Jack points? doityourself

[HokieZHP]

Quick question...where are the jack points on the ZHP besides the 2 along each side and the rear diff? My harbor freight 3 ton jack isn't low-profile enough to get under the side jack points so I have to jack up the rear diff to get jack stands under the side jack points. Are there other jack points on the car?

[danewilson77]

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af278/nicee46/Maintenance%20and%20Misc/e46jack01.jpg

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af278/nicee46/Maintenance%20and%20Misc/e46jack02.jpg

I wouldn't recommend using the "red" point.....but the "green" point there is right on the frame.

You should never....ever..need to use these alternate jack points however.

Always.....jack up one side of your car using the "rear" jack point. Put a jack stand under the front jack point (yellow). Then...on the other side.....jack the car up using the front jack point (yellow)......and slide a jackstand under the green or red area......and then relax the jack.....until it just touches.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[HokieZHP]

thanks for the info dane!

[Crickett]

And for the record, DO NOT JACK BY THE DIFFERENTIAL ITSELF! If you're going to jack up the rear, do so by the frame just in front of the diff.

[billschusteriv]

Quick question...where are the jack points on the ZHP besides the 2 along each side and the rear diff? My harbor freight 3 ton jack isn't low-profile enough to get under the side jack points so I have to jack up the rear diff to get jack stands under the side jack points. Are there other jack points on the car?

I also encountered this over the weekend.. it was odd. Makes me worried I won't be able to jack up the car when I change out the suspension.

I need to check the air in my tires - make sure I'm running recommended pressure.

I'm also using a Craftsman 3 ton jack that is not low-profile. I think I'm going to sell the jack and pick up a low-profile one later this summer.

[HokieZHP]

^^
My dad and I looked for a high-capacity jack that was low-profile but didn't find one. His 20+ year old jack's died finally so we bought one from advance auto which sucked and bit the dust in less than a month. We do a lot of car work in our garage so we need a heavy duty high-capacity jack which is why we went back to a craftsman 3-ton jack. If you find a durable low-profile jack, please let me know!

[Mtnman]

Harbor frieght has a low profile 3 ton jack. i have the 1.5 low profile, and it works welll. Dane has the same one. I swear i saw a 3 ton one just like mine for about 2 hundo there.

[HokieZHP]

i'll check it out. Not sure if my dad will love buying another jack but i'll talk to him. After all isn't it a rule of thumb that having a 4 car garage means you need at least 2 jacks? :p

[Mtnman]

i'll check it out. Not sure if my dad will love buying another jack but i'll talk to him. After all isn't it a rule of thumb that having a 4 car garage means you need at least 2 jacks? :p

Definitely makes sense to me, although i would go at him with "anything over a 3 car garage means you are required to have a hydraulic lift"....Aim High. lol

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Definitely makes sense to me, although i would go at him with "anything over a 3 car garage means you are required to have a hydraulic lift"....Aim High. lol

:chuck

[HokieZHP]

I already tried that about a year ago aaaand...it didn't work haha. Even though we have 20ft ceilings in our garage he said no go on the lift...

[billschusteriv]

Quick question...where are the jack points on the ZHP besides the 2 along each side and the rear diff? My harbor freight 3 ton jack isn't low-profile enough to get under the side jack points so I have to jack up the rear diff to get jack stands under the side jack points. Are there other jack points on the car?

Sorry... just remembered this.

In another thread, Dane said you can lift the rear jack pad enough to get a stand under the front. I did it that way this weekend - it worked well except I couldn't get the stands to line up the way I wanted them to on the pads. So it took me like 10 minutes to get the stands aligned on the pads and the car in the air.

You should be able to use the stock jack on the front jack pad to lift the car enough to get your non-low profile jack under the rear jack pad, then lift the car with the jack and put your stand under the front pad. Then repeat for the other side.

If you need to get all four in the air, you'll need to be creative how you work the order so you can raise the rear by the frame in front of the differential using your jack.

