Jack Stands-- How Do YOU Dhu Eeeet?

[kayger12]

So I need to bang out trans and diff fluid change, but I am always leery of how I get the car on the stands because I'm worried I'm going to end up having the car slide off the one stand while I get the other side up.

Do you guys jack up one side, get the stand in place, then jack the other side? Or do you use two jacks and go up a little at a time on each side?

I can see when I get underneath that the PO tried jacking up the front in the middle by the frame brace as it's dented in.

[az3579]

Jack up one side, put the jack stand in. Repeat on other side. Do the same for front and back if you're doing both front and back.

[danewilson77]

I jack up drivers side....rear...as high as I can get it.

Then, I put a jack stand under drivers side front jack point.

Release jack and do the same on the other side so both front end tires are about 12" off the ground.

Then I grab my non-low profile jack and jack it up in the rear using the diff shroud bracket.

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af278/nicee46/Maintenance%20and%20Misc/734jackpointandclamp.jpg

Then I will put my low profile jack, wherever I need it as a safety.....

[kayger12]

Ok. Got it. Thanks, gents.

[danewilson77]

Just remember...car needs to be nearly level....

You haz 6 spd...correct?

[kayger12]

You haz 6 spd...correct?

Yep-- 6MT

[danewilson77]

Okay...lemme know if you gots any questions when you get closer...or give me a call.

[kayger12]

Will do. Thanks, bro.

[danewilson77]

Yup...np. The crutch in the East is what they call me.

[az3579]

Yup...np. The crutch in the East is what they call me.

'Sup crutch'n'da'East!

[danewilson77]

Sup.

[jjcools]

I jack up each side and put ramps under either the front or rear. FOr some reason, they make me feel better than jack stands so I do a mixture of both plus us my floor jack as a back up in a central location.

+1 What Dane said, make sure you are level.

[danewilson77]

Ramps are safer...no doubt about it.....But I am always messing with my ride height and suspension....and ramps won't work there...

[kayger12]

Ramps do make sense. Of course, driving up on those with the 6MT is an adventure in itself...

[jjcools]

I have to jack my car to get them on the ramps, it is too low. They do have some race ramps but then you have to store those long monsters!!

[kayger12]

I have some Rhino low profile ramps that I used for the 325. The ZHP just clears them enough.

[Alphatek45]

I have to jack my car to get them on the ramps, it is too low. They do have some race ramps but then you have to store those long monsters!!

I think the new race ramps are 2 piece. Makes storage slightly better. But yeah.

[zhp43867]

Rhino ramps would tear my bumper apart; F that noise. :shifty

Eibach Pro KIt (~1 inch front drop) + splitters (-1 inch bumper clearance) means no way. I could just clear with some minor rubbing at stock ride height with no splitters.

[danewilson77]

^Yeah....I am with you...and am happy with my jacks and stands. Just gotta think about what you're doing...and like I said...can't use ramps when doing suspension related items...

[az3579]

Ramps do make sense. Of course, driving up on those with the 6MT is an adventure in itself...

Why do you say that?
I find it easier than breathing. Seriously. (I tend to hold my breath when I do stuff like that lol)
Clutch control. :)

[gr330zhp]

Well when I did tranny and diff fluids I had access to a lift :p

When I do oil and other various things I use combination of ramps and jack stands. I am always worried with lifting and putting onto jack stands. Even though it is the proper way, just something about it. My car just passes with low profil Rhino ramps and use of blocks

Now I willl have to get better at jack stands though because when the splitters go on in the spring, the ramps will do nothing haha

[kayger12]

Now I willl have to get better at jack stands though because when the splitters go on in the spring, the ramps will do nothing haha

Was thinking the same thing if I go with the CF splitters...

[PsychoCemia]

Rhino ramps would tear my bumper apart; F that noise. :shifty

Eibach Pro KIt (~1 inch front drop) + splitters (-1 inch bumper clearance) means no way. I could just clear with some minor rubbing at stock ride height with no splitters.

Here's a helpful tip, though I donno if it'll help much in your case: I cut 2 18"-long sections of a 2x8 which I place at the leading edge of the Rhino ramps. I can just drive straight up the ramps now. More to carry, sure. But quicker than dealing with jacks :)

[danewilson77]

Thanks for the tips Psycho....

[billschusteriv]

Last time I lifted the car for the oil change & brake fluid flush - I remember using the front/rear center jack points to lift the car and then put stands under the sides at the factory jack lift points.

