Jacking up a vehicle for an oil change

JDgreen227 · Mar 18, 2015

My newest issue of POPULAR MECHANICS just arrived...the front cover folds out for a 4-page blurb for Castrol Edge motor oil, with instructions and pictograms of "how to do oil changes yourself"...part of those instructions (step 3) advise you to "Get jacked up, for some cars you may need extra clearance, when jacking a car be sure to follow safety procedures and only lift a car with the jack in the proper jack location...."

Whoever approved that ad for publication is a BIG TIME, STUPID MORON !!!!!!

Each and every owner's manual, as well as the multitude of service manuals I have read in my 40-plus years of vehicle ownership, clearly tell you NOT TO GET UNDER THE VEHICLE WHEN SUPPORTED BY A JACK......!!!!!

I don't care if the vehicle has all four wheels on it and all four are touching the ground, only a complete idiot would use a jack only to raise it to enable them to crawl underneath to access the oil filter and drain plug.

DUHHHHHH !!!!!!

Diamondpilot · Mar 18, 2015

JDgreen227 said:
My newest issue of POPULAR MECHANICS just arrived...the front cover folds out for a 4-page blurb for Castrol Edge motor oil, with instructions and pictograms of "how to do oil changes yourself"...part of those instructions (step 3) advise you to "Get jacked up, for some cars you may need extra clearance, when jacking a car be sure to follow safety procedures and only lift a car with the jack in the proper jack location...." Whoever approved that ad for publication is a BIG TIME, STUPID MORON !!!!!! Each and every owner's manual, as well as the multitude of service manuals I have read in my 40-plus years of vehicle ownership, clearly tell you NOT TO GET UNDER THE VEHICLE WHEN SUPPORTED BY A JACK......!!!!! I don't care if the vehicle has all four wheels on it and all four are touching the ground, only a complete idiot would use a jack only to raise it to enable them to crawl underneath to access the oil filter and drain plug. DUHHHHHH !!!!!!

I use ramps. If I was to use a jack I would utilize a jack stand.

Chris

JDgreen227 · Mar 18, 2015

Diamondpilot said:
I use ramps. If I was to use a jack I would utilize a jack stand.

Chris

That is just common sense.....!!!! Always use ramps myself.

Wagtail · Mar 18, 2015

I agree, set the brake, jack stands to support & chock the wheels THEN test (shake a bit) for stability before venturing anywhere underneath. If you're working alone, have your mobile phone on you too.

But we live in a constantly 'dumbing-down' (first) world where you take your vehicle in to be serviced or have road-side assistance to change a flat tyre, etc...

Looking4new · Mar 18, 2015

I agree, those instructions will get somebody killed.

I am glad that I own a Jeep TJ. I don't need a jack to change my oil. All 4 sit on the ground all the time.

schmism · Mar 19, 2015

JDgreen227 said:
"Get jacked up, for some cars you may need extra clearance, when jacking a car be sure to follow safety procedures and only lift a car with the jack in the proper jack location...."

I see no mention of getting under the car not supported by jackstands or some other method.

In fact it says "follow safety procedures" which seems to indicate, any and all parts of jacking up a car includeing but not limited to, useing jackstands to hold the car while you work under it.

but based on the statement provided, I read nothing wrong with it at all.

JDgreen227 · Mar 19, 2015

schmism said:
I see no mention of getting under the car not supported by jackstands or some other method.

In fact it says "follow safety procedures" which seems to indicate, any and all parts of jacking up a car includeing but not limited to, useing jackstands to hold the car while you work under it.

but based on the statement provided, I read nothing wrong with it at all.

There are seven steps noted in the process and step four reads that you should remove the oil drain bolt, drain the oil, and then remove the filter. Pretty obvious one has to get underneath the car.

TomSeller · Mar 19, 2015

I had a friend from high school get under his car while on jacks. The jacks slipped and he was crushed to death. Sad and preventable.

Katahdin · Mar 19, 2015

Safety First!

Oil changes on both of our primary vehicles, a Jeep TJ and 07' Mini Cooper, are done without jacking or ramps.

