The Correct Way to Use a Hydraulic Floor Jack and Jack Stands
What follows uses photographs from a 2004 Toyota Solara. The general principles discussed apply to all makes and models of modern unibody construction vehicles. The location of your vehicle’s front and rear jacking points will vary, but they will generally always be at the center line of the vehicle. Most of the load-bearing points on the vehicle sills will be directly behind the front wheels, and directly ahead of the rear wheels, a few inches back/forward, respectively.
1. Locate the jack lifting point (front in this case, but it could be rear):
2. Place a protective rubber block, I use a tire tread sample, on the metal head of your hydraulic floor jack. Never use a jack without this, both because it can damage your vehicle and also because the rubber creates a much better grip, preventing unexpected slipping as the car is lifted into the air and the weight shifts. Pump the jack until you reach the height you need for the job you’re doing, and so that the jack stands and sill blocks can be correctly placed.
NEVER get under a car supported only by the jack. Though it is unlikely, it could fail unexpectedly and, if it does, you’re likely to be crushed to death.
3. On each side, position the sill block at the correct point on the sill and have the pinch weld run through the groove in the center of the sill block.
4. After both jack stands and sill blocks are in place, very slowly release the jack and gently lower the vehicle on to the blocks and jack stands. It’s a good idea to check to see if everything has stayed where you intended it to before you lower all of the vehicle’s weight on to the jack stands. If you happen to release the jack too quickly and the vehicle slams down on to the jack stands, do not presume that everything is just fine. This kind of loading of jack stands can potentially result in block failure or jack stand instability. Jack it up again, reposition your blocks and stands, and gently and slowly lower the vehicle’s weight. If the sill blocks and jack stands are still where you wanted them to be, definitely give the vehicle a good shove to make sure it, and the supports, are stable and will not unexpectedly shift.
Since I was working in my driveway, which is asphalt, I also used plywood platforms beneath each jack stand to distribute its weight. I once had a car up on jack stands in my driveway during the height of summer, and the asphalt softened enough that one of the two jack stands began digging into the asphalt and tipping slightly, which is a huge safety issue. I have never had that experience after using plywood platforms beneath the jack stands. It also prevents any marking of the asphalt (or concrete in your garage) from the metal jack stand legs.
5. This is what you want to see once the load has been gently lowered on to the sill blocks and stands. The pinch weld should travel straight down the groove in the center of the sill block and there should be a slight bit of space between the bottom of the weld and the bottom of the groove. The weight should be borne by the two “arms” and base of the sill block, which avoids bending and damaging the pinch weld.
Depending on the width of your sill block, and the head of the jack stand, you may want to orient the jack stand such that it goes across the sill block from side to side rather than running lengthwise under the groove. The point is to avoid having the sill block split, which is unlikely if you use a hardwood and it’s sufficiently thick. Soft woods like pine have a tendency to split far more frequently than hardwoods do, and that poses a distinct safety risk.
Of course, to get the vehicle back down you reverse the steps. You want to do your very best to gently lower the vehicle back to the ground again once the jack stands and blocks have been moved out of the way.
Sill blocks should be created using this basic configuration, but based on measurements appropriate to your vehicle. For my 2004 Solara, here are the dimensions:
5.5 inches/14 cm long
by
2.75 inches/7 cm wide
by
2 3/8 inches/6 cm tall
with the pinch weld groove cut the length of the block:
1 3/8 inches/3.5 cm deep
5/8 inches/1.5 cm wide
My guess is that these dimensions will work for the vast majority of Toyota cars produced over the last few decades, but always look at the sill support areas for maximum length and the depth of the pinch weld before sawing them.
