Jacking up a car may initially sound tricky, but once you have the necessary tools and know the steps, it becomes super easy.
However, many people are unaware of how to lower a car jack, especially since there are different types of jacks with varying methods of lowering.
In this article, we will explore the steps to lower and remove three different types of car jacks: hydraulic floor/trolley jacks, bottle jacks, and scissor jacks. By understanding these techniques, you’ll be able to safely and effectively lower your car jack and complete your repair or maintenance task with ease.
How To Lower A Car Jack (Releasing 3 Different Jacks)
Jacking up a car may initially sound tricky, but the process is super easy once you have the necessary tools and know the steps.
Once you’ve gotten through the hassle of lifting your car to fix it, it’s time to put it back down on the ground.
Lifting the car may have been the easy part, but you might not know how to lower a car jack. Since there are different types of car jacks, the methods of lowering them vary slightly.
We will look at ways of lowering and removing different types of car jacks below.
Lowering A Car Jack (Floor/Trolley, Bottle, and Scissor)
Typically, you will have to follow the same process to lower a car jack as you did when lifting it. But as there are matters of hooks and rods and turning action, it is best to properly follow instructions.
If you used axle stands to hold up the car, you must remove the stands before lowering the jack.
For this, you need to raise the car with the jack so that it lifts up from the stands. Then carefully remove the axle stands from under and lower the car, and proceed accordingly.
Lowering a Hydraulic Floor/Trolley Jack
The steps to lowering a hydraulic floor jack are simple and straightforward:
Step 1: Locate the release valve, which is usually a screw key.
Step 2: Put the rod over the screw and slowly turn it counterclockwise.
Step 3: As you turn the rod, the valve will slowly open, and the jack will also drop steadily. Make sure not to do this step too quickly, as your car may drop too abruptly, causing further issues.
Lowering a Bottle Jack
As bottle jacks are also hydraulic, the first 3 steps are the same as for floor jacks.
Steps 1 – 3: Follow the same steps as above.
Step 4: After getting the jack out from under the car, push down on the saddle (top of the “bottle”). This is to manually lower the piston. Step 5: If the threaded saddle is raised, turn it clockwise until it reaches the base of the bottle head.
Lowering a Car Scissor Jack
This is probably the easiest to lower among all car jacks.
Step 1: Put the rod onto the screw key.
Step 2: Turn the rod in the opposite direction in which you did to raise the jack. The jack will be lowered accordingly.
How To Remove A Jack from Car
Jacks that come with the car are screwed into place in the trunk. If you are facing a vehicle emergency with no garage or mechanics around, you will have to tend to the car yourself.
This means you have to take out the jack from inside the trunk and operate it all by yourself.
The main question is no longer how do you lower a jack, but how do you remove the jack that is screwed in place.
No need to panic because the steps are very simple. All you need is the user’s manual that comes with the car, a screwdriver (which is optional and not necessarily needed always), and some good arm strength.
Removing a Bottle Jack From Car Trunk
Step 1: Open your car trunk.
Step 2: The jack and the handle used to raise it will come separately. Locate those two different parts. You should be able to just pull out the handle.
Step 3: Using a screwdriver, unscrew and remove the bottle jack accordingly.
And that’s how you remove a hydraulic jack from your car! You will also be able to find these steps with clear depictions in the owner’s handbook.
Removing a Car Jack
Most modern cars come with scissor jacks, and extracting them is very simple.
Step 1: Open your car trunk.
Step 2: Locate the scissor jack. It is commonly placed on the side where the spare tire is.
Step 3: Find the screw key on one end of the jack, and turn it counterclockwise. This will compress the jack and release it from the brackets it was held by.
Step 4: Hold and remove the jack out of the trunk.
And there you have it – so simple! Now you not only know how to lower a jack by yourself, but also how to remove it.
You don’t have to worry about removing floor jacks from anywhere because they are too big and bulky to be included in the car trunk.
Final Words
Using a car jack may sound exhausting, especially when you are uncertain about the different types and additional tools needed. But the interesting thing about jacks is that if you know how to lift them, you can easily learn how to lower a car jack as well.
To ensure a safe environment for working on your car and without worrying about unwanted hazards, it is necessary to understand the ways to safely remove and release car jacks too.