Just wondering if it was ok for me to jack up the car using a floor jack under the oil pan. It's a 98 CLK 320. Thanks!

Absolutely not! Use the jack points or a structural crossmember.

Also, on the rear, do not jack from the differential.

Jeff Pierce

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Jeff Pierce

Current Vehicles:
'92 Mercedes 190E/2.3 (247K miles/my daily driver)
'93 Volvo 940 Turbo Wagon (263K miles/a family truckster with spunk)
'99 Kawasaki Concours
Gravely 8120
Previous Vehicles:
'85 Jeep CJ-7 w/ Fisher plow (226K miles)'93 Volvo 940 Turbo Wagon
'53 Willys-Overland Pickup
'85 Honda 750F Interceptor
'93 Nissan Quest
'89 Toyota Camry Wagon
'89 Dodge Raider
'81 Honda CB 750F Super Sport
'88 Toyota Celica
'95 Toyota Tacoma
'74 Honda CB 550F

Broken motor mounts and a damaged oil pan come to mind.

OK...how about under the lower control arms?

Those are usually ok but keep in mind that they will move as the car goes up. They will want to pivot downward, so keep that in mind.

Thanks
David

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2000 Honda Accord V6 137k miles

1972 300SEL 4.5 98k miles

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I wouldn't do it. The jack could slip and the car could fall. I would use the rubber pads under the car near the jack points. These are for when the car is raised using a four point lift. Btw, what are you trying to do?

jacking the car under the oil pan is what I did when I replaced the motor mounts, to raise the engine. However, I used a big piece of wood as a spacer between the jack and the oil pan (6x2, a foot long), and made sure the linkages were disengaged to make sure i do not break anything...

That's what I always do... why is it bad?
Bruno

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1992 300TE 160 kmiles

No, no, no, no, no!!!!!!!!!! NEVER EVER JACK A CAR UP FROM THE OIL PAN!!!!!!

The only time you might need to touch the oil pan with a jack is if you are replacing engine mounts. But I would be carefull doing that because oil pans are pretty ting and you could bend it.

MB's have 4 jack points one on each corner or the car, thats where you jack from.

Jacking from the diff is also a bad idea you could damage the diff mount.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

If you don't have to pull the wheels, it's a lot easier and safer to work on a car on ramps. A pair of plastic ramps is ~$25 at Wal-Mart. Don't put the ramps under the oil pan

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

The differential on an indepenent rear suspension car is mounted with rubber bushings and is designed to withstand twisting/lateral force -- not the upward force of the entire car.

Think of it like this: You have a vertical beam in your basement that's holding up the living room floor. You can invite 50 friends over for a party in the living room, and that beam is gonna hold them just fine. (if each friend weighs an average of 150 lbs, that's 7500 pounds.) But if you go in the basement and hit that beam with a 200 lb blow with a hammer, it's going to knock it out of place, and down comes your living room, with all your friends in it. That beam can handle 7500 lbs if it's coming from above, but it can't handle even a small load like 200 lbs if it's coming from the side. Same principle with your differential.

I don't know if that helps, but don't jack from the differntial -- it's a bad thing. (I do jack my '93 Volvo from the differential though, because it has a solid rear axle.)

Jeff Pierce

__________________
Jeff Pierce

Current Vehicles:
'92 Mercedes 190E/2.3 (247K miles/my daily driver)
'93 Volvo 940 Turbo Wagon (263K miles/a family truckster with spunk)
'99 Kawasaki Concours
Gravely 8120
Previous Vehicles:
'85 Jeep CJ-7 w/ Fisher plow (226K miles)'93 Volvo 940 Turbo Wagon
'53 Willys-Overland Pickup
'85 Honda 750F Interceptor
'93 Nissan Quest
'89 Toyota Camry Wagon
'89 Dodge Raider
'81 Honda CB 750F Super Sport
'88 Toyota Celica
'95 Toyota Tacoma
'74 Honda CB 550F

Along these same lines, if I use a floor jack to jack up the car at the jack point, where can I put a jack stand so I can move the floor jack to another jack point since there is not enough room at the jack point for both a floor jack and a jack stand? This refers to a C280 but I'm sure the answer will apply to many models.

Dan

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2012 E350 Bluetech

Is a solid iron stand good or is a moveable one better? I saw ones that have an extendable leg that you can pry at a certain level (like when lifting weights, you put a pin on the heaviest and the entire set of weights from the pin will lift). TY!

"Aaron
Moderator Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Posts: 1,767


If the car is lowered, the only choice you have is to get a floor jack with a low-profile saddle which will slide underneath it so you can jack it up at the crossmember in the front and at the pumpkin in the rear.

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Rgds,
Aaron Greenberg
MB technician
Precision Motorcars, Cincinnati, Ohio"

So, this is what I do.

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Steve
1985 Mercedes 500SL Euro (Gray market)
1995 BMW 520i Euro (Gray market)
1992 BMW 525it Wagon
1994 Honda Del Sol Si

What the ()&_&* is a pumpkin and a crossmember? Many thanks!