Where is the front jack point in these pictures?
 

It's noob question time. Okay, I'm doing my first oil change. I managed to get the car jacked up, but I wasn't using the proper jack point, because I don't know where it is. There was some slight bending. I'm posting these pictures I took of the general area. Can someone please use photoshop or something to circle where the front, center jack point is?

Maybe by the time I'm done with the oil change, someone will have responded.

Oh and for the record, it doesn't say in the owner's manual. The OM only shows the side jack points (which I'm using for the jack stand points).

dont see it in the pics but it is under the door sill under the front doors. look under the car about mid to front of the door(front door) and you will see the metal has a little indention in it. if my brother gives me my memory card back anytime soon i will take a pic but i will have one for you in a moment.

I know about the side indentations for the jack placement. Those ones are used for jacking up for changing a single tire, and in my case I'm jacking up the entire front of the car. I've put my jack stands in the indents you mention. I'm talking about the front cross member jack point under the front of the car. Thanks though.

Drive the car up onto some wood (I have 2x6s) and Jack the car up from the front at the circled point... For me it takes a good 30 seconds to a minute of pumping the jack to even get it going (no range of motion) but it works. I think this is what the service manual tells you to do too.

I'm talking about this jack point (see pic). That picture is from a service manual for the regular 3. Ours is a little different down there, and I'd like it if someone could pinpoint the jack point on one of my pictures.

btw, get a motor mount or some inserts ;)

Awesome! Thanks aaronc7.

Heh, yeah pretty soon. Thanks again.

ok these are for the stock jack so if your using a jack other then i dont know how it will fair for you but they are the oem front well the passenger side one at least.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...9/P1040782.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...9/P1040783.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...9/P1040784.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...9/P1040785.jpg

i would also slip a board between the crossmember and the jack platform at the xmember

well since you already found them i usually use the a arm or around it:) if you find better post it for me:)

Yeah I think I'll do that when I go to jack it down. I bent the cross member a little.

how much did it bend? thats not good sounding it shouldnt do that if proper positioning of the jack is used, wherever thats supposed to be..damn mazda

A little late but WTH.

http://home.houston.rr.com/mach1must...ing%20Info.pdf

It didn't bend much at all. Really it was just some indents from the teeth on the top of the jack.

Mazda... yeah. I wish there was a bit more information in the owner's manual for this type of thing. The only jacking information in there is about changing a tire using the side jack points. I'd really like to get my hands on the service manual for the car to avoid these types of problems in the future.

+1 for sure. we all would like to get our hands on a good manual thats actually useful at times like that. at least you didnt bend the shit outta your x-member

Any more info or better pics of where the jacking point is?

I can tell you with absolute certainty not to put the jack anywhere near the engine mount. I replaced my sway bars this weekend and my cross member is flat as a pancake now. I hope it doesn't screw anything major up or I'm gonna have to buy a new cross member and have in installed at the dealership. I think if you put it near the back of the cross member right in front of the exhaust hangers it works best. I think that's what the shop manual says. Definitely use a board to distribute the force.

so I tried to jack it up at the spot on the cross member but I stopped cause my floor jack was making little indents where it was placed. I hope I didn't mess anything up did I? I've given up on trying to get this damn car on jack stands. this is ridiculous

It's suppose to be setup like your jack with that little slot. Get a chunk of rubber or don't worry about it.

Have indention on my x member aswell, jacking this car up sucks.

Where is the rear jack point?

LOl, this thread has come a long way! I use a section of the front suspension that has a load bearing tube on top. I haven't looked at the rear, but any load bearing point will do.

Just to set things straight here. You CAN jack up the car from the front cross member. It's a beefy cross member connecting to the front suspension and the engine. Trust me, you'd have to be The Hulk to bend that thing with a jack. Just be sure to use a piece of wood between the jack and the cross member. I've been doing my car this way since day one, it works well.

the x on the subframe behind the rear motor mount is listed as the front jack point in the shop manual.

the rear is just in the center of the rear subframe... there's a some sort of weight attached near the jack point.

