How to Lift 2013 MKZ for Brake Job

[aceuvspades]

I have a 2013 MKZ 2.0L L4 Gas and finally decided this year I want to try to do some maintenance jobs on my own, the first one being replacing the brake pads/rotors.  At this point my rear pads/rotors need changed.  I have no experience doing auto work other than simple things like changing the battery, cabin air filter, etc.  I've watched several youtube videos on changing the brake pads and rotors and it looks pretty simple assuming you have all the correct tools and parts.  I went out and bought everything, including a floor jack and jack stands and now I'm finding that finding the correct pressure points under the car to put the floor jack and jack stands might not be as easy as I thought.  Can you help me identify where to place these so I don't destroy my car (or worse)?

 

My plan was to jack the car up with a low profile floor jack somewhere in the center to get both rear wheels up in the air and then place the jacks in place and lower onto them.  I'll take the proper precautions such as leaving the car in park and putting wheel chocks behind the front wheels.  I attached some pictures to help explain what I'm looking for.  In the image called "rear_center_floor_jack_point" I marked the spot I think I should jack from.  Is that the correct spot?  Do I need to get a rubber puck type thing to put on my floor jack where it will push up against the car?  There's a stock picture of the floor jack I bought attached too.  And then in them image called "rear_side_jack_point" I don't see any clearly marked spot to put the jack stands.  I've never had to remove the wheel to put a spare on so I've never had to worry about it to this point.  When I look under the side carriage I see/feel a metal piece running along the entire side of the car from front to back between the front wheel to rear wheel, maybe this is a pinch weld line?  Is it safe to put a jack stand on this anywhere towards the rear wheel?  My jack stands have rubber puck things with a 4+ inch long groove that could go over that line to spread the pressure.  I don't see any point on that line that really looks like it was meant for a jack or jack stand, but it looks like someone in the past jacked up off it as it's bent a bit as you can see in the image.

 

If that center point under the rear is not good for jacking up with the floor jack and there are no other good ways to do it from the center, can I jack up with the floor jack along that side (pinch weld?) line if I have a grooved puck thing on the floor jack to distribute the weight, and jacking basically maybe a little further towards the front to give space for the jack stand closer to the wheel, and jack up one side at a time to get both sides sitting on jack stands?  I don't want to get one side up on a jack stand and then while I'm jacking up the second side next push the first side off.  My jack stands should be pretty good quality but I've never done it and again don't want to cause any major damage.

 

Now that was my questions regarding the rear jacking.  Some day I'm going to want to do my front brakes and that looks worse.  Do I need to remove that soft cover from the front undercarriage that I highlighted in the image called "front_center_floor_jack_point" to find a spot to use the floor jack on?

 

Any help/advice is appreciated!

 

Thank you,

Aaron

 

 

[bbf2530]

20 hours ago, aceuvspades said:

I have a 2013 MKZ 2.0L L4 Gas and finally decided this year I want to try to do some maintenance jobs on my own, the first one being replacing the brake pads/rotors.  At this point my rear pads/rotors need changed.  I have no experience doing auto work other than simple things like changing the battery, cabin air filter, etc.  I've watched several youtube videos on changing the brake pads and rotors and it looks pretty simple assuming you have all the correct tools and parts.  I went out and bought everything, including a floor jack and jack stands and now I'm finding that finding the correct pressure points under the car to put the floor jack and jack stands might not be as easy as I thought.  Can you help me identify where to place these so I don't destroy my car (or worse)?

 

My plan was to jack the car up with a low profile floor jack somewhere in the center to get both rear wheels up in the air and then place the jacks in place and lower onto them.  I'll take the proper precautions such as leaving the car in park and putting wheel chocks behind the front wheels.  I attached some pictures to help explain what I'm looking for.  In the image called "rear_center_floor_jack_point" I marked the spot I think I should jack from.  Is that the correct spot?  Do I need to get a rubber puck type thing to put on my floor jack where it will push up against the car?  There's a stock picture of the floor jack I bought attached too.  And then in them image called "rear_side_jack_point" I don't see any clearly marked spot to put the jack stands.  I've never had to remove the wheel to put a spare on so I've never had to worry about it to this point.  When I look under the side carriage I see/feel a metal piece running along the entire side of the car from front to back between the front wheel to rear wheel, maybe this is a pinch weld line?  Is it safe to put a jack stand on this anywhere towards the rear wheel?  My jack stands have rubber puck things with a 4+ inch long groove that could go over that line to spread the pressure.  I don't see any point on that line that really looks like it was meant for a jack or jack stand, but it looks like someone in the past jacked up off it as it's bent a bit as you can see in the image.

