my car slipped of the jack!

[Geo_Prizm]

I am driving my first and only car, Geo Prizm and I am 31. And I experienced ramp problem on my first car, but I should have thought better, see if I could change the oil without a ramp which I did not. Also it was my first oil change and I borrowed the ramps from a truck-driving lady.And it was a rainy day a year and a half ago.The driver was my wife and I was directing her.No more metal ramps on rainy and slippery days.

Oil Drain Plug
They put the oil drain plug facing the front of the car, oil drains towards the front of the car and it is easy to lay on the ground just enough to reach the plug and the rest is easier.

 

[backyardmech]

Jacked a car up with a floor jack on the frame of a late 70's Nova in the early 80's just to check out the exhaust, got under the car heard a cracking rolled out of under the car jack went through the frame. The car sat low and would of at the least pinned me or could have crushed me used ramps or jack stands ever since along with throwing a tire under the car if possible

 

[Paul56]

Back when both myself and my father used to change our own oil we both used ramps.

I was a little more paranoid about it than my father and would take the following extra precautions...

-chock both rear tires
-place blocks under both sides at the front such that if the ramps broke the car would not suddenly drop on me

The ramps we used were homemade ones that I never had a lot of confidence in, but they also never broke either.

Changing the oil on my Dodge pickup was a sweet deal given it could be done with the truck just sitting as it was.

Don't worry about it. You won't be the first and certainly not the last DIYer taking the car in for the mechanic to fix after something gone wrong. But, do take steps to keep yourself safe for the next time.

 

[AdRock]

Originally Posted By: __M__
What is your procedure to put all 4 corners up? do you lift the front then the back, or go 1 corner at a time? Also, when lifting up a part of the vehicle when the other parts on jack stands, does the shifting weight of the car as it comes up cause instability on the other stands?


I always lift the front first. On the Mustang I can't get the jack up under the front to lift both wheels at the same time because it's lowered. I do one side then the other. The I jack up the rear under the pumpkin and put stands under the axle. As long as the front stands are in a steady spot there won't be any problems with them when lifting the rear of the vehicle.

 

[demarpaint]

I have a mini van, van and 4x4 so it might be a little different for me. All are RWD, except the 4X4 which is RWD until shifted into 4WD. If I want 4 wheels off the ground here's how I do it. I take a 3 ton floor jack, chock the front tires, and lift from the rear differential, then place the jack stands under the rear leaf spring U-bolts, or to either side of the shock brackets.

After the back is lifted and secure, I jack the front from under frame structure that goes across the oil pan, and get both wheels up in the air at the same time, then place the jack stand under frame structure and slowly lower it. Knock on wood this method hasn't failed me yet.

The trick is to be on level concrete ground. If level black top is the only choice I have, I have 2x14 laminated beam scraps which are about 20" long from a construction project. I put 3/4" plywood under the jack so it doesn't sink into the black top to jack the vehicle, then place the jack stands on the laminated beam scraps. Works like a charm. Level ground, proper jack placement, and proper jack stand placement is the key to safely lifting and getting 4 wheels off the ground.