Jacking points
Nauman
I need to use jack stands to jack up the front of my 2k Maxima and I was
just wondering what the best place to put the stands was. I could place
them on the jacking point that is made for the factory scissor jack that
came with the car, but that area does not seem to be large enough for the
jack stands to be stable. There is a small hole further up front near where
the suspension is connected to the frame of the car. I take it this area
may also be a suitable place to put the stands. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Daniel B. Martin
A general guideline for jack points:
Choose a sturdy reinforced part of the unitized car body floorpan. Look
under either side of the vehicle and you will see a boxed section of the
floorpan, running fore-and-aft. This amounts to a "frame" on a frameless
vehicle. You may position the saddle of your floor jack under the leading
end of this "frame" (just behind the front wheel) or under the trailing end
(just ahead of the rear wheel). These are the spots which are used when a
shop technician uses a lift to raise your car. You may use these same
points for jackstands.
The Maxima factory service manual identifies two "garage jack points":
(1) The leading end of the fore-and-aft stamped steel brace which is under
the engine/transaxle in the center of the vehicle. Jacking at this point
raises the entire front of the vehicle.
(2) The center point of the rear axle. Jacking at this point raises the
entire rear of the vehicle.
I replaced the original cup-like steel saddle on my floor jack with a
rubber-faced flat plate (Harbor Freight #36004, $10 +s/h, or equivalent.)
This is kinder to the car, marks it up less. Another approach would be to
fashion a rubber insert for your cup-like saddle. Collect one of those
truck tire treads which litter the highway roadside. Look for a thick one.
Cut out a piece which will fit inside the saddle. Let it "float" or secure
it with a big gob of adhesive, as you wish.
Daniel B. Martin
Nissan owner and D-I-Y mechanic