Pictures for those visually inclined... this is from the '07 MS3 service manual.

im visually inclined and a little nervous so thanks phantom. just got a jack and jacksatands from my co worker jacking her up for the motor mount should be a breeze now

ahhh thanks, I was looking for these

also if you look "X" marks the spot on the car. it's literally stamped right in.

Those are exactly the correct spots on the focus, so i will agree to use those points. then use the pinch weld area for the jack stands.... or use a lift like i get to at work lol

Yeah don't jack up on the pinch welds where there's no indent. I did this and found out the hardway that it bends :(

I use the area just past the x-members on each side, just past them, towards the side of the car. It's hard to explain actually, but you'll see a 3 inch wide hunk of metal that is part of the frame. It won't bend or disform in any way shape or form. It's just past the front wheels, a few inches in from the body itself. I'll take a pic later. But I too bent the x-member when trying to use it and I just don't like using it at all anymore.

from what I've seen on the MS3 there isn't a viable jacking point on the frame that you can use. However... NORMALLY, YOU WILL NEVER DO THIS due to the risks. I have tried it and it works fine with no damage.

On the 08 MS3 oil pan (yes I did say oil pan)... ok breathe and let me explain.

there is a reinforced area that protrudes beyond the the level area of the pan. If you have a standard size jack (we used a 3 ton) and the jacking plate clears this area completely (circumference wise), the lowest part of the oil pan (the protruded area) will hit the bottom of the jacking plate and you can left the car there. I looked it over thoroughly before even attempting it and there is no reason why it's there other than that. The oil pan isn't thin walled either and it's quite heavy without oil.

The car will jack up slightly off balance (meaning not equally) due to it's location. Have a friend jack up the car and be ready to back off if something happens. We had the car suspended up in the area for a little while before lowering it down on to 3 ton jack stands at the location that "skeeter149@hotmail.com" pictured.

The only safe way to jack up the front of your car safely (without damage to the stock jacking points) would be with two separate stock jacks and have two people raise it at the same time. If you're solo you'll be constantly running back and forth to evenly raise the car safely. If you jack up one side with a jack then put the stand on then run to the other side and do the same thing you run the risk of the jack slipping out and causing more damage than an oil pan.

We didn't use the rubber fill piece that comes with some jacks on the jacking plate.

If you're scared... if you distribute the weight on a thing walled aluminum pan with a piece of wood that is another way you can jack up the car with the pan but you'd need to watch it carefully and make sure the wood doesn't hit anything or move out of place.

Hopes this helps...

I know I'm going to get a few comments back on this post but if you've ever taken off the oil pan or even disassembled the MZR 2.3L Turbo engine you'd know what I mean about the oil pan being reinforce and not thin walled.

lol @ jacking up from oil pan.

Uhh, no, dont do that!

this car has the most retarded jack points ive ever seen

i don't think that guy understands that, alright, so the oil pan won't get a hole through it... what about the engine mounts? i mean, i'm pretty sure engines aren't one piece with the frame... such a stupid idea lol

our engine/transmission mounts have enough problems keeping the engine where it is without having to deal with lifting the entire 60% of our car. this is advice that could result in fail only measurable by the philly-phailometer.

there is a jack point right by the rear engine mount. it's literally marked with an X.

Hate to revive a dead thread, but whats the consensus on the best place to jack up and then place the jack stands on this car? Im about to do my first oil change on this car and im still not sure what the best procedure for getting this car up is?

Is the best place for the jack stands just medial to the pinch welds?

Medial to the pinch welds? What language is that?

Right behind the front tires, you'll see a space that's cut out, that's where you can put the jackstands.

"Medial: 1. Pertaining to the middle; in or toward the middle; nearer the middle of the body. Medial is as opposed to lateral. For example, the medial side of the knee is the side closest to the other knee whereas the lateral side of the knee is the outside of the knee."

Thanks.

Thank you :shhh:

well said

5 years later....