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Thread: Proper placement of hydraulic jack and stands

  1. #1
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    Proper placement of hydraulic jack and stands

    Sorry for the obvious "noob" question but I'm a new DIYer and want to do things right. I recently bought an '86 325es and I'm getting ready to do my first manual transmission and rear diff fluid changes along with a new fuel filter. What points should I use to a) lift the car and b) place my four jack stands? Just don't want to cause any damage. Thanks for any guidance you-guys can give.

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    Thanks, NCBrock. Interesting way to illustrate it but exactly what I needed.

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    i always use the carriers to jack on - ft x brace & rear carrier (low jack).
    stands on ft frame rails & rear carrier.
    NEVER jack on rear "pumkin" end - the tabs on the jack ("can" crack the houseing on ther diff) if u have a ft air dam - drive on some stacked 2x6"'s or just angle ft tires & come in at a angle - but jack ft end 1st - so u dont "twist" car on rear stands.
    if under car - w/ jack stands - shove tires under car - JIC it falls - it might give u just enough rm to get out - stands can fail - safety 1st (use 2x4's to block up space on / to tires)

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    I use a square of 3/4" plywood as a "pad" while jacking with my floor jack. This lets me raise the car from the front crossmember or the differential. (The tabs on the diff simply dig into the wood.) I use sections of old floor mats as pads for the stands. I also use redundant lifting devices.
    Last edited by richardodn; 12-23-2012 at 08:36 AM.
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    good trick -with plywood & old mats - saftey 1st - never trust a jack stand - use tires

  7. #7
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    Thanks for the responses and guidance, guys. And when I said "new DIYer" in my first post, I wasn't kidding. This will be the first time I have ever had a car on jack stands. I assumed jack stands were safe. Not so?

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    Yes they are safe. Especially the pin-style but those are harder to find. However when you're dealing with your life when you're under a car it's good to have a backup.
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  9. #9
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    Interesting way to illustrate it but exactly what I needed.

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    NO ! use over rated jack stands ='s u can "get away with" 1 1/2 ton stands in the rear - but "really" dont use on eng side - better to use 2 1/2 or greater.
    i've seen the sm'r cheep 1's - crush . break lock tabs - bend -etc. same as a floor jack @ 1 1/2 ton -its about "max" on ft end. use a 2 ton or bigger.
    never trust a floor jack - u dont want to get squished - when a .25 o ring lets go.
    the trick of useing the tires & blocking / shimming them - under car - always a good back up - JIC.
    just think ? ok car up on stands - ur under it - & some fool slams the door shut & or falls against the car & the cheap jack stands fold up ! do u like pancakes or waffles ?
    get the hint ?
    use wood / rubber "pucks" on jack & stands "only if u can" to spread the weight around & protect the underside from punching thru.
    not only do i use the tire trick - & i use jack stnds - but i also keep the floor jack @ the jack point "just there" off pressure - but just up & tight- JIC.
    if no ft air dam - a "good" set of ramps & floor jack in place , w/ tires - is good.
    ok- maybe its over kill - but - i've had cars fall before & it aint fun !
    heck i've seen hyd shop car hoists fail -
    pancakes or waffles ? - dont be either !
    take ur time - dbl ck 6 times & take no chances. after many jack up times - u'll get the feeling of a car solid on stands.
    real over kill - if u have a concrete floor - jack stands up - ties in place - floor jacks "set" in place - use tie dwn straps - hooked to car & bolted to floor (so it wont slide/ tip . push - over - or lessen the chance)
    u'd be surprised - just how much u "push" on a car just takeing a tire off or pulling on a wrench to get the oil plug out.
    pancakes or waffles ur choice ?

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    In addition the what the others have said one other thing I do is to go around and give each stand a whack with a rubber mallet. Can't tell you the number of times I've set stands in place then jacked up the other end/side of the car and then looked over and seen one of the legs of the stand with air under it.

    Once you've set weight on them they can still be set off balance by other forces when you jack up the other parts of the car.
    e30 Vert project

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  12. #12
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    Thanks for the info, guys. All good advice and I'll use all of it when I get under the car. Pancakes or waffles, Royemello? I'd prefer to be neither. Thanks for sharing your experiences...and your "visual"!!!!

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    My current favorite method to raise the car if the wheels are not coming off.

    I have two sets of ramps.

    1. Drive the car forward to put the front wheels on the ramps.
    2. Jack the rear of the car up and place the second set of ramps under those wheels. The ramps should be positioned so that they slope opposite the front ones.
    3. Use jack stands as your secondary support device.

