I live in a rural area and I've had to change a tire on the side of the road which is soft. I've learned to carry a small square thick piece of plywood to place underneath the temporary scissor jack so that it will not go downwards instead of lifting the car upwards. Simple, cheap and effective.
You are a frickin life saver. I don't know much about cars other than fluids and a tire change..... And even that's questionable, seeing how I was unsure of where to lift lol. Thanks for the video.
I just bought a 3 ton floor Jack but was unsure of the lifting locations.I actually used a small 1x1 piece of wood to plug the space and then used floor jack.Nice to know the control arm will also work.Thanks alot 🇨🇦
At 2:00, the diagram likely is mislabeled. The factory jack clearly is supposed to only be used at the marked arrow, and perhaps the two rectangular openings fore and aft may allow a jackstand with a proper flat head. Moving the scissor jack even 8" either way may fail, or at least bend weaker sheet metal not reinforced by welds or extra thicknesses. That as he says, is where the arrow is!
This is something i loathe about newer passenger vehicles. Just jacking and supporting with stands safely can be unnecessarily complicated. Thanks for the great vid!
Thanks for the video. Would also recommend avoiding jacking up cars on asphalt driveways. Floor jacks have a tendency to dig it and leave indents. Best done on concrete if possible.
There are some aftermarket steel round inserts (same diameter as a hockey puck) with vertical lips that go around the pinch welds that simply drop onto the hydraulic floor jack round contact point and prevent any damage to them. I've used mine on several unibody vehicles with no problems. Once lifted, I simply slide the jack stand near it on the factory lift point and remove the hydraulic floor jack, so I can continue lifting at other spot/s.
The manual says: "CAUTION: Under no circumstances should the vehicle ever be lifted by the front or rear control arms, halfshafts or front wheel constant velocity (CV) joints. Severe damage to the vehicle could result."
Hi Nick- I appreciate the heads up. I have been meaning to take that part of the video out- I have been using the hockey pucks on the subframe shoulder / rocker panel with no issues over the years. That is the correct lifting point. Thanks for the reminder to eliminate the green circle and make a note for finding the crossmember instead. Do you have a page number in the manual for reference?
@@HowToEscapeDIYTipsandReviews Sorry not for that found it from other videos on the 10s-12s tho. Is really lacking info from the manual and mechanic books on proper points for these. Best I found is using the hockey puck on the pinch weld near the tire and putting jack stands more in the center behind it on the flat reinforced bit. (You can tell the shops use this point on the lifts because there's slight bending around the hole that helps them keep it from slipping off)
@@HowToEscapeDIYTipsandReviews Pulled out and looked thru my 2010 Escape owners guide. The section for changing a tire says this (and keep in mind the scissor jack mine comes with has a large round hole in the center designed for these spots) "Before placing the jack(Nick: the special one included) under the vehicle, NOTE the jack location: Front: View shown from the rear of the front tire. Position the jack directly below the protruding bolt.(Nick: this pic looks like the large bolt at the end of the control arm?? and is designed to fit only these jacks without damaging it I guess) Rear: View shown from forward of rear tire. Position the jack directly below the stud on the rear trailing arm. Be sure to place the jack away from the rear edge of the rocker to avoid damaging the rear tire spoiler.(Nick: on this one there's a cylinder that perfectly fits the included scissor jack like the bolt in front) Never use the differentials as a jacking point." And this is all the info the owner guide gives almost nothing solid for doing anything but changing the tires with the included scissor jack with its special hole. I think that other information might come from a repair manual, but IDK which the OP was referring to. I do have a Chilton's for the escape, but again it's very vague and only says this. "The jack supplied with the vehicle should only be used for changing a tire or placing jackstands under the frame. Never work under the vehicle or start the engine while this jack is being used as the only means of support. (Nick: then it goes on talking about removing the tire a bit and gets to this part) Place the scissors-type jack under the vehicle and adjust the height until it engages with the proper jacking point. There is a front and rear jacking point on each side of the vehicle (see illustration)(Nick: the illustration is useless and shows the same places for just the tire changes) So basically they're saying you are 'placing jackstands under the frame' with no clear indication to any jackstand safe points besides the most outer jacking points. Which you can't place a jackstand on when you're using it to jack up the SUV. Bad instructions all around on this one.