I found these two threads with some good info:

http://m3.madrussian.net/diy_jacking.shtml

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42371

[kayger12]

Thanks for all of the input, gents. Did my trans and diff fluid today and opted for the rhino ramps for the front and low profile jack at the u-brace to get the back on the jack stands.

[LivesNearCostco]

Interested in using Rhino ramps. Was going to make a new thread but found this one. Apparently a ZHP at stock height can drive up the Rhino Ramps okay, but my front is lowered between 0.5" and 0.75" (no splitter or lips). Do you think I could drive straight up the ramps or will I need 2 pieces of 2x8 wood? The Autostore guy said some RWD cars have trouble getting front wheels up the ramps because they slide forward when you try to drive onto them. But he said his experience with that was with the $40, 8,000 lb (GVW) ramps and the heftier $45, 12,000 GVW ramps might not slide because they have a rubber gripper foot underneath.

[kayger12]

My ZHP scrapes the rhino ramps if I don't use 2x10s, and that's at stock height.

[strz0001]

I use the 12k lbs Rhinos with a couple scrap 1x4's laid parallel right at the end. Gives it just enough clearance to drive up. Stock ride height.

[kayger12]

As a side bar-- I jacked the front yesterday from the already-deformed aluminum reinforcement plate and found it much easier to get her up on stands that way.

Going that route from here on out.

[LivesNearCostco]

I always jack up the front that way, unless I'm working on just one wheel/wheelwell at a time. now that I have coilovers, it's much easier to adjust ride height if both front wheels are drooping, otherwise if I raise only one corner at a time, the swaybar keeps enough tension on the spring to make height adjustment hard.

OK, so if I get Rhino Ramps, I'll need some 1x4" or 2x8" pieces to put in front of them. Thanks for the quick feedkback everyone!

[Oli77]

Where did you put that sucker (middle of pan)? I have a square hole in the middle of the pan.

[kayger12]

Yep-- right under that raised square.

The deformed square area in this picture:
http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff401/Kayger12/2012-01-06_16-07-10_382.jpg

[Oli77]

That's carazy! I guess it works.

[kayger12]

Yeah-- mine was already deformed. Figured I had nothing to lose.

Read in a few places that it's totally safe to jack from that spot.

[LivesNearCostco]

Right above that spot is part of the front subframe. I use a block of wood between my jack and that rectangle, so mine is squished but not as much as in that photo. The block of wood also helps me get the front high enough.

[Stu]

I jack up drivers side....rear...as high as I can get it.

Then, I put a jack stand under drivers side front jack point.

Release jack and do the same on the other side so both front end tires are about 12" off the ground.

Then I grab my non-low profile jack and jack it up in the rear using the diff shroud bracket.

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af278/nicee46/Maintenance%20and%20Misc/734jackpointandclamp.jpg

Then I will put my low profile jack, wherever I need it as a safety.....

Hey Dane,

I'm gonna be giving this a try this weekend, but I am worried about having one side of the front on a jack stand as I lift the rear opposite really high as well. Is there a high risk of the jack stand slipping as I raise the opposite side?

[Stewbie]

FYI - This was my solution to the ramps problem.

http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh619/Stewbie2000/IMG_20130406_135200_zps670c5315.jpg

[sillieidiot]

yeah that's sort of what i do for mines. but mine only goes up high enough so i can put it on my lift lol i think you should have angled the cuts more. it makes it even easier to get up each step.

[Stu]

I am now a follower of the Dane method for lifting the front of the car.

Here are some ghetto cell phone pictures.

Step 1:
Placing the jack under the passenger rear jack pad
http://i.imgur.com/8gGfVhUl.jpg (http://imgur.com/8gGfVhU)

Step 2:
Raising up enough to slide one jack stand under the front
http://i.imgur.com/PSnn79al.jpg (http://imgur.com/PSnn79a)

Here you can see the car raised up enough to slide a jack stand under the front jack pad
http://i.imgur.com/qENc8lYl.jpg (http://imgur.com/qENc8lY)

Step 3:
Raising the opposite side from the rear side jack pad
http://i.imgur.com/wD1hQKQl.jpg (http://imgur.com/wD1hQKQ)

You can see that the first jack stand is well-planted and has no risk of slipping, even though the other side is being raised from the rear jack pad. The car is high enough to slip a jack stand under the other front jack point.
http://i.imgur.com/A0idZpQl.jpg (http://imgur.com/A0idZpQ)

Step 4:
Firmly on jack stands, ready to start taking stuff apart! This took all of about a minute and a half to do.
http://i.imgur.com/KUsB4pEl.jpg (http://imgur.com/KUsB4pE)

[johnrando]

That make sense Stu, thanks.