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Using the stock jack when replacing a flat tire. Holy hell that was terrifying.

Discussion in '3rd Gen. Tacomas (2016-2023)' started by SirRage, Dec 23, 2018.

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  1. Dec 23, 2018 at 9:30 PM
    #1
    SirRage

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    SirRage [OP] New Member

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    The tl;dr here is to buy a jack you are comfortable with BEFORE you need to use it because the OEM bottle jack is shit. It's undersized and will pop out of place while lifting the truck. 1st gen Tacoma I own didn't have this issue when I used the supplied jack.

    And the long version...

    I've had the truck for just about two months now and yesterday I noticed I picked up a screw. Great, well I immediately looked for a tire place in the area, but it was late a weekend so everywhere was either packed or closed. Usually, when those things are in there, they are in there. So, decided to drive home and put the spare on there with a proper floor jack. The last 4 miles before my freeway exist the screw ejected itself from my tire and I went flat, on a long stretch of highway with barely any sholder.

    After pulling over, I went into the back compartment and pulled out the OEM bottle jack. The top of jack had no lifted tabs or anything to lock the jack in place but these soft bumps. That was concerning, but it's all I had. I quickly checked the manual for lifting points because that's what you do when you're stressed. Well shit, I could not find a diagram, even in the section specifically for changing a tire. I thought it was inexcusable that they don't even have diagrams for changing the oil in the user manual anymore, but this is just a whole new level of incompetence I just was not ready for.

    I looked at the bottle jack and they printed were to use the jack on it. Ok, whatever. I got under the truck and looked where they wanted me to put it, just before the driver side door next to a reinforcing framing cross member. But the patch the diagram referred to was completely flat with nothing for the jack to lock into. That was unnerving but I could not find another suitable place so I used it.

    It took for bloody ever to get the jack to the proper height and once it started lifting the truck the truck was putting lateral force on the jack due to the suspension and the damn thing looked like it was bending. At this point, I was able to get the wheel off because it's flat and was lifting the truck high enough to get the new wheel on. I nearly got it jacked up high enough when there was a huge pop from the frame slipping off of the jack and coming to rest in a new location. That freaked the hell out of me because if it had fallen off the jack or the jack had failed, the truck would have gone crashing down on nothing but the calipers.

    Understandably I'm shaken up at this point. Not to mention freeway speed traffic just three feet behind me, and it looks like the jack is still bending.

    I quickly get the spare tire on, lower the jack and get the hell out of there.

    The next day I got the tired repaired and when the technician was lifting the truck to put the repaired tire back, the truck AGAIN slipped off of the floor jack.

    These powder coated frames are great for corrosion protection but terrible for grip, so be careful when using floor jacks or any jack for that matter that doesn't have some rubber grip pad.

    In the end, nothing is broken but one hell of a terrifying experience.
     
    SirRage, Dec 23, 2018
    #1
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  2. Dec 23, 2018 at 9:34 PM
    #2
    theredofshaw

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    theredofshaw Well-Known Member

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    Definitely not a fan of those small bottle jacks. As annoying as they are, the scissor jack that came with my wife’s CRV seems fairly stout and reliable.
     
    theredofshaw, Dec 23, 2018
    #2
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  3. Dec 23, 2018 at 9:34 PM
    #3
    CenCalYota

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    CenCalYota Active Member

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    Damn, that doesn’t sound like a good time at all.
     
    CenCalYota, Dec 23, 2018
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  4. Dec 23, 2018 at 9:37 PM
    #4
    Sharpish

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    Sharpish Well-Known Member

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    I've used mine quite a bit, which tire was flat?
     
    Sharpish, Dec 23, 2018
    #4
  5. Dec 23, 2018 at 9:41 PM
    #5
    stun gun

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    stun gun Well-Known Member

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    The long version is like the extended version of dances with wolves. It’s exhausting, but mildly worth it.
     
    stun gun, Dec 23, 2018
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  6. Dec 23, 2018 at 9:42 PM
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    StayinStock

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    StayinStock Set it and forget it

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    Overrated.
     
