Factory Jack doesn't fit under car if tire is flat

[Jkust]

Ok guys, my wife got a blowout on her Rainier yesterday with practically new tires. She left the truck in a parking lot and I dealt with it on the way home from work. As it turned out, it happened a block away from the Goodyear store so I figured I'd pull the tire off, run it over for a new tire and slap it back on and go on my way. I've had three of these trucks over the years but never needed to change a flat. So the front right tire was blown out and amazingly the bottle jack under the seat is simply too tall to fit under the frame of the truck with a flat tire. In order for it to fit, I'd have had to place it all the way even with the rear passenger door just as the frame was high enough as it got closer to the full rear tire. Obviously that wasn't going to jack the front of the car up. There was nowhere on the truck frame that was taller than the jack where i'd have needed and of course the jack was as low as it goes. I was forced to drive it with the flat across the street and down a half block to the tire store and hope for the best.
Had this happend anywhere else I'd have been screwed. She decided at the last minute to stay off the highway and take the city streets home luckily. So my question is what the heck is the deal here? Is it possible GM is this stupid?

 

[The_Roadie]

OEM tire size and rims? The jack under the back seat was the OEM screw jack that looks like a bottle jack but isn't a true hydraulic unit? You didn't have a floor jack at home to carry out to her?

 

[Jkust]

OEM tire size and rims? The jack under the back seat was the OEM screw jack that looks like a bottle jack but isn't a true hydraulic unit? You didn't have a floor jack at home to carry out to her?

Tires rims are the OEM size for the Rainier being 245/65- 17. Yes that is the exact same jack. I have an suv rated floor jack at home but was coming from work otherwise I'd have grabbed it. I've changed 3 or 4 blowouts on the boat trailer over the years with our truck jacks and can say from experience it is a huge pain to use them. It takes forever to jack up a 4000lb boat and you really have to work, presumably had it worked, it would have been a bigger pain especially since it was 38 degrees and raining out. Good news is the tire was only 175$ bad news is I wished it had been the 9-7 since the front right tire on it needs replacing however 9-7 tires are $312 a piece installed.

 

[The_Roadie]

I don't see GM being that stupid unless your springs are sagged and you're essentially lowered an inch or two. Very odd.

 

[X5rdman]

If i remember right when you take the jack out of the storage location, you actually have to lower it down. Meaning it the neck is in a slightly raised position to lock it in storage. So when you do this you should have good clearence.

 

[Busterbrown]

If i remember right when you take the jack out of the storage location, you actually have to lower it down. Meaning it the neck is in a slightly raised position to lock it in storage. So when you do this you should have good clearence.

Possibly . 3 years ago, I experienced a flat on one of the front OEM 17" rims. Used the truck's emergency jack to hoist the vehicle but don't remember having an issue with frame height. I was on level concrete so your situation could have been different. However, I do know that the running boards are a PITA when trying to get creeper ground clearance.

 

[jimmyjam]

if you actually read the manual (not mocking, i did the same thing you did) it says you don't put the jack under the frame. you put it in a tab in the middle of the frame behind the wheel.

View attachment 25852

 

[Jkust]

if you actually read the manual (not mocking, i did the same thing you did) it says you don't put the jack under the frame. you put it in a tab in the middle of the frame behind the wheel.

View attachment 11721

First thing I did was pull the manual out and it is just a picture...that part of the manual was actually pretty low info. I will mention as to the comment above, I did have it screwed all the way down. I have more experience with the jack than I had ever wanted to. Trailer tire blowouts are amazingly common and they have 8 ply sidewalls on my boat trailer. Im going to go out and check out the 9-7 now and see if the picture makes sense. That said there is no similar piece in the rear to my recollection.
Ok so I pulled out the 9-7 owners manual since wife is out with the Rainier and presume it is the same. It simply says place the jack on the front frame nearest the flat tire with a useless, nondescript picture. There is no neat angled spot as in the picture above since the frame is level the whole length of the car.

