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Model specific boards => Golf mk2 => Topic started by: emerson on 07 February 2005, 17:56
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Can anyone recommend points for jacking the front and rear (MkII). I've jacked the rear at the middle of the rear beam, but have heard I shouldn't do this as it bends easily (although it looked safe enough to me).
At the front, I've been jacking on the sills and then letting it down onto axle stands also on the sills. This has damaged some of the under body seal, which came off on the axle stands.
Any ideas??
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Your jacking points should be just on the sill just behind the front wheels and on the sill just in front of the back wheels. :smiley:
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Thanks for your help on this (and the MFA) however, I was referring to points that you can jack the MkII on a trolly jack before putting it on axle stands?so where should I jack it up in a central location so that I can get a pair of axle stands underneath? The reason I ask is that I had jacked the rear on the centre of the back beam but have recently heard that this is a bad idea as it could be bent (mine seemed to be ok). Likewise for the front, is there a central location to lift the whole front of the car up before putting stands underneath on each side?
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Ah ! I see. Not sure then, maybe you could jack it up on one side then put the axle stand in, then do the other side. :undecided: Takes twice as long but at least you know you are not going to bend anything. Anyone else know the real answer ? :smiley:
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At the front there are proper jacking points welded to the floor pan on either side. I normally use these with my trolley jack then put an axle stand under the box section that runs along under the floor on either side. At the rear I'm not completely sure about the proper place to use a trolley jack but I normally put mine under the pivot point of the rear beam either side (where the rear beam bolts to the shell). I then put an axle stand under the rear beam as close to the outside of the car as possible.
It does take a while as to get your axle stands on their maximum setting you usually have to keep swapping sides moving each one up a notch at a time.
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At the front there are circular bits that stick out from the floor which i always use but im not sure about the back. i tend to use the most solid section i can find. NEVER THE FLOOR!
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At the front I've been doing it similarly to how Tobz describes. Doing each side at a time, I use the trolley jack on those box sections on the floor and then let the carr down onto the axle stands on the circular protrusions. To get decent height, I again do as Tobz says; going side to side, increasing a notch or two each time. If there was one central location you could do it all in one go. Also, I have dented the box sections on the floor doing this and also removed some of the underbody sealer (even though I have a piece of wood between the trolley jack pad and the floor). I can't see there's any other way to do it.
As for the rear, I cant see how to avoid using the rear beam.
Maybe I need to buy a car lift!!
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i normaly jack the front up on the round solid bits behind the front wheels......
and put the axel stands under the front subframe! ie by track control arms !!!
its solid! because that is bolted to the cars front chassis!
the rear i jack up on the rear axel beam and i also put the stands under the axel!!
but if i'm doing the suspension i put the stands under the rear jacking points but i get flat bits of metal
and put them inbetween the stand and the jacking point otherwise the stand cruches the jacking point!
they do go soft!!!
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Before I crush myself to death...
I've never used axle stands before, so can someone just confirm that I'm doing it right. I use my trolley jack to lift the car via the jacking points on the sill (under the trim flap), then I'm putting axle stands under the round bump shown below:
(http://img36.picoodle.com/img/img36/4/1/13/f_JackPointm_3edd2fb.jpg)
Is this safe. It feels sturdy, but doesn't look like the stands are designed to fit in the hole or anything???
Also, the trolley jack seems to deform the jacking point a bit. Is this normal?
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that doesn't look safe to me mate. not sure what to advise you on that but as regards to jacking it and the jack deforming the mount, i use a block of thin hard wood on the top of the jack so the wood gives a larger surface area on the jacking point it doesn't deform it as much and like someone said the can loose their original strength a little after all the wet weather we get. (if you use the wood idea just be careful nothing slips i've used mine so much its got groves imbedded into it so i dont get this problem but aslong as the wood isn't too tall it should be ok.)
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Use your trolley jack on the point where your jack is, then use your axle stand under the square section, but turned 90 degrees.
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Thanks for the help.
Sorry for being a spas, but whats the square section ???
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Before I crush myself to death...
I've never used axle stands before, so can someone just confirm that I'm doing it right. I use my trolley jack to lift the car via the jacking points on the sill (under the trim flap), then I'm putting axle stands under the round bump shown below:
(http://img36.picoodle.com/img/img36/4/1/13/f_JackPointm_3edd2fb.jpg)
Is this safe. It feels sturdy, but doesn't look like the stands are designed to fit in the hole or anything???
Also, the trolley jack seems to deform the jacking point a bit. Is this normal?
Personally mate, I put the axle stand where you have but I always make sure it lines up straight, flat and central. Which it doesn't seem to be in the pic.
I use the normal jack that comes with the car to lift the wheel off the ground, because using the trolley jack, as you've said, deforms the sill. I then lower the car onto that point on the axle stand as shown in your picture.
I then remove the spare tyre jack thing, and replace it with the trolley jack, so that the sill is resting on the jack, but not putting pressure on it, for added support, should the axle stand fail with me underneath :rolleyes:
I then repeat for the other side, but as I only have one trolley jack, I keep the spare wheel jack on there too, along with the axle stand as shown in the picture.
