drchpeteros

2009 E350 4matic wagon

Doing brake work for the first time and would like to just raise the corner I'm working on, in this case the rear corners. I've searched and read a million threads/posts on this topic but haven't found one specific to this car or one very close to it. And there are a million ways people have jury rigged things. I just want a simple way to jack a corner and place a stand. The simplest method I've see is to jack at the front jack pad and this will raise the entire side of the car. Then place jack stand under rear jack point. Seems simple, but:

Ia this OK to do (twist frame?)?

Once the stand is under the back, do I need to support the front? How? Leave floor jack in place?

I appreciate any help

amosfella

Do 2 stands at a time for one end of the car at a time. It's safer that way. There's a reason that jack stands are sold in pairs.

chassis

Jack with a piece of wood under the lower control arm one corner at a time. Done.

tjts1

You're all jacking it wrong. Place the hydraulic floor jack under the rear diff, lift the entire rear end then place the jack stand on the corner pad then drop the jack under the diff.

chassis

Yes, another way to do it.

drchpeteros

Yes, that's the way I've done it in the past. I was just looking for a way to only get one corner up and place jack stand.


And is it really OK to jack off the control arm?

robbieas

Buy it a drink first, but sure.

drchpeteros

I admit, that was actually pretty funny, but is it? And if so, any place in particular? A pic or diagram would be great.

chassis

Yes, it is really 100% for sure OK to place a piece of wood under the lower control arm, and place a jack under the wood, and lift the corner of the vehicle. Place the wood as far outboard as possible while avoiding interference with the the wheel and tire.

Odd Piggy

Lifting one corner by jacking from the lower control arm is not only 100% okay, but it requires much less lifting of the car body to get the wheel off the ground. Note, if you have the plastic control arm cover, remove it first.

If somehow it feels uncomfortable doing that, lift the corner by jacking at the nearest lift pad. Then place a jack stand with a block of wood spacer under a suspension cross member mounting point.

Odd Piggy

X

NewShockerGuy

I always lift either the front or the end of the car up. I never do just one corner. To me that is asking for more of a problem.
I have a lift at my house so I always life the entire car up. But just as mentioned. Lift the front end and support BOTH sides with jack stands so the front end is up. And or do the same in the rear. I would not lift just a single corner up. It takes the same effort to lift a corner as it does the front and have it stable on both sides and supported properly.

It's not worth something happening and the car comes down on the one corner. You normally get once chance with accidents when it comes to vehicles coming down. I'd prefer to not use that one chance up in an event something happens.

-Nigel

ptkacik

The W211 is pretty solid but I found that on my Mini Cooper, if you regularly parked with one wheel up higher than the others (e.g., on a curb) it would bust the windshield. Which it did. There is even a TSB on out how to replace the windshield to reduce this sensitivity.

Peter

drchpeteros

So I tried a method I read about and jacked up the front corner from the pad until it was high enough to get my stand on its lowest setting under the rear pad . The rear wheel was still touching the ground at this point. When lowering the frond, the rear wheel lifted as the car tested on the stand. It worked but I'm not sure it was smart. I think I'll go back to the entire end off the diff with 2 stands or try control arm method.

Odd Piggy

Sounds scary. Seems to put lateral forces on the stand. I don’t like anything moving when the car is on stands or jack. That also works against the recommended blocking of the wheel diagonally across from the jack.

NewShockerGuy

Yep, you should really only be lifting the car up on one side if you get a flat tire and that's the only way to do it. It takes 10 seconds more to put the jack at the proper lift point at the front of the car and lift the front end up evenly and placing two jack stands at the front, and or doing it in the rear and doing the same thing....

It's one of those things that to me it's not worth it... if the car shifts or for whatever reason something is under where you are jacking up the car and it falls and now your body part is under or around it, asking for a quick and possibly serious injury not counting if the car ends up breaking something.

-Nigel

drchpeteros

In retrospect... agreed