| The
Safe Way to Use a Jack
4. If you have
jack stands, place them under the car, near the place where
the jack is touching the vehicle (see Figure 1-2). Raise the
stands until they are high enough to just fit under, and lock
them in place. Lower the jack until the car is resting on
the jack stands. Then remove the jack.
Substituting boxes, stones, or bricks for jack stands is very
dangerous. They can slip out or break while you're under the
car. A jack can do the same thing, so if you're going to work
under your car (and you will if you plan to change your own
oil and do your own lube jobs), be sure to buy a pair of jack
stands. The money you save by getting under there yourself
will pay for the stands in no time. You can find information
about buying jack stands in Chapter 2.
5. Before you begin to work, wiggle
the car a little to make sure that it's resting securely on
the jack or the jack stands.
Doing so also tells you whether you have the wheels blocked
properly. It's better if the vehicle falls while all four
wheels are in place. (It will bounce just a little.)
If you remove a wheel and begin to work without making sure
that you jacked up the car and blocked it securely, it can
do a lot of damage to itself - and to you - if it falls. (This
is not meant to frighten you away from jacking up your car
and working on or under it. It's just to empha¬size the
fact that a few simple precautions will remove any danger.
6. When you're finished working,
lower the vehicle to the ground.
If you're using a tripod or scissor jack, simply turn the
crank in the opposite direction. If you're using a hydraulic
jack, use the rod to turn the pressure release valve. The
jack will do the rest of the work for you.
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Used
and New Car Menu
