Using the OEM Tire Jack

[MrMark52]

I've got an '03 with the OEM jack. Now before some go off the handle and tell me to get rid of it and buy a hydraulic bottle jack from WallyWorld, Harbor, or Northern - hydraulic bottle jacks have 3 issues that the OEM bottle jacks don't have - 1) You don't have to crawl under the Jeep to operate the OEM bottle jack, 2) the OEM bottle jack has a higher extension, and 3) a hydraulic jack doesn't have a saddle on the top to insure it doesn't slip off the lift point.
And I just remembered the 4th and probably most important one - the OEM jack will not have a tendency to bleed down (hydraulic oil seeping past the internal seals). The way the screw works on the OEM jack, it is virtually impossible for it to "slip" down without someone turning it.

My problem is this - when I insert the jack extension rod into the square hole in the tire iron, it's a super sloppy fit. So much so that it's darn near impossibly to rotate the rod (and thus the jack) without angling the tire iron to an awkward angle that makes it darn near impossible to rotate the rod. It's almost as if the flat end of the extension bar was not flattened enough to insure it would bind in the square hold properly.

I think the designer/Engineer's were smoking something when they designed this anyway - they could have used a rectangular slotted punch as opposed to a square punch and had a better interface to the tire iron.

Thoughts anyone? It's almost like I'm missing a piece on the end of the rod that interfaces to the tire iron.

 

[JEEPCJTJ]

I don't know if my 2006 used a different jack than the 2003s had but here's a picture of mine with all three pieces put together and a second picture close up of the extension inserted into the tire iron.

For some strange reason this looks way looser than it really is.

If for some reason I lost the middle piece, the tire iron fits the other piece too.

 

[JEEPCJTJ]

A better picture of how snug the tire iron fits:

 

[MrMark52]

Thanks for the pictures! That's exactly what I have.

Problem is, when you go to apply some torque to the tire iron to twist the shaft, that flattened area of the rod won't turn. The rectangle of the rod end doesn't lock into the tire iron in any way.
You might not can turn the rod within the tire iron by hand, but try to turn the jack with it.

 

[MrMark52]

Thanks for the pictures! That's exactly what I have.

Problem is, when you go to apply some torque to the tire iron to twist the shaft, that flattened area of the rod won't turn. The rectangle of the rod end doesn't lock into the tire iron in any way.
You might not can turn the rod within the tire iron by hand, but try to turn the jack with it.

Aghhhh - the second set of pictures is much better! The end of my rod isn't as square as yours! Mine is more flattened, such that it is more rectangular than square.

I'll get some pictures.

 

[MrMark52]

Here's what the ends of my jack rods look like -

The one on the left is what I would consider the tire iron end while the one on the right should be the jack end. Neither are anywhere near as square as the hole in the tire iron.

Wonder if this was a manufacturing error?

Guess I'll have to get out my metal fabrication tools and put a square end on the rod (maybe I've got some old key stock out in the shed that I could weld on there ).

 

[Goatman]

Picture is awfully blurry. Take a good sized hammer and apply some love to the tire iron at that joint. That should close the hole up some and give you a tighter fit.

 

[MrMark52]

Thanks Goatman - thought about doing that, or striking up the welder and closing the hole up a bit. Apologize also for the blurry pictures (my independent wealth has prevented from moving up from iPhone 6s ).

And with my luck with love, I'd probably screw up the tire iron.

 

[JEEPCJTJ]

What you have looks pretty familiar, I don't remember where I saw them, just not in a Jeep.

Putting a nice square end on the solid rod you have may be better than the hollow tubes like mine.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

My '04 jack's rod that is inserted into the jack has a notch in it so it requires being inserted at an angle first so that notch gets held in the jack's opening after straightening it.

I'll never not carry the factory jack. A friend of mine took his factory jack out and replaced it with a hydraulic jack. Then he/we got stuck (turtled, all four tires off the ground) in his TJ and he brought the hydraulic jack out for a little minor jacking to get more weight on the rear tires. No go, his hydraulic jack leaked and was inoperative. There's not too much that can go wrong with the factory screw jack.

This is that event and the inop hydraulic jack.

 

[jjvw]

Thanks Goatman - thought about doing that, or striking up the welder and closing the hole up a bit. ...

If have have a welder, make flat blade that fits the jack and weld a socket on it. Then you can use extensions and a ratchet to operate the jack.

 

[MrMark52]

If have have a welder, make flat blade that fits the jack and weld a socket on it. Then you can use extensions and a ratchet to operate the jack.

Good idea, but now I would have to carry around a ratchet as well. I like the KISS method - and maintaining/keeping track of only just the OEM tire iron, OEM jack, and OEM rod (not to mention I'm a little bit anal when it comes to how I do things, I like to keep things original - assuming the design makes sense).

 

[MrMark52]

Thanks all for your input! Looks like I will break out the welder and correct what looks to be a defective rod end (although in the very deep recesses of my mind I seem to recall having seen a jack rod/tire iron combo that used a more rectangular slot in the tire iron that would interface with rod that I have. But chances are in that situation that tire iron might have a different lug nut size from what is on the Jeep - and it's time to move on concerning this problem).

So the answer to anyone's Jeep woes - OEM tire iron, OEM jack, OEM jack rod is the only way to go for 99% of the mall crawler crowd, and probably 95% (backed up with a tall bumper jack), for the rock crawler crowd.

Due to the initially stated limitations and woes of a hydraulic bottle jack - it's my opinion your money is better spent elsewhere.

Thanks again!

 

[jjvw]

Good idea, but now I would have to carry around a ratchet as well. I like the KISS method - and maintaining/keeping track of only just the OEM tire iron, OEM jack, and OEM rod (not to mention I'm a little bit anal when it comes to how I do things, I like to keep things original - assuming the design makes sense).

Yes. You would have to carry a ratchet in your tool kit.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Thanks all for your input! Looks like I will break out the welder and correct what looks to be a defective rod end (although in the very deep recesses of my mind I seem to recall having seen a jack rod/tire iron combo that used a more rectangular slot in the tire iron that would interface with rod that I have. But chances are in that situation that tire iron might have a different lug nut size from what is on the Jeep - and it's time to move on concerning this problem).

So the answer to anyone's Jeep woes - OEM tire iron, OEM jack, OEM jack rod is the only way to go for 99% of the mall crawler crowd, and probably 95% (backed up with a tall bumper jack), for the rock crawler crowd.

Due to the initially stated limitations and woes of a hydraulic bottle jack - it's my opinion your money is better spent elsewhere.

Thanks again!

My favored activity is rock crawling and I won't carry my Hi-Lift which hasn't been in my Jeep for 15 years. It easly changes 35" tires and even 37" tires in a pinch.