This is the first time I have done my own oil change on my 97 v6. I have a decent floor jack but cant figure out where to put it. The manual has something about notched areas but when I start there the body moves up but the wheel is still firmly on the ground. Do I have the right spot but just need lift it more? My second question is where do the jack stands go since the manual has no mention of them.
Thanks in advance, Jon.
Don't use that spot the manual tells you about. You'll crush it. Put a small piece of wood (like a piece of 2x4) on the jack cradle and lift the car by the subframe rail. It comes down the firewall, goes under the floorpan, and stops around the area where the seat is. Use the wood to avoid dimpling/crushing the rail. The chassis/body will lift first. Keep going and the wheels will follow once the suspension decompresses. Put a jackstand under there to keep the car off you in case the jack decides to fail.
I suggest buying a set of ramps instead. Rhino ramps cost about 30 bucks, are low profile which allows you to drive up them without damage to the valance and they stand on end for storage. An excellent investment IMO.
I just use a single wood ramp I hammered together that's maybe 6 inches thick at the top. I drive the front wheel on the filter side up on the one ramp and it's enough room to do the filter and drain the oil. A lot easier then getting the jack and jackstands out.
----------------- Jim '88 LX 5.0 (now in car heaven) '89 LX 5.0 vert '99 GT 35th Anniversery Edition - Silver Mods to date - Relocated trunk release to drivers side, shortened throttle cable.
Make sure you put a block of wood behind the rear wheels before you jack it up to prevent the car from rolling on you. Do not trust the parking brake or the transmission being put into park. Also make sure the wood you use on the jack is secure. There was a guy near here that was crushed when the jack kicked out from under the car when the wood wasn't secure. As Keith said, jack stands can save your life. I don't mean to scare you, just to make you aware.
Dave
Forget the floor jack. Go to pep-boys and get a set of rhino ramps for
18 bucks. This is way easier than jacking the car up and risking to have the car fall on you. trust me, they're worth it.Remove NO-SPAM from email address when replying
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