Not sure if this is technically correct, but its the way I do it :smiley:
I'm quite interested to get this cleared up too :undecided:
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what i usually do is use a brick and the standard jack to rais eit high enough for the axle stands, most axle stands have a smaller jacking point maybe if you turned them around it might look safer to put under the round jacking point, also if it is flattenign yuor sill you might want to take off your plastic sill cover just to make sure no rot is lurking, i know it might be obvious but there appears to be some rst forming there. In fatc just read Mark s' post i do it exactly the same way only i use a brick under jack to make it higher :smiley:
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Quality. Cheers guys.
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what i usually do is use a brick
Please don't. Bricks can shatter and collapse without warning. Wood is a much safer option.
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And wood can splinter and snap. Therefore, use neither and go and buy some proper axle stands. £20 if that isn't much to spend to save a hospital visit or worse.
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Its all gone to plan and I've not been squashed. I used the circular protrusions for the stands and jacked it up off the box sectioney bit that the wishbone thingy attaches to. And I've left the trolley jack under the sub-frame for safety.
The axle stands feel really sturdy - I have tried to knock the car off very hard!
(http://img30.picoodle.com/img/img30/4/1/14/f_Under1m_9905194.jpg)
(http://img32.picoodle.com/img/img32/4/1/14/f_Under2m_9fbfdaa.jpg)
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looks more like it, i wont use a brick from now on :embarassed:
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And wood can splinter and snap.
It is far less likely that a good quality piece of wood will suffer a 'sudden and catastrophic failure' in comparison to a brick.
It will also cushion your metalwork and prevent damage to your car. Also because wood has a certain amount of 'give' to it your car will sink in, ensuring it won't easily slide off.
Axle stands are OK to a point, but I've jacked up a lot of heavy things (like up to 12tonne tractors and heavy plant) and supported them safely with wooden sleeper sections. I regularly use sleeper sections under axle stands to give better working space and would recommend them to anyone. Wooden sleepers especially will take huge loads and remain completely inert, whereas concrete, or clay bricks will actually go off with an explosion quite easily when loaded up. Apply a bit of common sense and a jacked vehicle will be supported a lot safer with good solid chunks of wood under it than on axle stands, which don't spread the weight of the vehicle well at all.
Faced with a choice of buying a sleeper from a garden centre and cutting it up (a chainsaw is best), or buying 3t axle stands I'd buy the sleeper every time. Obviously the best situation is to have both at your disposal. Oh and I wouldn't touch a set of 2t stands with a bargepole - they really aren't suitable for much above a Mini.
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I jack the front using the round points on the chassis, then use axle stands on the oem jacking poiints. I use 2-3 layers of cardboard on the jack/stands to cusion them, stops the underseal being damaged as much plus gives a bit of grip. At the rear I jack up on the square box section inside the jacking points just in front of the rear wheels, and again put axle stands on the oem jacking points.
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Like Rubjonny I use the OEM jacking points on the cill for my axla stands but I have prepared two pieces of good quality timber to fit the recess that the OEM jack fits into. I jack off the main subframe where it joins the main body since one of the 'round blobs' collapsed a while back - cost £100 to weld it back on. I also spray the OEM jack point and the places where I put the trolley jack with Waxoyl after every use. Seems to work for me!!
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yeah shaped wood would be better, its on my list of things to do :grin:
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The best way I've found is to get a 2' length of scaffold plank (which I also use as an extension to ramps to stop the front spoiler hitting) place it under the sill about 10" from the emergency jacking point and lift with a trolley jack. This lifts the entire side of the car up, I then stick the axle stands in place under the box sections behind the front and rear wheels.
This is also a quick way to get the car up to rotate the road wheels front to back.
Do the same on the other side, checking to make sure the car isn't creeping.
I always use wheel chocks as well and leave the trolley jack in place while the car is up. Another tip is to stick your road wheels under the car while it is up.
If at all possible I use ramps ie messing about with the exhaust (see below).
If you have a tarmac drive 6" square metal plates are good to stop the wheels of the trolley jack sinking in, you should be able to get them from an engineering company as off-cuts.
In my youth I did some crazy things to get the car in the air, worst of which was to jack the car up off the curb with the emergency jack to try and change the exhaust... the result being I pulled on the exhaust and the car came off the jack while I was under it. I was wearing a baseball cap and the car hit the peak when it fell. I got out from under the car, drove to my nearest motor factor and bought a set of stands, ramps and a trolley jack. When I got back I moved the car onto the drive too!!
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Lucky escape. Ive once had a car fall off a scissor jack and ive never used one since!
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What a cracking idea about the ramps 8vreturn - it had not crossed my mind before - obvious, derrr!. I had just dug my ramps out of the deep dark place under the stairs but was disappointed to find the spoiler hitting them before the wheels are anywhere near. Thanks for that. Sorry about the slight hijack.
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My car is lowered to much I struggle to get a 3T jack under the car, so I use a 2T and lift the chassis leg and then position an axle stand under the chassis leg, then use the 3T under the OEM jack point for high elevation if necc.
If your wanting to jack the whole front end - surely using the front/rear subframe is more than adequate to jack from.