@@NickNembus Thanks for such a thorouch response! I agree- I did a bit more research and it seems like these newer unibody frames are strongest in the rocker areas for jacking points. As you know, in order to put a jack stand and a scissor or floor jack under the vehicle, it's almost like we need 2 spec'd locations for lifting- one for the lift point and the other for resting on the jack stand. I've been using a floor jack and lifting just far enough away from the jack stand with the hockey puck and lowering on the jack stand in the noted areas for the scissor jack. I am hesitant to even state to lift from a crossmember even if it's doable just in case somebody mixes it up with something fragile like an oil pan or something. I DID delete the portion of the video suggesting to lift from the control arm per your suggestion so that should be a bit safer now and still helpful in the other areas shown. Thanks again Nick- I agree- this is vague- not sure for liability or what, but it would be great to have some more specificity... have a good one, man!
Thanks for these videos as they are super helpful. A question about the ratings of the floor jack and jack stands. Do you use 3 ton, more, or less as you use these for your repairs and maintenance?
Hi and thanks for the positive feedback! I have a 2 ton rated floor jack. Our Escapes are only slightly over 2000lbs, which is 1 ton. If you're lifting up one side of your car and 2 wheels are off the ground, you're only lifting a half ton at a time. Therefore, I think 2 ton covers you by a safety factor of 4x, and allows you to use it for a larger vehicle if you need as well :) Same weight distribution policy goes for jack stands. Each one experiences a quarter ton if they're placed at all 4 corners.
I didn’t find that my scissor jack at full extension was able to raise my 2013 escape off the ground. Am I doing something wrong? The scissor jack was at full extension?
Good question- I actually don't have an exact number there- If I had to put a number on it, I typically put it up to 10" away in order to still use the floor jack and still put your jack stand in place... just try to keep it as close to the bent subframe and as close to the noted areas with the area as possible as that's where it's going to be most rigid
Thanks for the great feedback, Natasha! Please let us know if there's something in specific you're looking for in the future! Subscribe if you'd like to be notified for new videos!
Sorry for the late response! Yes you can prop up only one side of your vehicle, such as front left and back left wheels, with the other side still on the ground. Shouldn't cause an issue!
The scissor jack that came with the car doesn't have that uneven groove that allows the pinch weld to fit in it - it only has a shallow groove with sides of even height. So the car's strip of metal sits on top of the jack in a dangerous way that could damage the metal. It is a terrible jack to use.
Hey @City_Trees- yeah I've heard others say there's a discrepancy in the type of jack supplied with these Escapes across different years even if the main body style is similar. I agree it's not awesome. Only time I'd ever use it is on the side of the road if I had to- have a floor jack and jack stands to do all the work we do here on the channel. I am in 100% accordance with you. Thanks for the comment and let us know if there's something else we can help with. Have a good one!
No, but actually yes. The control arms will hold the weight fine from an engineering standpoint. Officially Ford will never endorse it because it was never specifically designed for it.
Artur Maczuga hah! We only have Escape shirts right now if you'd like to order one :-) if so, check out www.howtoescapewithrahrena.weebly.com . If you're looking for Kiga specifically, we don't have a shirt print on that yet :-)
Thank you so much William! Sorry for the delay in response, but I appreciate you taking the time to comment and give a like for the video- that helps a ton! Have a great day
Should be pretty similar. Look for the arrow indicators and if you use the control arms be careful and go slow and make sure to use something soft in between the jack and the metal of the control arm to not bend anything. I used hockey pucks. Good luck!
Recently jacked up my escape through control arm to replace the splash shield screws. Now the car vibrates while driving high speed. Did I damage my control arm?
Hmm it should not have- where was the jack contacting the control arm? What type of vibration are you experiencing? Cyclical with wheel rotation or only in certain conditions, turning, accelerating, etc. Do you notice the car pulling to one side if you let go of the wheel for a moment?
@@HowToEscapeDIYTipsandReviews I tried jacking up as close as I can towards the wheel so the jack arm could contact as close as it can to be flat to the arm. The vibrations happen driving above 60mph irregardless if I accelerate faster or not. I'm hoping I didn't damage the arm but from what I've researched, control arm damage has vibrations while accelerating at high speeds.
The manual says: "CAUTION: Under no circumstances should the vehicle ever be lifted by the front or rear control arms, halfshafts or front wheel constant velocity (CV) joints. Severe damage to the vehicle could result." Vids like these give poor advice often.
@@NickNembus It's odd that a control arm cannot handle the weight of 1/4 of the car- IF loaded evenly. More likely they say not to use it because: 1)you could put the weight on unevenly and twist the control arm if not careful. 2) most likely, it's a slanted surface and not very safe. The car could fall on you.
