So Fix it

The Ford Focus, which was first produced in 1999, is a compact car available as a hatchback, sedan or wagon. There are many instances when raising your Focus off the ground with a jack may be necessary, such as to change a flat tire, replace brake pads or change the motor oil. Before lifting the vehicle, it is important to understand how to properly use the jack and where to place it as incorrectly using a jack could result in serious injury or death.

Instructions

1

Move the vehicle to a level, paved surface as raising the vehicle on an incline could cause the vehicles wheels to roll and fall off of the jack.

2

Shift the vehicle into "Park" and engage the parking brake. If you have an automatic transmission, shift the vehicle into "Reverse" and engage the parking brake.

3

Place wheel chocks behind or in front of the two wheels on the opposite side of the end of the vehicle that you will be raising. The wheel chocks will prevent the wheels from moving while the vehicle is in the air.

4

Locate the jack points underneath the Focus on both sides of the vehicle. The Focus has four jack points, two located approximately 8 inches in front of the rear wheel wells and two located approximately 6 inches behind the rear wheel wells. The jack points can be easily identified as they are double seam-welded sections and often have notches removed from the bottom.

5

Place the floor jack below the sub-frame and raise it to lift thevehicle off of the ground. The jack included with the Focus must be turned clockwise with a special tool that resembles a thick, straightened wire hanger. This tool will be located in the trunk, along with the jack and spare tire. To use the tool, insert the hooked end of the tool into the fitted hole on the side of the jack.

6

Position a jack stand beneath the jack point closest to the jack then lower the vehicle onto the jack stand by turning the jack tool counterclockwise. Repeat this process for the other side of the vehicle to raise the vehicle off the ground prior to repair or maintenance.

A good hydraulic jack can be pressed into a variety of uses besides lifting heavy objects. One of the most common secondary uses for a jack is in a jack-operated press. When pressing various materials, especially ones with low tolerances for pressure, it can be helpful to accurately measure the amount of pressure the jack is under. This can be achieved by installing an oil-filled pressure gauge on the jack itself.

Instructions

Disassembling the Jack

1

Drain the oil out of the jack through the oil plug or side drain.

2

Remove the handle pump by removing the bolts holding it to the base of the jack.

3

Remove the pump housing by unscrewing the housing from the jack base using a crescent wrench.

4

Clamp the jack in a vise and remove the top nut from the vise using a pipe wrench.

5

Pull the top off the jack. Measure the diameter of the inner piston and calculate the area of the base. You will need this measurement to interpret the reading from your pressure gauge.

Tapping the Jack

6

Drill a three-sixteenths-inch hole in the base of the jack opposite the pump assembly. The hole should pass beneath the inner cylinder of the jack without penetrating it, and should reach to the center of the jack base.

7

Widen the hole in the side of the base to five-sixteenths of an inch, and to a depth of about an inch. Insert a one-eighth-inch pipe thread tap.

8

Drill a one-quarter-inch hole in the bottom of the jacks inner cylinder. The hole should be at the center of the cylinder and should intersect the hole you drilled from the side.

Reassembling the Jack

9

Put the top back on the jack, using Teflon tape to seal the seam at the top of the jack. Screw the top nut down tightly using a pipe wrench.

10

Screw the pump assembly back onto the jack using a crescent wrench. Reattach the handle assembly using the original bolts.

11

Refill the jack with hydraulic fluid, working the handle to displace any air bubbles before closing the vent.

12

Screw a one-eighth-inch to one-quarter-inch hydraulic tap adaptor into the tap you installed. Attach a quarter-inch elbow connector. Thread a 5000 psi oil-filled pressure gauge onto the elbow connector.