Hi,

I have a 2009 Honda Fit and I need to rotate the tires and change the oil. I have a jack lift and jack stands. Where do I put the jack lift to raise the car so I can then put jack stands under the jacking points behind the front wheel and in front of the rear wheel (the jacking points referenced in the Honda Fit manual)?

To rotate the tires, I jacked up the car on the metal bar that connects the front and rear jack points. However, I seem to have bent the metal a little bit and am assuming I don't want to do that again. I haven't yet changed the oil because I don't know where to put the jack lift to raise the front of the car.

Can I raise the front of the car my using the jack lift on the right rear jacking point and when the car is high enough, put a jack stand under the right front jacking point, and then repeat the process on the left side of the car?

Please help!

 

Hi Ruk, I wouldn't use jack stands on this car. For one, the car is too low which means you'd have to lift it pretty high with a big jack to lift high enough to insert the stands. To change oil, I'd use a ramp instead and chock the rear tires. Unless you have a full blown hydraulic lift in your garage, I'd use 2 jacks instead to rotate the tires. The common jack points (cut-out edges) are made for scissor jacks so yes a (hydraulic) pump jack will bend it specially if you put it in the middle of the car instead of the jack points.

Check out the front and rear cross beams (letter H) and see if that would work. In old cars we used to call them chassis. Now they're all uni-bodies. I'd use 2 jacks instead of stands. I take a tire out at a time and reposition the jacks and tire chock (opposite position) every time. Be safe!

 

There's a thread somewhere on the forum that talks about the jacking points for floor jacks. I'm on my iPod right now, so its a PITA to link things.

In the back, right under the spare tire well is a bracket for the floor jack.

In the front is a similar bracket between the front wheels, but it is pretty deep.

I saw a black bracket at what looks to be the bottom of the engine, but I'm guessing that's only used if you are lowering the engine from the car (removing it).

When I had to lift the front (to see the bottom side when I swapped out my headlights), I lifted one corner using the scissor jack, then shoved a jack stand in that same spot. I lowered the car slightly to barely rest on the stand (still relying on the scissor jack). Then, I grabbed the bottle jack from my brother-in-law's SUV and did the same thing on the other side.

A little odd and requires two jacks, but it was all I could think of.

 

Thanks guys! I found that if I jack the car from the rear jack point, and then put a jack stand by the front jack point, I am able to get to the filter and oil drain plug pretty easily. As an FYI.. once I put the jack stand under the front wheel jack point, I removed the floor lift from the rear, and chocked the two wheels still on the ground (chocked the rear of the rear wheel and the front of the front wheel to prevent the car from moving in either direction).

One other question.. the fact that I initially used the floor jack to lift the car from the center of the bar that connects the front and rear jack points, and subsequently bent it a little bit.. is that anything to be concerned about?

 

today I jacked up the fit for the first time and I was wondering the same thing.

I used the points directly behind the front wheels, the little bar sort of thing that comes down right there. I also used jack stands directly behind the suspension, on the lowest setting.

 

I find rather than screwing around with jacks etc and possible dropping the Fit on yourself, for an oil change I take it to the dealer along with a good book. In no time at all it is done.

My tire rotation is easy as I do it when switching to winter tires and back. I only need to jack one wheel at a time.

 

Yahhh... if you're going to be under the car at all make sure you use stands! Jacks can fail, and do.

As others have said, neither of these require lifting the car. Get some ramps, either Rhino or just make them out of 2"x8"s, and drive up them to do the oil change.

For rotation, take it to discount tire. Free rotations.

 

Ok to actually answer the OP's question...

For all the points marked, the area in-between the arrows is the jack point.

From the driver side of the car, the front jack point:



From driver side, rear jack point:



And from the rear center of the car, the rear-center jack point. I only recomend this if your jack has a good flat surface, or a large-size cup on the point where it jacks.



There is a front-center jack point, but its so far in that you'd need some sort of special jack. I've never used it, and would only be able to if the car was halfway up in the air.

If you do the side jack points, by anything other than the marked areas in-between the arrows you will likely bend something. The jack points themselves are reinforced.

 

Good post Koala + rep

 

Are those pics on a GD?

 

No those pics are of a 2009 Fit Sport.

 

Strange, yesterday, I could've sworn it looked different when I looked under there. But after taking a few shots of it with my camera, it looks the same... maybe it was my angle or something.

 

It can be done with a floor jack. I drive up onto 2x4s and then there's just enough clearance to fit the jack under the front.

 

I've got some ramps I made for my Corvette that lift the front about 3". Just enough to get a floor jack underneath. They are basically 4 layers of particle board screwed together to get the height and different lengths to make a gentle incline.

I don't think the Fit is as low as the Vette, and the tires are a lot more narrow. So those should work easily.

 

I saved a guy's life once after the jack slipped off the rear bumper of the junked Lincoln Continental he was trying to remove the drive shaft from. Had it not been my turn to take out the garbage, and had I not forgotten to do so at lunch break when I was originally supposed to do so, I would not have been within earshot to notice and he would have died. He was working alone and not within view of anyone, and he was not using jack-stands. Good on you for using stands.

But having said that, on those occasions where you may be doing only an oil change rather than also rotating tires (for example, if the garage rotated them only a week prior while installing your winter treads) it may not be necessary to jack the car up at all to change the oil and filter.

If you have reasonably long arms the plug is reachable from the front of the car while lying on your back. A typical shallow plastic oil drain pan will slide under with room to spare. I've done all of my oil changes this way, most recently about an hour ago.

 

I always use the front center jack-point on both my S-2000 and my Fit and then install the 2 side jack stands and remove the jack, I've done this for 50 years and never had a problem, yes I'm 63 years old and still change my own oil and filters and enjoy doing it as well.

 

I did my first oil change and tire rotation yesterday @9000 miles. The ramps were indeed necessary to get the floor jack under the front center jacking point. I need to work on my placement of the jack stands though. They got in the way of my catch basin and I made a pretty good mess on the garage floor when I pulled the drain plug. So I know better for next time.

 

NEVER, and I mean NEVER crawl under a car that is supported by a jack! A jack is intended as a tire changing tool ONLY! To change the oil, either use ramps (mine are made from three pieces of 2 x 8s) or take it to a garage, and pay someone else to do it.

Stay safe!

 

You forgot jack stands. Those are perfectly safe to support a car while you get under it. Just a jack? No way, you're right about that.

 

My shop always has some short chunks of 6x6 timbers at hand to serve the purpose. Sometimes it's difficult getting a stand in place.