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Malaysian Science and Technology Congress,

MSTC08, 16~17 Dec, KLCC, Malaysia, 2008.

Development of Auto Car Jack Using Internal Car Power

M.M.Noor, K.Kadirgama, M.M.Rahman, M.S.M.Sani, M.R.M.Rejab
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Pahang (UMP)
Tun Abdul Razak Highway, 26300 Gambang, Kuantan Pahang
Phone: +609-5492223 Fax: +609-5492244.
([email protected] / [email protected])

Abstract Car jacks usually use mechanical advantage to allow a human to lift a vehicle by
manual force. More powerful jacks are using hydraulic power to provide more lift over greater
distances. This paper presents the development of the car jack for emergency use with using
internal cigarette lighter power (12volts). The automatic easy car-jack utilizes this power source
to save individuals having to exert any energy. To increase the lifting power in order to ensure
the power is adequate, gear ratio was used. The car jacker was developed utilizing the
Solidworks® and its analyses to check the safety factor and force acting. The fabrication work
has been done with milling and grinding machine. The car jacker will be tested and it predicted
to have enough power to lift and holding the car as normal car jacker.
Keywords: Automatic car jack, cigarette lighter, Solidworks, gear ratio

INTRODUCTION In light of such inherent disadvantages,

commercial automobile repair and service
An automotive jack is a device used to raise stations are commonly equipped with large
all or part of a vehicle into the air in order to and hi-tech car lift, wherein such lifts are
facilitate vehicle maintenances or breakdown raised and lowered via electrically-powered
repairs. Most people are familiar with the systems [3]. However, due to their size and
basic car jack (manually operated) and it’s high costs of purchasing and maintaining
included as standard equipment for most of the electrically-powered car lifts, such lifts are not
new cars. Vehicle owners who would like to available to the average car owner. Such
rotate their tires themselves either front to electrical-powered portable jacks not only
back and so forth or who may install snow remove the arduous task of lifting an
tires before the winter and remove them in the automobile via manually-operated jacks, but
spring need to use a jack to perform the job further decrease the time needed to repair the
[1]. Changing a flat tire is not a very pleasant automobile. Such a feature can be especially
experience. Nowadays, a variety of car jacks advantageous when it is necessary to repair an
have been developed for lifting an automobile automobile on the side of a roadway or under
from a ground surface. Available car jacks, other hazardous conditions [4].
however, are typically manually operated and There also reports on car jacks which lead to a
therefore require substantial laborious physical serious number of accidents. A specified jack
effort on the part of the user. Such jacks purposed to hold up to 1000 kilograms, but
present difficulties for the elderly and tests undertaken by Consumer Affairs has
handicapped and are especially revealed that is fails to work after lifting 250
disadvantageous under bad weather conditions kilograms and may physically break when it
[2]. has a weight close to its 1000 kilograms
capacity [3]. Tests have proven that the jack

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has the propensity to buckle well under the scissor jack is the best jacks available in the
weight it is promoted to withstand, and it market. According to Farhad, the pneumatic
doesn’t meet the minimum or performance and hydraulic jack is not safe because usually
requirements of the Australian Standard for need maintenance and sometime leaked [6].
vehicle jacks [5]. The purpose of this project is The development will be base on this scissor
to develop a car jack which is easy to be jack. The screw shaft which can be rotated and
operated, safe and able lift and lowering the raise the head load up and down. The screw
car without involving much physical effort. shaft is very important because in this design
will need a system which can withstand the
THE DEVELOPMENT load and lock the raised level of the jack. The
Figure 1 shows the design of automatic car screw will be the mechanism to adjust and
jacker where: hold the height level.
1. Original Scissor jack
2. Screw shaft The motor is from the junk yard and it is from
3. Power window motor used car power window motor. From the
4. Pinion manufacturer and calculated value for the
5. Gear torque, it supplied 5.877N.m torque which is
6. Frame holder high enough and suitable for the project [7].
7. Stabilizer base There is also the pinion (small) and the gear
(large) which is the main gearing system as
Furthermore, Figure 2 is the actual prototype shown in figure 3. This is the gearing system
of the automatic car jack. The entire which increased the torque to 17.631N.m [8].
requirement from the drawing is then Furthermore, the frame is the holder for the
transform onto the real prototype. It also power window motor. Lastly, the stabilizer
included a switch buttons system to raise and base is to support the weight of the motor and
lowering the jack (Head load). Figure 1, shows to stabilize the scissor jack. It is also good for
the used scissor jack which has been collected flat surface when jacking the car [9].
from the junk yard and it still can be used. The

