How sturdy are the side jack points?

**WRB04WRX** · 06-17-2003 06:48 PM

More specifically, how do they stand up to hydraulic floor jacks? Every time I've jacked a car up using the side jack points resulted in damage (bending) of the jack point when I didn't use the provided (emergency) jack. Also do the sideskirts take any abuse?

Just a question that crossed my mind. I'm a new 04 WRX owner.

**WR Xilr8** · 06-18-2003 05:58 AM

For all of my work I've used the hydralic jack (and a piece of wood) under the diff. and supported it with jack stands on the "jack points". So far I haven't seen them bend or give me problems. My Corvette hated my hydralic jack and the jack points but the suby, no problems.

**OotabaJinga** · 06-18-2003 07:18 AM

I use a hydraulic jack as well with no problems- bTW, is there an acceptable front jacking point? I use the rear end and a block of wood for the back as well.

**WR Xilr8** · 06-18-2003 07:49 AM

I do the same thing for the front. It's just a tighter fit up front.

**SD_GR** · 06-22-2003 07:39 PM

A narrow "dish" floor jack (read: el cheapo model typically) will not bend the side jacking points since it doesn't span outside the notches. My high quality floor jack would be disastrous though, which is ironic.

Once the car is up on a side and the wheels are off, I slide the wheels under the chassis and use jack stands on the diff and front side chassis rail. I'm still not enthusiastic about getting under a car, but that's just me....

Questions:

When you use the rear diff and a block of wood, do you have a diff guard installed or do you just put the wood under the diff and jack using the diff itself?

How about the front? Is the small metal piece (kinda like a 15 cm longitudinal crossmember of sorts) bolted just behind the oil sump suitable? Or do you jack from the frame rails aft of the motor?

Thanks!

**tacomaboy138** · 06-25-2003 03:15 PM

The way I learned from working on my previous Tacoma for the past 5 years and now the new Subie is to always jack from the frame rails with a piece of wood when doing anything with the front...I have never jacked from the diff before...I used to use the burly shock mounts on my Tacoma for any rear end work, but I don't know about the Subie.

**KanosWRX** · 06-26-2003 06:54 AM

For the front their is a metal plate that looks like it has two lumps on each side. It goes across the subframe, you can jack the front of the car from there. This picture is of the bottom of a STI but the part looks similar on the WRX so you should be able to find it. On the STI it looks like you should use a piece of wood, but on the wrx the bumps are closer and you don't need the wood, but it couldn't hurt either. I also jack my rear from the rear diff protector, I don't really use wood since the diff protector is strong enough. Also make sure you don't jack it from the sub frame, when installing my suspension somebody did that and it bent it out a little bit and now my exhaust flange rubs the rear diff protector, not a big deal, just an annoyance.

**FUNKED1** · 06-30-2003 01:03 PM

There is a page from the manual around here showing the central jacking points. Front is just as shown in Kanos' picture. Rear is the diff housing. I use wood on both for jacking, and I put the jackstands on the side jacking points, with wood there too. No damage whatsoever to the underside of my car, and it's stable as hell because the metal bites into the pine.

**SD_GR** · 07-01-2003 03:54 PM

Funked and Kanos thank you both, the front piece is what I was talking about so that's great, and it's good to know I can go at it using the diff in the back too. Cheers!

**Chunks** · 08-07-2003 10:51 AM

Oh thank god. I was jacking up my car to change oil and I was using the manual jack points, my jack is different than the emergency and a lil more heavy duty and i felt like my sideskirts were going to be ruined afterwards.

**MawviN** · 10-09-2003 04:22 PM

my jack wont reach that point in the front.. Its too big I need some fast suggestions... tHX

**Shibby** · 10-09-2003 05:45 PM

Originally posted by MawviN
my jack wont reach that point in the front.. Its too big I need some fast suggestions... tHX

try to drive your front wheels up on a piece of wood or something. Just enough to raise the front a few inches so you can get your floor jack underneath.

**Retro** · 02-23-2004 08:26 PM

Originally posted by KanosWRX
..Also make sure you don't jack it from the sub frame, when installing my suspension somebody did that and it bent it out a little bit and now my exhaust flange rubs the rear diff protector, not a big deal, just an annoyance.

In my manual I only see the side skirt points... I tried testing the subframe and soon found out it was a bad move.. it actually didn't bend at first then I heard a creak and

Now I've learned to roll the front up on bricks and then use some wood with the good jack.. don't know what I'm going to do about the rears though.

Update: A friend of mine with a VW said he found a jack with an adaptor. Maybe there is an adaptor source out there that will let us use the heavy duty jacks.

**Retro** · 02-23-2004 08:39 PM

Actually, could someone post a pic. of the rear dif, and draw an x (not arrows) exactly where the jack would go? It's silly, but I don't trust jacking it up anywhere now.