Car on jackstands -- safe to start?

[Benzadmiral]

Hey, all,

I'm planning to get back to changing the oil on my car in April, and will buy some jackstands to get some room to work under the car. I've never used 'em before, so I have two questions:

1) The bottle jack I'll use to crank the car up will be placed at the correct jacking point. Where should I place the jackstands so they'll hold the car? Under the frame?

2) I plan to chock the rear tires. Once I'm done refilling, etc., is it safe to flick the engine on while the car is still up on the stands? Or should I drop the big beast first, run it, check for leaks, and then -- if there are any from drain plug or filter -- jack the car back up to reach those spots? Come to think of it, just how high do these things put the car, and will I be able to pour in the new oil with it up -- or must I lower it first?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Nyquist]

I have a feeling it is safe for the most part unless you:

A) Have it jacked way up there.

B) Have a car that vibrates really bad on start-up.

I always put the car back on the ground before I start it. Since you can't check the oil after you're done with the front end jacked up anyway I figure it isn't a big deal.

 

[Cup of Joe]

Why not use a set of ramps you can drive up which is easier and perfectly safe to start a car on?

 

[hate2work]

This whole jackstand/jack thing is prolly why they invented car ramps. Jackstands are more for when you need to pull off your tire for brake work, etc.

I bought a pair of those plastic ramps and I love them. Get the heavy duty ones, you don't want any surprises while you're under your big beast.

Run it up on the ramps, shut it off, drain the sump and change the filter, replace the drain plug and then put in the approx amount of oil you need, then start it and back it off the ramps, shut it off and checks for leaks and the right oil level, and you're done

 

[Barkleymut]

I'm guessing you haven't changed your own oil too much? (not at all a slam, just an educated guess) Once you've done it a few times you will realize that checking for leaks can be done as easily as placing a piece of cardboard under the engine and checking in the AM, I've never had a problem but did see a neighbor who didn't get the oil filter gasket off and 3-4 quarts went on his driveway really quickly before he shut it down.

Personally I don't like to be under a vehicle that is on car stands at all and I wouldn't ever try to start a vehicle while on them. Just my opinion.

 

[ViragoBry]

Ramps are a much better deal for oil changes. They're not expensive, and I think they're a lot safer and easier to use.

My one problem is that the chin spoiler on my car makes contact with the ramps right before the wheels do, so I have to drive up on some planks laid on the floor before driving up the ramps. Be sure to check clearance before you drive up the first time.

 

[duaneb9729]

if you use jack stands pay attention to the surface you use them on, asphalt on a hot day, gravel or dirt are poor surfaces.

 

[IndyIan]

Squares of 3/4" plywood under the stands work well on questionable surfaces and also good to have in the trunk for changing a tire on a gravel shoulder.

 

[firemachine69]

I can't count how often I've started the Sunfire on jacks... Often unintentionally...

 

[eljefino]

When you put a car on stands grab the bumper and tug up down sideways etc.

If a car could remotely fall off the stands by sitting in the seat and turning the key I surely wouldn't want a human being working under there!

On a sunfire the "frame" is the pinch weld under the doors, part of the rocker panel. Your owners manual will show the reinforced jacking points for the flimsy emergency tire jack; these are great for jack stands, you will learn to find the little notch they put there. On my unibody cars in the front there is almost always a humungous (>1 inch) bolt holding the subframe to the unibody at the firewall, visible rearwards of the front tire. I like to jack there leaving the pinch weld open for the stands. Your bottle jack may not have much of a "cup" or saddle like a floor jack, and could be risky (sliding off) to lift a downward-sticking bolt.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: Barkleymut
I'm guessing you haven't changed your own oil too much? (not at all a slam, just an educated guess) . . .

No, I've done it plenty, just not on this car. With my Mercedes, I could do everything up on top, sucking the oil out via the Topsider and changing the filter right there. I can't use the Topsider on the Buick, and the filter's way down by the frame. It's the use of stands I'm not familiar with.

Checking for the leaks is the easy part; it would be a matter, if there are any leaks, of getting back underneath to correct the problem. I'd hate to let the car down, start it up, find there's a leak from, say, the filter (I'd hand-tighten it, but you never know), and have to jack the car back up again. If it's not safe to start the car while on stands, naturally, if a leak appears I'll have to do it.

My reason for wanting to go with jackstands is twofold: (1) I don't have a lot of space at the curb at my apartment, so placing the ramps and driving up on them could be problematical, and (2) I don't have a lot of room to store ramps.

