Quote:
Originally Posted by fe1rx
+1
Why on earth would you put jack stands anywhere except at one or more of the 6 points available for the purpose?
Jack the side and place a block under the closest wheel to get the car high enough so that you can move your jack to one of the centre locations (front or rear as applicable to the job). Then jack from the centre location until you can get two jack stands under the side jacking points.
Dackelone is a really smart guy, but putting a jack stand on a sloped surface like the rear camber link is inviting it to be kicked sideways. Also, most suspension links are intended to carry only tension and compression loads, not bending. You will break them if you jack on them. The rear camber link is the only exception because it carries the spring load in bending. Still, as a rule a suspension link should only be loaded at an existing point of load reaction. In your case, at the lower spring perch, not mid span. Even so, it is a bad idea.
A further point - are you lowering the car onto your jack stands or just putting them there to "catch" the car if the jack settles? You should be lowering the car onto the jack stands carefully to make sure they accept the load. Hoping that the stands will catch the car, especially on a moving suspension member - very dangerous.
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The reason I was asking is because I have only 1 adapter for the side stands and didn't want to use jacks right on the plastic because I did not want to deform them.
I have a low profile jack so i can jack straight to the rear diff without jacking up the side first; but your advice for those without a low profile jack is good.
I wonder if lowering the car slowly onto the control arm would be ok. Perhaps the slanting is an issue, but now having been down there and having felt the metal with my hands and visually inspected it, I certainly don't think jack stands would even scuff it - it's pretty thick and seems very strong. Furthermore its the lowest point the ground in the rear, so I would have thought that its made strong enough to be hit by rocks and what not without getting scuffed to badly. Just my thoughts, but I am not experienced with this stuff so could be wrong
Anyway, here's a picture of where I did put jackstands with no issues (as SteveAZ suggested). Note, this i s not my car.
To your last point, I am definitely not leaving jack stands there to just "catch" it in case my jack fails. The car must always be under jackstands before I get underneath. Then I leave my hyrdraulic jack underneath if I can to catch it in case it slips off the jackstands... at least in cases where I can. I'll have the jack just touching the surface of the car with minimal pressure, so that 99% of the weight is still on jack stands. I also put a wheel under each side, when possible, right in front of the side jacking points. Certain jobs don't allow for either of those extra safe measures though, so in those cases the car just rests on jacks stands, but never on the jack alone.
For future reference, jackstands on anywhere but the side jacking points will be in the way if you're trying to get you exhaust out, so just get/make adapters for those points, or get jack stands specifically made for those points, or just be willing to scuff up those points, or get ramps.
Thanks for everyone's replies.