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MG MGF Technical - Axle stands - two silly questions

1) Does the usual scissor jack raise the car up enough to place the axle stands underneath?

2) Can anyone describe or point to a picture of where you are meant to place the stands?

I told you they were silly questions!

Chaz
C Golvala

1) Yes, although i tend to use a trolley jack

2) Researching pictures...

SF
Scarlet Fever

Chaz, iv'e sent you e mail, doc/file jacking points,hope this helps, Dave T6 DCM.
DC Morris

could I have the doc too?

changing bake disks this weekend so could do with using axle stands.
John Pickup

DC are you sending them the page from the Workshop Manual?
JohnP

Hi all,
SF ,are You sure about that ? When I put the "Green Frog" on 4 stands just to marginally free all 4 wheels I have to use a big wooden block underneath the scissor jack when doing the last 2 stands....

BR, Carl.
Carl Blom

I used a trolley jack, on the jack points, rather than the sub-frame, and did some bad damage.

Basically the trolley jack stuck into the gravel.
This ended up not just raising the jack point, but also pulling it outwards from the car.

That jacking point is so significantly damaged now as to be unusable.

They're not silly questions, seems a simple task, but you can still make an rse of it. (as proved by me.)

paul weatherill

John Pickup, you have it, John P, not sure where from i was sent it by fellow F'r on here a short while ago, and can't remember who at minute, Dave
DC Morris

Are we talking about 4 axle stands then? If so i don't know as i have only ever had the car up on a pair of them at a time.

Certainly it is possible to use the scissor jack to install a pair of axle stands (just a pain in the *rse winding the handle all the way up!) ;-)

When using the trolley jack i use the central jacking points on the subframes. Also, when jacking the car up on gravel, place a large board or something under the wheels of the trolley jack to avoid it digging in.

If the car is lowered, then clearance for a trolley jack is likely to be a problem and you may need to jack the car up in stages. On Scarlet i have found the easiest way to jack the car up is to insert the trolley jack from the rear quarter (between the rear wheel and the exhaust silencer box, say 45 degrees to the car) and jack it up on the subframe until both wheels are *just* off the ground, the wheels in the dropped position draw extra hydragas fluid in to the spheres meaning that when you lower the car down it is higher than before until the Hydragas equalises again. This then gives me enough clearance to get the trolley jack under the central jacking point.

Once the jack is in position under the central jacking point, raise the car until you can get both axle stands in position under the subframe. I then continue jacking the car up an axle stand a 'pin hole' at a time, adjusting the pins as i go - just a safety proceedure. Also i never jack it up higher than it needs to go, for example, when working in the catalyst area i only go up 2 pin holes on the axle stands, but to remove the flexi-pipe i needed to get to the exhaust manifold side of the engine, so i had to jack the car up a further 2 pin holes.

Lastly, if i am going to be under the car for a while i always place the spare wheel under the side cill, again just a precaution.

SF
Scarlet Fever

Just two stands in my case, first for the front then the rear. Four stands sounds risky to me and I will be chocking the wheels that remain on the ground for added security.

Thanks to Dave for the extract from the WM, but reading it always has me confused. The jacking point is clearly somewhere near each wheel arch and on the metal edge that sticks downwards. Is it the point where that bit of metal is bent into a V-shape? That's what I've always used for changing wheels etc and without apparent harm. Hence the desire for piccies if anyone can find them (SF)?

Glad to know this wasn't so stupid a thread...

Cheers

Chaz
C Golvala

Chaz,

Will Email you some JPEG photos when i get home tonight. Scarlet is currently up on stands on the front so i can take some piccies and i already have some for the rear from the last article i wrote.

SF
Scarlet Fever

Thanks Scarlet. Looking forward to it....
C
C Golvala

SF WROTE:

>> Lastly, if i am going to be under the car for a while i always place the spare wheel under the side cill, again just a precaution. <<

First Class advice SF ... Two wheels is even better ... always, repeat ALWAYS keep a couple of old steel wheels and tyres for that purpose handy. Could even save your neck one day! Much more secure than any jack or indeed, axle stands which can give way under certain conditions. Helps if tyres hold pressure even if worn bald. Peanuts/free from most breakers if you dont already have. I sometimes slide one under the wheel I'm not working on too ... much more secure.

When working on soft ground, I have a thick plywood board to place under the trolley jack's four wheels to avoid digging into earth or gravel. The car can come off the car's own jack or trolley very suddenly when the soil or gravel gives way.

Be careful and like the boy scout ... ALWAYS prepared .. ;-)
J McFeely

Chaz,

Email sent, two JPEG images entitled FRONT and REAR (i'll leave you to work out which is which!!!) ;-)

Note: the front image is taken with the bumper removed.

SF
Scarlet Fever

Thanks Andrew, pics safely received and very useful.
C Golvala

Welcome, glad i could help. :-)

SF
Scarlet Fever

This thread was discussed between 04/04/2003 and 07/04/2003

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