How to Use A Car Jack. You have a roadside emergency or you are doing planned maintenance? A Car Jack is really a must-have and a very important tool.
In all, without a very good car jack, it is very impossible to carry out some kind of repairs.
Aside from the fact of having a good car jack. Do you actually know how to use a car jack?.
Aside from having a good car jack, it is very important you know how to use a car jack.
If you are one of those that find it very difficult to use a car jack or you actually do not know how to use a car jack, then this article is for you. Keep Reading:
Types of Car Jack
There are actually different kinds of car jack which include:
- Bottle Jacks
- Scissor Jacks
- Jack Stands
- Farm Jacks
How To Use A Car Jack
Below is how you can safely use it:
Emergency Steps
When trying to Jack a car. Whether your car broke down or your tire blows on the highway, please try taking an exit and get to a parking lot as fast as possible.
If for any reason, you can’t get off the highway, then try pulling over on the right shoulder as far as you can pull over.
But you possibly do not want to pull over that far that your jack will be on soft dirt or even grass whenever you deploy it.
If you do so, it will only lead to you driving the jack into the ground rather than lifting your car.
Also, if you find yourself on a highway with multiple lanes, the rules are slightly different. All you need to do is to pull over on the exact shoulder as the tire was blown.
Meaning if your tire on the left side blows, then you should pull over on the left shoulder and so on. The main idea is just to place your vehicle between you and passing traffic and as you work, if possible.
Also, make sure that the pavement on which you place your jack is very solid.
Then, put on your hazard flashers before you go out of your car.
Safeguard the Vehicle
make sure you protect your vehicle to make sure it doesn’t roll away.
To safeguard your vehicle, make sure that:
- Your vehicle is parked.
- Next is to engage your parking brake.
- Then finally, try protecting your vehicle by blocking the tires so it doesn’t roll away.
One more thing, if you are blocking your tires, do ensure that you block the “opposite corner tire”. Let’s say you are jacking up the rear-right tire, then you should block the front-left.
Position the Jack
The next step is to position your jack. Once you pull over, you really need to locate your jack.
The majority of vehicles around have their jacks stored below the cargo area in SUVs or in the trunk.
While some pickup trucks will store the jack at the back of a rear bench seat.
While finding your jack, you will also have to locate the jacking points on your car.
The whole point here is that you will have to place your jack on a solid part of your car. Try not to place your jack under the floor pan or even some piece of weak abandoned metal.
Doing so will only result in you denting your floor or breaking a very important piece of your vehicle.
Jack Up Your Car
Scissors Jack
Well, you jacking your car actually depends on the type of jack you are making use of.
If you are making use of a scissor jack, then you might be making use of your tire iron to turn a bolt. This bolt will now drive a threaded rod, which will then make the jack raise.
Well, this method might take a little bit longer than the rest methods.
Ensure that the jack stays straight as you lift your vehicle to prevent it from crashing down. If you want to lower the vehicle, all you need to do is to turn the crank in a counterclockwise direction.
Floor jack
Well, a floor jack will be very much easier to use.
Once you put the lifting plate in the right position, you will now twist the handle to engage the piston.
Then you just pump the handle to lift up the vehicle. Take note that the total number of pumps actually depends on the type of jack you have bought.
The high-priced race jacks take 2 to 3 pumps in order to lift a vehicle from the ground.
Either of the ways, you will still find out that making use of a floor jack really requires much less effort than the scissor
To now lower the vehicle, all you need to do is to twist the handle counterclockwise. make sure to twist slowly as twisting too fast can make your car crash down.
Farm Jacks
Well, the farm jacks operate so much in the same way as the floor jack. Here, all you have to do is to release the pressure on the jack by just twisting a knob.
This will enable you to raise the lifting plate by hand and also protect it under your car.
Now, twist the knob in the opposite direction so that you can actually lock it in place.
From there, you can now insert the jacking handle and then pump it to lift up your vehicle.
Make Use of Jack Stands
Always use a jack stand, whenever you are jacking up your car in your garage or your driveway.
To make use of a jack stand, simply place it under the rocker panel or frame of your vehicle.
Then lift up the stand as high as you can.
You might not be able to touch your vehicle, so what you should do is go to the next lower tier.
Lastly, lower your car with the jack until it rests on the jack stand.
This will make sure you are secured should incase your jack fails when you are working under your car.
Conclusion
In conclusion, as I said earlier, A car jack is a very important tool for both planned maintenance and emergencies. Whichever one it is, you should have a car jack in place, very important.
Even if you are looking at lifting your vehicle, you will surely be needing it.
