How to get the car up?

[SaturnIonVue]

quote:

---

Originally posted by jmacmaster:
"just raise the front end a little ways without taking the front wheels off the ground. That should give you plenty of room to reach the drain plug and filter. You don't need any jack stands unless the wheels are leaving the ground."

"Just jack up the passenger side about 4 inches to access the drainplug and you'll be good to go."

Bad idea. You should never trust a jack to keep a vehicle held up when you're under it. Any expert at how to hold up a vehicle while working under it will tell you that. There have been too many documented jack failures to trust a jack. And even it no tire is off the ground you can still be injured when the rest of the vehicle falls lower due to a jack failure. If you've raised the frame and other underparts 4-6", giving you, say, 2" of clearance for your body, and the jack fails, the underpart that was 2" above your body is going to press down 4-6" on your body.

I recommend ramps.

---

As sound advice as could ever be given! Another point to make is that you need not have a crush injury to die under a car. All one needs is to have just a moderate enough weight on the chest to compress the diaphram and you can't breath. Your chest must rise and fall, or else! Period! There is nothing worth working on under your car that is worth your life or health. Suffocation only takes a matter of a few minutes...even if you aren't working alone under there! Can your 110 pound wife lift that Buick? Can your 14 year old son/grandson work that faulty jack? A response from 911 will take longer than you might have to live!

Is your life worth $30.00? Because that is what 8,000 pound Rhino Ramps cost at Wal-Mart around here.

 

[Matt_S]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ray H:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Matt_S:
[Re: Rhino Ramps] They're lightweight, inexpensive and have a nice, big stop block at the front that virtually eliminates the possibility of driving off the front.

---

With my Sonata's somewhat sensitive accelerator, I wish that were true. (Don't ask.)

---

I hope you didn't do any significant damage.