Lifting Vehicles Safely

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Lifting Vehicles Safely
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Lifting Vehicles Safely

• Body Construction
• Body-on-frame
• Unibody

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Drivetrain Layout

• Two ways that the engine, transmission and drive
  wheels are arranged
• front wheel drive FWD
• rear wheel drive RWD

4
Using a Floor Jack

• A floor jack is used to lift a vehicle
• A jack stand is used to keep the vehicle supported

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Lifting a vehicle with a Jack

• Secure the vehicle
• apply the parking brake
• Unless you are checking the rear brakes
• place transmission in Park (automatic) or
  neutral (manual)
• place wheel chocks at one of the wheels

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Lifting Convertibles

• Is the car you are about to lift a convertible?
• If so, unlatch the top before you jack up the
  car!

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FWD Jack Placement

• 2. On a FWD vehicle, the jack can be placed under
  the
• crossmember
• tow hooks
• rear axle

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• DO NOT place the jack under the
• oil pan
• floor
• muffler
• steering or suspension parts

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Using Jack Stands

• 3. On FWD cars, jack stands can be placed under
  the rocker panel lips

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Lowering the car onto the stands

• 4. Lower the jack slowly carefully!
• are the rocker lips rusty? if so, find an
  alternate spot to place the jack stands (call Mr.
  B)
• listen for strange noises!
• shake the car once it is on the jack stands
• check the jack stands again to ensure they are
  supporting the vehicle in the appropriate spot

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Lifting RWD Body-on-frame vehicles

• Jacking up the front
• Place the jack under the crossmember
• Jacking up the back
• Place the jack under the differential

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Body-on-frame jack stand placement

• DO NOT place jack stands under the rocker
  lips!
• Jack stands should be placed under the frame
  they can also be placed on the axle tubes

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• Lower the jack slowly carefully!
• is the frame rusty? if so, find an alternate
  spot to place the jack stands (call Mr. B)
• listen for strange noises!
• shake the car once it is on the jack stands
• check the jack stands again to ensure they are
  supporting the vehicle in the appropriate spot

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Using the two-post hoist

• Arm and pad placement
• Swing the arms and adjust the pads so they are in
  the same location you would place jack stands
• RWD place pads under the frame
• FWD place pads under the rocker lips