How to Lift a Toyota Corolla
by Richard RistowAs a Toyota Corolla owner, there are things you can do to keep your maintenance costs down. You can change your own wipers, replace filters yourself and do your own oil changes. Some tasks, like oil and other fluid changes, will require you to get under your Corolla. There is always a real risk with accessing a car's undercarriage. Scissor, floor or bottle jacks do not ensure stability, and a Corolla can fall off a jack. However, you can safely elevate your Corolla if you use ramps or stands.
Jack Stands
Step 1
Bring your Corolla to a full stop on level ground.
Step 2
Engage the emergency break. If your Corolla is an automatic, move the shifter into park. If the car has a standard transmission, shift it into reverse.
Step 3
Secure the wheel diagonally opposite the one you want to lift. For example, if you are raising the rear passenger's side wheel, you need chocks around the driver's side front wheel.
Step 4
Place your cranking jack at a proper lifting point. These points are designated in your owner's manual, usually in the section on replacing a flat tire. The Toyota Corolla has a series of notches below the front and rear doors on both sides. These are the designated lifting points. The jack needs to go into the notch nearest the wheel to be lifted.
Step 5
Raise the Corolla with the jack. Slide a jack stand under the frame and lower the car onto the stand. Remove the jack. Repeat the process for each wheel until you have all four wheels off the ground and securely positioned on the jack stands.
Ramps
Step 1
Position ramps in front of each front wheel. Wedge the ramp between the ground and the underside of the tire.
Step 2
Drive the Corolla up the ramps. Do this very slowly, as you do not have a lot of room to maneuver on the ramps.
Step 3
Engage the emergency brake. Shift an automatic into park, and a standard trans into reverse. Turn the Corolla off and exit the vehicle.
Step 4
Block the back of each of the Corolla's tires with wheel chocks.
References
- "Haynes Repair Manual: Toyota Corolla and Geo/Chevrolet Prizm: 1993-2002"; Jay Storer and John H. Haynes; 2002
- "Popular Mechanics Car Care Manual"; Hearst Publications; 2008
Things You'll Need
- Jack
- Jack stands
- Ramps
- Chocks
Writer Bio
Richard Ristow has written for journals, newspapers and websites since 2002. His work has appeared in "2009 Nebula Showcase" and elsewhere. He is a winner of the Science Fiction Poetry Association's Rhysling Award and he edits poetry for Belfire Press. He also holds a Master of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and has managed an automotive department at WalMart.