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I'm going to be replacing the fuel filter tomorrow, and I'm going to take the whole plate down rather than replacing it hanging on the car.
My floor jack is rated at 2 tons and has a rounded seat with four tabs, and the jack stands are V-shaped and can be placed under the axles if necessary.
Where should I jack from and place jack stands for the best results?
Thanks for any help,
Justin
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As the others said, Jack up at the center of the rear axle ( Ham or Pumpkin). But I usually put my stands under the Axle If I am working under the middle of the car. The jackstand will be a a pain in the Hip if you set it at the Jack points.
--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.no.net/ebrox/Tony's%20cars.htm
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Good point, Tony, the jack stands will get in the way majorly at the factory jack points. I used the rear axle for years before I got THESE at Harbor Freight. They are well worth the investment.
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'93 244: 'A' cam 4 deg. advanced, 25/22 sways, custom heim endlinks, poly bushings, and a lot more styling customization than I care to recount.
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Just be careful with HF stands. Those look identical to my Craftsman 3 ton ones, but(!)...
Most HF stuff is an exact copy of tools which were designed and engineered for high grade steel, but then HF suppliers substitute low grade Asian steel without compensating the design for the decreased strength of the raw materials.
Might be just fine, but the safety factor/margin will be less. Reminds me of a story!: Did I share this "stupid Ryan" story? (there are dozens of them!)
OK. Manual trans 1990 245. Back wheels on the ground, front end up on stands with wheels removed. I had just replaced the steering rack and wanted to test the power steering connections before buttoning her up. Hop in car, turned steering wheel stop to stop a few times to bleed things a bit and to be sure I didn't mix up the SRS contact reel, turn the key to start car and it shoots forward! Ack! Jam on brakes, adrenaline rush. Yep, you guessed it: after 6 or 7 months of driving the automatic 740 exclusively while the 240 was laid up, I lost my "step on clutch when starting" habit (fortunately I still had my "step on brake" habit!)... and I left left the shifter in 1st gear. Perfect.
Back to the story: Well I hadn't planted the wheel-less front end on the cement (which I bet could have deployed the airbag), my foot was still hard on the brakes, and I confirmed that my underwear had not yet been soiled. I opened the door and looked underneath, and the stand was on two of its feet, and at like a 60 degree angle from the horizon, passenger side one was probably the same. Gently let up on the gas pedal a little, and we're past the point of no return, she was going down. Doh! No undo button, the girlfriend was out for the evening, and disaster was looming in Volvoland. What to do?.... Lassie??... no answer... lets try reverse! Foot on clutch this time! Start the car, put in reverse, let up on clutch, and we're going back up! Gently eased the jack stand back onto all fours again, turn off car, foot off brake, wait a minute, jiggle my bum in the seat, all systems OK! Ease out of car, check the other stand, its OK. No damage to anything. Phew. Grabbed a beer...
I think I paid $20 for the pair of Craftsman stands a couple years ago.
-Ryan
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Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 314k, Dog-mobile
1990 245 DL 134k M47, E-codes, GT Sway Bars, GT Braces
1991 745 GL 300k, Regina, 23/21mm Turbo Sway Bars
Buckeye Volvo Club
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Oh yeah, that'd get the heart thumping. That's how NOT to do a wheelie! I can just imagine...
--
850 / Mini
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I was afraid of the Harbor Freight stands too, until the parts car sat on them for months with me in and under the car, jumping on it, etc.; they're fine.
I also considered that a 240 weighs less than 2 tons and you're only supporting one end of the car, so, maybe a little over 1 ton? I wouldn't dare try these things to the 3 ton limit, but I'm not worried about using them with the 240.
edit: Hilarious story, btw. I was right there with you, teetering on the jack stands, thinking "Oh crap, oh crap, stupid stupid stupid..."
--
'93 244: 'A' cam 4 deg. advanced, 25/22 sways, custom heim endlinks, poly bushings, and a lot more styling customization than I care to recount.
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For safety, I prefer ramps for most things because there's more stability (even on slopes) and quicker too (once you get the hang of driving up them).
So if you've got room to store them, they appear to be a worthwhile investment.
--
1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb but electronic ignition and M46 trans in Brampton, Ont.
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When doing an exhaust system repair/replacement, I find that using my oil change ramps on both right side wheels gets me plenty of clearance.
Maybe using ramps on the left side wheels would work to get you under for the fuel filter.
It was a little tricky getting the ramp ppositioned correctly for the rear wheel. I had to lift the car a few inches and kick the ramp into place.
Looked weird, worked fine.
Good Luck,
Bob
:>)
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The crossmember is a good place to put the jack... a little tough to get it started if your jack doesn't have a super long handle. If need be, you can use your ratchet handle instead of the jack handle for the first few inches. Put the stands in the jack points. Be sure the stand's "saddle" is "mating" with the "bar" in the car's jack point and not with the top of the "saddle". Hope that makes sense.
Same for the rear, a little tricky to get started. Put the jack under the pumpkin on the rear axle: on the center line and just in front of the drain plug. With the under axle exhaust, the rear axle has enough play to sit on the exhaust... so I put the stands under the rear axle itself. Plenty of room on the right/driver's side, a little tricky on the passenger side because of the exhaust. Be careful that you're not putting any load and the handbrake cable/tubing.
