mbtjc,
The best way is to have the front of the car up on ramps, block rear tires; then use a piece of wood(I use a scrap piece of 2x6) under the pan and a bottle jack. When you jack the engine up and you have the car on jack stands it does "groan" a bit and makes me nervous, so I use ramps.

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The Golden Rule

1984 300SD (bought new, sold it in 1988, bought it back 13 yrs. later)