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I have an extremely narrow garage which prevents operating a jack easily. When I pulled the vehicle in, I could slide the jack into the pinch weld or the cross member, but I can only pump the jack little by little because the handle was basically operated in the gap in the wheel well. I managed to place the vehicle on the jack stands.

When I tried to bring the car down, try as I might, I couldn't build enough pressure to lift the car off the jack stands. The jack had more vertical lift to give and I felt the puck press against the cross member but it pressed and pressed against the cross member without doing anything.

The jack is practically brand new, and it jacked the car up without issue, and no fluid was spilling out or anything. I can confirm that I had the release valve tightly closed.

Is it possible I just didn't have enough clearance to operate the handle effectively? What are alternatives to jacking up a car in a very narrow space like this?

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    Do you have the release valve fully closed? You might want to ensure it's fully seated and try again.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Jun 12 at 19:50
  • @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 it's absolutely fully seated/closed.
    – AdamO
    Commented Jun 12 at 21:09
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    Maybe it's just your jack, but I've never had the issue of short stroking the jack not providing some amount of lifting force. You might want to check to see if the joints on the pump side aren't so loose that you aren't actually doing any pumping and just a lot of movement of the pump arm.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Jun 12 at 21:57
  • Have you checked the oil level in the jack?
    – mikes
    Commented Jun 13 at 7:59

1 Answer 1

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What are alternatives to jacking up a car in a very narrow space like this?

I'm a big fan of ramps. Obviously, they won't work if you're changing a tire but, for easy access to the underneath of the rest of the car, you really can't beat them. Place them in front of the wheels and (slowly) drive the car right up them. Reverse the process when you're all done. They should work especially well in a narrow garage like you describe.

I also use mine as an ad hoc Bob-ramp to reach high shelves in my garage. 😉

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  • If you have AWD or 4WD you can use 4 ramps and lift the whole vehicle for access to the entire drivetrain and exhaust system. It feels weird when you drive up because the vehicle remains level.
    – MTA
    Commented Jun 13 at 1:36
  • @MTA would a FWD not roll up 4 ramps just the same?
    – AdamO
    Commented Jun 13 at 15:47
  • @AdamO Didn't work for me. It was a long time ago but either the drive wheels spun or the non-drive wheels simply pushed the ramps instead of climbing, I don't remember. I did 4 ramps succesfully on an AWD Audi and a 4WD pickup, and it worked great.
    – MTA
    Commented Jun 13 at 16:41
  • @MTA well let's just hope I don't have to drop a transmission or gas tank any time soon.
    – AdamO
    Commented Jun 13 at 18:54
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    It can be tricky to get ramps under the rear wheels if you're driving forward. I don't have enough ground clearance under my car to position the ramps in front of the rear wheels before driving forward. That said, there's no rule that says you can't jack up the rear after the fronts are in place and then push the ramps under the rear tires. Then when you're done with work, either jack up the rear again and pull the ramps or, if you have enough clearance, back all four wheels off the ramps. Ramps rule! :-)
    – Bob Cross ♦
    Commented Jun 14 at 11:09

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