Jacking Up The Gen 5

There is a front jacking point, but I understand for gen 5 is pretty far back, about aligned with the front wheels. If you roll the front wheels up on low-rise ramps (say 3", a couple of layers of 2x...) it helps, both to get the jack under and to give enough clearance for the lever to get it started.



With gen 5, just from what I've been reading here, Toyota's apparently FINALLY adding some reinforcement to the crimped seam at the front scissor jack location. So might be adequate for safety stands.

 

For any folks that might be interested, here is yet another way to jack up a gen5, using a heavy duty scissor jack:

Another way to lift the gen5 | PriusChat

 

I was looking for floor jack for my 5 gen prius. I already had it but it was small. I could not reach the front middle jackpoint. I sold that on Fb marketplace. Now I am looking for a better one but I have not decide. There is only one that is "long reach" and "low profile" but it's expensive.

I just saw that heavy duty scissor thing but is there a just build in one that doesn't require the extra woods and stuff? It feels like there is a I might screw up if I try that

 

Regarding floor jacks, those are pretty convenient if you can afford a good one, and if they don't fail or leak over time. You can usually get a longer floor jack to reach under your prius if you first drive your car's front wheels up on a couple of blocks of 2x10 pieces of wood (pictured in this OP of this thread).

The wood accessories that I made for the heavy duty scissor jack are just for speed and for my own convenience. You can always use that scissor jack without the wood accessories, it should still work fine.

 

And even those may not work. I'd speculate even an extended reach, low profile jack would end up with the handle partially under the car, enough that the handle's banging the car underside before it's able to start raising. I wouldn't go chasing a preposterously long (and equally expensive) jack, for the way-back jacking point of your current car. A quality 3-ton with a good lift range, and low-rise ramps* is more expedient.

* say a couple of layers of 2x10 timber (nom. dim's 1.5" by 9.25"), gives you 3" more clearance

 

I'm using this:



Floor Jack Saddle

Unfortunately, the underside has a bead of weld that is nearly confounds using it, but I cobbled a wood shim with mine, gives me an extra 3/4' lift as well:



Too, you can always use a trusty/rusty hockey puck, I find that handy as well. Tesla’s actually need a modded one. In the back, just another gizmo, to get 3” more lift:



Example of 2x10 on flat ramps, though I went a little nuts:

 

I am intrigued, what is the purpose of the little dowels that stick out in the top third of those nice ramps?

 

Just to hang them on the wall.

There's likely a more expedient way to cut those bevels, I stepped my table saw fence over 1/8" at a time, while dropping blade height slightly each time. It's laborious though.

On the undersides I put recessed rubber mat disks, secured with staples, helps a lot to avoid kick out.

I'm a little leary of the stops, that they're not robust enough; at least the flat zone at top is generous.

 

With all Toyotas, I always prefer to use the pinch welds with a deep slot adapter like the one that my friend makes.

I jack up at the rail inboard from the pinch weld point located by the two notches on the bottom and place the jack stands with the same adapter for a safe and secure lift.

 

FWIW, when you use the scissor jack (the official use of the "pinch weld" location), it's not the pinch weld that bears on the scissor jack; it's the sheet metal just behind. And I found with a single use of the scissor jack, on the lighter rear end, that sheet metal bearing point dimpled from the weight. I use alternate points for safety stands.

 

Do you mean the scissor jack in the OE spare tire and flat kit?

 

Yes. The one they don't supply in North America any more, I believe?

 

At 80 ft-lbs a cheap torque wrench is accurate enough for lug nuts. It matters more once you get into stuff below a few ft-lbs.

 

You could lock the fulcrum in a vise, set the arm horizontal, suspend a known weight from the arm at a measured distance from the fulcrum, do the math.

My approach with tire rotation is to raise the full front, settle onto jack stands, raise the rear, repeat. I place the jack stands at strong points on the car body, other than the proscribed scissor jack placement points.

from what I’ve read the 5th gen scissor jack placement points are reinforced? That’d be an improvement over earlier gens. Still, it’d be good to try the scissor jack there too, to just how it contacts: with previous gens the scissor jack cradle barely makes contact with the vertical seam, instead cups around it, bears on the sheet metal behind. And promptly dimples it, in my experience, rear scissor jack location on a gen 3.

I’ve got cheap 1/2”, 3/8” and 1/4” micrometer torque wrenches. All tested surprisingly accurate (by the aforementioned test method). The 1/2” I use primarily for wheel lug nuts. The 3/8” I use a lot, say for spark plugs, oil filters and drain bolts, and the 1/4” is appropriate for stuff like throttle body hold-down nuts/bolts, light duty studs, etcetera.

 

Good info, thanks. If l wanted to jack my gen5 prime this way, much of my prius is covered underneath. What are 4 good jack stand points that are not the standard pinch weld points?

 

I got cradle adapters for the jack stands to use them at the pinch weld points.

 

Do you mean something like this?