My 2nd and 3rg gen RX-7's had very nice aluminum jacks. Today I open up the tool compartment to find a cheesy steel jack. Anyone know where I can buy a new [or like new] aluminum jack from an RX-7?

Does it really matter? Does it look like the RX-8 jack could be used at least once? In 35 years of driving I've never used my car jack.

where do you jack the car up from? i was looking under the car with a hydraulic jack and couldn't find a suitable place to lift the car from.

Originally posted by lefuton
where do you jack the car up from? i was looking under the car with a hydraulic jack and couldn't find a suitable place to lift the car from. From under the tire. But only if it's good and flat on the bottom.
:p
Owner's manual pg. 7-14 "Flat Tire - Removing the Tire" shows the jacking positions for the supplied jack.

Originally posted by Racer X-8
Owner's manual pg. 7-14 "Flat Tire - Removing the Tire" shows the jacking positions for the supplied jack.

You mean the car comes with a MANUAL!?!?!? I guess I should look into that. ;)

When I don't feel like wheeling out the hydraulic jack I just grab the trunk jack. I support the car on jack stands for extra security. Every once in a while I'll pull the wheels off the car to clean the brake dust that collects in them. I'll also perform any maintenance the car needs. I develop software for a living so wrenching on the car is a nice change of pace for me.

I don't know if I would use those jacking points with a floor jack or a bottle jack though. Probably would bend that vertical rib to horizontal pretty easily :(

I haven't looked yet myself for those types of jacking points. There's gotta be somewhere under there for that. Anyone?

So does anyone know the best location point when using a floor jack? Also when using a jack stand, do you jack the car up one corner at a time then place the jack stand or do you do all four corners or front then rear?

Since I haven't gotten my car yet (next week so I'm told), I can't answer for the 8. But, when I rotate on my Miata, I use a hydraulic floor jack. I put a piece of 2x4 about 3' long on top of the jack and put it directly under the side mirror. That way the pressure of the jack is distributed over a larger area. And it lifts the whole car. Oh, all of the normal safety procedures are followed, e.g., wheel chocks, etc.

Originally posted by TybeeRX-8
put a piece of 2x4 about 3' long on top of the jack and put it directly under the side mirror. That way the pressure of the jack is distributed over a larger area.

good tip. jacking a car up is pretty simple: you do it on the hardest points of the chassis rails. (almost universally the jacking points in the manual can be applied to any car)

also, when you're putting it on stands, you want to put one end up first (on the lowest the stands will go), then the other end, and go around the corners once more to get it off the ground enough to work under (if that's why you're doing it).

Originally posted by Parmer8
So does anyone know the best location point when using a floor jack? Also when using a jack stand, do you jack the car up one corner at a time then place the jack stand or do you do all four corners or front then rear? I used my floor jack when test-fitting the wheels and tires I'll be using in Topeka. At the rear, I placed the jack under the ribbed diff housing; at the front, under the front cross member (between the sump and the gearbox). You can't get much movement to pump the handle - for the front, I put it in from one side and worked the handle in the wheel arch - but both lift nice and evenly with no creaks or groans anywhere.

Okay, help please...where can I get a replacement mirror? Wal-Mart would not change my oil (since they had no data for the car), so I decided to do it myslf. I tried to jack the car directly under the mirror, as TybeeRX-8 suggested. I thought all was going well, because the car was starting to lift. Suddenly there was a loud snap, and the side mirror went flying up in the air!. It broke closest to the car, right before the hinge. How can I fix this?

ouch

Originally posted by B-Nez
Suddenly there was a loud snap, and the side mirror went flying up in the air!. It broke closest to the car, right before the hinge. How can I fix this? Jack up the other side to even things up. ;)

You EEeediots, I can not believe you all. READ THE BOOK!!!!!!