    The car cannot roll forward or backward due to the ramps' roll stops. A failure of any one ramp still leaves the car in the air. The car is pretty high off the ground so you have lots of room to work.
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  14. #14
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    I'm glad this thread came together. i learned a few new tricks and of course I'm sure there are others who have read through it and learned something. I know you should stick a tire under the car just in case and all that, but I've still had some pretty sketchy moments (just last week one comes to mind, hehe).

    I think not only should you not skimp on jack stands and redundancies in case they fail, the jack itself should be of good quality and ergonomic (for lack of a better word) design. Spend the extra money for a good floor jack!

    The only floor jack I have right now is a cheap 2.5 ton AC Delco from O'Reilly's (my good one was stolen) with a jack bar that's maybe 2.5ft in length and it sucks! No matter what angle you aim to jack from or what point you've got to be partially under the car just to get it in the air, so that's before you even have jacks/tires to get up under there. Scary shit, man. It only raises to about 12-13" so if you've got an e30 on stock soft/long-travel suspension, it takes every bit of that little jack's grunt to get the car high enough to lift the wheels off the ground and get them off. Those last two pumps of the handle are done with prayer and grit.

    And since the bar is so short, when you're using it to turn the pressure valve to lower the car, you're once again, caught partially under the car while all 2000-3000 pounds of it practically barrels down towards you if that pressure valve releases too quickly. I'm not getting back under that car until i spend a good $150-200 to get a decent floor jack.

    And braddammiot is right about how much you rock the car doing normal stuff. By the time I'd loosened the oil plug on my car the other day, one front jack stand was on just two feet. Be careful guys!

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    This will be the first time I have ever had a car on jack stands.
    Last edited by phlliphethe; 12-27-2012 at 08:50 PM.

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    I agree with all of the above.... but read these links anyway. True story happened in the town next to me.

    Read it and weep. Use redundant systems; never trust a jack or jack stand; throw that wheel under the car near where you are working; and ROCK that sucker BEFORE you go under it!

    Stay safe, fellas. Happy New Year. RIP Christian K.

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  17. #17
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    I guess since I've never had a car on jack stands I really didn't appreciate the possible danger so I'm really glad I asked the question...embarrassing as it may have been to ask. The idea I really like (mentioned by royemello and again by richardodn) is putting the car on ramps. Seems to be the safest. I've got two solid ramps that I'll use on the front, and I'll use jack stands on the back, along with tires. Great information, suggestions and warnings. I can't wait to get started.

  18. #18
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    Thanks for the pic, although it's a little low-res.

    Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead, but I am also a noob when it comes to jacking a car up. I am about to do an oil change on my E30, and will need to jack the car up (every oil change I have done previously were on trucks/SUV that had enough clearance to drain without being jacked up). What is the best point to jack the car up for an oil change? I was about to jack the car up via the factory jack stand position via this post but then I saw the above picture and it looks like this fella is using the factory jack point for his floor jack. Glad I saw that before I lifted the car up. All this talk about people being crushed while having the car jacked up is why I have been so hesitant to do something like this before.
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    Sorry.. the photo was taken with the best camera I had available to me back in ~2003 when a few us us flipped the wrecked car up on its side to snap the shot.

    A floor jack on the center of the front subframe or on the rear differential are the optimal lift points. You can jack on the pinch welds but its likely you'll bend and fold them over.
    Tenured Automotive Service Professional - Avid BMW Enthusiast

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    Yeah, I was just thinking it looks like the front subframe is the optimal place to jack the car. In relation to that, where would be the best place to put the jack stands then? I'm guessing on the nearest spot marked "jackstands" in the pic, but can't really tell what it's pointing at.

    P.S: No worries on the picture resolution, I'm actually impressed that you took that back in 2003. Looks like it's definitely helped many in the community these past 16 years!
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  21. #21
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    The front location for the stands is the frame rail. Really anywhere along it that is convenient. Be sure to use some kind of pad to keep the undercoating and paint protected.
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    Or, just get yourself something like this.

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    ^Thanks, but all I needed was literally a few inches of clearance in order to get enough room to fit my oil catch pan and my 17mm socket enough space. Considering my car is sitting on slightly lowered M-suspension, I actually think most E30s should have plenty of room for an oil change without even jacking that car at all. Useful to know the jacking points if I'll need to do suspension/brake work in the future though.
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  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by E34 5er View Post
    ^Thanks, but all I needed was literally a few inches of clearance in order to get enough room to fit my oil catch pan and my 17mm socket enough space. Considering my car is sitting on slightly lowered M-suspension, I actually think most E30s should have plenty of room for an oil change without even jacking that car at all. Useful to know the jacking points if I'll need to do suspension/brake work in the future though.
    On stock E30 with M40 engine you can change oil without lifting car.

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