peet

)I had to remove the wheels to get into the lighting area (inside wheel well)... anyhow, the jack points on our cars are shaped for the cheesy little scissor jack in the trunk. How does one lift these cars with a real hydraulic jack?

When I started to use mine with that jack point it looked like it was going to crush it. Does someone make adapters? Or is there another point to jack on? (no comments from the peanut gallery :p )

Also, what are the safe points to put jack stands. I put mine temporarily on the control arm in front, but that seems micky mouse at best.

P

TimmyC230boy

I bet its in the manual. look for it

PS I went easy on you

mdp c230k

Try on the 'A' arm near the wheel or in the middle of the crossmember under the engine to lift the whole front of the car.
Darn it...you put a disclaimer on the 'jack on'!!

peet

had to disclaimer this one!

Anyhow, I looked in the manual. And unfortunately it is written for folks that don't like to get their hands dirty.. you know.. the ones that on a flat tire, open the rear, take out the gloves in the jack area, then call roadside assistace

So it doesn't cover shop jacks.

Keep them guesses comin' y'all.

P

JustinTRW

Yeah, I noticed that too. It was a good idea on MB's part though because a lot of people would otherwise be affraid to use the jack (D'oh, now I have no side skirts, lol). I am also removing the wheels, but for cleaning purposes.

Quick question: I don't have a proper wrench to torque the lugs (what a shame), only the socket wrench that comes in the spare kit. I had to purchase it separately you know, C32 owners were jacked, no pun intended.

Anyway, when I put the wheel back on, I assume I just tighten the lugs as tight as I can get them by hand. Then should I take the car to MB to have them properly torqued?

MB-BOB

Searching on "Jack Adapter" I found Avlis's excellent thread from several months ago. The Hockey puck sounds like a wonderful idea...

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...t=jack+adapter

That Search Function sure works nice...

patronus

The most effective jack points on most MB's, W203 included are on the front crossmember and the rear differential housing.

For the front jack point, look under the front of the car and you will see a nice, recessed area about one foot back from the front of the car. In that recessed area is a rectangular rubber block. Put your floor jack under there for lifting the front of the car.

On the rear diff housing, put the jack under the largest part of the housing as the support from the diff to the chassis is just above that.

One tip is to use a hockey puck on the seat of your floor jack for protection.

Another tip is to break down and buy a torque wrench to properly tighten lugs yourself. The tool probably costs the same amount as a dealer would charge to torque the lugs once for you.

JustinTRW

Thanks. Do you know the kind I should get? I don't want to be driving and have my wheel fall off.

vadim

Justin--
My suggestion would be: yes, take it to any decent wheel shop that has a torque wrench (not torque sticks - stay away from them) and re-torque the lugs.

Try to never overtorque them as alloy wheels are very fragile and can crack. Also, I heard that overtorquing/uneven torquing can cause rotor warpage (yet I don't know anyone to confirm that by experience).

Get a decent torque wrench at Home Depot or Sears - one with a long handle, they are not prohibitively expensive.

patronus

I bought mine at Sears. I have the clicking variety (it clicks in your hand when you reach the correct torque....very easy to tell). Wheel lug torque is specified at 81 ft-lb for virtually all MB alloy wheels, so get a torque wrench that accomodates that easily (maybe up to 150 to 200 ft-lb range so that you do not operate it at its limit all of the time).

BigBadDad

I had the same question when I was painting my calipers. Jacking the car up wasn't a problem with the MB jack, but where to put the jack stand? I had hoped to do 2 wheels at time, but I wasn't confident with any of my options on where to put the jack stands. I just did one wheel at a time.

JustinTRW

Ali also informed me of the near necessity for a wheel hanger. Who has removed wheels without one?

mdp c230k

A wheel hanger is used to hold the parts like caliper and control arm so they don't over stretch and break the brake lines and bushings if you dismantle it that far. Usually while changing springs or shocks or pads will this happen. A coathanger works just as well as a special tool.

patronus

Actually, a wheel hangar COULD be the threaded rod that you use to re-mount the wheel. This can be found in your tool kit.

It is an aluminum rod that you thread onto a lug hole before mounting the wheel. You then simply hang the wheel from this rod, push it on the hub and all of the lug holes are lined up!

Cool.

vadim

a mini bunji cord can be helpful if all you need is to hang a caliper while changing pads and rotors.

JustinTRW

All I'm doing is cleaning the wheels and sealing them from the inside because the rotor is too large to work with when the wheel is on.

peet

Great tips folks.

As far as torque wrench, yep just go to sears. Craftsman has a nice one and you can get the proper size socket (look for impact wrench sockets) that will give you the right size and depth.

Then when money is no object, go to Griot's Garage and get the nice rubber coated sockets so you won't scratch your wheel.

Furthermore - I can be the first to confirm that uneven wheel bolt torque WILL warp rotors. I cross-threaded one of 5 bolts on my BMW. Not knowing any better at the time - and figuring (incorrectly) that 4 bolts is enough for now - I used some loktite and torqued the other 4. Some 200-300 miles later - new rotors please. Not only that, but I bent my hub - new hub please. So use my expensive lesson. Torque evenly. Don't mess around guessing.

P

mdp c230k

Remember to criss-cross the bolts when tightening them. i.e. 1-3-5-2-4 order, torque them to about 80% then again at 100%.

Lynn

I believe mbtech208 warned against lifting the car using the differential housing because the bearings and oil seals could be damaged.

avlis

Good job Bob, you beat me to it.

I got the adapter made and it's a fine piece...Too bad I haven't used it yet. I carry it around in one of the little pockets under the trunk floor. Maybe that's the excuse I need to rotate my tires.

They used to say jacking solid rear axle cars by the diff was a no-no for the reasons mentioned above. I dont think the same rule applies to cars with IRS. The diff is solidly mounted to a steel frame via rubber bushings. Jacking the car by the diff transmits the weight of the car through the diff housing, rubber bushings/bolts and into the steel frame. The seals are an integral part of the diff housing and wont see any of the car's weight. I don't see a problem with jacking from here as long as the diff housing and mounting bolts can take the strain.

Lynn

I went back and read the old thread MB-BOB referred to from February. Patronus and I said almost the exact same things.

young

so where do the jack stands go?

and the torque wrench is a good idea. i've been just tightening the lugbolts by feel... you guys are making me nervous

avlis

The lower arms of the rear suspension have plastic "belly-pans" under them. If the plastic pieces are easily removed, you might be able to place a stand under each arm.

If not, you can try jacking the car up from the center points (crossmember and diff) and place a stand under the factory jackpoints under the doors. In that case, it would be easier just to use wheel ramps as long as you don't need to remove the wheels.

DrMike

A torque wrench is a nice tool to have around. I use mine to torque the lawnmower blades to the factory spec. I wouldn't want the mower blade flying off! A torque wrench is one of those things that you wind up using a lot once you have it.