Crippleinthewoods Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 Hello everyone, forgive me as I’m sure I’m doing something wrong here - this is my first post! I’ve had my mkz for a little under a year now. I bought it from an older lady for next to nothing and while it’s a bit old, it only had 56,000 on it... but damn were they a hard 56,000. The car has this ungodly creak, it use to happen when I’d drive over a bump or when turning the wheel in a parking lot... now it doesn't stop. Long story short, it’s the front struts - I’m 90 percent sure on this. So i ordered the upgraded struts from rockauto and plan on putting them in myself with a buddy of mine that has done a strut job before (on a van though) I’m an engineer by trade and work a lot with my hands, so I’m not worried about changing the struts out... what I do need guidance on is how to Jack the car up properly for the job and not have any tension on the suspension. If I have one gripe (other than the water pump) with this car it’s the stupid pinch weld... anyways, any info is appreciated. Thanks y’all and sorry again if I did something wrong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 11 hours ago, Crippleinthewoods said: Hello everyone, forgive me as I’m sure I’m doing something wrong here - this is my first post! I’ve had my mkz for a little under a year now. I bought it from an older lady for next to nothing and while it’s a bit old, it only had 56,000 on it... but damn were they a hard 56,000. The car has this ungodly creak, it use to happen when I’d drive over a bump or when turning the wheel in a parking lot... now it doesn't stop. Long story short, it’s the front struts - I’m 90 percent sure on this. So i ordered the upgraded struts from rockauto and plan on putting them in myself with a buddy of mine that has done a strut job before (on a van though) I’m an engineer by trade and work a lot with my hands, so I’m not worried about changing the struts out... what I do need guidance on is how to Jack the car up properly for the job and not have any tension on the suspension. If I have one gripe (other than the water pump) with this car it’s the stupid pinch weld... anyways, any info is appreciated. Thanks y’all and sorry again if I did something wrong! Hi Citw. Are you inquiring about the proper places/way to use the factory scissor jack? Or a floor/hydraulic jack? For the factory scissor jack: There are small triangles/arrows embossed into the lower rocker panels, which denote where to place the scissor jack in the pinch weld cutouts. They are located ~1 foot behind the front wheel-wells, and ~1 foot ahead of the rear wheel-wells. You can also find a pictogram in the Owners Manual showing the locations. If you do not have your hard copy, you can download the PDF version here: https://www.fleet.ford.com/parts-service/resources/owner-manuals/ For a floor/hydraulic jack: Other than using a floor jack/with a cutout puck on those same factory pinch weld cutouts, I do not know the recommended/safe spots underneath the car for a floor jack. Perhaps another member will jump in with that information. Let us know how you make out and good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crippleinthewoods Posted September 24, 2021 Author Share Posted September 24, 2021 Hey, thanks for the response. I know where the pinch weld spot is, I suppose my dilemma is where to put the Jack stand once I use the scissor jack to jack the car up. I had an idea and got a second pinch jack from pull apart, took it apart and tried welding the “pinch adapter” to a jack stand... it didn’t really work out so I abandoned that plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Crippleinthewoods said: Hey, thanks for the response. I know where the pinch weld spot is, I suppose my dilemma is where to put the Jack stand once I use the scissor jack to jack the car up. I had an idea and got a second pinch jack from pull apart, took it apart and tried welding the “pinch adapter” to a jack stand... it didn’t really work out so I abandoned that plan. Hi Citw. Use a jack stand "puck"/rubber jack pad on top of the jack stand. They sell them. https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=nack+stand+pucks Or you can make your own, by cutting a slot in a piece of 2x4, which the pinch weld will fit in. Then place that on top of the jack stand. Good luck. Edited September 24, 2021 by bbf2530 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.