Jacking Points on a Unibody Car

[bob_the_builder]

I need some help determining the best place to jack up and place jack stands on a unibody car. I typically do a lot of maintenance on trucks and with a full frame it is pretty straight forward but I need to do some work on my wifes equinox and my dads Impala and I am not sure what the best procedure is. According to the manual they said the best spot is the pinch welds as marked by the arrow on the rocker panels but if I jack at this location where do I put the jack stands. Or where do I put the jack if I place the stands on the pinch welds. I have also heard that the pinch welds are not good since they can bend over since you are only jacking up one side of the car at a time.

Any help would be great.

Bob

 

[oilfieldtrash4]

Car model would help

 

[Gary S]

It is in your owner's manual in your glovebox.

 

[Terry454]

I recommend jacking both sides of the car at the same time.

Does the owner's Manual or perhaps the shop manual, allow for jacking on the suspension? That would I think be a safe alternative.
Terry

 

[metaleltr]

I typically go for suspension points. In the front the jack goes in the center of the cradle and the stands go under the rear cradle mount point. In the rear the jack goes under the suspension depending on how it is set up and the stands go under the control/trailing arm mounts or torque boxes.

 

[c4cruiser]

If the pinch welds are the designated jacking points, then they will hold the car up even if you just use one jacking point. Most jacking points have some length to them so place the jack pad at one end of the designated area, raise the car, and put a jack stand next to the floor jack. Then move to another jack point; either the other side of the car or towards the front or rear on the same side.

 

[Zeke]

I understand your question. The jacking points are the factory lift points. When you use the lift points you have used up the jack stand points. On my Porsche I'm supposed to lift the car by the suspension and then place the stands under the jacking points. It gets tricky as to where to place the jack under any suspension.

I would visit the various forums dedicated to each make and model car.

It was a lot simpler in the day when you put the jack under the rear end housing and the stands at either end of the axle.

 

[DodgeMech]

Pinch welds...

 

[joe_padavano]

As noted above, it completely depends on the make and model of car. The owner's manual will only talk about the jack points for the factory jack. The service manual will show you the jack points for a floor jack or lift. Many unibody cars CAN be lifted from the rockers. There are special pads that have a notch for the pinchweld, so the lifting load is spread out along the bottom of the rocker. Other cars have reinforced holes in the rockers for a jack. If you are using a floor jack, you can't go wrong if you lift at the hard points where the suspension arms attach to the tub. Some cars have reinforced subrails, or the attach points for the suspension cradles. Again, it depends.

 

[Zeke]

Pinch welds...

I have caved in some random pinch seams. Reinforced seams are your friend. Don't know about Dodges, but that's the case on Euro cars. You ought to see all the caved in seams and heaved up floors from the idiots at the tire store.

 

[Jimmy_B]

It was a lot simpler in the day when you put the jack under the rear end housing and the stands at either end of the axle.

Some of us still drive cars built like this.

 

[Air_Cooled_Nut]

I'm guessing this is what you need:
http://www.eastwood.com/floor-jack-adapter-for-late-model-cars.html
I have this and it works great.

As for jacking locations, where ever the suspension attaches to the body is a strong, safe jacking point (in my experience).

 

[Lhorn]

It's easy enough to put the jack under an axle, control arm, etc. Good enough for changing a tire. I guess a better question would be once the car is jacked up, where do you put the jack stand? I've used the pinch weld on my Saturn Vue without problems. Actually the owners manual was quite vague about this. It suggested to look for areas marked under the rocker area but I couldn't find marks.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Most cars have some real heavy "frame" structure welded to the body inboard of the pinch welds, usually two or three layers of heavy metal. Especially in the front of the car, behind the engine cradle aft attach points. Pinch welds, while the suggested spots for scissor jacking for a tire change, and even the "recommended" jack or lift point by the manufacturer, are less than desirable. Lots of damaged pinch welds in the world. A flat rubber pad on a jack or lift under the above mentioned triple reinforced structure will very nicely lift the car without damage.

The reality of it is, I cannot get the lift arms of my Challenger lift to even hit the pinch welds in the front, they won't shorten up that much on a smaller car. In the back, I actually can reach the pinch weld, but I have much better luck lifting on the hard point where the rear suspension trailing link connects to the body. Again, much stronger than the pinch weld.

The "marked" area on the pinch weld is usually the notches in the pinch weld that they intended for the car's scissor jack to fit into. Look closely and you will find notches in the edge of the pinch weld, about 1-1/2 inch long near the front and rear of the weld seam.

Charles

 

[Motofixxer]

Generally speaking the pinch welds in the front inline with the firewall which has vertical support, in the rear normally just in front of the rear tires or the suspension\Control Arms. But manuals will give the best indication of jacking points.

