Jacking

[motoman]

Where do you put the jack to raise the rear tire? Manual says to use the stamped arrows in the frame as a guide. I put the jack under the frame right where the arrow is and it does not raise my titan high enough to get the rear tire off.

[Dude]

Boy, I hope this is not true for everyone, but it would make sense for Nissan to screw this up too. I can just see them throwing a jack from an Altima in our trucks. I may have to try mine this weekend to make sure my result is not the same. Anybody else tried their jack yet?

[mjw357]

I rotated my tires with the standard jack in the driveway, works fine. The jack has to be cranked up pretty high, though.

[bestatchess]

After looking at the OEM jack and deciding it looked a bit anemic, I went to Sears and bought a heavy duty bottle jack. BTW, don't try to jack it up by placing a jack under the differential pumpkin as alot of differentials get ruined that way.

[motoman]

Originally Posted by mjw357

I rotated my tires with the standard jack in the driveway, works fine. The jack has to be cranked up pretty high, though.

I don't get it. I am in my garage and the jack is completely vertical. Rear tire is not off the ground.

[kj22250]

I've changed a lot of tires but none on my new Titan yet, can't you just put the jack under the axle and raise?

[bluesun]

I have changed a flat front and a flat rear. Both on the side of the road in sand, and the jack worked both times. You must be using the wrong spot on the frame.

[Bayou Titan]

I just bought an aluminum floor jack from Walmart to keep in my tool box in the bed of my Titan. I knew when I bought it that it wouldn't have enough reach to get the 18 inch wheels off the ground. I didn't want to buy an SUV/Truck jack with the extra reach because I didn't want to spend the extra money, have extra weight and bulk and the jack will be used primarily to help out stranded motorists. I did cut some 2 x 10's in about two feet lengths to put under the jack so that I could use it on my Titan if I wanted to. I tried it out yesterday and it works perfectly. I stack the three boards on top of each other and then put the floor jack on top. Because the boards are 2 X 10's, the entire jack, wheels and all, rest on top. It is very stable and the boards will come in handy to keep the jack from sinking if I ever have to change a tire on soft ground. I put the jack under the frame but next time I may try to place the jack under the axle so that I won't extend the jack as much.

[keiffers]

Originally Posted by Dude

Boy, I hope this is not true for everyone, but it would make sense for Nissan to screw this up too. I can just see them throwing a jack from an Altima in our trucks. I may have to try mine this weekend to make sure my result is not the same. Anybody else tried their jack yet?

It's not a Nissan screw up, just something industry wide for pickups (yeah Nissan could have improved upon it), as I found the same problem with my Tundra. The jack it came with looked like it got taken out of a Corolla and put in my Tundra. I haven't taken the jack out of the Titan yet, but sounds like it isn't any better.

Ended up having to use a pneumatic jack to get the front up a few hours after I bought the Tundra since the OEM jack didn't do anything other than maybe stabalize it. Atleast I was down at my mom's and my step-dad was able to help out. I've always thought about getting a heavy duty jack, but have yet to figure out where I would put it since I don't have a tool box in the bed, and would be pretty dumb to get one just for the jack. Oh well figure something out

[Mike H.]

In the rear? Put it under the axle tube as near as possible to the tire you are changing. It works fine.

[vector6]

Originally Posted by bestatchess

BTW, don't try to jack it up by placing a jack under the differential pumpkin as alot of differentials get ruined that way.

please explain your logic on this...

[bestatchess]

Originally Posted by vector6

please explain your logic on this...

You would be unduly stressing the differential housing and the connections of the axle tubes to the differential housing by jacking under the pumpkin. The DANA 44s in Jeeps are very easy to ruin this way, particularly the aluminum ones, many of which have been killed by floor jacks.

[motoman]

Originally Posted by Mike H.

In the rear? Put it under the axle tube as near as possible to the tire you are changing. It works fine.

Yes, the rear tire. I can see how putting the jack under the axle would lift the tire high enough. But doesnt that put a lot of stress on the axle/differential? Any potential to cause damage? The service manual says to put the jack by the stamped arrow in the frame. My jack is incapable of lifting the rear tire high enough at that spot. The jack provided is not adequate for the way Nissan recommends you jack.

[SmokenTitan]

I'd be interested in what Nissan has to say about this issue...

I have not yet tried, but sounds scarry...

[Mike H.]

Originally Posted by motoman

But doesnt that put a lot of stress on the axle/differential? Any potential to cause damage?

No. I can see how possibly lifting on the bottom of the pumpkin MAYBE could cause some stress, although I have lifted EVERY solid axle vehicle I have ever owned that way (including the Titan) and never had a single problem.

But if you lift on the axle tube as near to the leaf spring perch as possible, it's not going to hurt a thing. If you are closer to the spring perch than the wheel is, there will be LESS stress than if the truck was sitting on the ground. The weight of the truck is supported at the spring perch and the wheel. The distance between the two is the bending moment on the axle tube. The closer you lift to the spring perch, the smaller the bending moment. If you lift directly under the perch, there is no bending moment on the axle tube. That is the least stress jacking position on a solid axle. Just don't mess up the threads on the u-bolts. Jack on the tube right next to the plate, if your jack head fits.