Axle stand placement
Discussion
So im pretty confident with where to place the axle stands on the front of my fwd car, theres 2 huge bolts holding the subfloor in place and in most videos ive seen people place the axle stand underneath them.
The problem im having is with the rear of the car. I have a solid beam going right cross with lips at the front and back of the beam, is it suitable to place an axle stand under each side of this? Or will it bend.
The problem im having is with the rear of the car. I have a solid beam going right cross with lips at the front and back of the beam, is it suitable to place an axle stand under each side of this? Or will it bend.
So its a fiesta st mk7.
Is it possible to jack up the car in the centre of the rear crossbeam (using a piece of wood to spread the load. Then placing the axle stands on the jacking points??
Also is using wheel chocks literally all i need to stop the car rolling forward? Seems a bit risky having just that stopping the car roll forward, obviously jacking the front is easier as the handbrake holds the rear wheels aswell as having the chocks there.
Is it possible to jack up the car in the centre of the rear crossbeam (using a piece of wood to spread the load. Then placing the axle stands on the jacking points??
Also is using wheel chocks literally all i need to stop the car rolling forward? Seems a bit risky having just that stopping the car roll forward, obviously jacking the front is easier as the handbrake holds the rear wheels aswell as having the chocks there.
It's not ideal to jack up in the centre of a rear axle beam on fwd cars. You might bend it. Jack one side at a time as close to the wheel as possible, place the axle stand and then do the other side. Always use something soft between the jack and the car. A piece of softwood like pine or a slice hacked out of an old tyre tread. My trolley jack has 4 nasty metal bobbles sticking up out of the jacking pad and they can punch into thin metal very easily. Better jacks have a rubber covered pad. Axle stands that are Y or U shaped can go straight on the axle beam. If you're putting the axle stand under somewhere flat then use a piece of softwood on the stand that's higher than the Y ends to take the weight.
To chock the front wheels use a concrete building block either side of the tyres. Also for fwd put the car in 1st or reverse if the rear is jacked up. It won't move against engine compression. If the front is jacked up then leave the handbrake on. If the ground is level a car isn't going to go anywhere once one end is on axle stands though.
Looking at photos of the underside of the Mk7 Fiesta online you can jack at each end of the rear beam or directly under the shock absorbers or springs.
To chock the front wheels use a concrete building block either side of the tyres. Also for fwd put the car in 1st or reverse if the rear is jacked up. It won't move against engine compression. If the front is jacked up then leave the handbrake on. If the ground is level a car isn't going to go anywhere once one end is on axle stands though.
Looking at photos of the underside of the Mk7 Fiesta online you can jack at each end of the rear beam or directly under the shock absorbers or springs.
Mignon said:
It's not ideal to jack up in the centre of a rear axle beam on fwd cars. You might bend it. Jack one side at a time as close to the wheel as possible, place the axle stand and then do the other side. Always use something soft between the jack and the car. A piece of softwood like pine or a slice hacked out of an old tyre tread. My trolley jack has 4 nasty metal bobbles sticking up out of the jacking pad and they can punch into thin metal very easily. Better jacks have a rubber covered pad. Axle stands that are Y or U shaped can go straight on the axle beam. If you're putting the axle stand under somewhere flat then use a piece of softwood on the stand that's higher than the Y ends to take the weight.
To chock the front wheels use a concrete building block either side of the tyres. Also for fwd put the car in 1st or reverse if the rear is jacked up. It won't move against engine compression. If the front is jacked up then leave the handbrake on. If the ground is level a car isn't going to go anywhere once one end is on axle stands though.
Looking at photos of the underside of the Mk7 Fiesta online you can jack at each end of the rear beam or directly under the shock absorbers or springs.
Just had a thought.To chock the front wheels use a concrete building block either side of the tyres. Also for fwd put the car in 1st or reverse if the rear is jacked up. It won't move against engine compression. If the front is jacked up then leave the handbrake on. If the ground is level a car isn't going to go anywhere once one end is on axle stands though.
Looking at photos of the underside of the Mk7 Fiesta online you can jack at each end of the rear beam or directly under the shock absorbers or springs.