 

If that center point under the rear is not good for jacking up with the floor jack and there are no other good ways to do it from the center, can I jack up with the floor jack along that side (pinch weld?) line if I have a grooved puck thing on the floor jack to distribute the weight, and jacking basically maybe a little further towards the front to give space for the jack stand closer to the wheel, and jack up one side at a time to get both sides sitting on jack stands?  I don't want to get one side up on a jack stand and then while I'm jacking up the second side next push the first side off.  My jack stands should be pretty good quality but I've never done it and again don't want to cause any major damage.

 

Now that was my questions regarding the rear jacking.  Some day I'm going to want to do my front brakes and that looks worse.  Do I need to remove that soft cover from the front undercarriage that I highlighted in the image called "front_center_floor_jack_point" to find a spot to use the floor jack on?

 

Any help/advice is appreciated!

 

Thank you,

Aaron

 

Hi Aaron. As far as where a normal jack or jack-stands should go: The Owners Manual shows where to place the jack. There are small triangles molded into the lower body-side cladding. Approximately 1 foot behind the front wheels, and 1 foot in front of the rear wheels. When you locate those triangles, you will find a notch in that pinch weld. That is where the factory jack is placed.

 

That being said, if you have a slit puck type device, you can use the puck on that pinch weld to safely place a jack or jack-stand, since the puck will avoid damage to the weld.

 

I can not accurately advise where to place a floor jack. However, I would definitely advise you remove that under-body shield before placing a jack anywhere in the vicinity, since you will need to ensure what is underneath can support weight.

 

Perhaps one of our tech members will jump in to help with floor jack location.

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

Edited October 16, 2022 by bbf2530

[drolds1]

These are the lift points as shown in the shop manual.  Do not use any other points or components:

[aceuvspades]

I see those lift points but if I go by only those points, there would be no way for me to lift with a floor jack and then put jack stands in place in those exact spots.  Ideally I was hoping to find a spot center and underneath the rear of the car to lift both sides of the rear off the ground at the same time then I could put the jack stands on the points shown in that picture.  The other option I was thinking if I can't find the center spot was to put the floor jack near those jack points but not exactly on them, lift one corner of the car and then put the jack stand in on the exact lift point, and do one corner of the car at a time.  For that option I would use the slotted puck to put on the pinch weld line to distribute the weight and hopefully not cause any damage.

 

I watched the youtube video you showed above in for rear shock replacement, and the mechanic in the video is using an expensive lift that he can get all four points on the lift at the same time and lift the entire car.  I won't be able to do that.  But he did mention that you could lift the car up like I am wanting to and then put jack stands in.  He just didn't show where the lift points would be to do that.

 

So I'll keep this topic open for further suggestions on additional lift points that would be centered under the rear of the car for lifting both rear wheels and also centered under the front of the car for when I want to do work by lifting both front wheels.

 

Thanks to both of you for the initial responses on this and to anyone else in advance if you can provide more information.

 

-Aaron

[bbf2530]

16 hours ago, aceuvspades said:

I see those lift points but if I go by only those points, there would be no way for me to lift with a floor jack and then put jack stands in place in those exact spots.  Ideally I was hoping to find a spot center and underneath the rear of the car to lift both sides of the rear off the ground at the same time then I could put the jack stands on the points shown in that picture.  The other option I was thinking if I can't find the center spot was to put the floor jack near those jack points but not exactly on them, lift one corner of the car and then put the jack stand in on the exact lift point, and do one corner of the car at a time.  For that option I would use the slotted puck to put on the pinch weld line to distribute the weight and hopefully not cause any damage.