Haha that would be awesome. Right now it's just not in the cards unfortunately. Used auto prices have come down a bit, but we're still a bit away from jumping to the next body style although I would indeed like to! Thanks for the encouragement :) Sorry it wasn't a direct match for you- what year do you have? Thanks :)
This is instructional to a point. Definitely not the best video for people to use that are not in the know. A jack stand is not a floor jack for instance.
Hah. Thanks for the kind words of encouragement, Gerry. Didn't actually use one for this video, but did my best to say what was important to make it an effective video, so maybe that's what you're referring to. Thanks for checking out the channel.
I live in a rural area and I've had to change a tire on the side of the road which is soft. I've learned to carry a small square thick piece of plywood to place underneath the temporary scissor jack so that it will not go downwards instead of lifting the car upwards. Simple, cheap and effective.
You are a frickin life saver. I don't know much about cars other than fluids and a tire change..... And even that's questionable, seeing how I was unsure of where to lift lol. Thanks for the video.
I just bought a 3 ton floor Jack but was unsure of the lifting locations.I actually used a small 1x1 piece of wood to plug the space and then used floor jack.Nice to know the control arm will also work.Thanks alot 🇨🇦
Glad it was helpful! A 3 ton jack will definitely do the trick! hah
At 2:00, the diagram likely is mislabeled. The factory jack clearly is supposed to only be used at the marked arrow, and perhaps the two rectangular openings fore and aft may allow a jackstand with a proper flat head. Moving the scissor jack even 8" either way may fail, or at least bend weaker sheet metal not reinforced by welds or extra thicknesses. That as he says, is where the arrow is!
Thanks. The same issues apply to a lot of unibody vehicles, like the Fiesta, Fusion, etc.
Thanks was worried about damaging undercarriage. Great video !
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for checking out the channel!
This is something i loathe about newer passenger vehicles. Just jacking and supporting with stands safely can be unnecessarily complicated.
Thanks for the great vid!
Thanks for the video. Would also recommend avoiding jacking up cars on asphalt driveways. Floor jacks have a tendency to dig it and leave indents. Best done on concrete if possible.
Thank you. I was exactly looking for scissor jack and jack stand.
Thanks for the hockey puck tip. Great informative vid. Thanks for posting.
There are some aftermarket steel round inserts (same diameter as a hockey puck) with vertical lips that go around the pinch welds that simply drop onto the hydraulic floor jack round contact point and prevent any damage to them. I've used mine on several unibody vehicles with no problems. Once lifted, I simply slide the jack stand near it on the factory lift point and remove the hydraulic floor jack, so I can continue lifting at other spot/s.
Thanks for the informative video. I have been wondering where to use a floor jack on the Escape!
Glad you found it helpful! Thanks for the feedback! :)
Thanks!! Excellent explanation and visual aids.
Very useful. My car is 2 months old, and I hope I don't need this information too soon, lol. Good job on the video.
John Griggs thanks a lot, John!
John Griggs my jack handle don,t turn
The manual says:
"CAUTION: Under no circumstances should the vehicle ever be lifted by the front or rear
control arms, halfshafts or front wheel constant velocity (CV) joints. Severe damage to the
vehicle could result."
Hi Nick- I appreciate the heads up. I have been meaning to take that part of the video out- I have been using the hockey pucks on the subframe shoulder / rocker panel with no issues over the years. That is the correct lifting point. Thanks for the reminder to eliminate the green circle and make a note for finding the crossmember instead. Do you have a page number in the manual for reference?
@@HowToEscapeDIYTipsandReviews Sorry not for that found it from other videos on the 10s-12s tho. Is really lacking info from the manual and mechanic books on proper points for these. Best I found is using the hockey puck on the pinch weld near the tire and putting jack stands more in the center behind it on the flat reinforced bit. (You can tell the shops use this point on the lifts because there's slight bending around the hole that helps them keep it from slipping off)
@@HowToEscapeDIYTipsandReviews Pulled out and looked thru my 2010 Escape owners guide. The section for changing a tire says this (and keep in mind the scissor jack mine comes with has a large round hole in the center designed for these spots)
"Before placing the jack(Nick: the special one included) under the vehicle, NOTE the jack location: Front: View shown from the rear of the front tire. Position the jack directly below the protruding bolt.(Nick: this pic looks like the large bolt at the end of the control arm?? and is designed to fit only these jacks without damaging it I guess) Rear: View shown from forward of rear tire. Position the jack directly below the stud on the rear trailing arm. Be sure to place the jack away from the rear edge of the rocker to avoid damaging the rear tire spoiler.(Nick: on this one there's a cylinder that perfectly fits the included scissor jack like the bolt in front) Never use the differentials as a jacking point."