RalphVa · Mar 19, 2015

I've a ramp going up into our carriage house. I just back it in until the front wheels are right at the edge of the ramp, IF I have to go underneath at all. Good cars and pickups should be designed so that you DON'T NEED TO GO UNDERNEATH to change the oil. This is the case on our VW Jetta TDI. I use an extractor to remove the oil via the dipstick, after removing the filter from up top.

HATE my Tacoma. Requires a long reach to get to the filter either from the top or from the bottom. Toyota engineers are idiots.

Ralph

JDgreen227 · Mar 19, 2015

RalphVa said:
I've a ramp going up into our carriage house. I just back it in until the front wheels are right at the edge of the ramp, IF I have to go underneath at all. Good cars and pickups should be designed so that you DON'T NEED TO GO UNDERNEATH to change the oil. This is the case on our VW Jetta TDI. I use an extractor to remove the oil via the dipstick, after removing the filter from up top.

HATE my Tacoma. Requires a long reach to get to the filter either from the top or from the bottom. Toyota engineers are idiots.

Ralph

Top mounted oil filters like the one on our 2014 Equinox are a great idea. So easy to reach and they self-drain. My '04 Saturn has a front-mounted horizontal filter case right next to the main exhaust pipe...it's both hard to access from the underside and gets really hot...poor design.

Diamondpilot · Mar 19, 2015

JDgreen227 said:
Top mounted oil filters like the one on our 2014 Equinox are a great idea. So easy to reach and they self-drain. My '04 Saturn has a front-mounted horizontal filter case right next to the main exhaust pipe...it's both hard to access from the underside and gets really hot...poor design.

Don't do as I did the first time with a Saturn and pull the Transmission Filter instead of the Oil Filter.

Chris

KennyG · Mar 19, 2015

I guess you could say that "follow safety procedures" means use jack stands, but I agree that an article aimed at the general public should address this in some detail. I always jack my cars up when I change the oil because I always rotate the tires when I change the oil. In most cases, I don't really get under the car, I only have to reach under but I always have it on 4 jack stands.

The tricky one is my Ford Fusion hybrid. It has full pans under the car for aerodynamics and the front section has to be removed to access the oil drain and filter. It's so low you can barely get a floor jack under it and there are only four exposed jacking points. I carefully jack on the suspension to raise it enough to put the jack stands on the jacking points. It's clearly designed to be serviced in the dealers shop and not the owners shed.

Scott65 · Mar 19, 2015

So... like this?

Diamondpilot · Mar 19, 2015

Scott65 said:
So... like this? <img src="http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/files/trailers-transportation/417263-jacking-up-vehicle-oil-change-proppedup-jpg"/>

That's not safe at all! Don't this idiot know he should have also slid the welder under it as a second safety device.....

Some people!

Chris

dfkrug · Mar 19, 2015

RalphVa said:
HATE my Tacoma. Requires a long reach to get to the filter either from the top or from the bottom.

You must have a small Taco, Ralph. The Big Tacos (05 and later) have a top-mounted filter and a drip
tray built in.

So, they did hear complaints, and seemed to have addressed it.

I have the small Taco, too, and filter changes ARE awful.

Top-mount filters may be the best feature of BMWs, tho they do drive well, too.

KennyG · Mar 19, 2015

Scott65 said:
So... like this?

View attachment 417263

Give him credit. Note the block behind the tire to keep it from rolling and the fact that he's using 2 boards instead of only one.

Scrambler82 · Mar 19, 2015

I agree with the statement to use jack stands after jacking the vehicle in the proper location. I am just not sure if the proper location is on a flat driveway, an angles drive or just on the grass... lol, really always use jack stands, PERIOD !
Ramps although good can be very dangerous, proper blocking of wheels, brake set and drainage of oil... always something.

Same with the tractor, I use the FEL to pick it up and then stands.

One thing to remember when a vehicle is jacked up the oil may not drain properly, the vehicle should be lowered to level and the oil allowed to drain completely, then jacked up again to reinstall the drain plug.

MH8675309 · Mar 19, 2015

We used to park over a ditch at my friends house to fix the exhaust pipe. We used a tin ( real tin ) can and 2 hose clamps to cover the hole. We would get about 3 weeks out of it.