 

I watched the youtube video you showed above in for rear shock replacement, and the mechanic in the video is using an expensive lift that he can get all four points on the lift at the same time and lift the entire car.  I won't be able to do that.  But he did mention that you could lift the car up like I am wanting to and then put jack stands in.  He just didn't show where the lift points would be to do that.

 

So I'll keep this topic open for further suggestions on additional lift points that would be centered under the rear of the car for lifting both rear wheels and also centered under the front of the car for when I want to do work by lifting both front wheels.

 

Thanks to both of you for the initial responses on this and to anyone else in advance if you can provide more information.

 

-Aaron

 

Hi Aaron. In case you can not find a definitive answer on center jacking points, you can safely use your second option: "The other option I was thinking if I can't find the center spot was to put the floor jack near those jack points but not exactly on them, lift one corner of the car and then put the jack stand in on the exact lift point, and do one corner of the car at a time.  For that option I would use the slotted puck to put on the pinch weld line to distribute the weight and hopefully not cause any damage."

 

Use the floor jack with the puck, placed just far enough off the approved jacking points to allow you to place the jack stands in those same approved points.  In that case, you may need 3 pucks. One for the floor jack, and one for each jack stand.

 

Let us know how you make out and good luck.

Edited October 17, 2022 by bbf2530

[drolds1]

4 hours ago, aceuvspades said:

I see those lift points but if I go by only those points, there would be no way for me to lift with a floor jack and then put jack stands in place in those exact spots.  Ideally I was hoping to find a spot center and underneath the rear of the car to lift both sides of the rear off the ground at the same time then I could put the jack stands on the points shown in that picture.  The other option I was thinking if I can't find the center spot was to put the floor jack near those jack points but not exactly on them, lift one corner of the car and then put the jack stand in on the exact lift point, and do one corner of the car at a time.  For that option I would use the slotted puck to put on the pinch weld line to distribute the weight and hopefully not cause any damage.

 

I watched the youtube video you showed above in for rear shock replacement, and the mechanic in the video is using an expensive lift that he can get all four points on the lift at the same time and lift the entire car.  I won't be able to do that.  But he did mention that you could lift the car up like I am wanting to and then put jack stands in.  He just didn't show where the lift points would be to do that.

 

So I'll keep this topic open for further suggestions on additional lift points that would be centered under the rear of the car for lifting both rear wheels and also centered under the front of the car for when I want to do work by lifting both front wheels.

 

Thanks to both of you for the initial responses on this and to anyone else in advance if you can provide more information.

 

-Aaron

Yes.  I realized that you don't have a 4-point chassis lift at your disposal. I only posted that illustration to reiterate the factory lift points.

 

Here's a video that has some general tips.   You could probably get away with putting the jack, with the puck, a little further back on the pinch weld from the lift point.  It sounds like someone already did this before you.

[aceuvspades]

Nice video with a good demonstration of jacking a car up safely.  It seems like I'll be able to jack up the car from the pinch welds on the sides which will be sufficient for doing the brakes I'm looking at doing for now.  Thanks for pointing this out to me.  Hopefully all the remaining parts I need show up this week and I can try it out next weekend.

 

Thanks,

Aaron

[ballscout1]

I ordered a couple of these 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078J55SBW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&th=1

[scn101]

I put these on my 2019 MKZ.  https://www.steeda.com/Steeda-Fusion-Jacking-Rails-CD4

 

These allow me to use a floor jack at the center of the car where the front and rear doors meet and allow for jack stands to be placed at each end of the jacking rails.  I can then jack up the other side of the car in the same manner and have the car supported by four jack stands making tire rotations and other maintenance jobs easy.

[TomV]

Rear is easy, I put the jack under the spring of the rear control arm. My low profile floor jacks have polyurethane pads.

 

I also have Steeda jacking rails for the front. Wish they extended further forward, but they do the job.

 

Recently I picked up an Eastwood Detachable Car Ramp Set for oil changes and it works great for that!