| The
Safe Way to Use a Jack
The most obvious reason to jack up a car is to change a tire,
but other jobs such as inspecting brakes, may also require
you to get under the vehicle. (Even if you're reed-thin enough
to squeeze yourself between the pavemenl and the underside
of your car, you still need room to move around and man ulate
tools.) Chapter 2 has detailed information about the different
types of jacks, as well as items such as jack stands (essential)
and creepers (nonessi tial, but nice). This section explains
how to use a jack safely and efficiently. The next section
shows you how to change a tire after the vehicle is in the
air.
Jacks
are used only to get a vehicle off the ground. They should
never be used to hold a vehicle in place. Even if you're simply
changing a tire, you need to make sure that you've blocked
the other wheels so that the car doesn't roll off the jack.
You must use jack stands when you work underneath your car;
if you don't, you run the risk of serious injury or even death.
People have been crushed to death when vehicles that were
improperly secured fell on them.
Before you attempt to jack up your vehicle, observe the following
safety precautions:
? Never change a tire on a freeway
or highway. Not only can you be seri¬ously
injured, but you can also fall prey to carjackers. Don't exit
the car on the side nearest traffic; use a cellular phone
to call road service or the AAA. If you have no cellular phone
and a public phone isn't near enough to make a call and get
right back into your car, hang a white rag or a white piece
of paper out of the driver's side window and wait for the
highway patrol to rescue you.
? Always park a vehicle on level
ground before you jack it up. If you get a flat
tire on a hill and can't coast to the bottom without killing
the tire completely, then park close to the curb, turn the
wheels toward the curb, and block the downside wheels securely
to prevent the car from rolling. Even after taking these precautions,
however, I'd be nervous.
? Never jack up a vehicle without
blocking the wheels. Even if the car is on level
ground, use bricks, wooden wedges, or metal wheel chocks to
block the wheels at the opposite end of the car from the end
that is to be raised. Doing so keeps the vehicle from rolling
after it has been jacked up.
Keep the blocks in the trunk of your car so that you won't
have to go hunting around if you have to change a tire when
you're away from home.
If you find yourself faced with the job of changing a tire
and you have nothing with which to block the wheels, park
near the curb with the wheels turned in. This may not keep
you from getting hurt if the car rolls off the jack, but at
least innocent motorists and pedestrians won't have to deal
with a runaway driverless car!
? Be sure that your gearshift is
in Park (or in First if you have a manual transmission) and
that the emergency brake is on before you jack it up.
The only time you don't want the emergency brake on is when
you have to be able to rotate a rear wheel or remove rear
brake drums to inspect the brakes. In such a case, make sure
that the front wheels are blocked securely, preferably with
chocks designed for the purpose. (Chocks are available at
a low cost at auto supply stores, and they stow neatly in
the trunk.)
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