Immediately behind the front wheels and immediately in front of the rear wheels, there are located four lift points just designed for your floor jack.

If you get down low, you will see a double reinforced area where the jack goes - about six inches long.

If you get down real low and look up, you will see four black plastic dots about an inch in diameter which mark the magic spots. Have fun.

 

avoid raising the car on the pinch weld or in any corner. place the jack under the front or rear crossmember/axle (NOT THE AXLE SHAFTS!)

 

i also believe the jacking points are documented in the owners manual.

for front lifting, i use the crossmember.
in the rear, to be honest, i havent even looked.

 

Originally posted by dogstar@Nov 19 2006, 11:59 PM
i also believe the jacking points are documented in the owners manual.

for front lifting, i use the crossmember.
in the rear, to be honest, i havent even looked.

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When you look, I doubt that you will find a "crossmember/axle" on this car suitable for lifting. On the front - just a bunch of plastic splash panels. As a matter of principle, I agree that jacking on a suitable crossmember is more desirable from the standpoint of balanced stress and also laziness (you get two wheels up in the air for the price of one). I would do it where possible and always did on my old GM antiques.

But, the Sonata is a different animal. The lift points are documented as you suggested and they are shown as being behind the front wheels and in front of the back wheels. See page 3-7 of the owner's manual and page G1-10 of the two volume shop manual. The shop manual illustration is very clear (unusual) and it's described in a general context - not just lifting for the purpose of changing a tire.

Lastly, I checked with a Hyundai mechanic and he affirmed the lift points as being as illustrated.

In any case, don't do what a shop kid did to me once. He put the floor jack under the oil pan. Gave it a very artistic looking shape.

 

I've seen people bend pinch welds using hydraulic floor jacks before because the jacks do not spread out the weight. This was on VW's, maybe Hyundai's pinch welds are better. One way to remedy this is to buy or make something like this http://www.protechproducts.net/jackpads.htm the one in the middle. A hockey puck with a groove cut in it works. Or a piece of 2x4 with a groove works too, just make sure the wood isn't going to split on you. If you get a bit fancier you could make something that has two pieces of wood deep enough to contact the frame on both sides of the pinch weld. A 2x4 with two, roughly one inch pieces screwed to it (positioned such that they leave enough space inbetween the two for the pinch weld).

And for goodness sake, use jack stands once the car is up in the air. I've seen a hydraulic jack fail (it was a 20 year old cheapo) and it wasn't pretty. Luckily no one was under the car when it happened. I haven't been under my Sonata yet, but a safe place for a stand would be on the inside of the pinch weld, close to the jack. Cut piece of 2x4 and put it between the jack stand and the frame.

Oh yeah, for anyone that will be doing anything beyond changing a flat on the side of a road, get a decent hydraulic floor jack. Those jack that are in the truck with the spare tire are for emergency use only. A hydraulic jack can be had at Sears for 20 or 30 bucks, of course it will be made out of ol' fashioned steel, and weigh accordingly. You could spend about 125 and get a nice aluminium jack.

Scott

 

I will have to take a look at the corner jack points, usually I find a floor jack too big for them and you risk damaging plastic trim peices, guess this is not the case for a Sonata. Either way I prefer lifting two wheels at once, especially when doing brakes so you have a reference assembly while one is apart, guess I am out of luck with that.

Eric

 

Originally posted by ebishop@Nov 20 2006, 11:41 PM
I will have to take a look at the corner jack points, usually I find a floor jack too big for them .

Eric

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As I said in my previous post, this is "all she wrote" in the shop manual for lift points, i.e. at the corners. They are big enough for my aluminum "racing" floor jack with an inch or two to spare, but you do need to watch your jack placement - another reason that I do my own work whenever possible.

I always buy dealer shop manuals, and in my previous GM manuals, they did show cross member lift points where available. And they are certainly nicer to use (and less stressful on the car).

But try jacking up a Sonata anywhere but at the edges - at least on the front - and I suspect you are going to hear a very expensive crunching noise.

What bothers me is what happens at inspection time, tire replacement etc. I'm thinking of marking the lift points with masking tape when I bring the car in. I'm old enough to expect the worst and you just might get it when a kid goes after your car with a floor jack and an impact wrench.

One last thing - Scott - I've had my LX's up many times and not a mark on the "pinch welds" - you can't tell the car was ever raised. But, as to jack stands, sure they're a good idea, but after you lift one corner where do you put the jack stand? I don't have the answer to that one yet. You have a little space problem around the lift points.

 

I haven't been up under mine either but I've always had luck in the past lifting with a floor jack on the bottom of the shock/strut mounts. They are certainly heavy duty enough since they are already supporting the weight of the car where you're trying to pick it up anyway. Again, I haven't been underneath mine and the layout could be completely different where this wouldn't even work.

