Can I put a jack stand here to install exhaust?

[awns729]

Just like the title says. Will this be ok? Seems like it shouldn't be a problem. Just wanted to check. I'm jacking from the rear jacking point with an adapter pad.

[1911A145]

no...

[Kgolf31]

Put the jack where your jack points are. Center Front, Center Rear, each wheel jack pad.

[awns729]

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

Put the jack where your jack points are. Center Front, Center Rear, each wheel jack pad.

I am, but I'm asking about where to put jack stands so I can get underneath it.

Or should I jack from the center diff and put the jack stand on the side? I only have one adapter for the side jack slots, so I could put the drivers side rear on a jack stand and maybe? get the axle back out with just that.

[Kgolf31]

Originally Posted by awns729

I am, but I'm asking about where to put jack stands so I can get underneath it.

Or should I jack from the center diff and put the jack stand on the side? I only have one adapter for the side jack slots, so I could put the drivers side rear on a jack stand and maybe? get the axle back out with just that.

Do you not have 2 jack stands?

If your jack can get high enough, jack from the side and put your stand underneath the rear diff.

[awns729]

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

Do you not have 2 jack stands?

If your jack can get high enough, jack from the side and put your stand underneath the rear diff.

Yup have 2. Thanks, I'll try this.

[09135ijh]

Rhino ramps just back up onto them, they are very cheap and can get to everything with ease

[SteveAZ]

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

Do you not have 2 jack stands?

If your jack can get high enough, jack from the side and put your stand underneath the rear diff.

Disagree....this is tilting the car on it's side, putting a single contact point under the rear diff (center of the car) and letting the car rotate (in a sense) on to the jack stand as you let the car down. This is not direct downward force applied to the jackstand but a combination of downward and lateral force, not what those jackstands are designed for. And if you're just putting it there for "safety"...major fail as the car will be falling at that point and the likely hood of that jack stand shooting out from under the car is very high.

My opinion, jack from the rear diff. Place each of your jack stands not under the control arm, but under where the control arm bolts to the subframe. Just a few inches from where you have the jackstand in those pictures and rotate the stand 90 degrees so it cradles the pivot point. Does that make sense?

[Kgolf31]

Originally Posted by SteveAZ

Disagree....this is tilting the car on it's side, putting a single contact point under the rear diff (center of the car) and letting the car rotate (in a sense) on to the jack stand as you let the car down. This is not direct downward force applied to the jackstand but a combination of downward and lateral force, not what those jackstands are designed for. And if you're just putting it there for "safety"...major fail as the car will be falling at that point and the likely hood of that jack stand shooting out from under the car is very high.

My opinion, jack from the rear diff. Place each of your jack stands not under the control arm, but under where the control arm bolts to the subframe. Just a few inches from where you have the jackstand in those pictures and rotate the stand 90 degrees so it cradles the pivot point. Does that make sense?

The Z is vertically challenged, so it is impossible to access the front central jacking point w/out jacking up the side and then getting another jack underneath the car to jack up the center.

You don't release the jack immediately there is no problem. I have to do the rear in a similar fashion, where I have to jack where the bolts are for the rear torsion bars. By jacking the once side (seen in picture below) I'm able to get the other side up to throw a jack under, and then let the car down and throw a jack in on the otherside.



I may want to add, always throw the wheels underneath the car.

[awns729]

I may just get little wood blocks cut for me to use my jackstands on the rear side jack slots. Then jack up from the rear diff. I think that would be the safest/easiest (after getting the wood cut), and would be the least chance of scuffing any metal up.

[SteveAZ]

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

The Z is vertically challenged, so it is impossible to access the front central jacking point w/out jacking up the side and then getting another jack underneath the car to jack up the center.

You don't release the jack immediately there is no problem. I have to do the rear in a similar fashion, where I have to jack where the bolts are for the rear torsion bars. By jacking the once side (seen in picture below) I'm able to get the other side up to throw a jack under, and then let the car down and throw a jack in on the otherside.



I may want to add, always throw the wheels underneath the car.

That is not what you recommended to the OP...you told them to put a jack stand under the diff.

Originally Posted by awns729

I may just get little wood blocks cut for me to use my jackstands on the rear side jack slots. Then jack up from the rear diff. I think that would be the safest/easiest (after getting the wood cut), and would be the least chance of scuffing any metal up.

That is exactly what I've done....got a 4"x6"x8' and cut it in to 8 pieces and stagger them. If I don't have to take the wheels off, I put wheel chocks in front of the front tires, put on the e-brake...jack up with the diff, and place the blocks under the rear tires.

[awns729]

Wood blocks split too easily when I tested one out for raising the car with the jack on the side jacking point, so I didn't use them with the jackstands. I ended up just buying ramps.

[Terry989]

Instead of wood, just cut it out of a hockey puck. These are very tough and will not split. If you don't have power tools, a hacksaw works great.

[Dackelone]

I see no reason why you could not put a jack stand under your control arm. I have done that before. Even if you use ramps... ramps can fail. Using a jack stand under a suspension point is fine.

[fe1rx]

Originally Posted by Kgolf31

Put the jack where your jack points are. Center Front, Center Rear, each wheel jack pad.

+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.

[awns729]

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.

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.