Is there a consensus on a safe rear jacking point that is not the sill pads?

 

The car is designed to be lifted from the lifting points.

What are you working on that the rear needs to be raised? When I replaced the rear passenger brake line I had to remove both wheels. I did not have to go under the car but was reaching inside the wheel well and had my hands reaching across. I used a floor jack on each jacking point and raised it that way. I put blocks of wood underneath each jack arm so they couldnt lower.

The manual mentions a floor jack and jack stands but I cant find any info on what they actually look like.

Theres some aftermarket products that look interesting.

 

Guys the answer is an two post above ground electric hoist. Get one with asymmetric arms so a front door can be opened when it is on the hoist.

Mount it to a concrete slab at least 8" of high strength concrete.

Runs on two legs of 110 volts. Easy peasy. Won't fit in the garage? Pour a slab outside and install the hoist.

You'll never use jack stands again.

 

You’re both very right, but I am trying to do a driveshaft center carrier bearing by jacking up the rear of the car. I don’t have a two post or a four post lift only a jack, a cherry picker, and a transmission jack and four axle stands.

they just doesn’t seem to be a good way to jack both rear wheels off the ground at once.

my question was if the diff cover would be strong enough as it sits in the aluminum bracket supported by two rubber bushings either side.

 

Jacking by the diff is only recommended if you want to trash the bushings 😉

I would jack at a subframe mount long before I lifted a car by the diff.

 

Jacking by the diff is only recommended if you want to trash the bushings 😉

I would jack at a subframe mount long before I lifted a car by the diff.

 

Here in the Phoenix area there are a few shops who will rent hoist time for your D-I-Y project.

A hoist is the way to do that work.

 

I was looking thru the manual for replacing the center bearing and dont see a reason why the wheels have to be off when doing it. Or why the wheels have to be hanging off the ground. I could be wrong.

I noticed the exhaust has to come off. When I worked on my exhaust under the car I drove the entire car up on wooden ramps I made. Made them out of wood planks, 2x12's or whatever width they are. When I serviced the transmission I had the car on my ramps. My parking area is not level so I did jack up the front a little more to level it out. It was easier jacking from the front middle jacking point but if it was the rear id jack up each side and stick another board under the wheels. Work with what I have.

Make some ramps and drive the car up. Or jack up each side and put the ramps under the wheels and lower. If im driving the entire car up I can only fit ramps 2 planks high under, if i need the car up higher I jack up the car at the jack points and stick another board under the wheels.

And I completely agree with NOT using the differential to jack up the car.

 

You could do this job on a four post lift, with the wheels on. Or like you did. My 50 yo back says no to that though.
The point to raise the car by the rear is to gain access and arc enough to swing loose the giubo bolts, as well as remove at least the back half of the exhaust.

But there is really no suitable jacking point behind the rear axle. Might just have to back it up on some big ramps, or jack each side up and put successively more lumber under each rear wheel (with a chocked front wheel of course).

 

Doing ANY WORK UNDER THE CAR ON SURFACES OTHER THAN LEVEL CONCRETE IS THROWING THE DICE AT YOUR TURN TO JOIN THE RAINBOW BRIDGE CLUB. OR WORSE.

 

There’s a shot at the Darwin awards in there for sure

 

I had to look up what a giubo bolt is. I never heard it before.

Obviously do it however you think is best but i'm thinking its best to have both the front and rear up in order to comfortably do the work. Plus I think it is much safer with the car sitting on its own weight as level as possible to cut the risk of it rolling. Its a good time to test your parking brakes before putting the car up on ramps to make sure they are actually working. The drive shaft at the transmission is pretty far forward, going to have to get under it.

Cordless impact wrench should zip off the drive shaft nuts and bolts easily. When I was under my car replacing the rear differential fluid I had the hardest time trying to crack the drain bolt loose with a breaker bar, got out my Dewalt DCF901 and it came off in a few seconds.

The exhaust comes off easy enough its just heavy when working from the ground. Thats why I got out my spare scissor jack to hold much of its weight. Im glad I had ordered new clamps ahead of time since the old ones were pretty corroded and cracked, had to cut one of the bolts to remove it.

I totally agree that working under a car is dangerous. I dont trust jack stands in general nevermind doing the work on gravel like I have. I've had jack stands sink into a paved driveway and leave nice indents. I prefer having the car on its wheel and own weight. I have all types of scrap wood and timbers i'll place under the car depending on what im doing. I also have pieces of carpet I put down to kneel and lay on making it much more comfortable.

Here I was just doing some work on the brakes, was reaching in the wheel well but not going under the car.



My ramps are just two planks high. if I need it higher I can just add on longer planks to the bottom. Forget what I was doing here, maybe front diff fluid or oil change.

 

Rear diff and front center jack point (rubber/plastic bumper on front subframe). I've never once lifted from the sills. I don't like twisting the body. Rear diff lift ain't gonna hurt anything. Just get it up in the air, get the stands under the lateral lift points and set it down. No big deal.

 

We like to talk about things on this forum

 

We have come a very long way from the bad old days of picking up a car from one jack point and having doors not want to open or worse! Modern cars are wonderfully stiff. Unless it is hopelessly corroded away you're fine picking one up from any of the four lift points.

I recall picking up an Alfa Romeo where I put the lift pads properly under the car.... go to pick up the car; only to hear crunchy noises as the paint was about the only thing holding it together. The hoist went up as the car sat there. It got towed to the wrecking yard.

Them was the bad old days with cars.

 

only safe place to jack a 221 is the 4 sill jacking points - anything else is destroying the car

 

The above is what I do, but I would advise to never do this. The others are correct. Lift from sills only for 221.

 

The Jack Puck on the front subframe is also clearly a jack point, so 5.

 

Hi Botus, is it a truth to never start up the engine with the wheels off the ground on a car with ABC suspension?

I read a post a while back someone said the ABC Suspension would get damaged.

JR

 

sorry don't know - I guess it could get a muddle on and maybe get low on fluid - user manual ought to cover if it were true - what happens if you get air driving in a spirited manor

 

Most ABC cars have a jack button to prevent this from happening. At least the 220 series did. This is to prevent the system pressurizing an strut that is overextended due to the wheel being raised off the ground.

Airmatic cars do this automatically. ECU senses of a wheel is off the ground by reading the max extension on the level sensor and locks out any further air to that suspension bag. Hope that helps.

 

Non-issue. When the wheels hang ABC isn't applying pressure.

 

isn’t that what that jack/tow button is for?
I’ve seen this button in earlier 220/215s and I’ve never owned one so I’m not quite sure what it’s for. I figured I’d have something to do with hydraulically locking the suspension to prevent over extension.

not sure if 221 with ABC does this automatically or if there is a button in the dash.

 

W220/215... On the upper dash either side of the hazard switch?

That's to turn the tilt sensors on the alarm system off. Even my Airmatic equipped S280 had that switch.

 

I don’t know where it is, but the symbol was a tow truck with the rear of the car in the air. I only recall seeing it in ABC cars, but that makes sense that it’s an alarm related.