[HokieZHP]

Yeah I guess I'll have to do that. Was hoping for an easier way but looks like that's it unless I buy another jack which I'm not crazy about doing.

Thanks!

[DirtyPillows]

You know I could use a video explaining this clearer. Im completely lost. Why raised the rear to put stands on the front...... :?

[billschusteriv]

Here is a brief synopsis of how I understand it:

Say you want to raise the front end of your car. So you lift your car using a jack at the front jack pads on the sides of the car. Now, with your floor jack at the jack pad on the side of the car, there are very few "recommended" points to put your jack stands under the front car to keep the car up off the ground.

And there is no front central jacking point on a non-Xi that you can "safely" lift both sides of your car by at once.

If you lift the car high enough using a floor jack on the rear jack pad, you can get a jack stand under the front jack pad. Then you repeat on the other side.

Doing it this way affords you the opportunity to use the jack pads as a "safe" point to place your jack stands.

Does that help?

[DirtyPillows]

Lol ya I think. Is it not advised to do this if your not on completely flat ground I live sorta on a hill and my driveway is slightly not flat. If I were to guess maybe a decline of 5°. Enough so that when I try to lift the rear end from rear center jack point one side is about an inch or two higher off the ground.

[billschusteriv]

Yeah. Definately not advised on anything other than flat ground.

For non-flat ground, I'd make sure the wheels are chocked before, during and after the lift, and, if possible, the height of each jack stand is adjusted so the car is almost level.

[aurelius]

If you find a durable low-profile jack, please let me know!

Sears sells a jack with stands as a package deal. Don't recall the price but they do tend to have sales on major holidays. Speaking of which, Harbor Freight sells a pair of aluminum jack stands for $40 and, at least as of a week ago, they had a stack of coupons at the cashier stand for 25% off any single item purchased on July 4th. Bring the whole fam and buy 2 pairs of stands and a low-pro alum jack and you're off to the proverbial races.

[danewilson77]

Let's just remember what's important here......

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?1931-Please-take-a-moment-to-read-this-(regarding-Christian-Richard-Klorczyk)&highlight=christian

[kayger12]

Let's just remember what's important here......

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?1931-Please-take-a-moment-to-read-this-(regarding-Christian-Richard-Klorczyk)&highlight=christian

Great reminder. Good looking out, DW.

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

[MrMaico]

Sears sells a jack with stands as a package deal. Don't recall the price but they do tend to have sales on major holidays. Speaking of which, Harbor Freight sells a pair of aluminum jack stands for $40 and, at least as of a week ago, they had a stack of coupons at the cashier stand for 25% off any single item purchased on July 4th. Bring the whole fam and buy 2 pairs of stands and a low-pro alum jack and you're off to the proverbial races.

If they're the same aluminum HF jack stands I had I wouldn't recommend them. They were not very tall and just looked too light duty for me to trust. Better off with some full size steel ones. I ended up selling mine right after I bought them.

http://mrmaico.smugmug.com/Cars/BMW-ZHP-misc/IMG0701/1095765695_DZn8B-M.jpg

[JohnnyGraphic]

As far as a front jack point, my jack wouldn't get under the car either. So, I used some wood planks (1", 2" would be better) to raise the front end. There is a jack point under the front center of the car. It's just past the splash guard/shield under the engine.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Johnny

[Crickett]

[ . . . ] There is a jack point under the front center of the car. It's just past the splash guard/shield under the engine.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Johnny

The front-&-center jack point on (I think) post-facelift E46s has always been contentious. The early E46s have a nice rubber puck at that point for jacking:

http://www.madrussian.net/m3/diy/jacking/7.jpg

Later E46s – to include our beloved ZHPs – have no such pad & in fact have an aluminum skid plate covering that point.

Now, some people (myself included) feel that there is still enough support under the aluminum skid plate to warrant jacking the car there (as the cross member is in the same location as on older E46s), but at the cost of deforming said aluminum.

UPDATE: Found a pic of said aluminum skid pad/jack point:

http://tcholo.net:8080/images/bmw/Jacking10.jpg


I wish I had taken a picture of the jack point. There was a raised rectangular area in the skid plate. Yes, it did deform, but I don't believe anything else happened.

