CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

I was wondering where you guys are jacking up the RX330 using a floor jack particularly in the front. In the owners manual it shows where to jack using a floor jack on the rear, but nothing for the front. Right now I just find a nice meaty part on the frame rail and jack there. The other queston is were are you putting your jack stands? Putting the jack stands at the OEM jack point is no good since it will bend the metal. Right now I'm just putting it on the frame rail, but I rather find a better spot especially now since I have the running boards and the boards brackets block a lot of frame rail area. And ideas?

Chris

Tammy

If I'm having a tire rotation done requiring all four wheels removed, I require the tire dealer to use four jacks with 3 inch thick rubber blocks between the jack and jacking body edge specified in the owners manual. Jackstands are inboard of the jacks, if needed. The rubber blocks form around the body edge and the edge doesen't bend. I don't allow jacking of the front or rear by the subframes or the rear differential. Any warpage of the components won't be readily apparent, but strange tire wear or tracking problems result if one warps the body or bends the thin subframe. Lastly, I stay away from two ton $20 jacks. I use a larger 3 1/2 ton with a five inch lift cup. I also use a 6 inch square X 3 inch thick rubber block for a single wheel removal.

mhc0725

Why are you jacking up with a jack stand at the sub frame and then finding another frame to place the jack stands? On my 300, I jack with a 4-ton right at the Lexus jack spot and then use the jack stand at the sub frame, keeping the floor jack still in contact at the contact point incase the jack stand or sub frame fails.

Before buying the 4-ton jack, I used the spare tire jack to lift and jack stands to support. This was good for a while until I got tired of turning that darn jack.

Anyway, just curious why you lift the vehicle the way you do?

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

It could be the way my foor jack is built, but it uses a flat craddle with a thin rubber pad. The RX330 OEM jack point is actually just on the pinch weld seam on the metal strip that sticks down about 1/2". The OEM jack has a provisional slot that centers itself on the seam, but actualy makes its lift contact on the frame. I tried using the floor jack once on the OEM jack point and it bent this jack point seam since my floor jack doesn't have ths slot so it litterally lifts the car on that 1/2" thin metal seam strip. I pounded it back flat with a hammer and dolly, but I don't want to do that again.

Now, what Tammy talks about makes sense to use a thick rubber pad on the jack point since the rubber will deform, or form if you will around this seam and make contact with the frame so the majority of weight is on the frame and not on this metal strip.

Below is a couple of pictures to show you what I'm taling about. As you can see, the jack point is between those two notches on the seam strip, but the stock jack itself has a slot to slide past the seam and jack on the frame. The red arrows on the 2nd picture shows the flat part of the jack that actually contacts the frame and lifts the car. My floor jack will only touch that thin metal seam and bend it if I jack at that same point.

mhc0725

Gotcha. The floor jack I have isn't just flat at the contact point. The point of contact is a circle about three inches in diameter with raised edges that form grooves, so when I lift the vehicle it's not just purely at the thin metal point where the OEM lift lifts.

Oh well, guess you'll have to continue with what you're doing.

parula

Tammy, right on! This has been a peeve of mine, both my cars' body seams were/are bent and paint chipped from dealers' lifts. This is where RUST starts. My car floor jack at least has a slot so I could carefully position it perhaps putting a little cloth in there to prevent ANY paint chipping.

The dealers apparently just use flat metal pads, put them right on the seams and lift the car. I challenged the local dealer on this recently last service there, walked him out and showed him the damage and he said that is how they do it!! I am going to ask them to use rubber too next time and plan to write to Lexus - in my opinion it is simply ridiculous to cause damage to a part of the car during service - and more especially since the fix is so easy

LEXUS -WHY NOT INSTALL SOME RUBBER PADDED LIFT PADS WITH SLOTS TO ACCEPT THE SEAMS!?

salimshah

I have heard of an adapter (converts the flat lift point of the jack to a split for the seam) for the floor jacks. I have been looking for one and would appreciate if some one locates the source and the part name/number.

Salim

parula

CK6, excellent pics, my old jack was like that - not sure what the '03 has.

Note that in CK's shot, all the weight of the part of the vehicle lifted on JUST those two small points of metal on the jack making contact with the body seam. On my car the seams are flared out from flat pad use at the dealer - the only places I've had this car - and the paint/rustcoating is cracked or missing. I think those sharp metal edges on the jack might even be capable of damaging the galvanizing on the metal seam.

RA030724

iTrader: (1)

I was in Arizona at a friend's house and mentioned I was looking for a rubber jack pad. She told me that the Harbour Freight store (Mesa, AZ) had them for the hydraulic floor jacks. If your plate is removable and has at least a one inch pin to attach it to the jack, you can get the Item 37288 Rubber Base Jack Pad. This is a rubber pad attached to a 5"x5" metal base with a 1" pin to fit into a floor jack. This at least distributes the load over the seam. Harbour Freight also has mail order/internet as well as stores.
Oliver