Alternatively, you could just put a pair of ramps under the driver's side wheels, and simply drive the car up sideways. No jacking, same clearance! :-)
-Ryan
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Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 314k, Dog-mobile
1990 245 DL 134k M47, E-codes, GT Sway Bars, GT Braces
1991 745 GL 300k, Regina, 23/21mm Turbo Sway Bars
Buckeye Volvo Club
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There are many older jack stands that will absolutely not work at the factory jack points - in this case, for the fuel filter, I'd put stands under the rear axle.
Harbor Freight has some 3 ton jack stands that are PERFECT for the factory jack points, and they're like $20. I had a parts car sitting up on them for about 6 months with no problems. I recommend buying a set, because you can never have too many jack stands.
Like John said, jack under the rear differential/pumpkin.
--
'93 244: 'A' cam 4 deg. advanced, 25/22 sways, custom heim endlinks, fully converted to poly bushings, HD springs front, wagon springs rear.
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Chock the front wheels so it won't roll away from you. Then jack up the rear end with the floor jack under the center "pumpkin" of the rear axle. Once it is way up there, put your jack stands under the factory jacking points on the bottom of the floor underneath the rear doors. You can consult the owners manual to find their exact location (where you would jack up the car to replace a flat tire).
jorrell
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92 245 250K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!
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I agree that there seems to be no other very logical point in the rear to jack except the "pumpkin". I will point out one problem I have discovered, to my dismay, in using the corner jacking points. Maybe this is a "no-brainer" to most of you, but unless you use some sort of padding, like a sturdy block of wood, the round business end of the floor jack can do some serious boogering to your car's underbody. Distorting the metal where the scissor jack goes and scraping the finish down to bare metal.
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I will point out a problem I discovered, to my dismay, in jacking at the corner jacking points.
Maybe this is a "no-brainer" to most of you, but unless you use some sort of padding, like a sturdy block of wood, the round business end of the floor jack can do some serious boogering to your car's underbody. It will distort the metal where the scissor jack goes and can scrape the finish down to bare metal.
Another dunderheaded move I wish I could reverse was jacking under the U-channel supporting the floorpan. This is not loadbearing enough to support your car. Jacking here will distort the channel! It is really irksome when you cause damage to a car that has avoided damage (as mine has) for the past 25 years.
I have not checked FAQ as to whether there is a comprehensive write-up on jacking procedures and tips for proper jacking safety (for the car as well as the mechanic), but it would be worthwhile. Jim
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Fortunately, I made, and learned from, those same mistakes before my Volvo years! :-)
If you just need to jack up just a corner (instead of the whole front or back end of the car):
For the front, I like to put the jack under the rear control arm bushing "housing". This will leave the jack point free for the jack stand.
For the rear, I'll just put the jack under the shock absorber at the trailing arm. Then put the stand at the jack point or axle.
If you don't need to remove wheels, just use ramps. You can drive the front end up, back end up, or even one side up.
-Ryan
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Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 314k, Dog-mobile
1990 245 DL 134k M47, E-codes, GT Sway Bars, GT Braces
1991 745 GL 300k, Regina, 23/21mm Turbo Sway Bars
Buckeye Volvo Club
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The current issue (August 2008) of "Popular Mechanics" addresses this issue of preventing damage to the undercarriage when jacking. Car Care Tip by Mike Allen.
The article describes the use of a wood 2x4 with a saw kerf in it to keep from mangling the pinch weld seam.
Bob
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1986 Volvo 245
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Doesn't jacking the pumpkin put undo stress on the rear axle housing tubes? Up goes the pumpkin, the stress runs out to the ends of the housing, and the entire weight of the rear of the car, with maybe a full load of gas, placed like an inverted V to the middle of the axle housing.
There must be a reason Volvo, and most other manufacturers, do not recommend doing this. I would hate to see the housing snap right where the axle tubes enter the pumpkin. It must work, however, since everyone is doing it.
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I've tried using ramps on a concrete floor and they were pushed away as I tried to drive up them. Is the solution to jack the car up first ?
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I use spare tires to block their travel. Also concrete building blocks. (Haven't overshot yet, but they may ease the drop.)
--
1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb but electronic ignition and M46 trans in Brampton, Ont.
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Smooth concrete will do that - the ramps I bought have a rubber pad at the front to prevent sliding.
--
'93 244: 'A' cam 4 deg. advanced, 25/22 sways, custom heim endlinks, poly bushings, and a lot more styling customization than I care to recount.
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Try putting a floor mat or something where the ramp meets the concrete.
What kind of ramps are you using?
-Ryan
--
Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 314k, Dog-mobile
1990 245 DL 134k M47, E-codes, GT Sway Bars, GT Braces
1991 745 GL 300k, Regina, 23/21mm Turbo Sway Bars
Buckeye Volvo Club
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Thanks for the suggestions. I used to have some all metal ramps. I tried blocking them in place but it was a giant nuisance to get both wheels up at the same time. I guess I need modern ramps with pads or I can add a no-skid mat.
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You can get a set of Rhino ramps for not tooooo much. Pretty sturdy and with rubber grippy feet underneath. Ramps are too handy not to have. :-)
-Ryan
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Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 314k, Dog-mobile
1990 245 DL 134k M47, E-codes, GT Sway Bars
1991 745 GL 300k, Regina, 23/21mm Turbo Sway Bars
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