And this is all the info the owner guide gives almost nothing solid for doing anything but changing the tires with the included scissor jack with its special hole.
I think that other information might come from a repair manual, but IDK which the OP was referring to. I do have a Chilton's for the escape, but again it's very vague and only says this.
"The jack supplied with the vehicle should only be used for changing a tire or placing jackstands under the frame. Never work under the vehicle or start the engine while this jack is being used as the only means of support. (Nick: then it goes on talking about removing the tire a bit and gets to this part) Place the scissors-type jack under the vehicle and adjust the height until it engages with the proper jacking point. There is a front and rear jacking point on each side of the vehicle (see illustration)(Nick: the illustration is useless and shows the same places for just the tire changes)
So basically they're saying you are 'placing jackstands under the frame' with no clear indication to any jackstand safe points besides the most outer jacking points. Which you can't place a jackstand on when you're using it to jack up the SUV. Bad instructions all around on this one.
@@NickNembus Thanks for such a thorouch response! I agree- I did a bit more research and it seems like these newer unibody frames are strongest in the rocker areas for jacking points. As you know, in order to put a jack stand and a scissor or floor jack under the vehicle, it's almost like we need 2 spec'd locations for lifting- one for the lift point and the other for resting on the jack stand. I've been using a floor jack and lifting just far enough away from the jack stand with the hockey puck and lowering on the jack stand in the noted areas for the scissor jack. I am hesitant to even state to lift from a crossmember even if it's doable just in case somebody mixes it up with something fragile like an oil pan or something. I DID delete the portion of the video suggesting to lift from the control arm per your suggestion so that should be a bit safer now and still helpful in the other areas shown. Thanks again Nick- I agree- this is vague- not sure for liability or what, but it would be great to have some more specificity... have a good one, man!
You nailed it man. This is a very well produced video. Hit all the critical information!
Thanks a lot! Glad you found the video helpful! :) Let me know if there are any other things you'd like to see!
Useful video
Hi from Sudan
Fantastic video, helping a friend on his Escape and this was just what I needed, thanks a bunch!
Awesome- Glad it helped, Oliver! Thanks for checking out the channel!
Good to know gotta do front brakes and bulbs !
Great idea with the hockey pucks
Thanks! Can't say it was my idea though- a guy on fordescape.org suggested it and they do work great!
Great camera work!
Thanks a lot Dave hah
Thanks for these videos as they are super helpful. A question about the ratings of the floor jack and jack stands. Do you use 3 ton, more, or less as you use these for your repairs and maintenance?
Hi and thanks for the positive feedback! I have a 2 ton rated floor jack. Our Escapes are only slightly over 2000lbs, which is 1 ton. If you're lifting up one side of your car and 2 wheels are off the ground, you're only lifting a half ton at a time. Therefore, I think 2 ton covers you by a safety factor of 4x, and allows you to use it for a larger vehicle if you need as well :) Same weight distribution policy goes for jack stands. Each one experiences a quarter ton if they're placed at all 4 corners.
why i dont like unibody cars, rust gets to the pinchwelds then you gotta try near the subframe.
It's true... not awesome if you live in an area with harsh winters. Thanks for leaving the comment and for checking out the video!
Thank you!
I didn’t find that my scissor jack at full extension was able to raise my 2013 escape off the ground. Am I doing something wrong? The scissor jack was at full extension?
Thank you it help a lot
Thank you, very informative video and put together very well.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for checking out the channel!
Thank you for the video.
Absolutely! Hope you were able to find it helpful!
Thanks for the vid. how far off the jacking point "arrow" (pinch-weld) can you use floor jack or jack stands. 6 inches?
Good question- I actually don't have an exact number there- If I had to put a number on it, I typically put it up to 10" away in order to still use the floor jack and still put your jack stand in place... just try to keep it as close to the bent subframe and as close to the noted areas with the area as possible as that's where it's going to be most rigid
VERY HELPFUL 👍
Thanks for the great feedback, Natasha! Please let us know if there's something in specific you're looking for in the future! Subscribe if you'd like to be notified for new videos!
Is all Ford/Lincolns of this generation share the same methodology of jack points and jacking up the car?
Can I change my car rotor with only a jack stand on one side of the wheels?? I dont have the floor jack.
Sorry for the late response! Yes you can prop up only one side of your vehicle, such as front left and back left wheels, with the other side still on the ground. Shouldn't cause an issue!