 

[yuk]

automotive lift institute publishes a book that covers lifting points for alot of vehicles made in about the past 18 years.
i bought one to help me lift cars on my lift correctly.
so far i have noticed it has NO Kia brand cars in it and it also doesnt give any approximate balance points.
its about 16 bux shipped.

 

[Heaty]

I fix unibody cars everyday all makes all models, My options from top to bottum would be
#1 Frame Rail (High Strength steel)
#2 Subframe
#3 Pinch Welds
#4 Specific Suspension Point
#5 Torque Boxes X4

All of these vary from makes to models to different situations and scenarios. If unsure the up most important thing to do before getting under a car is to read the vehicle repair booklet / call dealership / ask for help etc. PLEASE never get underneath a car by using just a hydraulic jack and with no jack stands at present, even if its for one second. No lives should be at risk in a Jack without stands, especially now that most jacks are "Made in China" We are only human, which whom we make mistakes, & no jacks are safe from defects to wear and tear. Every jack has its end to its life so use jack stands at all times. Make sure they are the correct Lifting Load Capacity jack stands.
Ive heard stories where a mini van crushed an old man because he used a pair of dinky 2 ton jack stands. Weather that was true or not, work smart and safe

 

[nehog]

Check the rocker panels as they curve under the vehicle. Look for either a set of V or diamond symbols, if they exist they are the recommend lift points. Not all vehicles have these marks however.

 

[green.bubbly]

Every Altima I have owned has these suspension bolt protection cups on the subframe. My floor jacks fit perfectly in the cups.

They also make pinch weld adapters for floor jacks and jack stands.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I always put the jack under the rear differential or the fron suspension. I figure if it can hold the weight of the car when it's on the ground, it should be able to hold up the car when on the jack.

Like everything else, some common sense needs to be used jacking and placement of jack stands. If you don't think it looks safe, it probably isn't.

 

[ex-x-fire]

If the car has a unibody subframe, use it like in the picture. Alot of newer cars have them in the rear as well, though not as long. Lift it on the pinch weld, support it on the subframe.

 

[jchetty]

Many newer cars instruction manuals don't have lift points like the older manuals. Going online can be a great way to find pics of the jack points. You might even be lucky enough to find a PDF of part of the service manual which will have the jacking points.

On many unibody cars, theY have front and rear lift jack points. If you have a jack that can reach it, you can lift the front end up at once. Really good for narrow spaces where you don't have enough room for a jack on the sides. Also a time saver.

The manual says pinch weld because they are assuming you will change a tire. With those heavy cars, drive on ramps might be a better choice. Regardless of what you do, chock those wheels.

 

[jchetty]

In this pic, you can clearly see the front one. The trick is you have to have a jack that can reach it and strong enough. It allows you to lift up the entire front end so you can rest the car on jackstands under the pinch weld. Chock the rear wheels. **This is a pick of a Camaro**

Here is a PDF for a Monte Carlo so you can see what the service manual page looks like. Pretty much all unibody cars have front lift points where the subframe is. They also have rear jacking locations. They are called jacking points for a reason. Use them, if your jack can, to lift up each end of the car. Much better than one corner at a time.

 

[enrare]

Does anyone have a source for floor jack and jack stand pinch weld adapters? Is the jack adapter mentioned earlier the only option or are there others?

 

[bob_the_builder]

yuk - I saw the manual you mentioned online. Did you find the manual very detailed for given vehicles or is it just a very basic diagram.

Thanks for everyones input. I think I will need to find a set of pinch weld adaptors for my jackstands.

Bob

 

[yuk]

it could be better.
here is a random pic i shot with my digital camera.
They say their information came directly from the auto manufacturers.

 

[bob_the_builder]

does not look too bad for $15.

 

[AffableCurmudgeon]

Does anyone have a source for floor jack and jack stand pinch weld adapters? Is the jack adapter mentioned earlier the only option or are there others?

I use hockey pucks.

 

[yuk]

I think while they were researching all this stuff they should have got the F/R ratio for the weight of base models of each vehicle at least .... just for a loose guideline for finding balance points. It seems it was more important to get to press than to be a thorough premium reference.
Having ni KIAs listed blows me away. KIAs have been around for decades and seem to be growing in popularity every year.
BTW, they quality of the paper and cover of this book is pretty nice.

 

[Terry454]

We use that book at school for the two post Rotary in-ground lifts. It gives one a good place to start, but there is no substitute for laying on the ground and looking under the car to be sure you are not lifting on brake or fuel lines or some rusted spot.
Terry

 

[Shadowdog500]

I made these more years ago than I can remember. I widdled the bottom of the block to match the profile of the top of the jack stand. I used to use them to lift my wife's carolla before I bought a lift. I've seen people use hockey pucks with a slice cut in them for the jack too.

They worked great.

Chris