Fixing a flat tire or performing a little routine maintenance is a fact of life when you own a car or truck. While many people prefer to hand off auto problems to their mechanic, others prefer to save some cash and do it themselves. When fixing a tire or changing the oil, proper positioning of the jack is key for safety and ease. Knowing where to place the jack is a necessity in getting the job done.
Set your Toyota in park and engage the emergency brake for safety's sake. You'll need some bricks or smaller blocks of wood or stone to chock the tires to keep your vehicle from moving or rocking any while it's up on the jack. Next, throw down a blanket, towel, or rug on the ground next to the side of your car or truck where you'll be using the jack, both for comfort and to keep from getting too dirty. With a flashlight in hand, lay on the ground and spot the indented part of the frame immediately behind the wheel. If you'll be using the jack that came with your particular Toyota model, you'll see that this indentation is the same size as the head of your jack. If you're using another type, whether a jack stand or hydraulic manually cranked jack, it will still need to be positioned in the same place. It's fine if the other jack has a larger head; if the jack head is smaller, don't use it. Jacking up a car may not be fun, but neither is having the jacked-up car fall on you.
Make sure the jack is fully down (retracted) or it won't fit under the vehicle. Push the jack underneath the indentation, making sure you line the head up best you can. Crank the jack a few times and check your alignment with the indentation. Try to keep the jack still as you crank to keep it from shifting. Keep cranking until the jack head has made contact with the vehicle. Continue cranking slowly as the car or truck lifts from the ground and is cranked enough to give you clearance to work. Once your work is complete, slowly crank the jack in reverse.