That raised rectangular area is the point in question; I believe it is right where the early E46s had the rubber pad attached to the cross member. You can see the black support that runs right above the rectangular spot.

[JohnnyGraphic]

The front-&-center jack point on (I think) post-facelift E46s has always been contentious. The early E46s have a nice rubber puck at that point for jacking:

http://www.madrussian.net/m3/diy/jacking/7.jpg

Later E46s – to include our beloved ZHPs – have no such pad & in fact have an aluminum skid plate covering that point.

Now, some people (myself included) feel that there is still enough support under the aluminum skid plate to warrant jacking the car there (as the cross member is in the same location as on older E46s), but at the cost of deforming said aluminum.

I wish I had taken a picture of the jack point. There was a raised rectangular area in the skid plate. Yes, it did deform, but I don't believe anything else happened.

[MrMaico]

Easiest way to get the front up is just to get a set of Rhino ramps ($40 or so at Wal Mart). Then if you need the front wheels off you can jack from the area marked in green in the pics above and place your jack stands at the front jack points on each side. You'll need a couple of pieces of 2 X 6 or similar about 15" long to drive onto before hitting the ramps so you front bumper will clear the ramp.

I modded my jack stands by cutting off the saddle on top so that they are a perfect fit for the jack points now. Not necessary but it adds a little more security.

Barry

http://mrmaico.smugmug.com/Cars/BMW-ZHP-misc/IMG0666/1113539220_93HEc-L.jpg

[HokieZHP]

My ZHP doesn't go up my rhino ramps without using 2x4's in front of them so the bumpers hit the ramps otherwise. So just FYI for anyone using Rhino ramps, use some 2x4's

[Crickett]

And there is no front central jacking point on a non-Xi that you can "safely" lift both sides of your car by at once.


There is a jack point under the front center of the car. It's just past the splash guard/shield under the engine.


The front-&-center jack point on (I think) post-facelift E46s has always been contentious. [ . . . ]

Now, some people (myself included) feel that there is still enough support under the aluminum skid plate to warrant jacking the car there (as the cross member is in the same location as on older E46s), but at the cost of deforming said aluminum.

Just got some more info on this topic: Roundel's Mike Miller, in his (copyrighted*) "BMW E46 Jacking Procedure" guide, has this to say about the infamous front jacking point:


. . . the front lift point . . . is a square block in the aluminum reinforcement plate under the front suspension carrier.

So that's one more vote for the aluminum square as the front jack point. However you jack up your car, just remember to be safe & careful!

*(I was going to link to the PDF, but he requests that his guides not be posted, to help ensure outdated information isn't passed around forever. You can email him at techtalk@roundel.org if you'd like a copy of his guides.)

[kayger12]

Well, in light of that... and the fact that mine is already bent, I'll be using that from now on.

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

[JohnnyGraphic]

Thanks Crickett for the info from Mike Miller. I am about to do more work under the car in the next week or so and this helps ease my mind!

Johnny

[danewilson77]

Well, in light of that... and the fact that mine is already bent, I'll be using that from now on.

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

If this jack point bends/is bent, why is it an authorized jack point?

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[JohnnyGraphic]

If this jack point bends/is bent, why is it an authorized jack point?

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

I think the splash plate is just a cover for the underside, so it's o.k. if it gets bent. Above that rectangular piece is the jack point.

Johnny

[JohnnyGraphic]

Since we're on the subject, I recently bought these jack stands. I like the redundant locking mechanism-it has both a ratchet and pin lock.

http://www.amazon.com/Torin-T42002A-Double-Locking-Jack/dp/B00026Z3EA/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1326639756&sr=8-7

And I got this low profile (although it doesn't say so in the description) 2.5 ton floor jack. It just barely fits under the car (with stock suspension setup) and is long enough to reach back to the jacking points. http://www.harborfreight.com/25-ton-heavy-duty-floor-jack-with-rapid-pump-68049.html

Johnny

[danewilson77]

I think the splash plate is just a cover for the underside, so it's o.k. if it gets bent. Above that rectangular piece is the jack point.