    StayinStock, Dec 23, 2018
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  7. Dec 23, 2018 at 9:43 PM
    #7
    12retire

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    12retire •••••••••••••

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    Yup, my truck slipped off the jack, I was changing the back tire, I have those wedges now in my truck
     
    12retire, Dec 23, 2018
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  8. Dec 23, 2018 at 9:45 PM
    #8
    computeruser6

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    computeruser6 Nuclear Janitor

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    Are you trying to say that the powdercoat on your frame makes it impossible to use a floor jack? No, just no...
     
    computeruser6, Dec 23, 2018
    #8
  9. Dec 23, 2018 at 9:45 PM
    #9
    stun gun

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    stun gun Well-Known Member

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    “I nearly got it jacked up high enough when therewas a huge pop from the frame slipping off of the jack and coming to rest in a newlocation. That freaked the hell out of me”
     
    stun gun, Dec 23, 2018
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  10. Dec 23, 2018 at 9:46 PM
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    friendlywithbears

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    friendlywithbears a tree falling in the woods

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    I cut 4" square sections of a 2x4 and keep them behind the seat. One or more of those between the jack and frame really helps for both height and grip.

    But I'm with you, and have other jacks on the vehicle as well.
     
    friendlywithbears, Dec 23, 2018
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  11. Dec 23, 2018 at 9:48 PM
    #11
    stun gun

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    stun gun Well-Known Member

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    OPS first post. Welcome, and be careful. Geeze.
     
    stun gun, Dec 23, 2018
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  12. Dec 23, 2018 at 9:48 PM
    #12
    Dacon

    #12
    Dacon 2017 Tacoma TRD PRO Quikrete

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    Lift the truck to replace a tire by the frame?
    FRONT tire, place the jack under the LCA to ONLY lift the tire, not truck
    REAR tire, place the jack under the rear axle close to the flat tire, into the rear leaf spring cup.
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2018
    Dacon, Dec 23, 2018
    #12
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  13. Dec 23, 2018 at 9:50 PM
    #13
    StayinStock

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    StayinStock Set it and forget it

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    Welcome to TW!
     
    StayinStock, Dec 23, 2018
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  14. Dec 23, 2018 at 9:50 PM
    #14
    Sharpish

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    Sharpish Well-Known Member

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    You read my mind. Thanks for typing it for me.
     
    Sharpish, Dec 23, 2018
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  15. Dec 23, 2018 at 9:53 PM
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    boynoyce

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    boynoyce .

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    Welcome to the forum

    Glad you got it done and made it home safe.

    Thanks for the write up.
     
    boynoyce, Dec 23, 2018
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  16. Dec 23, 2018 at 9:57 PM
    #16
    w.adventures

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    w.adventures Adventure is out there

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    This guy gets it. Glad everything worked out even with him using the jack wrong. Did you at least have the parking brake on?
     
    w.adventures, Dec 23, 2018
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  17. Dec 23, 2018 at 9:57 PM
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    computeruser6

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    computeruser6 Nuclear Janitor

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    computeruser6, Dec 23, 2018
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  18. Dec 23, 2018 at 10:08 PM
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    Stocklocker

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    Stocklocker Well-Known Member

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    So is the stock jack a worm screw type? Is it really a “bottle jack” or is that kinda a misnomer for a purely mechanical jack?

    I’ve never quite understood how these stock non-hydraulic bottle jacks work.
     
    Stocklocker, Dec 23, 2018
    #18
  19. Dec 23, 2018 at 10:11 PM
    #19
    Sharpish

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    Sharpish Well-Known Member

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    It's not hydraulic. Uses a rotational motion.
     
    Sharpish, Dec 23, 2018
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  20. Dec 23, 2018 at 10:14 PM
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    Stocklocker

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    Stocklocker Well-Known Member

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    Stocklocker, Dec 23, 2018
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