Jacking up a car by itself

[Alfred_B]

My SUV has air suspension where it lifts itself. I need to bleed the brakes and the lazy in me has suggested to lift the car like that, put Jack stands and then lower the car so that it ends up on the jack stands with the wheels in the air.

Is this too crazy?

 

[Trav]

Citroen has been doing this for decades In fact some models didn't even come with a jack just a stand and lug wrench.

 

[Dave9]

Not necessarily crazy, if using jack stands, except I would want more lift clearance than a typical/stock air suspension provides, just to make the job that much easier.

However I am wondering if it would really do as you describe. If you're only lifting it using the air suspension then shutting that off, won't the wheels stay in the same downward position they were in, not lift up in the air? Does it matter since you don't need wheels in the air to bleed, just clearance?

 

[Trav]

 

[Pew]

Originally Posted by Dave9
However I am wondering if it would really do as you describe. If you're only lifting it using the air suspension then shutting that off, won't the wheels stay in the same downward position they were in, not lift up in the air? Does it matter since you don't need wheels in the air to bleed, just clearance?


Just clearance issues, need just enough space to reach the bleeder.

 

[Alfred_B]

Originally Posted by Dave9
Not necessarily crazy, if using jack stands, except I would want more lift clearance than a typical/stock air suspension provides, just to make the job that much easier.

However I am wondering if it would really do as you describe. If you're only lifting it using the air suspension then shutting that off, won't the wheels stay in the same downward position they were in, not lift up in the air? Does it matter since you don't need wheels in the air to bleed, just clearance?

You "lower" the car while it's on jack stands and the wheels will retract. The video Trav posted is exactly what I'm thinking of.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by Trav
Citroen has been doing this for decades In fact some models didn't even come with a jack just a stand and lug wrench.

There's a James Bond movie where he's driving a Citroen down a zig-zag road and doesn't he "jack" it up in order to go off-road to escape the bad guys ?

 

[tcp71]

You could put the jack stands in, lower the suspension, put boards under the wheels, raise the suspension, raise the jack stands, lower the suspension, add more boards, raise the suspension, raise the jack stands, etc until you have the height you want.

 

[Leo99]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by Trav
Citroen has been doing this for decades In fact some models didn't even come with a jack just a stand and lug wrench.

There's a James Bond movie where he's driving a Citroen down a zig-zag road and doesn't he "jack" it up in order to go off-road to escape the bad guys ?

Speed would just push the A button on the steering wheel.

 

[The_Jeff]

Originally Posted by tcp71
You could put the jack stands in, lower the suspension, put boards under the wheels, raise the suspension, raise the jack stands, lower the suspension, add more boards, raise the suspension, raise the jack stands, etc until you have the height you want.


The nerd in me likes this but the pragmatist knows if I just jack about a foot rear of the firewall with my 3 ton floor jack both tires on that side will lift off the ground and it only takes ~30 seconds.

You want ample working room bleeding brakes so you don't side-load the bleeder due to poor ergonomics and snap it off.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
Originally Posted by Trav
Citroen has been doing this for decades In fact some models didn't even come with a jack just a stand and lug wrench.

There's a James Bond movie where he's driving a Citroen down a zig-zag road and doesn't he "jack" it up in order to go off-road to escape the bad guys ?

Citroen's are one car you need to own and drive to fully appreciate them, older ones like the CX and SM were very strange and wonderful cars.