Johnny

Understand.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[kayger12]

If this jack point bends/is bent, why is it an authorized jack point?

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

Not sure- mine is definitely mangled, though, and I'm thinking it's from jacking there.

http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff401/Kayger12/2012-01-06_16-07-10_382.jpg

Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

[Crickett]

If this jack point bends/is bent, why is it an authorized jack point?

Not sure- mine is definitely mangled, though, and I'm thinking it's from jacking there.

It's a factory-included customization feature: molds instantly to your jack for a custom, secure jacking point! :rofl

[zj96sc]

Given that it takes me about 10 minutes to put her on ramps and then jack from the "frame" (green point above) and then jackstand 2x on yellow, I will not ever touch the center plate with a jack. Just no reason to.

[danewilson77]

Given that it takes me about 10 minutes to put her on ramps and then jack from the "frame" (green point above) and then jackstand 2x on yellow, I will not ever touch the center plate with a jack. Just no reason to.

Agree. I find, through experience.... The way I lift the front of my car is:

Jack up one side of car, as high as your jack allows from rear side jackpoint, then put a jackstand under front, same side jack point. Then I lower jack, move jack to front jack point on other side and raise car up even to other side. Then I slide jack stand under that side... But on frame. This takes maybe 5 minutes.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[kayger12]

Given that it takes me about 10 minutes to put her on ramps and then jack from the "frame" (green point above) and then jackstand 2x on yellow, I will not ever touch the center plate with a jack. Just no reason to.

One minute vs ten is enough for me.

Every other car I've owned or worked on had a center jacking point up front.

Every time I go through the convoluted ramp or one-side-at-a-time jacking process, I mutter under my breath at the lack of central jacking point.

I'll be on the subframe brace from here on out.


Droid X. Tapatalk. Use it.

[MrMaico]

I think the splash plate is just a cover for the underside, so it's o.k. if it gets bent. Above that rectangular piece is the jack point.

Johnny

If it's just a splash plate why do they say to never drive the car without it installed? It's supposedly a chassis stiffener that ties the two frame rails together. If you've ever had it off you know how lightweight it is. Maybe....maybe, if it was already dented like Keiths is I might use it, but I'd be awful nervous lifting that much weight with that thin aluminum plate.

[Ryans323i]

Agree. I find, through experience.... The way I lift the front of my car is:

Jack up one side of car, as high as your jack allows from rear side jackpoint, then put a jackstand under front, same side jack point. Then I lower jack, move jack to front jack point on other side and raise car up even to other side. Then I slide jack stand under that side... But on frame. This takes maybe 5 minutes.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

This is how I get jacked up. And it doesn't take but maybe 3 mins.

I actually need to get my car up in the air today, so I'll time it.

[danewilson77]

If it's just a splash plate why do they say to never drive the car without it installed? It's supposedly a chassis stiffener that ties the two frame rails together. If you've ever had it off you know how lightweight it is. Maybe....maybe, if it was already dented like Keiths is I might use it, but I'd be awful nervous lifting that much weight with that thin aluminum plate.

This is true. It is a re-enforcement plate.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[Mtnman]

Agree. I find, through experience.... The way I lift the front of my car is:

Jack up one side of car, as high as your jack allows from rear side jackpoint, then put a jackstand under front, same side jack point. Then I lower jack, move jack to front jack point on other side and raise car up even to other side. Then I slide jack stand under that side... But on frame. This takes maybe 5 minutes.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

Dane,
Show me a pic of where you put the stand under the frame. Specifically, the frame exactly where you support it with the jack.

[Crickett]

If it's just a splash plate why do they say to never drive the car without it installed? It's supposedly a chassis stiffener that ties the two frame rails together. If you've ever had it off you know how lightweight it is. Maybe....maybe, if it was already dented like Keiths is I might use it, but I'd be awful nervous lifting that much weight with that thin aluminum plate.

