So I had my starter go out on me this weekend. It looks like a simple fix so I'm gonna give it a whirl.

For those that have jacks/ jack stands. I noticed that there is quite a wide variety available for purchase. Costco sells a jack for $100. Not sure if I want to spend that much money.

Any suggestions on what to look for?
How high does it need to jack? Mine is stock height.
Max weight?- is 2.5 tons enough?
How much to spend?

Thanks in advance!

 

Think of it this way....

Your truck weighs how much? 3500 lbs empty? Half that is 1750. Add in a payload of 1000 pounds and that brings you up to 2750 or about 1 1/2 tons per axle. Take that at 5/4 rating and you are around 2 tons. the 5/4 is a safety rating the army beat into me for lifting operations.

That is the minimum lifting you would need to provide.

You talking bottle jack (hydraulic) or a floor jack. If a floor jack, I wouldn't go for less than a 6 ton jack. It has more to do with actual foot print of the jack than lifting capacity. Less likely to tip over on you. We have actually moved cars with 4 of these jacks under each tire. Foolish, but it can be done.

Jackstands....
The higher you go, get a stronger jackstand. If you are going to have that thing sitting at the end of a 24" post, you will want the strongest that makes reasonable sense. A 8-10 ton would be a good choice, but a 6 ton will be more than sufficient.

Higher is better. It will allow you to have better leverage on stuff when you need it. Nothing stinks more than to get underneath and have no room to work.

Yes I believe in overkill when it comes to supporting what I am working on. A shifting vehicle is not something I want to be under when I start to crank on something with a 24" breaker bar or pulling a transmission. A lot of these are based on size of foot print, not on the actually lifting capacity.

Concider them a life insurance policy.....What's your life worth to you when you crawl under that thing on jack stands.

 

I just picked up 6-ton 24 inchers at Sears.com (picked up at store). $35. I will be using them to do the clutch in our Accord this weekend. I also have a 3 1/2 ton floor jack from Costco that was $70. That thing has worked great. I recommend this combo for what you have to do. My .02

 

I just got the 12 ton stands and 3 ton jack from Harbor Freight.

These stands are beefy! They actually extend high enough to get my truck off of the ground 30". The jack is nice too, it extends 20".

With a lifted truck these are a must.

 

Well, I just got a quote back from the dealership to replace my starter....

$445.51

If it was a coupla hundred, I prolly would have paid it, but now, I'm thinking what kind of tools/ garage equipment can I get for $400?

The parts for the starter are $20. Labor costs the dealership maybe $130. Dealership was planning on making 200% profit off me... I think not.

 

That is good sound logic, and exactly what I tell myself everytime something breaks ! Lately the tools I have been getting have nothing to do with what I am fixing..... Chop saw for an oil change???????

 

I got the 3.5 ton high lift jack from sears .. and it sucks .. there is a knob on the side that you have to turn with a pair of pliars in order to get it to lift or fall. I know the nice ones the shops have, you just twist the handle it and it does it for you. So make sure you don't get the kind I have.

 

I agree. That is exactly how I think of everything too.

The starter is cake man! I had mine out, contacts replaced, and back in within 1 hour. My BL helped, but it shouldn't be that much worse...

 

Have you ever pulled the handle and tried putting it on this "knob"? I'm willing to bet that it fits the knob and will allow you to raise and lower the jack.

 

If I were you I would go with the tallest/affordable floor jack possible because stacking cinder blocks ain't fun when trying to jack up your already tall vehicle. As far as jack stand, just get whatever is best to suit your need as far as minimum and maximum height. Just a hint to you though... the starter on our 3rd gens are a major PITA. Take the right front wheel off and try to worrk through the wheel well opening if you can. I changed mine on a post lift at work and it was constantly going up and down trying to get to the danged starter. BTW just remember to diconnect the battery. I've been surprised several times becuase of that.

 

HA! you learn somethign new everyday .. yeah handle fits right over the knob ... but I still have to jack it up from a different location and then lower it by placing it over the knob. I'd much rather have the one where you twist the handle.

thanks man ... I've been cursing this jack for 2 yrs

 

I had a PepBoyz jack like that. I picked up a long floor jack from HF and it worls well:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=42820

I run a set of the HF tall jack stands. I had to make a spacer for the base out of some 2x4s to get them tall enough to lift the frame high enough to allow the rear axle to drop down. As is, the diff ends up nearly touching the ground.

 

So I bought the jack stands from Sears. 6 ton/ 24 inchers for $35. Now I just need to find a good floor jack. The one at Costco was a Larin 2 ton for $100. I just found this one at Sam's Club for $75. What do y'all think?
http://www.samsclub.com/eclub/main_s...32139%3A929618

 

No prob Buddy...I know I'm a Newb here but I grew up on a farm and doing construction.

 

Would a 3000lb floor jack work for a 4Runner? Ive been looking high and low for Aluminum Race Jacks to keep int he back of the 4Runner, and the only one I can find is a 3000lb jack from Sears.

Reason: Dont want anything heavy back there, but really dont like using the bottle jack. Ive had it slip on me on more than a few occasions (IN MY FREAKIN LEVEL DRIVEWAY), so Id really like something else.

 

Yea that'll be fine since your only really lifting 1/2 the runner at one time and not its whole weight. Oh Sears also sell a 2 ton jack in a case thats what I usually have in my T. I'm not sure if it would have the lift you need or not but it might be worth a look.

 

I have this exact combo. Only my floor jack was a 3.5 ton Larin from Costco for $75.

 

Watch if you raise a car on a newly paved asphault street.

My jack and stands were sinking in. Left some nice ¾-1" deep cuts in the street. The jacks body stopped it from sinking any further, the stands were stuck in the ground till I kicked them out.

Just something to think about.

EDIT: Sears always runs a special on a 3 ton jack, 3 ton stands, and a creeper for like $125 bucks.

 

I just bought a 3 1/2 ton "Big Red Jack" from Pepboys for $100.00, it will lift the truck 22". Way more fun than a smaller jack and blocks of wood!

Robb

 

That is one reason I use a wooden base for my jack stands:



A pair of 2x4s one way and a 2nd pair across the ends and nailed together at the ends. Keeps the stands from sinking into soft ground or pavement, makes for a more stable footing and adds 3" of height to the stands. Once used, the jack stand base will leave a groove in the wood. Just set the base back into the groove next time and you never have to worry about the stand slipping off the base.