How to Raise a Toyota 2WD Pickup

Whenever you work on a two-wheel drive Toyota pickup's underside, you will need to raise the vehicle safely. Other than changing a wheel, a Toyota should never be lifted and supported on only a car jack. The Toyota can slip off the jack, and that is a dangerous risk for anybody beneath the pickup. Two or four post lifts are the safest way to elevate any vehicle, but for a home mechanic, hydraulic lifts are not feasible on cost alone. The safest alternative includes either jack-stands or portable vehicle service ramps.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

things you'll need:

• Chocks
• Stands
• Jack

1. • 1

     Climb behind your Toyota pickup's wheel and place your key into the ignition. Start the truck and move the transmission's shifter into park, if the truck is an automatic. If the truck is a standard transmission, then move the shifter into reverse. Engage the emergency stopping brake, if you haven't already done so. Turn the truck off, remove your key from the ignition, and exit the vehicle.

   • 2

     Select a wheel to start with. Since you are lifting the truck entirely, it does not matter which. However, you still need to take precautions against the truck accidentally rolling. Secure the wheel diagonally opposite from the one you will lift. For example, if you are starting with the rear left tire, then you need to block off the front right tire with wheel chocks.

   • 3

     Place your jack near the wheel about to be elevated, but the location is not the same for different models of Toyota pickups. Also, the jack points will differ within the same model and year, depending on whether the truck is a two or four-wheel drive. Consult your owner's manual for the precise jacking points.

   • 4

     Turn the jack's crank handle and slowly raise the first wheel off the ground. Raise the wheel high enough to accommodate a jack stand. Place the jack stand beneath the vehicle, and reverse direct on the jack's handle. Lower the Toyota onto the stand.

   • 5

     Lift each of the remaining wheels one at a time and lower that corner of the Toyota onto a stand. The process will be complete once all four wheels are safely and securely off the ground.

Tips & Warnings

• Whenever you elevate a truck, whether in part or in whole, the vehicle needs to be parked on flat ground.

• Always reference the weight of your Toyota before buying jack stands. Any equipment you buy must be able sustain the vehicle's weight. Using the wrong equipment is just as dangerous as supporting the Toyota with a jack.