It is a stiffening plate, but for torsional rigidity. Lifting there isn't placing the car's weight on the aluminum, it's sandwiching the aluminum between the jack & front crossmember, a very solid point to lift from.

[Ryans323i]

Dane,
Show me a pic of where you put the stand under the frame. Specifically, the frame exactly where you support it with the jack.

The green squares.

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af278/nicee46/Maintenance%20and%20Misc/e46jack01.jpg

Jacked up my car, took 2 mins-38 secs.

[danewilson77]

The green squares.

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af278/nicee46/Maintenance%20and%20Misc/e46jack01.jpg

Jacked up my car, took 2 mins-38 secs.

No... Not exactly.

I use aft yellow point to jack high.... Then place a stand under forward yellow point.... Then lower jack.

Move jack to other side. Jack up using front yellow point, and put stand under green point.

I slightly lower jack now.... Just to lightly place it on stand, and leave jack where it is.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[Dave1027]

Awesome thread.

My 2 cents, I would not jack on anything made of aluminum. Period.

I like the Rhino ramp idea if only to have that extra layer of protection in case of a slip.

[Pip]

No... Not exactly.

I use aft yellow point to jack high.... Then place a stand under forward yellow point.... Then lower jack.

Move jack to other side. Jack up using front yellow point, and put stand under green point.

I slightly lower jack now.... Just to lightly place it on stand, and leave jack where it is.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

Yes it is much easier this way when the car is lowered.

[Dave_B]

Changed my oil last weekend and had to jack up the car for the first time. Here's what I did:

Drove the front 2 wheels of the car up on (2) 2x4 pieces of wood so that I could get my jack under the front of the car (I have ramps, and no way to get the car on them, too low)

Jacked from the aluminum square mentioned 2 pages previously.

Placed steel jack stands under the 2 green jack stand pad locations.

Put 2 wheel chaulks behind the rear wheels.

Shook the car a few times to make sure it was solid before getting under the car.

[danewilson77]

Changed my oil last weekend and had to jack up the car for the first time. Here's what I did:

Drove the front 2 wheels of the car up on (2) 2x4 pieces of wood so that I could get my jack under the front of the car (I have ramps, and no way to get the car on them, too low)

Jacked from the aluminum square mentioned 2 pages previously.

Placed steel jack stands under the 2 green jack stand pad locations.

Put 2 wheel chaulks behind the rear wheels.

Shook the car a few times to make sure it was solid before getting under the car.

You should be able to use the wood to drive up on the ramps as well.

[Dave1027]

You should be able to use the wood to drive up on the ramps as well.
I bought a set of Rhino ramps last weekend. Tried this method with the 2x8s to get up onto the ramps. Did not work because the ramps began sliding forward. I guess my garage floor is too slippery. I got a plan to mod the ramps with 2x8s that will brace against the front wall of the garage. Either that or put the ramps on a non-skid rubber mat.

I ended up jacking the car by using my floor jack on the green frame areas and jackstands on the yellow areas. I raised in two stages.

While under there (for the first time) I note a few things:

Cutout in aluminum shield is for draining the motor oil. Why is that little door always missing?
Oil drain plug is in side ways (wierd) and looks to be awkward to work with.
Does the car really need the aluminum shield?
I do have a GM step tranny (good) but could not determine which model.

[danewilson77]

Yep.....my garage floor is too slippery as well. They work perfect with front wheel drive cars (my KIA or MINI), but I can only use them in my driveway with my BMW due to rougher concrete.

[Dave1027]

Dane,

Do you find the Rhino ramps provide enough lift to do oil changes?

[danewilson77]

Dane,

Do you find the Rhino ramps provide enough lift to do oil changes?

It's tough only on the ramps. It would be cool to jack car up as high as possible (with low pro jack), then stick a ramp under there as a safety.

[Dave1027]

It's tough only on the ramps. It would be cool to jack car up as high as possible (with low pro jack), then stick a ramp under there as a safety.
That's what I did with the ramps. Put them under the front tires for safety.