The scissor jack that came with the car doesn't have that uneven groove that allows the pinch weld to fit in it - it only has a shallow groove with sides of even height. So the car's strip of metal sits on top of the jack in a dangerous way that could damage the metal. It is a terrible jack to use.
Hey @City_Trees- yeah I've heard others say there's a discrepancy in the type of jack supplied with these Escapes across different years even if the main body style is similar. I agree it's not awesome. Only time I'd ever use it is on the side of the road if I had to- have a floor jack and jack stands to do all the work we do here on the channel. I am in 100% accordance with you. Thanks for the comment and let us know if there's something else we can help with. Have a good one!
Great video. Can you say where you bought those round magnets ?? Thanks.
Serge P he said walmart
I suppose your jack stand's head placed in wrong place. Please check your video at 3:42. you can't brace up your car away from the join steel ridge.
Great video
Thanks, Garth! Thanks for checking out the channel!
Is the floor jack really supposed to use the control arms as a jack point?
No, but actually yes. The control arms will hold the weight fine from an engineering standpoint. Officially Ford will never endorse it because it was never specifically designed for it.
The floor jack location is not so clear thanks
This would pretty well work for a 2012 or newer Ford Focus too wouldn’t it?
The cars are very similar- I would think it would, but am not 100% sure
damn okay, thank you
Good video, any chance of getting Kuga shirt?😁
Artur Maczuga hah! We only have Escape shirts right now if you'd like to order one :-) if so, check out www.howtoescapewithrahrena.weebly.com . If you're looking for Kiga specifically, we don't have a shirt print on that yet :-)
Well said. Thumbs up.?
Thank you so much William! Sorry for the delay in response, but I appreciate you taking the time to comment and give a like for the video- that helps a ton! Have a great day
NOT A FLOOR JACK MR LUGNUT ! JACK STAND DIPSTICK !
& wat mAx U think jXstNd is supposed to go there?🤔
do you know if the jacking points with a floor jack would be any different for a 2017 Ford Escape?
Should be pretty similar. Look for the arrow indicators and if you use the control arms be careful and go slow and make sure to use something soft in between the jack and the metal of the control arm to not bend anything. I used hockey pucks. Good luck!
@@HowToEscapeDIYTipsandReviews Thank you!!
Recently jacked up my escape through control arm to replace the splash shield screws. Now the car vibrates while driving high speed. Did I damage my control arm?
Hmm it should not have- where was the jack contacting the control arm? What type of vibration are you experiencing? Cyclical with wheel rotation or only in certain conditions, turning, accelerating, etc. Do you notice the car pulling to one side if you let go of the wheel for a moment?
@@HowToEscapeDIYTipsandReviews I tried jacking up as close as I can towards the wheel so the jack arm could contact as close as it can to be flat to the arm.
The vibrations happen driving above 60mph irregardless if I accelerate faster or not. I'm hoping I didn't damage the arm but from what I've researched, control arm damage has vibrations while accelerating at high speeds.
The manual says:
"CAUTION: Under no circumstances should the vehicle ever be lifted by the front or rear
control arms, halfshafts or front wheel constant velocity (CV) joints. Severe damage to the
vehicle could result." Vids like these give poor advice often.
@@NickNembus It's odd that a control arm cannot handle the weight of 1/4 of the car- IF loaded evenly. More likely they say not to use it because: 1)you could put the weight on unevenly and twist the control arm if not careful. 2) most likely, it's a slanted surface and not very safe. The car could fall on you.
Wait...Walmart sells hockey pucks?
Nope, didn't have any of the locations described for jack placement.
Bummer- sorry about that- what's the year of your Escape???
Can you please buy a 4th gen escape lol
Haha that would be awesome. Right now it's just not in the cards unfortunately. Used auto prices have come down a bit, but we're still a bit away from jumping to the next body style although I would indeed like to! Thanks for the encouragement :) Sorry it wasn't a direct match for you- what year do you have? Thanks :)
Jack stands aren’t jacks but what about bottle jacks
Bottle jacks should be interchangeable with scissor jack or floor jack locations. Just beware of stability of course
4:22
This is instructional to a point. Definitely not the best video for people to use that are not in the know. A jack stand is not a floor jack for instance.
You sound like a robot , can tell you're reading from script :)
Hah. Thanks for the kind words of encouragement, Gerry. Didn't actually use one for this video, but did my best to say what was important to make it an effective video, so maybe that's what you're referring to. Thanks for checking out the channel.
not really. he was speaking human and i clearly understood him.
Disagree. Good video all around for me.