Camry Jack Points?

[supton]

Last time I was under this car I could only really find one jack point. I need two--one for the jack, one for a jack stand. On each corner of course. What are safe places to use? 2011 Camry.

I think there was a control arm location that I used, but couldn't find another. I think (it's been a bit of time) that the factory jack point is really only good for the scissors jack.

 

[Drew99GT]

The best place for the jack stands are the pinch welds behind the front tires/in front of the back tires, where the scissor jack fits.

I use the front subframe area where the suspension attaches, as a jack point for a floor jack. Or, if your Camry has front tow hooks, I'd use that area as well. I've used it on my Corolla.

The rear end should have a crossmemember for the suspension with a spot in the middle that sticks out where a floor jack cup can fit. That's what I use.

 

[cmorr]

Camry 6th gen

 

[flanso]

I put one of these on my floor jack to prevent squashing the pinch welds.
http://protechproducts.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=35_37
On the front, I place the stands under the sub-frame stubs. On the rear, for jacking, I use the crossmember protrusion described above by Drew99GT.

 

[supton]

Ah, jack stands under pinch welds. I had dismissed those, as they seemed weak (my impression). Thanks, will look at this weekend.

 

[bowlofturtle]

Why do i see so many crunched up pinch welds? They looked like they were jacked up the right way.


You also run into a small situation if you dont jack at the front and rear of the car because if you jacked up a pinch weld where will your stand go.

 

[doitmyself]

Pinch weld use does not apply to my vehicle(s), but how do you guys avoid bending the pinch weld as in the picture below?

Is the weight suppose to be born by the bottom of the pinch weld itself, or the flat horizontal metal to each side of the pinch weld (i.e. when using one of those grooved hockey puck style rubber inserts)?

And, as Bowlofturtle asks, some vehicles seem to be a challenge to use a jack AND stand in the same area.

 

[Drew99GT]

I've never had jackstands mess up the pinch weld area on multiple vehicles. In my experience, what messes that area up is the lifts used at auto repair facilities or using a floor jack. When you use a floor jack on the subrame and then let the vehicle rest down on jackstands at the pinch welds, they don't collapse like that.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
In my experience, what messes that area up is the lifts used at auto repair facilities or using a floor jack.


Eh, lifts normally won't damage pinch welds unless you do something wrong.

I worked in a tire shop for several years and lifted many, many vehicles. The lifting pad on most lifts will provide a good bit of contact area with the pinch weld, meaning there won't be damage if the weld isn't rusted.

Now, some lifts have flip-up adapters, and if you try to lift with the little lip flipped up, you could damage the weld. Generally, you shouldn't flip up the little lip for a pinch weld, you should use it with that part down so it's flat, which again, provides a lot of contact area and normally won't cause damage.

 

[GSCJR]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Pinch weld use does not apply to my vehicle(s), but how do you guys avoid bending the pinch weld as in the picture below?

Is the weight suppose to be born by the bottom of the pinch weld itself, or the flat horizontal metal to each side of the pinch weld (i.e. when using one of those grooved hockey puck style rubber inserts)?

And, as Bowlofturtle asks, some vehicles seem to be a challenge to use a jack AND stand in the same area.

Your HONDA was damaged by not placing the jack or hoist just behind the damaged area pictured. That vertical solid metal fixture is where it should have been placed.

 

[eljefino]

A jack will put more weight on one car corner than a lift that gets all four corners more or less at the same time.

If one gets a pebble under the wheel of a typical trolley jack then it won't naturally roll forward as the lift thing pivots into a horizontal movement. This will pull back on the rocker lip which might be enough to bend it.

 

[JHZR2]

There is usually a boxed area inboard of the pinch welds (Id never use them, seen too much damage), which I use for stands if I use stands, which is rare.

Those boxed areas are IME where real lifts contact to lift a vehicle.

I use a thick rubber sheet between the car and the stand for protection.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Pinch weld use does not apply to my vehicle(s), but how do you guys avoid bending the pinch weld as in the picture below?

By raising the vehicle from the "jack point", NOT the "pinch weld". The jack point is attached to the pinchweld.

All modern passenger cars that I know of are unibody, and all that I know of have specific jack points immediately inboard of the front and rear wheels. Many of these jack points consist of reinforced areas of the pinchweld.
See this image I copied and marked up from an earlier posting:

See how the jack point flange extends significantly below the rest of the rocker panel's weld flange ("pinchweld")? That's smart design, but many other cars have that flange just about flush with the rest of the rocker panel's weld flange. And this can cause confusion.

On all cars with such jack points it is possible to identify those points by the presence of the double-thicknesses of sheet-steel in those locations; that's what you're looking for: doubled-up metal.

Professional garages typically use these jack points to raise the vehicle with their hydraulic lifts. Very few (vanishingly few) use rubber or wooden pads to protect the paint on the jack points.

So what about the damage to the vehicle in the image above? Judging by the narrowness of the damaged area, this was likely caused by an owner putting a stand under the weld flange, then lowering the vehicle's weight onto it.

I place my jack under the vehicle's front-center jack point (usually middle of the front crossmember) or under a suspension control arm, and the stand under the jack point. Lower the jack SLOWLY AND GRADUALLY, to make certain that the jack point will not move out from under the stand!!!! Inspect, and place your stand accordingly!!! Remember that most floor jacks raise and lower on an ARC!

 

[eljefino]

One should not always lift from the lower control arm.

If there's a spring perch like on a truck... fine! The lower ball joints are load bearing.

But on a macpherson strut, the lower ball joint is NOT load bearing and you can wreck stuff lifting on the LCA. At a minimum you can bend it and tweak your alignment.

A typically good jack point on FWD unibody cars are the "huge bolt heads" at the rear of the subframe where it meets the firewall. But there's probably an exception...

It is supposed to be an industry standard to have "little triangles" on a car's jack points. Barring that I've seen a couple little pips or notches on the pinch welds where one is supposed to go.

 

[doitmyself]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
One should not always lift from the lower control arm.

Agree. I have read manuals that specifically say not to jack there.

Again, it seems that many owners manuals show a jack point, but they don't show a second place in the same vicinity to put the jack stand so you can remove the jack and move it somewhere else, like when you are rotating tires.

In Tegger's picture, if you used a floor jack at his designated area, where would you put the jack stand?

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Again, it seems that many owners manuals show a jack point, but they don't show a second place in the same vicinity to put the jack stand so you can remove the jack and move it somewhere else, like when you are rotating tires.

Depending on the maker, that information may be only in the shop manual.

On a FWD car, the center of the front crossmember is usually a jack point. I have not yet personally encountered any unibody cars that did not have additional jack points besides the ones we've been discussing.

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
In Tegger's picture, if you used a floor jack at his designated area, where would you put the jack stand?

The jack stand would go, and stay, at the rocker panel jack point. You would raise the car using another of the several jacking points on the car.

I'm not 100% certain with your vehicle, but I do believe the Camry may be lifted using the suspension control arm. Other Toyotas I have worked on do allow that.

 

[supton]

I wasn't sure about jacking from under the LCA bolt, up front. I wound up being able to get enough space to oil coat without it. Well, good enough for now. [Geez, two winters is hard on a car!] But that pinch weld looks too fragile to me to use. My jack stands don't have a notch in them for that; I suspect I need to make something for this application, like taking some hockey pucks and notching with a saw if I want to use a floor jack to raise.