4
2
6

3 7

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Figure 1. Design from Solidwork

Figure 2. Developed prototype

Figure 3. Gearing system

MECHANICAL PARTS description is it can withstand the maximum

load of 850kg which is the best because the
The mechanism lifting system was applied on test car for this project is a PERODUA
the scissor jack. The scissor jack specific Kancil® (682kg) [10].The test will be detailed

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explained in the result.No.3 is the motor which motor. It is fabricated using 3mm low carbon
the original gear needed to be discarded metal and then cut using grinder into small
because no. 4, pinion and no. 5, gear are pieces according the dimensions [5]. The cut
manufactured using wire EDM cutting pieces are then welded on the end of the
machine. All the specification of the gears scissor jack and welded together with other
according to the torque needed to be applied pieces as the picture shown.
on the system [11]. The gearing system is the
crucial thing as it is the lifting mechanism The welding machine that involved is MIG
powered from the motor. The torque from the machine (Metal Inert Gas).No 7 is the
motor will be supplied to the pinion and then stabilizer base which is made from the L iron
transmit to the gear and it rotated the screw bar [8]. The length of each iron bar is 30cm
shaft clockwise or counter- clockwise. and then is screwed and welded on the base of
the scissor jack. This is to stabilize the scissor
By using the wire EDM cutting machine, the jack with increasing of the surface area will
operator needed to insert the drawing that has increase the stability [5]. Moreover, bending
been made and then program the machine so it machine is also used to bend the cover for the
will work. After the no.4 pinion is fabricated, gearing system and bend saw machine is used
it is inserted into the slot of the power window to cut the raw material for the gear. Fabricated
motor and welded. The no.6 frame is gear shown in Figure 4.
fabricated base on the design to hold the

Figure 4. Fabricated gear

Base on Figure 5, switch for the scissor jack to buttons switch with ON/OFF. This switch
be lifted and lowered are controlled by a 2 circuit is to make the motor enabled to rotate

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 Malaysian Science and Technology Congress,
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clockwise and counter-clockwise without important part is that when the button is
changing the terminal positive and negative. It release it will stop directly. Let say if the red
is time consumable to change the terminal button is pressed, then it will actuated the coil
every time when using this jack, so by using in relay 1 and then it will change over the
this switch, it is more flexible and easier for switch and supply will flow to the motor and
the user. The switch also contains 2 relays to the second relay which will go directly to
which will act when a lifting button is press it negative terminal and the motor will rotate
will actuate one of the relay and it will rotate clock-wise. Vice versa, if the black button is
the motor to the desire level. The most pressed [11].

Figure 5: Switch circuit

CONSLUSIONS only on PERODUA Kancil, by using higher

torque it is able to lift more loads such as
Considering all available car jacks in the Proton Wira® and Proton Iswara® car.
market, this prototype can be improved by a
few modifications on the features and design.
The objectives are to design a car jack that is Acknowledgments The financial support by
safe, reliable and able to raise and lower the University Malaysia Pahang (UMP) and final
level, to develop a car jack that is powered by year student Amir Iskandar Bin Ariffin is
internal car power and automated with buttons grateful acknowledged.
system. Although this car jack was design

REFERENCES
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