After years of changing oil with OEM scissor jack & jack stands, I decided to buy a floor jack (FJ) to save time. I place jack stands under the rectangular hollow jacking points. While scissor jack is, of course, inserted into the rectangular tube as specified in manual.

Bought Craftsman (made by Torin) 2 ¼ Ton F.J. 5” -15” lift height.
Sears.com

I wanted to lift under front suspension crossbeam. Behind oil pan. As specified pg. 57, XJ 308 Workshop Manual. “Jacking & Lifting - Using the Workshop Jack.” It is flat & seemed like a great spot to support weight of car. They even had a diagram.

The Jack easily fit under the car from the front. Probably had 2” of clearance to spare. Only ~ 12” of the Jack Handle extended out past front bumper. I grabbed the handle to begin pumping & discovered I could only lift handle a few inches, b4 it hit car -- not enough to lift! Apparently there is some minimum distance required to raise the handle to activate the lift mechanism.

I had to place the FJ @ an angle under the rectangular tube in order to have enough space to also place jack stands. Awkward, extra time.

I didn’t think I required a “low profile” FJ since this easily fit under the car.

Do I need a different FJ to lift from front suspension crossbeam?
Do low profile jacks or different brand FJs allow pumping with very minimal movement of the pump handle?
Is there a different place center, front that is safe to place FJ? I have that protective fiberboard cover between bumper & oil pan, that I did not remove to see what is under there that may work. Any part of the frame or subframe closer to front bumper?

Pittsburgh brand sold by Harbor Freight seems to get good reviews but only 90 day warranty vs. 1 year for Craftsman & all other brands I checked. I wonder if I buy a more expensive “better” FJ, if I will still have the exact same issue?

Thanks!

 

Yes, if your going to lift the car from the front cross member, you need a low profile jack. You can get a 2 ton one from Harbor Freight for about $140 depending on what sale they may be having. Buy it with AMEX and I believe they add a year to the warranty on that item....love AMEX for that.
I love the low profile because I can get under any of my cars. Especially my Vette with the body package I have on it.
But if your just doing an oil change, why not get a set of ramps? So much quicker and plenty of clearance. Get the plastic ones with the rubber nub underneath to prevent skidding. I say the plastic one because I have seen the metal ones collapse....nope I'll never use those.

 

I lOve the plastic ramps, but always back them up with axle stands, just in case.

 

Yes, I’m familiar with ramps. Don’t want to use ramps, prefer jack stands, for a variety of reasons.

There must be many members on this forum who own & use floor jacks. Some even have lifted their Jags from the front suspension crossbeam. Can anyone else confirm from personal experience that a low profile FJ will start the pumping action with only a few inches of movement of the handle? My cheap Sears FJ easily fits under my car as mentioned.

Or is there a better spot to lift just behind the bumper under that fiber board undercarriage protective piece?

Thanks!

 

So the fact I actually own and use LP jack(s) and have a 308 and have used them 100's of times isn't a good enough reference? ......ok.
Unless your going to be removing the wheels to check brakes and undercarriage, then jack stands really aren't necessary compared to ramps, but that's your preference.
LP jacks have quick pumps and lift up to 24" and operate through the elongated handle and they have a large pan lift area for better balance. If the one you got was the cheap remove the short handle to use the bleed screw, then that will be your fight. The pan lift is small and the small frame is poor for balance and the pump is slow. You state it only goes up 15", that's not a lot of room to crawl under a car. Go to a Harbor Freight or a "A" Sears store ("A" stores display and sell lots of tools as opposed to the "B & C" ones) and comparatively operate the jacks on display, that's what they're there for.

To answer your jacking points, .....use either the cross member or the spring cup (to get your stand under the jack point without pump jack interference) only for the front. If you use the specified side jack point, you will find getting the jack stand in there a fight, if at all. I have used the jack point and put a stand under the spring cup instead.
For the rear, I really recommend the ramps (back onto them then jack stands under the front), I have used the differential sometimes to get stands under the rear jack points, but I don't like to.....if you use any other area you risk damaging a panel or mounting point and/or creating a new noise simply from the weight of the vehicle.

 

I used a short piece of rod in the jack to crank it enough to get clearance for the normal handle.