As to Roadie's comment on saggy springs...nothing sagging or I suppose the whole thing sags exactly the same but as it sits next to the 9-7 is exactly one inch taller as intended.

I'm baffled so far.

 

[X5rdman]

Here is the notch that jimmyjam was talking about to change a front tire. So the jack doesn't go under the frame. View attachment 25854

 

[jimmyjam]

Ok so I pulled out the 9-7 owners manual since wife is out with the Rainier and presume it is the same. It simply says place the jack on the front frame nearest the flat tire with a useless, nondescript picture. There is no neat angled spot as in the picture above since the frame is level the whole length of the car.

http://www.extendedgmwarranty.com/owners-manual/saab/2007-Saab-9-7x.pdf
page 411

it doesn't say anything about placing it under the frame. it says "Place the jack in the appropriate position nearest the flat tire." and shows a picture that alludes to what i described earlier.

 

[CaptainXL]

http://www.extendedgmwarranty.com/owners-manual/saab/2007-Saab-9-7x.pdf
page 411

it doesn't say anything about placing it under the frame. it says "Place the jack in the appropriate position nearest the flat tire." and shows a picture that alludes to what i described earlier.

Yeah but that is a pretty bad description. And there is no closeup of the hole in the frame.

The white plastic sheet accompanying the jack actually shows a much better picture.

Don't feel bad man. I did the same when I first got my truck.

 

[Jkust]

http://www.extendedgmwarranty.com/owners-manual/saab/2007-Saab-9-7x.pdf
page 411

it doesn't say anything about placing it under the frame. it says "Place the jack in the appropriate position nearest the flat tire." and shows a picture that alludes to what i described earlier.

The picture description says the jack position is the front frame then goes on to say nearest the tire. I'm feeling a little baffeled since I've scoured both of the frames at home in the garage for anywhere the jack will fit. I'll have to locate the description under the seat with the jack.

 

[northcreek]

Does your truck have an inflator station?if so,could the tire have been inflated for height or a short drive.
I had this happen on a trailer tire,we found a piece of 2x4 and pulled the flat tire up on that to get jack clearance...Mike.

 

[Jkust]

Does your truck have an inflator station?if so,could the tire have been inflated for height or a short drive.
I had this happen on a trailer tire,we found a piece of 2x4 and pulled the flat tire up on that to get jack clearance...Mike.

Yes it has the aircompressor but the blowout was too bad. Good idea on the 2x4...I needed about another 2 or 3 inches. Still, I'd love a picture of the spot the jack is supposed to fit. Clearly this has to be user error.

 

[szieziel]

it's kind of hidden behind the tire

View attachment 25886

View attachment 25887

 

[Sparky]

Wow, I would never have guessed to use it there at all.

 

[MAY03LT]

^^^For real. I don't remember ever seeing or reading about that. Learning new things is cool.

 

[meerschm]

http://www.extendedgmwarranty.com/owners-manual/chevrolet/2004-Chevrolet-TrailBlazer.pdf

see page 5-76

guess we did not read the owners manual as closely as we should have.

 

[CaptainXL]

Wow, I would never have guessed to use it there at all.

There is a white plastic sheet/instructions sitting next to the jack which clearly shows the slot in the frame. I am guessing many here are missing that white sheet?

 

[Sparky]

There is a white plastic sheet/instructions sitting next to the jack which clearly shows the slot in the frame. I am guessing many here are missing that white sheet?

Instructions? Who reads those

 

[marshall@pcm]

Exactly! haha

 

[northcreek]

Instructions? Who reads those

Yeah..I'm usually in too much of a hurry to look at the instructions,then when I'm done I read them to see if I did it right...dumb huh?...Mike.

 

[Jkust]

it's kind of hidden behind the tire

View attachment 11761

View attachment 11762

Thanks, exactly what I was hoping for. I read the manual first thing but I don't seem so have the little white instruction placard under the seat any longer. I've used the jack too many times for trailer tires and it must have gotten lost.