Originally posted by B-Nez
Okay, help please...where can I get a replacement mirror? Wal-Mart would not change my oil (since they had no data for the car), so I decided to do it myslf. I tried to jack the car directly under the mirror, as TybeeRX-8 suggested. I thought all was going well, because the car was starting to lift. Suddenly there was a loud snap, and the side mirror went flying up in the air!. It broke closest to the car, right before the hinge. How can I fix this?

I don't see for the life of me how this could happen. Certainly there is absolutely no stress placed on the mirror when jacking this way. It implies that the whole chassis, including the door flex in some way. If that were the case, the whole car would bend when you hit a bump. The mirror is simply mounted to the door and unless the door was bending... I just have a hard time believing this!:confused:

Have y'all really become so dependent on smileys that you take as gospel anything that doesn't have one?

Originally posted by eccles
Jack up the other side to even things up. ;)

Not to make humor of B-Nez's predicament, but that statement was cruel, oh so cruel. :D

Originally posted by B-Nez
Okay, help please...where can I get a replacement mirror? Wal-Mart would not change my oil (since they had no data for the car), so I decided to do it myslf. I tried to jack the car directly under the mirror, as TybeeRX-8 suggested. I thought all was going well, because the car was starting to lift. Suddenly there was a loud snap, and the side mirror went flying up in the air!. It broke closest to the car, right before the hinge. How can I fix this?
Actually, I was just kidding. I did not really try to use the mirror as a jack point. :D When I read TybeeRX-8's post that was the 1st mental picture that came to me, and it made me laugh (remember the guy who used sandpaper on a small scratch?) that someone might actually misinterpret it that way. My car is fine, I have not tried to jack it yet, and I have read the manual. :p

lol ya i was torn between being amused at others serious responses and my urge to clunk them in the head with a hammer.

1 Jacked up under mirror lol.

2. Wallmart would not change my oil?! Two lols

For the love of god guys ! lol Triple lol ha ha ha ! As the count would say.:D

LOL!:D

Actually, the side view mirrors do work well if you have an overhead chain hoist like me. Just use a spreader bar so you don't mess up your roof line.

With a 50-50 weight distribution at the wheels, and you want to do some work at the rear, a simple lift with one hand should get your rear end off the ground too. Just don't let the tailppipe get between your legs under there, especially if it's still hot!:eek:

OK, alright, this is for professionals only, not to be performed by amateurish imbeciles.

It seems like simple things like jacking your car up off of the ground are becomming a lost art...

The jack points listed in the manual should only be used with a factory supplied jack. Those points were designed to hold one corner of the car off of the ground to facilitate the changing of a flat tire. Note that this subframe type entity is very thin. It is NOT meant to support the front AND rear of the car, nor is it meant to be lifted off very high off of the ground. If you try to support too much weight on that rail you will bend/break something.

If you look under the car, 1-2 feet from the outside of the car you should be able to see a steel rail of some sort -- the rail should run at least the length of the passenger compartment. That rail should easily be able to support the weight for one side of the car. Every car I've ever had to jack up has been like this; I doubt the RX-8 is any different.

Since the weight distribution on the car is roughly 50/50, you should pick a point near the center of the car to jack it up -- should lift both the front and rears off the ground at approximately the same time.

I've seen some people mention jacking up the car via suspention points ... I don't recommend that, mainly because it's hard to tell what parts are load bearing and which ones aren't. While unlikely, it is possible to mess something up. It also looks like it'd be easier for the car to roll off of the jack IMO.

Saftey tips:
* Put a bock in front of and behind tires that remain on the ground (prevent the car from rolling around and possibly falling off the jack/jack stands)
* Position two jack stands under the frame in case the main jack fails, or lower the main jack onto the jack stands and keep the main jack under the frame as a backup
* Make sure the parking brake is engaged
* Jack up the car on a reasonably level surface

Car tips:
* Don't assume that the jack will roll under the car the first time you use it -- the 8 sits a lot lower than most cars, and if it's anything like mine some jacks WON'T fit under the car. Last think you want to do is make a big ugly mark on the kickplate...