 

I don't need to jack up my 01xjr to change oil and filter. Why do you need to on your car?

 

Well now, there is an example of where size matters. 210 pounds I can't crawl under my car to change oil.

For other work, I use a 40 year old version of the Sears jack mentioned above and jack stands for safety. I let the dealer or indy change the oil. $30 savings doing it myself is not worth the hassle.

 

Just to say, I would never trust any single jacking method. I don't even trust one pair of axle stands. I have a second as backup. Another trick is to put the wheels you have removed, under the car, just in case.

Over the years I have heard of several people who have died, under cars, when jacks have collapsed. It's not a nice way to go, either.

 

Thanks Highhorse, I had no way of knowing that you “... own and use LP jack(s) and have a 308 and have used them 100's of times”
Jack stands take up less storage space vs. ramps, can choose different heights, can use to remove wheels, check brakes, etc. I know others pay pros to change oil or use ramps, etc. I just want to switch from scissor jack (time consuming pain) to FJ. I’m not happy with my Craftman (Torin) It is hard to pump & was on only 3 wheels while lifting! Seems like a P.O.S. It is very compact & comes in nice case so easy to store in my limited space garage. Yes, the pan lift is small & small frame seems bad for balance. I do not understand “If the one you got was the cheap remove the short handle to use the bleed screw, then that will be your fight.”
What “short handle?” Do you mean the only handle that I use to pump?

I was looking at this:
Pittsburgh Automotive 3 ton Low Profile Steel Heavy Duty Floor Jack with Rapid Pump- Item#61282 (2 ⅞ to 19.5” lift range)
$99.99
3 ton Low Profile Steel Heavy Duty Floor Jack with Rapid Pump®

I went to Harbor Freight today. Could not locate any employees except 2 @ 2 registers checking people out. No one seems to walk the floor to help customers. I saw the model on display but it was locked down & didn’t seem to work (Maybe no oil?) Anyway there were so may other FJs & other items locked down on that same shelf that I could not lower the handle past 45 degrees anyway, w/o hitting another piece of equipment. Didn’t seem to have any stock for that item underneath the shelf.

I measured the highest point when FJ lowered. (Since I’m putting the entire FJ completely under my car) The height of the low profile FJ = 6.25”
My Craftsman = 5.5”
Not even sure this Low Profile will fit all the way under my Jag to the front suspension crossbeam. It would be a tighter fit vs. the Craftsman.

It seems you are saying that a rapid pump WILL begin lifting with only a few inches movement of the handle (when handle is parallel to the floor). Please correct me if I misinterpreted you.

Also, I do not know where the “Spring Cup” is located in the front. I Googled w/o success.

Mark SF, I think you may have an answer whether I use my cheap junk FJ or buy a better one & it still can’t pump with only a few inches clearance to start pumping the handle. Could you elaborate? Also, I know one should never go under the car if it is raised only by a jack whether scissor or FJ. Must have Jack Stands for safety or ramps. Or a spare tire to save your head if the jack fails.


Luc, vey funny. I actually can reach the oil pan drain plug but cannot see it very well
w/o lifting a bit. Re the oil filter, it is so awkward to reach, I need to lift to get a glimpse of it but, I understand that it can probably be done all by “feel” w/o lift.

Sears has:
Craftsman 2-1/2 Ton Floor Jack, Low Profile
But only lifts to 14”
Sears.com

Might also be cheap junk like the Craftsman (Torin) I just purchased.
I think I’d like that Harbor Freight model If I could find one to test.

 

My Torin just broke after 10 years use. Can't complain too much.

 

Steve,

I don't know if this will help, but for the past several years I've been using a 3,000 pound aluminum floor jack from Harbor Freight. It's marked with one of their store brands, "U.S. General." The minimum saddle height is 3.125 in. and the maximum is 14.75 in. The handle is 36 in. long and easily begins the lifting process with only a few inches of movement. I think I only paid around $70 on sale several years ago. Here's a photo of the jack in action, raising the front crossbeam of our '93 back into position after the front suspension rebuild:




I also have two pairs of axle stands, a smaller Craftsman floor jack, and plastic ramps that are incredibly handy and I use them far more often than the jacks and axle stands.


