Are the jacking points for a floor jack the same as the jack that comes with the car? Does it make any difference if I am going to put the front up on jack stands? I know it is a basic question. I just don't want to kill anything.

if youre going to jack the entire front use the standard jack to jack it up in the very center of the k member (holds the engine in) its hard to jack up at first but you only have to do it once. then when it is high enough put the stands to each side of the k member, then you can work on the suspension or whatever you want with pleanty of room

Pardon my ignorance, but does the k member run along the axle in front of the oil pan? I lost my engine last weekend and am still trying to decide if I want to pull it myself. I've never done it before, but I think I want to give it a shot.

definitlly do it yourself, looking back i wish i finished doing mine myself. the k member (not an rx7 term or whatever) is right behind your radiator when youre looking at your car from the front. make sure you jack on this huge steel piece otherwise you may screw your car up.



it is by the sway bar and BEFORE the oil pan, big black piece of metal that runs to each side of the car.

Thanks papasmurf. I definitely don't want to break anything else. I guess now is the time to upgrade everything. I've had my car for a year and always wanted to do this. We'll see if I have the same feelings later.



Would it make any difference if I put the back up on jack stands if I am going to pull the engine?

depends on you. witht eh stang in my garage were putting in an engine and all WITH the trans, so we have both ends jacked up. if you feel youre going to take the trans out with the engine, jack the back up. otherwise it is useless, just jack it up as high as possible because some of those bolts underneath will be hard to get out.

have some wood handy, 2x4's and such, use the wood to distribute the load and provide some flexability, it will keep from putting dents/scratches/bends in your car. Use a 2x4 like two feet long across the crossmember, running parallel to it, and place the jack in the center of the wood... it will be somewhat obvious when you have to do it.



it would be wise to use wood between the car and the jack stands too.

true true, if only i cared about that... the way i had the stands set up usually it distributes it well. but good point.

I looked at it a while ago and i don't have room for wood between the jack and the crossmember. I guess I could use the stock jack on one side to get the wood in between the jack and the crossmember.



The service manual shows the points for the jack stands at the same points as the stock jack. Is there any advantage/disadvantage to using these points? The only problem I can see is the flange that runs along the body. I guess I could cut a notch in some wood to protect it.

dont use those points itll take forever, just jack up the middle of the engine cross member. then on each die youll see small 4" holes where you can put the jack stands. the stands will rest on the cross member itself. just make sure the jack is centered before you decide to crawl under there to place the stands.

I jacked my car up on the pinch weld along the side. It's strong enough to hold the car up, then i just put 4 jack stands down. The car onyl weighs 2800 lbs.

I originally put the jack stands at the pinch welds. When I started to let the car down, I could hear cracking sounds. I got paranoid and put them on the crossmember. The only problem is that there isn't too much room at the oil pan if you use the crossmember.

pics?

thats true there isnt much room on the cross member, you have to attack the oil pan from behind instead of the front that way. last night when i changed my oil i used the cross member and was still able to undo the plug with my socket wrench with having the stands in the way.... i guess it just depends on what youre doing.



the BEST way is to use the body itself and the "proper" jack points but use a 4 point lift. most of us (including me) do not have that so the easiest way is the crossmember.



im even using the screw jack to do all my jacking tasks!

I had room to drain the oil with the jack stands at the crossmember. It just overshot the catch can when it started draining. Other than that I haven't had any problems with them at the crossmember.

The pinch weld will bend just a little and in some places if you jack it really high it will bend it over a little. But over all its the most easy and out of the way place to use. The pinch weld wont hurt any thing if it bends a little.

What about jacking at the body point and then putting the stands at the base of the arms?

good luck with the motor man, be strong swap it urself

I need all the luck I can get. I was just hesitant because this will be the first time I have done anything to the car. I have already spent enough to buy a reman and pay for the R&R on repairs that I was told I needed. It would have been nice if the dealership had done a compression test before the repairs. I decided that I would try it and then pay someone if I screw up. I know, I know, I didn't want to take it to the dealership, but I haven't found another shop in the area.