Today our topic will be how to lower a car jack safely. Car jacks are an essential tool for your regular car maintenance. Often a vast amount of maintenance tasks you need to do under your car. That’s where you need a car jack. Not only that, if you are changing your car tires or brakes, you need to raise the car. So, it’s vital to know the process of using a car jack. While most of us know how to use it, we don’t know how to use it correctly; especially while lowing the car jack.
If anything goes wrong, a dangerous situation can take place. If you are going under your car for maintenance, you must ensure that your vehicle is jacked correctly up and stays stable. You also need to lower the vehicle in the same process. Let’s see what we can show you.
Some Tips Before Raising and Lowering a Car Jack
You need to take some precautions before raising or lowering your car with the car jack. Typically, a car jack will come in your car. The instruction to use it will be written in the manual. During the maintenance, place the car on a solid surface. Make sure the surface isn’t a ramp. Put your car in a parking mode. Take all kinds of necessary steps to avoid any dangerous situation.
If you need to buy a new car jack, make sure you’re buying the best portable car jack. As without a better-quality car jack, you cannot raise or lower your jack safely. Moreover, take as many safety measures as possible to avoid any dangerous situation.
You may read our this related products review: 10 Best Low Profile Floor Jack 2020.
How to Lower a Car Jack Safely
This process is pretty much straight forward, but there’s a catch. There are different types of car jacks, and each of them has a different procedure for lowering the jack. So, we can’t focus on a specific type. That’s why we’re going to discuss all of these types of car jacks and their lowering process.
There are four types of car jacks available currently in the market. Let’s talk about all of them here.
Lowering a Scissor Jack
Scissors jacks are the most common car jacks available to the day. Almost 70% of us own this type of jack. Being the oldest car jack model didn’t make any difference in its use. It is cheap and good value for money. Generally, it is a long-threaded screw which is connected with two half brackets. When you rotate the screw, it will either start pushing the two half brackets closer or further and when the brackets come closer, it will lower the jack, and when they go further, it will raise the jack.
When you are done raising your scissor jack, you need to rotate the screw hole in the opposite direction to lower the car. Your scissor jack already comes with a rodlike handle to do that. Generally, spinning in a counterclockwise direction will lower the jack. After the tire touches the surface, keep rotating the jack for a few more times. When the jack is completely separated from the car body by a marginal distance, you can take your jack out.
Lowering a Hydraulic Jack
The hydraulic car jack is also a popular type of car jack. It works under pascal’s rule. There’s a fuel tank where the fluids remain. While you apply the pressure, this fluid will transfer it to the ram. The pump is a mechanical pump that will activate when you move the lever upwards and downwards. To lower this type of jack, you need to practice the raising and lowering process at first without any load, and you have to see if it is working just fine or not. Then place the jack to the jacking point.
Apply the pressure to the lever to lift the car. When the lifting process is done slowly, turn the jack handle to lower the vehicle. Check the descending rate of the car. Don’t let it come down too fast. Your car might get damaged. When the car touches the ground, and your jack is detached from the car completely, you can take out your hydraulic car jack.
Lowering a Bottle Jack
The bottle jack is a special type of hydraulic jack but in the shape of a bottle. These types of jacks are capable of lifting enormous weights, especially cars. The construction is mostly the same as the hydraulic jack. At first, you need to assemble all the components of the bottle jack. Adjust the height and then put it below the car’s jack point.
Then you need to pump the handle upwards and downwards continuously until you reach the desired height. When your maintenance is done, you need to turn the valve counterclockwise as slowly as possible. If you turn it too fast, the car will fall down and will get damaged. When the car touches the ground, then you can remove the jack from your car.
Lowering an Electric Car Jack
This type of car jack is the same as scissor carjacks. The working principle is the same as that type, but when we had to wind the handle manually in the scissor jack, you don’t have to do that here. The electric jack will raise and lower the car jack automatically. Take the jack out at first and then connect the wires the same to the manual said.
After that, place the jack under your car and press the button to turn on the power. This will automatically lift your car. When the maintenance is over, you can lower the car in the same process. Press the button to lower the car again.
Conclusion
If you are a DIY enthusiast like me, I’m pretty much sure that you liked the article very much. I hope you know the process of lowering a car jack very well by now. You should never start jacking the car without knowing how to use the car jack properly. Sometimes, reality becomes more difficult. If you face any difficulty, don’t rush. Call someone who is an expert and learn from him.