rumblestripe Posted June 12, 2017 Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 So, I usually change the oil in both of our cars, one being the subject of this post -- 2015 Journey SXT. To do so, I drive the cars onto metal ramps about a foot high. I've always done this in the same driveway for years without incident but this weekend I needed to do it in a different driveway and it went bad really fast. The reason it went bad fast is that the pavement was quite smooth unlike the coarser pavement in the familar drive and I wasn't quite sure I was completely on the ramps so I went a little bit further which apparently was just far enough to -- WHAM!! -- push the ramps back under the car and land on them. Fortunately, the ramps hit on the frame edge under the front doors where a jack would be placed and then pushed in toward the middle but hit nowhere else but the outer frame on both sides. So I was able to just pull the stands out on each side once I recovered from the shock of what had just happened. Afterward, there was some fluid dripping down from the middle of the undercarriage onto the pavement but it turned out to be water and it stopped after leaving a small puddle and hasn't dripped anything since. We were using the A/C a lot that day. I'm going to be taking it in to service to make sure that nothing was damaged but we've driven it in light duty since the incident and nothing seems to be amiss, no more dripping of anything underneath (even with A/C on strongly to test), no warning lights, no odd handling/noises/signs that anything is wrong. Maybe I lucked out without damage. Still not sure where the water came from but am thinking A/C related? I will still change my own oil in the future but I will never again drive up onto ramps to do so. All it takes is one miscalculation in fifty oil changes for a very bad day very quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Harshbarger Posted June 12, 2017 Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 eh, I've had that happen before in my life time. I've always done my own oil changes and will continue to do so. I'm pretty sure nothing was hurt under the vehicle and the water is definitely from the AC condenser especially since you were using the AC. I'd just chock it up to, you got lucky it wasn't worse. I wont time had 1 slip out, and drove off the front of the other one. Luckily I have jacks to lift the vehicle up and back onto the ramp. Both times I had issues like that, no damage was done, just felt like a dumbass. This has been like twice in 30 years of changing my own oil. Just chock it up as what NOT to do next oil change.. haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumblestripe Posted June 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 Thanks for your comment Steve. And yes, lesson learned in jarring fashion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfurth Posted June 12, 2017 Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 And this is why I won't use ramps. That, and the fact that I do a tire rotation on every oil change (#3 coming up next month for my 2015). Fortunately, nothing substantial had any damage for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted June 12, 2017 Report Share Posted June 12, 2017 i quit using ramps yrs ago also, bought me a good floor jack and just use the jack stands.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumblestripe Posted June 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 Thanks for the input guys. I'm going to invest in a good floor jack and jack stands. Is a 1.5 ton model the right size for the Journey? And sturdy enough for our Honda Odyssey too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted June 13, 2017 Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 1.5 ton is just fine. I got rid of my ramps years ago too. I have 2 floor jacks and 4 jack stands. Great for oil changes and tire rotations. OhareFred 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumblestripe Posted June 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2017 thanks for all your replies; much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfurth Posted June 15, 2017 Report Share Posted June 15, 2017 When you use the floor jack, the correct lift point on the Journey for the front end is NOT the pinch weld. Use the scissor jack for that only in a road-side emergency (unless you like bending pinch welds...) The proper spot is about 4-6 inches inside the pinch weld. I haven't been under it enough to remember what's bolted there (it might be the cross member mounting point, main point being it's structurally sound) - you'll know it when you see it. It's a tight angle to get it, but you can get a floor jack handle to come up between the wheel and fender so you can get a full stroke on the jack. I then typically put the stands just on the inside of the pinch weld - there's a rubberized coating where the emergency jack attaches so it keeps from damaging paint and getting down to bare metal. I also put a hocky puck on the jack saddle to keep from any metal-on-metal contact. Found this image from this video (not mine) - that is what I use as my jack point for the front. Best I can tell from the manual I've got access to, this is the correct front lift point. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBI_DeyQCWk jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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