When i lift the rear the front lifts too, when i lift the front the rear lifts.
So could i not jack the rear and place axle stands on the front jacking point (pinch weld on the sill) then do the other side.
Going to do my first test lifting the car onto axle stands tommorow.
However after getting the axle stands and seeing how narrow they are how on earth will the car not slip off them?
Its going under the rear subframe bolts, it just seems itll be okay one side but as soon as i go to jack the other side up wont it start slipping off as the car shifts?
However after getting the axle stands and seeing how narrow they are how on earth will the car not slip off them?
Its going under the rear subframe bolts, it just seems itll be okay one side but as soon as i go to jack the other side up wont it start slipping off as the car shifts?
Butter Face said:
It shouldn’t, it should pivot on the axle stand slightly but be ok. Just go careful lowering it back down.
The other alternative is to try and jack the car up somewhere from the rear and lower both sides at the same time.
Would be easier but theres not really anywhere suitable at the front i can jack in the centre.The other alternative is to try and jack the car up somewhere from the rear and lower both sides at the same time.
Axle stands typically have a curved top which helps prevent them from slipping off in one direction. You'd normally put them under a subframe rail or similar which can't fall off the stand even if it does slip in the other direction. I wouldn't want to use that style of axle stand to support the car under a single point such as a bolt head unless it was safe for the bolt to slide off the stand - in which case I'd probably put the stand under whatever it would have landed on after it slid off the bolt.
A decent jack on a good level surface shouldn't push the car sideways. If for instance your using one that does (pillar jack) or a trolley jack that doesn't roll freely (grit under the wheels or poor surface) then jack each side a little at a time.
Some cars have a central jacking point you can get a trolley jack onto.
Some cars have a central jacking point you can get a trolley jack onto.
PositronicRay said:
If for instance your using one that does (pillar jack) or a trolley jack that doesn't roll freely (grit under the wheels or poor surface) then jack each side a little at a time.
This.I get one side of the car on jacks at their lowest level and then lift the other side to the same height. I then increase the height from there.
Trying to get one side of the car to working height and then lifting the other side is a bit brave!
It should be fine, providing you choose your jacking points with care. Belt and braces though, once you've got your car on stands put some blocks under it. I know when I was refurbishing my Exige and I had the car up on stands I was always scared of it falling off, but even with some pretty rough treatment (breaker bar on various rusted suspension components, splitting ball joints etc etc it never moved. The weight of the car stabilises the stands.
As an aside I know that a lot of Lotus folk don't use stands, instead they rest the car on boxes of printer paper. It's very stable and very gentle on the chassis, but I guess you need a flat underside or very wide chassis members to do something like that.
Be brave and have something to catch it if the worse should happen.
As an aside I know that a lot of Lotus folk don't use stands, instead they rest the car on boxes of printer paper. It's very stable and very gentle on the chassis, but I guess you need a flat underside or very wide chassis members to do something like that.
Be brave and have something to catch it if the worse should happen.
RTB said:
they rest the car on boxes of printer paper. It's very stable and very gentle on the chassis
I've read about that approach and been left wondering how safe it is. The only stability comes from the strength of the box itself (which is minimal) and the coefficient of friction between two layers of paper - which is not particularly high. It's a bit like sitting the car on a pile of bricks - seems fine, until that one day they start to collapse.GreenV8S said:
I've read about that approach and been left wondering how safe it is. The only stability comes from the strength of the box itself (which is minimal) and the coefficient of friction between two layers of paper - which is not particularly high. It's a bit like sitting the car on a pile of bricks - seems fine, until that one day they start to collapse.
I thought the same myself, but many Lotus home mechanics swear by it. I guess the one thing it has going for it is the surface area when compared to the top of an axle stand and the friction will be cumulative over the multiple reams of paper. It's an interesting solution but I'd rather stick with axle stands. Anyway four boxes of paper will be 10-15 quid a box, so not much cheaper than a set of stands. Unless most Lotus home mechanics are raiding their work stationery cupboards.....
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