S2000 Under The Hood S2000 Technical and Mechanical discussions.

Jacking up from the middle frame rail?

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Old Oct 3, 2014 | 12:25 AM
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Default Jacking up from the middle frame rail?

Jacking up from the middle frame rail?-efdrsco.jpg

Sorry for the crappy picture. But is it possible to jack up the S2000 from the very middle of the frame rail, just like where my finger is pointing? My Craftsmen jack will not fit under the rear diff, once I have the front jacked up and resting on jack stands. I have jacked up using the very middle on various other cars with no ill effects. But I'm just wondering if it's any different on an S2000?







Jacking up from the middle frame rail?-y4wtxi8.jpg

Here is a picture of my craftsmen jack. It's got a decently wide saddle. Do you guys think I'll be able to jack up the middle without damaging the frame rails? I can add a thick piece of cardboard if needed to distribute the load. But the jack saddle is fairly wide, so I'm thinking it's okay? My end goal is to have all four corners on jack stands, so I can do all the fluids. Any feedback on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advanced.




EDIT: 10-22-14. I went ahead and did this procedure. Used my big jack to jack up the whole left side and put two jack stands, then repeat on the right side. Zero issues with the frame rail, and it looks like it never got molested. LOL....I used the frame rail portion right below where the side mirrors were. This basically puts it slightly towards the front, just like boyguan suggested. This procedure is MUCH easier getting the S2000 off the ground than the front and back method.
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Old Oct 3, 2014 | 01:12 AM
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I do it all the time but do it more towards the front of the door rather that right in the middle. I tilt the car left to right to get it up I'm the air. Front to back is too much work
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Old Oct 3, 2014 | 01:43 AM
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You can jack the car up on the front-mid jack point enough to get a jack stand under the rear jack point. If one side ends up too low for your jack get some small race ramps or blocks of wood so you can get the jack under where you need to.
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Old Oct 3, 2014 | 02:00 AM
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Originally Posted by andrewhake
You can jack the car up on the front-mid jack point enough to get a jack stand under the rear jack point. If one side ends up too low for your jack get some small race ramps or blocks of wood so you can get the jack under where you need to.
How am I suppose to place a jack stand on the front jack point, once I lower the jack? There isn't enough room to place a jack stand while using my jack.


boyguan - Thanks for the reply. I guess I'm not the only one who thinks jacking front to back is painful...lol. The rear diff is so deep under the car once the fronts are resting on jack stands. It looks painful to do even with a low profile jack
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Old Oct 3, 2014 | 02:02 AM
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Ah I see. I use narrower jackstands I guess so it is doable.

http://www.amazon.com/Torin-T43004-A.../dp/B0007XTGCI
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Old Oct 3, 2014 | 02:05 AM
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I picked up a harbor freight (Pittsburgh) low profile jack for about $100, it's helped tremendously with jacking up the car and hasn't failed me yet. It brings my car up higher than my craftsman jack as well. Got good reviews too, so I'm not to worried about it breaking anytime soon. Maybe look into buying ramps or some wood and building your own. I'm unsure if you can, or should, jack up the side to start. Just giving other options.
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Old Oct 3, 2014 | 02:13 AM
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Originally Posted by Colinian
I picked up a harbor freight (Pittsburgh) low profile jack for about $100, it's helped tremendously with jacking up the car and hasn't failed me yet. It brings my car up higher than my craftsman jack as well. Got good reviews too, so I'm not to worried about it breaking anytime soon. Maybe look into buying ramps or some wood and building your own. I'm unsure if you can, or should, jack up the side to start. Just giving other options.
Thanks for the reply. Does your harbor freight jack fit under the rear differential, even with the fronts resting on jack stands? Because just eyeballing mine, it looks extremely painful to maneuver, even with a low profile jack.

And yeah, I would love to pick up another jack. But I'm really space constraint at the moment. I just wanted to get input on this method of jacking on the S2000, since I searched and couldn't find any info. I've used this method on plenty of other cars before (Evo X, Evo IX, Mazdas, etc) with no ill effects, as long as the jack saddle was wide enough to spread the load. But I wanted to check with others before I go out and do it. Better safe than sorry
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Old Oct 3, 2014 | 02:20 AM
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Originally Posted by steven88
Originally Posted by Colinian' timestamp='1412330724' post='23354839
I picked up a harbor freight (Pittsburgh) low profile jack for about $100, it's helped tremendously with jacking up the car and hasn't failed me yet. It brings my car up higher than my craftsman jack as well. Got good reviews too, so I'm not to worried about it breaking anytime soon. Maybe look into buying ramps or some wood and building your own. I'm unsure if you can, or should, jack up the side to start. Just giving other options.
Thanks for the reply. Does your harbor freight jack fit under the rear differential, even with the fronts resting on jack stands? Because just eyeballing mine, it looks extremely painful to maneuver, even with a low profile jack.

And yeah, I would love to pick up another jack. But I'm really space constraint at the moment. I just wanted to get input on this method of jacking on the S2000, since I searched and couldn't find any info. I've used this method on plenty of other cars before (Evo X, Evo IX, Mazdas, etc) with no ill effects, as long as the jack saddle was wide enough to spread the load. But I wanted to check with others before I go out and do it. Better safe than sorry
My car isn't on stands and is stock height, but I just double checked for you as I have not used it to jack up the rear yet. I slid it under and it easily clears the diff by 1-2 inches.
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Old Oct 3, 2014 | 03:43 AM
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I usually just use a panel of sheet metal as a ramp and drive up on wooden blocks then I put something to keep the car from rolling. That puts the car up an extra 4 inches from there it's a piece of cake to get the jack in the front and rear jacking points.
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Old Oct 3, 2014 | 04:27 AM
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Originally Posted by Slowcrash_101
I usually just use a panel of sheet metal as a ramp and drive up on wooden blocks then I put something to keep the car from rolling. That puts the car up an extra 4 inches from there it's a piece of cake to get the jack in the front and rear jacking points.
Hey thanks for the reply....but I think you're missing the point. I'm trying to get all four corners on jack stands. I can jack up the front engine cross member (near oil pan) and get the front end on jack stands. However when I move to the rear, the bumper, exhaust, and rear differential sit so low, I cannot fit my jack under there to even try to lift it up. It's way too low.

So that's why I'm asking if I can just jack up from the middle of the frame rail (picture in 1st post)....then place two jack stands. Then move onto the other side, jack up the middle, then place two jack stands there. And have all four corners on jack stands to do my maintenance.
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