i was jacking up my car on all 4 sides and the jack points failed. . they basically totally shattered except for one corner. . .i can still jack the car up on that spot without damaging anything else. . but why did my jack point just shatter like that?

Hey...one of mine FODed out on me too. Luckily I got the painted sideskirts & they covered the area up so you can't see it unless you get down & look under the car. I still use the jack in that spot & haven't had any problems.

were you using the factory jack or a hydrulic jack?

if factoryjack, you need to slip the jack point into the slit of the top of the jack. are you sure it was the entire jack point that "shattered" and not part of the side skirts?

the side skirts had no visible damage on it. . just the jack point. . i used a hydraulic jack and that also had slits on the top of the jack and i made sure it fit well into the jacking point. . as i was pumping . . BAM. . it seemed like the jack slipped off but the point just shattered. . what can i do. . eh

Im interested in seeing an image.

ditto

i'll take some pictures of it later today. . .it's kind of funny and sad at the same time. .

like a dead mime:lol:

here it is. . .it's like this to 3 sides out of 4 and there is significant damage to the side skirts as you can see in this pic. .
http://genji.image.pbase.com/u26/roy_jin/upload/19571229.messedup.jpg

ok i guess that doesn't work. . .i'll try again after work

http://www.uidaho.edu/~chri3280/pics/messedup.jpg

Front crossmember and rear diff. Those are the jack points that won't crush.

Thats what I thought

Im trying really hard not to be mean but dangit, you deserve what happened.

The proper jack or stands will be slotted. It has been posted MANY times on this forum how to get around the problem.

The cheapest method was to get a 2x4 and cut a slot.

Are the jackpoints made to hold the entire weight of the car on 4 separate points? That's a lot more weight than would be on the jackpoints for just changing a tire.

Keith99RS: The issue is not the weight, its that all the weight was put onto the seam, NOT the jack point itself.

:eek:

holly crap! first time seeing THAT!

Yuk! Mashed metal!

This is totally confusing me because I just read through a thread in this forum with a number of people advising to put the car on four stands, one at each factory jack point, when you want the whole thing in the air. In fact, I've seen this advice many times in other threads too. But I've also seen the comments about jack points collapsing.

I've tried a few places for stands and the jack points sure are convenient, especially for the rear where I don't see any obvious alternatives. I've also tried to figure out how to use a slotted 2x4 or hockey puck (suggested in another thread) on top of a jack stand but all the options look way unstable. I even thought of sawing slots in the tops of each stand but that seemed like an accident in the making.

Is it just pure luck as to whether the jack points hold or not? If you don't use the jack points, where the heck do you put the jack stands for the rear?

Wow, I guess I won't be using those jack points anymore with my hydro jack. I didn't realize they were that fragile.

Check out Eastwoodcompany.com for a floor jack saddle replacement that will fit those jack points. Saw that from another post a few years ago.

RickH

Dangit, you guys!

THE SEAM IS NOT THE JACK POINT. ITS THE AREA ON EITHER SIDE OF THE SEAM THAT IS THE JACK POINT

When using the correct jack/stand or a slotted spacer the vehicle will be totally stable. More so then when on the wheels as a matter of fact, no chance of rolling or moving up and down.

ok. . that just confused the hell outta me. . .this is what that area looks like to me. .

_____-------------__ (Wheel) <------- Rear

now i jacked on the dotted line thinkin it was the jack point cause all 4 sides have this pattern. . .so you're saying that i should jack the solid lines (underscore)????

Look at how your factory jack is slotted and you will see how it is supposed to work.

Ummm... duh. That isn't a jack point. Like the guy said up above, the jack point is the area around those seams, not the seam itself.
Did you really expect to support a 3000lb car on an area smaller than a pencil is wide? Look at your factory jack and you'll get a better idea.

On the bright side, you really didn't cause any damage. Yeah, so the metal is a bit munched... so what.

I'd hate to kick a dead horse, but yeah you missed the 'jack point' by a few inches. That's just a pinch weld, the jack point is a little further in, looks sort of like 'rail guards' on skate boards. Don't know if that was much help, don't even know if skateboards still have rail guards. Any Vision boarders on here?

Originally posted by Die Civic
Vision boarders on here?

ahh...the good ole vision gator. though i much preferred my Alva.

wow. . i've never knew this . .so i would have to jack on the underscore lines in my previous reply. . .i think i should kick my own face for this one. . .

yah, you should just use the factory jack with the slot on the top if you are unsure. actually i seldom use my hydraulic unless i really need to because my cars are lowered and the factory jack has much better clearance anyway...and easy to take out.