The mod I was thinking about doing would raise the ramps 1.5 inches. Do you think that would be enough?

[danewilson77]

That's what I did with the ramps. Put them under the front tires for safety.

The mod I was thinking about doing would raise the ramps 1.5 inches. Do you think that would be enough?

You mean actually modding the ramps?

I don't think the extra 1.5" (3.84cm....hehe) would be enough to make a difference.

I can get 4-5" (maybe) above my ramps with a jack. It might not be that much, but it's at least a few.....inches or 7.62cm.

[Dave1027]

You mean actually modding the ramps?

I don't think the extra 1.5" (3.84cm....hehe) would be enough to make a difference.

I was going to attach 2x8s to the bottom of the ramps.

[danewilson77]

I was going to attach 2x8s to the bottom of the ramps.

I mean it would help....and it may help it from sliding as well.

[hickatew]

Can somebody update this post w/ the pictures? All I see is an image from photobucket saying to upgrade for third-party hosting

[danewilson77]

Can somebody update this post w/ the pictures? All I see is an image from photobucket saying to upgrade for third-party hostingHope this helps

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171126/7a092c6ae71f2941e826dcf12c02769e.jpg

Sent from my S8+

[ELCID86]

Red = don’t use.

[danewilson77]

Red = don’t use.I would never use it as a lift point, but I think it's acceptable as a safety point.

Sent from my S8+

[tomnobes]

It's tough only on the ramps. It would be cool to jack car up as high as possible (with low pro jack), then stick a ramp under there as a safety.

Maybe its just because I'm a really skinny 21 year old but I have always found the ramps to provide plenty of room for oil changes. I have the RhinoRamp Max. Only issue I find is that the bumper rubs on the ramps unless I put a small 1x4 or something on the ground right in front of where the ramp starts to incline. Sure beats other car manufactures where you have to try and snake your arm somewhere to get the oil filter out..lol

[holyc0w]

Maybe its just because I'm a really skinny 21 year old but I have always found the ramps to provide plenty of room for oil changes. I have the RhinoRamp Max. Only issue I find is that the bumper rubs on the ramps unless I put a small 1x4 or something on the ground right in front of where the ramp starts to incline. Sure beats other car manufactures where you have to try and snake your arm somewhere to get the oil filter out..lol

The reviews scared me away from Rhinoramps.

[cornercarver]

Any thoughts on an alternate location for the rear jack points? My LR jack point collapsed in due to rust (which I need to fix before the rust spreads any further) so I've been using the rear pumpkin, which I find less than ideal (harder to access and not as stable.)

Does the frame rail highlighted in green in that photo also provide a good surface to jack near the back?

[danewilson77]

Any thoughts on an alternate location for the rear jack points? My LR jack point collapsed in due to rust (which I need to fix before the rust spreads any further) so I've been using the rear pumpkin, which I find less than ideal (harder to access and not as stable.)

Does the frame rail highlighted in green in that photo also provide a good surface to jack near the back?I imagine it would be fine but I've never used it.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[Hermes]

Any thoughts on an alternate location for the rear jack points? My LR jack point collapsed in due to rust (which I need to fix before the rust spreads any further) so I've been using the rear pumpkin, which I find less than ideal (harder to access and not as stable.)

Does the frame rail highlighted in green in that photo also provide a good surface to jack near the back?

No, the frame rail does not extend all the way to the rear of the car. Only lift the rear from the jack pad on either side or the diff carrier from directly in the back of the car

[Hermes]

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af278/nicee46/Maintenance%20and%20Misc/e46jack01.jpg

http://i1015.photobucket.com/albums/af278/nicee46/Maintenance%20and%20Misc/e46jack02.jpg

I wouldn't recommend using the "red" point.....but the "green" point there is right on the frame.

You should never....ever..need to use these alternate jack points however.