 

[Mr_Incredible]

Unless you have a car that has problems as listed above, there should be no problems. To test for a good set-down on top of jack stands, I push a little on the side to look for solidity.

However, I wonder if a bottle jack will have enough lift to be useful. They usually only have about six or eight inches. A proper hydraulic jack (minimum 2.5 tons, IMO) would have around seventeen inches, which is much more useful.

A proper jacking point is inboard of the place on the pinchweld under the outer-edge sheetmetal where the stock jack usually goes. Here, there are "frame" structures. These are also the proper points to place your jackstands. A bottle jack, while having a small footprint, isn't as versatile to place with such a short stroke.

I don't much like the idea of ramps. While many folks use them with no problems, they just don't sit right in my way of looking at things.

IMO, that is...

 

[1sttruck]

When I was replacing posts in crawl space of our house I borrowed some jacks from a friend. They were a simple design, made in the US of decent materials and cross sections, and I had no worries using them. The free Chinese jack stands that came with the floor jack are another matter as the primary toothed vertical member appears to be a casting instead of a forging or machined stock, and I've never used them. Instead I use wood blocking, and feel a bit reassured when doing so as that is what I've seen heavy equipment movers using.

 

[demarpaint]

I've used a floor jack and stands for over 30 years w/o issue. If set up properly its very safe. We've done tranny's, clutches, engines etc from them. With that in mind if its just a basic oil change ramps are the best. I do prefer the jack and stands for grease jobs as it takes the load off the front end, and makes greasing my King Pins easier.

If you plan on a jack and stands make sure you have a good set of wheel chocks, 3/4 plywood to place under the stands and the jack if you're working on black top. Also a full understanding of where and how to jack the car, and where and how to place the stands. The ground should be as near to perfectly level as possible, and solid.

HTH,
Frank D

 

[StevieC]

It is safe... I store my Austin-Mini car on jack stands for the winter and run it all the time to keep the oil circulated and the battery charged... All is good, no worries at all!

 

[oilboy123]

No problem running on jack stands. Just make sure they are stable.

 

[StevieC]

Mine are stable... Can try and rock the car and it doesn't go nowhere...

 

[CivicFan]

Originally Posted By: Benzadmiral
Hey, all,

I'm planning to get back to changing the oil on my car in April, and will buy some jackstands to get some room to work under the car. I've never used 'em before, so I have two questions:

1) The bottle jack I'll use to crank the car up will be placed at the correct jacking point. Where should I place the jackstands so they'll hold the car? Under the frame?


I use the beam under the radiator to jack up my cars - there is a spot marked with an arrow for that (they are Honda-s). Then I place the jack stands under the reinforced areas behind the front wheels and lower the car on them.

I always try to rock the car and see if it's secure on the jack stands. You don't want to car to fall on you when you are under it.

As for starting, I start the car when it's on the stand to check for any leaks. I shut off the engine before lowering the car, though.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: demarpaint
I've used a floor jack and stands for over 30 years w/o issue. If set up properly its very safe. . . .

If you plan on a jack and stands make sure you have a good set of wheel chocks, 3/4 plywood to place under the stands and the jack if you're working on black top. Also a full understanding of where and how to jack the car, and where and how to place the stands. The ground should be as near to perfectly level as possible, and solid.

HTH,
Frank D


For once I give credit to my apartment complex. In 2004 they repaved and blacktopped the street that runs from front to back within the compound. The road surface meets the curb at very close to 90 degrees, and is quite solid.

Last year I tested my bottle jack, placing it right by the pinch weld spots provided for the OEM scissors jack, and it worked fine. Easier to pump up, and *much* easier to let the car down with. Once I buy the stands and chocks, I'll pump the car up and have a careful look as to where to settle the stands, and then I should be good to go.

 

[PandaBear]

I have a bunch of floor tile bricks (those 60 cents concrete bricks of 1' x 1' x 2" at Home Depot) and every time I need to change oil in my IS I will build a ramp, with some wood stick along the edge to smooth out the steps. It takes some effort, but save me the space of having to store a set of ramps.

I wish I could use jack stands but the car has very tall welded pieces that requires a deep trench type of jack or jack stand, or else it would crush the metal there (stupid design). Most people I know don't care about crushing it, but it's still a new car so I want to preserve it as well as I can.

If anyone want a set of bricks I can give them to you in exchange for some filters or dino oil. Then I will have the excuses to buy a set of ramp.