stands alone. so there will be 3 things holding up the car... stands under two front tow hooks okay for this?

[TeMp]

Best thing to do is refer to the HELMS manual for DC2.

In the DC5 one (on page 1-8) it state EXACTLY which points are designed for jacking up.

[tinkerbell]

so dave, in an earlier post on a different thread, you mention on page 2 that the two tow hooks are okay to use for stands... do you still stand by those words?

here is the thread: http://forum.clubitr.com.au/showthre...ht=jack+points

hmmm, well - there is a subtle difference between:

a) jacking a car up at the tow point; and
b) placing a jack stand under the tow point.

i have re-read that thread a few time, but still cant see where i said that the tow hooks should be OK to use for stands?

but all i said in this thread is that i would be nervous if i was working on a car with jacks under the tow points, rather than under the jack points... i am sure you could place jack stands under the tow hooks and be fine, but i would reckon that it is safer if they are under the door jack points...

my gut feeling reasoning:

if you put stands under the front end of the car, a small bump laterally at that end might topple it,

but with the stands more towards the centre, it would be much harder to topple it over...

p.s. i plan on using the jack and car stands equally to hold up the car, not just the car stands alone. so there will be 3 things holding up the car... stands under two front tow hooks okay for this?

nah, i would say 2 is better than 3... that way you are sure that the weight is taken, and less chance to topple the car...

but seriously - if you are unsure - get an experienced person to help you!

this is deadly stuff we are dealing with here...

[rayDC2R]

Well I have been taking it to experienced people, but the whole point of me buying my own gear is so I can do it myself from now on.

And dave, from page 2, they start talking about the two front tow hooks and being a bit iffy putting the stands under them... and I think you don't directly say its okay to use them, but you are in a way defending the thickness of the tow hooks and how you thought that it would be safe to do so... starting from around post 13 and post 19 confirms the two front tow hooks...

I agree there is a difference with jacking up at tow point and placing stands under tow points. In the end, I will jack the car up from the centre jacking point as stated in Honda manual, then want to use stands under the tow hooks...

[DLO01]

I've always used the 2 tow hooks for stands. And keep the jack under the center jack point as well.

[tinkerbell]

I've always used the 2 tow hooks for stands. And keep the jack under the center jack point as well.

not wobbly?

then go for it!

just doesnt seem as sturdy to me, compared to the normal points under the doors

[DLO01]

Yeh, its fine. I hate working under cars though, hence why I always keep the jack under there as well.