Today I purchased the larger of the Harbor Freight 1.5 ton jacks (model 47246).

I have read on these boards where people have used this (or the almost identical blue jack) to lift from the rear jack point first, or drive the car up on 2X10s and lift from the front jack point first.

I have tried a couple times to position the jack and begin to lift, however, with the jack in place, the arm does not have enough throw (without whacking the car) to allow the saddle to lift. I've bled any air out of the jack as best I know how, but no improvement.

I believe in using the right tool for the job. I'm [almost] okay with driving the car up onto boards to fit the jack under, but I'm not interested in having to start lifting the car with the OEM jack only to finish with a floor jack.

Any suggestions? Do I have a problem with the particular jack that I bought, or is this just not the right tool for this job?

Also, anybody have any comments on the Craftsman 1.5 ton aluminum jack with the regular price of about $120?

Thanks for the help,
Chris

 

I have that jack and it depends on my tire pressure as to whether I can get the jack under or not (that's how low I sit). My suggestion is to use the wood trick if you are that low.

I carry a spare piece of wood in with my spare tire so I can drive up on it if I have a flat while driving.

 

Thanks for the help. Question though...

Do you have trouble using the HF jack under the rear (diff)? I can't get any lifting action because the arm hits the bumper once the jack is in place under the rear jack point. Should I be putting the back wheels on wood blocks to get the rear up?

BTW, my car is stock height.

 

The S is low. Add a lower lip and it's even lower. I use 2-2x6 stacked like a ramp on each side. This gives me enough clearance for the jack to work as designed. I also purchased a set of low clearance ramps. They work great but are 56" long.

 

I understand that the S is a low car, and I understand the need to sometimes drive the front wheels up on boards to get enough room to place a floor jeck

I'm curious specifically about using the larger of the 1.5 ton Harbor Freight floor jacks on the rear jack point (diff) without boards.

I was under the impression that people were able to get the rear of the car up on jackstands with this particular jack and no other tools (boards, ramps, etc.). Hence, I bought the jack.

Am I having a problem that others with this jack have not had?

 

the craftsman 1.5 racing jack fits under a oem ap1, the side jack points ok, i could lower the car say 1" and there possibly be a problem here

the craftsman is functional but in 2 untis the front roller became jammed. this might not be an isolated problem. the roller became difficult to turn but eventually returned to its origianl function with repeated use during a project. the craftsman is better than the harber freight

my craftsman leaks back down after a little time under load. no big bad, should not depend on the jack supporting the car for long periods of time anyway. use a jack stand.

 

I have the Blue Harbor Freight floor jack, and ran into the same problem you did when trying to jack up the front (I'm totally stock height and tires). My solution is to put a piece of 2" x 4" UNDER the front wheel of the jack when it's in place. This tilts the jack back enough that I can pump the jack and raise the car. Next time I use the jack, I'll probably figure out how to attach this piece of wood to the jack so I can just slide the whole thing under the car. I jack on the engine cradle btw.

 

I can use the diff, but I use the circular frame bars instead. I have to movce the jack to the other side to lift the other side, but I have found that the frame is easier to reach than the diff.

Stock height and you still can't get the jack under the car? That doesn't sound right. I never had a problem before I lowered the car the last time.

 

I went through the jackup problem with my 350Z and now with my S2k, I have 2 4X4s with taper cut pieces infront of them to make a ramp. If I drive the front tires up on the ramps I can get my jack under the car in the center at the crossmember & then jack her up far enough to get jack stands under & do what I want.

 

Harbor Freight sells a regular sized jack for $130-180, and a smaller version for around $80-100. The smaller one is generally blue.

The regular sized one that I bought can reach the differential and jack the car up with mo problems, even with the front end already in the air. It can get the front jacking point but only if the front tires are sitting on boards (I use a stack that's about 1.5" high).