Cheers,

Don

 

What you want is a long body jack to reach far enough under
the car while the hinge is still sitting outside the edge of the
car. Thus, there is nothing to interfere with the pumping
action.

And no, it is not necesarry to get under the car to do an oil
change. Just reach in while lying in front of the bumper to
undo the drain plug. The oil filter is done lying next to the
front wheel. This can be done on a XJR with the euro spec
springs which is the lowest of the X308's.

 

That Pittsburgh jack is $85 until Sunday. Just bought one.

 

I say "the cheap one you may have gotten" because the only ones I saw on the Sears site were the short body, short handle ones. The comment "that will be your fight" in reference was having to reach under the car with that short frame jack and handle then to have to remove the handle each time to either tighten or loosen the bleed valve. That is an absolute hassle and becomes another annoyance which I am of the perspective to minimalize annoyances....makes the job not seem so cumbersome. I'm sorry if that came across wrong, it does look like I wrote that with spite. I'm pretty happy go lucky and didn't see I wrote it as such. Plus you had no idea I've built my own tools to work on my vehicles, so again, that's on me.
LP's (depending on what one you get) have longer handles and all the functions are built into the handle, they have quick pumps and are so much more controllable (and safer) when using a jack point under the car. You get more leverage and are easier to maneuver and pump up higher. Where you state the Sears goes 15", then you state it clears by a couple inches under the cross member, well now you probably can only get the car up about 12-13 inches vs the 22 of 24 your left with, with an LP.
I have floor stands and ramps, both have benefits, but if I'm doing a simple oil change I do what was said by luc, I can get to it without lifting it. The pan is more level and with the plug being forward, I get 99+% of the old stuff drained. I recently purchased a 'lead' (formable) drain plate to direct the oil more efficiently to the pan. Saves wiping it off of the cross member or sway bar if the wind blows it that way.
You may want to check out what Mark SF said about that sale and check out the ones they have on display.

 

Thanks, Guys!
I saw that $15 coupon code on the main page of Harbor Freight Thursday. I called Harbor Freight Tech Support & discussed issue. I called local store & they do have them in stock & will help me test display model. I then did some measurements with my Craftsman. 20” handle. Handle starts ~ 6” from ground @ lowest point. From the front center, I only have 1” to move it up b4 it hits front undercarriage! Front undercarriage is ~ 6-6 1/8” from ground. (That fiber, protective cover is a bit flexible/loose so, can push up a bit.) If I position Craftsman FJ behind front tire @ angle, I can reach that crossbeam & have ~ 2” to move handle up for 1st pump. Still won’t pump. I measured & handle requires fully 4” b4 starts to lift. The (male) handles fits so loosely into the (female) handle receptacle to the pump that the 1st 2” of handle movement DOES NOT MOVE the attached receptacle at all. LOL.

I went to HF last night & got someone to help & move some other equipment which was in the way & we operated the 3 Ton Low Profile Rapid Pump FJ & I measured & indeed it starts lifting with only 2” handle lift.

I purchased for $84.99 with coupon code. (82574522)
Wanted model 61282, they had 61253 which apparently is the same FJ. It is in my garage & I will open box & test it in next few hours. I hope it fits from center front & can lift. If not, I’ll try plan B, from behind F tire @ angle.

 

was just looking at that today myself, let me know how you make out, I might be following suit on that purchase!

 

I have the same or similar type jack. Used for everything.
Recently, the entire rear end of the car. Slid down far enough to get under A-frame to hold and drop rear out. Low-profile to fit under things, pumps up high quickly.

Not a huge fan of HF cheap stuff, but I paid about $75 for this thing a year or two ago and has been flawless since.

 

It worked!
I can now easily & quickly lift entire front end & place 2 jack stands under front 2 jacking points from the front center with new Pittsburgh FJ! AWESOME! It just barely fits! As push FJ under front end it gently touches the fiber cover. If the highest point was another inch higher, it would not fit! The FJ begins lifting with the slightest handle movement, easily 1” is enough! Much less force required vs. Craftsman. Very stable, does not go up onto only 3 wheels like Craftsman. I did bleed air per instructions & also added oil. For $85.00 this is great!

I’ll probably post a couple pix I took.

 

That's good to know, as I have the same jack coming in the mail. Should be here just in time for Christmas.