Always.....jack up one side of your car using the "rear" jack point. Put a jack stand under the front jack point (yellow). Then...on the other side.....jack the car up using the front jack point (yellow)......and slide a jackstand under the green or red area......and then relax the jack.....until it just touches.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

I don't ever use the red square, it's not strong enough. The reinforcing plate is made of aluminum and will likely deform when used as a jacking point

[zhpnsnv]

I don't ever use the red square, it's not strong enough. The reinforcing plate is made of aluminum and will likely deform when used as a jacking pointI use the red circle all the time to lift up the front to get a jack stand under the front pads. No issues at all.

I would rather have a quickjack of course. One day!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[ELCID86]

I use the red circle all the time to lift up the front to get a jack stand under the front pads. No issues at all.

I would rather have a quickjack of course. One day!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Red circle ⭕️ ? :dunno

[joeybananaz18]

Here’s what I do:
Jack up the car at the rear jacking pad and place a jack stand up front. Go around to the other side and repeat.

Here’s what I WANT to do:
I want to get all four wheels up off the ground. I was thinking of doing the process above and then using the rear diff to get the back of the car up to get a second set of jack stands under the rear jacking points.

Thoughts on this?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[san]

Here’s what I do:
Jack up the car at the rear jacking pad and place a jack stand up front. Go around to the other side and repeat.

Here’s what I WANT to do:
I want to get all four wheels up off the ground. I was thinking of doing the process above and then using the rear diff to get the back of the car up to get a second set of jack stands under the rear jacking points.

Thoughts on this?


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Yup, that’s what I do. But don’t use the diff as the jacking point, use the subframe...


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[Sockethead]

Yep, that's what I do too. You want to jack it from the steel part of the subframe that passes under the diff. Don't use the aluminum brace that's in the same area.

[cornercarver]

First image in this post is a good example: (Yes it's an M3 but the jack points are the same.)

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread.php?t=307258

My left rear jack pad collapsed the first time I jacked it there, so he's right about them being likely to bend. Now I jack the rear from the subframe in front of the differential.

[joeybananaz18]

Thanks so much for the clarification guys!


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[Reasoned1]

One word... QUICKJACK!

[ELCID86]

One word... QUICKJACK!

And now Costco has them (well on back order)!

[Fried_Chicken]

Jacking these cars sucks. Jacking up any car sucks.

Found from a thread on a different forum (https://www.e46fanatics.com/threads/the-jack-point-of-e46.1040551/post-16188552)

Copying the pictures here for reference:

39170
39171

I just got mine on 4 jackstands (not ready to crawl underneath) by lifting from the rear diff, putting 2 3-ton jackstands underneath the jack points in the rear, then jacking up each front side individually (from the side) and placing a 6-ton jackstand on the jack point.

The process is not fun, and you will lift the whole front when raising it from the side. My jack cannot reach the front center lift point.

Even once I got it on the stands, I had to do some adjustments to the rear because one of my jack points was off. The car could tilt on two jackstands when lifted from the rear right. I now got that sorted and it's solidly planted on all 4. I hate all of this. I will furnish some sort of backup, since what I usually do (leave the jack just below a lift point somewhere) won't work since I plan on removing the rear subframe.


Also this post here about Christian dying under his e46 from hitting the jackstand release switch is constantly on my mind:
http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showthread.php?1931-Please-take-a-moment-to-read-this-(regarding-Christian-Richard-Klorczyk)

[BMWCurves]

Yeah...I really want to get a set of QuickJacks (https://www.costco.com/quickjack-5000tl-portable-car-lift-bundle.product.100833721.html) at some point

[WOLFN8TR]

Yeah...I really want to get a set of QuickJacks (https://www.costco.com/quickjack-5000tl-portable-car-lift-bundle.product.100833721.html) at some point

Best investment ever, love it!! [emoji41]

https://youtu.be/uqpxNjW90PU

[ZHPizza]

Yeah...I really want to get a set of QuickJacks (https://www.costco.com/quickjack-5000tl-portable-car-lift-bundle.product.100833721.html) at some pointBest $1k I've ever spent. The payback in safety and ease of working on the car has been enormous.