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I have an F-150 4WD Extended cab with a flat tire on the front passenger side.
Got the spare down, chocked the wheels and loosened the lug nuts. When I tried to place the jack I couldn't figure out where to place it. I'm using the factory jack which is garbage. The tool that turns the jack is really short and constantly slips out of the slot. I placed the jack right in front of the wheel well under the running board and cranked it for ages. Truck didn't budge.
I don't know much about cars or trucks, but I've never had an issue jacking my Mustang which had the same jack or previous cars.
I was just wondering if anybody knows of a guide with pictures as I don't really know one part from another. And every thing near the wheel is too far under the truck for the stubby little jack tool to work. I have no idea what I'm missing.
Yup, I always placed it under the lower control arm on my old truck. Kinda had to work it in at a weird angle so that you didn't have to almost lay on the ground to turn the jack handle.
I always keep a piece of scrap wood in the back, around 12"x12"x2".
The OEM jack footprint is small and road surface can be totally random and often less than pristine.
Plus it's 1.5 inches you don't have to crank.
Since you have a 4x4, you might want to use several boards.
Thanks for the replies. I looked at the manual. It doesn't resemble anything I see when I look underneath the truck. Found a spot near the wheel well closer to the front. I have no idea what the control arm is. I honestly don't know much of anything about vehicles.
I think the issue is that the jack is a piece of ****. It's the slowest moving jack I've ever seen. You have to turn it a dozen times to get it to raise 1/16th of an inch. And the jack tool is coated with plastic. No, I'm not making that up. It quickly started peeling away leaving the end even smaller. So I'm able to turn the jack one quarter of a turn, half, if I'm lucky, before the jack tool slips right out. It's ridiculous. And despite getting the jack to move up about 2 inches, the truck hasn't budged.
I can't really afford it or I wouldn't be driving a 20 year old truck, but I might have to pay someone to jack this for me. This is well beyond ridiculous.
The lower control arm looks like an "A" with the top of the "A" connected to the spindle through the lower ball joint and the legs connected to the frame.
The OEM jack is barely adequate for my 4x2 truck.
It's near it's limit on a 4x4 and if you have aftermarket rims/ tires it could well be fully played out before the tire is lifted.
Use wood or cinderblock under the jack.
Do not use the hand crank until the jack has met with resistance or it will spin around and the hand crank will fall out.
Just turn the loop with your fingers, you will actually see the truck raise and you'll feel like superman.
Then use the crank when the jack is tight.
This is the easiest automotive task you will ever attempt. Conquer it!
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