kenh3497 Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Hello everybody. "New guy" here. I jumped ship from honda to Subaru just a couple weeks ago with a almost new Legacy. Only 2400 miles on the clock! I will be doing my own oil changes but am not having any luck finding a central jack point in the front. Would somebody be so kind as to point me in the right direction. Thanks!! Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laz Posted November 10, 2017 Share Posted November 10, 2017 Just jack it up from one side and don't drain the transmission by mistake. --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inspiredbyhorsepower Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 Here's the outback diagram, but the legacy should be identical. Also this should be in your user manual. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwoTone Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammcinnis Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 Here's a slightly better image from the Factory Service Manual. This applies equally to Outback and Legacy. ALWAYS USE JACK STANDS: http://legacygt.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=217275&d=1443502598 "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." ~ The Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capttris Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 I strongly recommend a pair of ramps over jacking up either left/right or front center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 Just jack it up from one side and don't drain the transmission by mistake. There are three possible fluid drains at the front end, engine, differential and gearbox. Same with oil fill - make sure that the correct oil goes into the correct place to avoid headache. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenh3497 Posted November 12, 2017 Author Share Posted November 12, 2017 Our Legacy has a solid sheet of plastic covering the area pointed out in the diagram. The jack point is not at all obvious, hence my question. I'll take a closer look in the daylight tomorrow. I might just use the tow hook location and then place my jack stands on the pinch weld locations according to the owners manual. Thanks for the input! Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammcinnis Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 Our Legacy has a solid sheet of plastic covering the area pointed out in the diagram. Check again; it's there. "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." ~ The Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstater Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 Our Legacy has a solid sheet of plastic covering the area pointed out in the diagram. The jack point is not at all obvious, hence my question. I'll take a closer look in the daylight tomorrow. I might just use the tow hook location and then place my jack stands on the pinch weld locations according to the owners manual. Thanks for the input! Ken the jack point is further toward the rear of the car than where you are looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenh3497 Posted November 12, 2017 Author Share Posted November 12, 2017 Check again; it's there. the jack point is further toward the rear of the car than where you are looking. Well.... I feel like an idiot.... Yep it is there. MUCH farther forward than I was looking! I couldn't see the forest for the trees. I've been turning wrenches since the mid 70's but for some reason I had a brain fart on this one. Should be all down hill from here. Thank you for all the help guys! Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstater Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 no worries, I am using race ramps now for oil changes, along with a fumoto valve. I do jack stands on the rear then jack each side sequentially for tire changes. I don't generally jack the front up for any other reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waldguy Posted November 12, 2017 Share Posted November 12, 2017 Who needs jack stands when you have some sturdy lumber? I ditched my ramps when I got my 2015 -- but I do use jack stands if I need to work underneath! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenh3497 Posted November 13, 2017 Author Share Posted November 13, 2017 The first oil change went well. One small hiccup was how tight the drain plug was. Should had use a six point socket right away but stopped in the nick of time. It's tight now but not gorilla tight like the factory had it. And no I didn't put a new crush washer on. Never have on any vehicle I've owned unless it leaks and I've never had one leak. My ready mix truck has one of the Fumoto valves on it. They are kind of slick! I gave up on lumber long ago. I just use my skid steer loader now! Thanks again for the help. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgdv1 Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 Hello everybody. "New guy" here. I jumped ship from honda to Subaru just a couple weeks ago with a almost new Legacy. Only 2400 miles on the clock! I will be doing my own oil changes but am not having any luck finding a central jack point in the front. Would somebody be so kind as to point me in the right direction. Thanks!! KenLow profile ramps will be your friend. Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lttlwing16 Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 Hello everybody. "New guy" here. I jumped ship from honda to Subaru just a couple weeks ago with a almost new Legacy. Only 2400 miles on the clock! I will be doing my own oil changes but am not having any luck finding a central jack point in the front. Would somebody be so kind as to point me in the right direction. Thanks!! Ken I am too a "newbie" to this forum and a Subaru (2015 legacy) convert from Honda. That said, I've been dealing with the "where to put the jack stands" on my new vehicle for some time, have read numerous forum posts, and done quite a bit of personal research. The jack points are easy enough to find but placing traditional jack stands on this car is a challenge. The service manual only designates four points to support the vehicle, all of which are along the frame rail. I've seen quite a bit about supporting upon the actual pinch weld, but I can't believe this is accurate. The pinch weld, at least seems to me, is never used to support the weight of the vehicle. The load bearing portions of the frame are reinforced along the inside of the frame, just inside the pinch weld. The factory scissor jack loads all upon these points, *and distributes the weight along a roughly 2 in long surface area. For the rear, I built custom rubber pads to support along the inside of the pinch weld, are atraumatic to the weld, stable, and easy to deploy. They work without a hitch. For the front, originally my jack stands had enough clearance for the pinch weld, so I figured it would be fine to just place the jack stand against the frame rail, while cradling the pinch weld. However, I soon discovered that placing the jack stand this way put a dent on the inside frame rail from the jack stand. Normally, the weight is distributed, but I put all the weight on one single point, namely the inside jack stand arm. Back to the drawing board. Finally, I saw a couple users who turned their jack stands parallel to the pinch weld, and placed them along the inside, where the weight is normally distributed. I jacked the car up and started looking it over, and decided I just needed some plate steel to make this feasible. A trip to Menards, and some 3/16 steel bar, and some hacksawing later, I have something I am comfortable with. I should say, I would never use parallel jack stand position with just one end jacked up. The jack stands would be unevenly weight distributed, as the car is not level, with just the front, or back up. I will use the setup I mentioned when putting the vehicle up on all four points, and having the car level. Brakes, tire rotations, diff service, etc etc. Here are some pics: https://photos.app.goo.gl/aS1rarxHR3o9N5cm8 EDIT: Somebody would make a killing if they made jack stands actually built for these uni-body vehicles, that are to be supported along the frame rails. Like a regular jack stand, but with a support like that is found on the top of the scissor jack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 What you actually should have is a block that straddles the pinch weld. Make a deep enough cut in some oak wood block. That would distribute the weight enough to avoid damage to the car. Lifting on the pinch weld is dubious as I see it. It can be done, but if you look at the jack supplied with the car (if you got it) you see that it actually straddles the pinch weld. The suspension arm mounts are a good place to put a jack stand too - it has to be strong enough to withstand the forces that are imposed during driving. What's really important is to ensure that the car is stable when on the jack stands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammcinnis Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 I highly recommend inexpensive urethane jack stand pads like these (from Harbor Freight): "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." ~ The Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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