 

My fiance has a 2007 Sonata 6cyl. and I did a search to determine the best way to lift the front and rear with my hydrolic lift. This was the only thread I could find related to this subject so I resurected it.

Has anyone found a good place in the center of the front and rear that will allow for raising both wheels at once? According to the posts in the thread, it appears the only place to raise the car is at the designated points for changing tires. This allows for only one side of the car to be lifted at once. I have never seen a vehicle where you could not find a center point both fore and aft that would support the lift. I have not gotten under her car yet to look myself but I was wondering if anyone has jacked the front and rear to where both wheels are off the ground?

 

I remember a similar discussion at my uncle's garage n the 70's. Can't remember the make/model vehicle under discussion. Consensus was unless you have a big enough jack point you're boned unless you have a lift.

BTW, nice link, scotthershall. We made up some wood/steel pads for our floor jacks similar to the neat plastic ones. We added steel to the bottom and wrapped the perimeter with steel to control splitting.

 

I'll make some lift pads with hockey pucks. Thanks for the idea. When Sharon was 2 hours old, I took her from the dealership to the tire shop, for winter tires and rims. My butt was clenched "extra tight" the entire time, as 2 young tire shop dudes grabbed hydraulic jacks and lifted her in about 20 seconds. They didn't use "pads" with their jacks, they just found a place on the body to lift. No harm done, (???) except that it took about 2 weeks for my butt to unclench. Whew. :wacko:

 

But try jacking up a Sonata anywhere but at the edges - at least on the front - and I suspect you are going to hear a very expensive crunching noise.

No worries. I, as dogstar, have been lifting the entire front of my Sonata with a small floor jack using the front crossmember. Same as I've been doing for a long time with my wife's Avalon.

When I get it up, I stick a jack stand under each of the front towing eyes... just behind the bottom of the bumper skin.

Mel

 

Originally posted by golfstream@Feb 9 2007, 01:14 PM
No worries.  I, as dogstar, have been lifting the entire front of my Sonata with a small floor jack using the front crossmember.  Same as I've been doing for a long time with my wife's Avalon.

When I get it up, I stick a jack stand under each of the front towing eyes... just behind the bottom of the bumper skin.

Mel

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Thats what I needed to know.  Thanks.  Now, how about the rear?

 

Originally posted by kn5owa@Nov 21 2006, 01:59 AM
One last thing - Scott  -  I've had my LX's up many times and not a mark on the "pinch welds" - you can't tell the car was ever raised.  But, as to jack stands, sure they're a good idea, but after you lift one corner where do you put the jack stand?  I don't have the answer to that one yet.  You have a little space problem around the lift points.

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That's the problem I have....where to put the jack stands. This will really be necessary to rotate the tires.

Doug

 

Thats what I needed to know.  Thanks.  Now, how about the rear?

shortspark,

Sorry, can't help you [yet] on lifting the rear... haven't tried it.

But, I'm not likely going to need to lift the entire rear. If I want to rotate the tires, I'll use the jack that comes with the car and my small floor jack and lift one side at a time... placing stop blocks behind the wheels that are left on the ground.

Mel

 

Unless I'm not understanding the diagram on rotating the tires, you bring the fronts to the rear and then bring the original rears up to the opposite front side. I'll admit I can be daft, but I don't see how you can rotate the tires a side at a time, you need the opposite side to put on the front.....

Jack stand points and tire rotation.....then I'm set. Anyone?

Doug

 

That's the 70's method. Now you put back to front, and vice versa, on the same side. A tire running one way will make HORRID sounds, if run "backwards." I know this from experience, on our '86 Toyota Celica.

 

What motd said. Pretty much everyone just swaps front and backs on the same side during rotation. And with unidirectionals (not that that's an issue with the OEMs on our cars), you MUST keep them on the same side of the car to keep them turning in the same direction.

Mel

 

Not to be picky, but then what's the deal with the owners manual....they show the "old" way?

 

Honestly, if the tires are wearing good, with no uneven wear, either method will work. I do not know any advantages to swapping sides, we always just did front to back rotation, it was easier, and minimized any chance of noise from uneven tire wear. As for lifting the rear- I have never tried this, but it might work, so do it carefully Place a piece of wood on top of the jack (to help distribute the load), and lift using the drop down area for the spare tire. Again I never tried this so go slowly and watch for any bending or other potential damage. If memory serves in the back/center of this area there is a tow hook, so the metal there should be fairly stout.

 

For the Sonatas in general my little book gives the ballast weight as 970 lbs. The stub keel must be about that figure less the weight of the centreboard unless there is other ballast in the hull

 

I jack my 3.3 hyundai sonata by the front and rear tow point. Had no problem so far I hope.