Safe Position To Raise Front For Oil Change

ebod · 08-30-2005, 01:45 PM

My CRDi SE Sedona is due is 90K oil change and I'll be doing it myself.

Usually I drive my cars onto some steel ramps, but I'm never happy about doing it because I have a downward sloped driveway and they can fly off when reversing off them.

I've noticed the Sedona has no plastic sump covers and can see the rusty drain plug right at the front. The engine looks to be sat in a huge sub-frame which comes right round the front. ( no wonder these cars are so heavy! ).

What I'd therfore like to know is ..can these cars be safely jacked up from the front end of the sub-frame ?

Also, does anyone have access to an english manual for the Sedona/Carnival. I have found and downloaded a german manual for the phase I model. Its got lots of good sketches, but no good to me in german....

Murphwiz · 08-30-2005, 01:56 PM

Anywhere on the subframe is good for jacking.

What info do you need from manual?

ebod · 08-30-2005, 02:54 PM

....actually, after a 2nd look its a doddle of a job. My plastic drain tub can just slip under the sump no bother. I'd just need to jack up the front sub-frame mount a few inches.

The big thing to remember was to check the drain tub can cope with 7.4ltrs of waste oil.

I got the oil today ( Millers XFD full synth ), I just need to find a decent source for air & oil filters. I actually had to buy THREE 5ltr tubs of oil at over £70quid. Two tubs for the Sedona and one tub for my Laguna 99 dTI which is due its 160000mile service.

BTW I wanted a manual to help me get more familiar with the car. Its 2nd MOT is due in October and I know it had a wishbone leg on the 1st MOT, so its possible another will fail. Also, the handbrake cable is slack IMO so the rear brakes might need a look. I suspect at 90K miles the shoes are buggered.

Murphwiz · 08-30-2005, 03:38 PM

The handbrake is a common problem, a hugely over complex set of cables that often stretch beyond useful life.
Get the rear drums perfectly adjusted before even atempting handbrake adjustment.
Set lever at 7 clicks, have rear jacked, under N/S of car all the adjustments are visible, slacken off both cables, then tighten the rearmost cable until the NSR wheel locks solid, then do the front cable til the OSR wheel locks solid, if you run out of adjustment then you'll need new cables.

ebod · 08-30-2005, 04:12 PM

This is the point of the manual. It would be nice to see a decent arrangement sketch of the cables beforehand.

Murphwiz, your depth of knowledge suggests that you don't just own a Sedona, You must have some work related connection with them. Are you a service manager for a KIA franchise or something?

WhiteSadonaLX · 08-31-2005, 05:15 PM

I just bought these big, black, plastic car ramps from our local Wal-Mart here in the US and they work great for driving up on them to change my oil. I was a little nervous because of the weight of this van but they held up just fine. *whew* All I ever used on those ramps was my Honda Civic. I am not sure of the max weight these ramps will hold. Kinda late to wonder about that now huh? I already drove up on them! :P