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-   -   Jacking a w126 up (http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/tech-help/33179-jacking-w126-up.html)

dwcasey 03-06-2002 10:45 PM

Jacking a w126 up
 
I went through some of the previous posts and I am still confused. I going to get a good set of four jackstands and good hydraulic jack and some blocks to put behind the tires...3 tons seems to be the recommendation onthe jack and stands. I'll be doing this on my completely flat garage floor.

Now, where do I jack the car up from? And, can I put the stand near the holes for the OEM jack...underneath the foam pads that are on the frame?

Let's say I want to change the oil or the ATF and drain the torque converter. stuff that's all near the middle-front/front of the car.

I put the EB on, block the rear tires, then, can I jack the car up from the sides and then place one stand behind the driver side wheel where that foam pad is, then go to the other side, jack it up and put a stand underneath?

I read a couple of posts where the jack was left underneath the car "just in case". I assume there is a part of the frame or some cross member underneath the front of the car that this can be done from?

Thanks a bunch!

MikeTangas 03-07-2002 01:15 AM

On the 126 I start at the front, using a foot long block of 2X4 between the jack and the car, I lift at the frame box. The portion where the front sub frame rails mate with the floor pan, about 6-8 inches inboard on each side. I place the jack stands at the jack pads. At the rear I use the 2X4 block again between the jack and car and lift at the large rear subframe mount, placing the jack stand at the jack pad again. I also leave the jack under the side/end I am working at, just barely in contact with the vehicle for extra added safety. If I am taking the wheels off, I slide them under the car for the same reason.

To do a tranny service I use a set of ramps.

http://www.pe.net/~mktangas/under2.jpg

shows thw general area where the stands will be for the front. Yes, that is a set of ramps you see as well, I slid them under the front tires after the car was lifted - even more extra safety given I was going to spend about a month under the car.

dwcasey 03-07-2002 11:18 AM

I'll have to crawl underneath the car tonight and get a better look, but I'm still having a hard time visualizing where to put the jack if I were needing to jack up the front of the car. It looks like the jack stand is inboard from the front tire(s) and back just a bit, correct? And the picture is taken looking toward the front of the car, correct? When you say "jack pads", is this the spot on the outer most part of the car just behind the front wheel and in front of the MB jacking hole?

For the ramps, I assume you jack the car up until the wheels are high enough to get a ramp underneath, then you just slide it under? Do you do one wheel at a time or jack up from the middle with blocks behind the rear wheels and slide both ramps in?

So, with the ramps under the car, do you then lower onto the ramp and leave the jack or pull it out? Do you just ratchet up the jackstands so that it's snug, but doesn't take any weight off the ramps? Do you have jack stands on both sides?

So many questions :confused: Thanks for the help.

Silver Boat 03-07-2002 12:20 PM

Hello I just got done putting in a new clutch in my w126. I have a set of 3 ton Sears jack stands. I am going to return them as one does not catch on the ratchet pawl. I had to borrow a 2 sets from my neighbors. One set was a $140 snap on set that holds 5 tons, very stable and has great height range so you can get under there very easy but kind of pricy. My other neighbor has a set of $39 generic 6 ton, they were almost as stable and also had good range. I would suggest better than 3 ton for the W126. I had an old set of 2 1/2 ton and they buckled under the load, very scary and glad that I was not under the car. I have worked on small cars in the past (MG, Miata, VW Cabriolet) so I never felt the need for stronger stands. After my experience I will get the 5 or 6 ton stands when I return the one's I have. Huge difference in stability. Remember that when you are jacking up the other side of the car you can have most of the weight on the stands. Sears stands appear to be made by the same people who make the one's at Auto Zone where I will get my second pair. (Larson I think and much less expensive)
You will want to have a big shop jack as well. Mine I bought from K-Mart about 20 years ago for like $40. It is great but they do not sell anything like it any more. The ones they carry are not very nice looking. Good jacks are hard to find and get very expensive. Sears jacks look good but that is what i thought about the jack stands and they are not really well made.
I am thinking about modifying an old jack to screw onto the floor jack so it can be lifted by the jack hole. Has anyone tried this?

One thing to remember is that the car weighs a lot and if it falls on you it will hurt a lot! Safety first. You can afford decent safety equipment before a long hospital stay or funeral!

Be safe so you can live to drive the car!

dpetryk 03-07-2002 01:34 PM

This is how I do it.


Jack it up here.

http://www.acc-controls.com/photos/auction/MVC-525X.JPG


Place stands here.

http://www.acc-controls.com/photos/auction/MVC-526X.JPG

All done.

http://www.acc-controls.com/photos/auction/MVC-527X.JPG

dwcasey 03-07-2002 01:39 PM

Very nice! Thank you very much!

sixto 03-07-2002 02:59 PM

How about the rear? Can you lift the car by the differential case or is it not meant to bear the weight of the car?

Sixto
91 300SE
81 300SD

dwcasey 03-07-2002 03:17 PM

When I did my search before posting this post, I saw a few that said you could jack it up from the rear diff. Don't know that I would do that myself.

dpetryk 03-07-2002 03:47 PM

Do it all the time no problem. Just put the cup on the lowest part of the differential and up she goes.

dwcasey 03-07-2002 10:17 PM

Jack...
 
Well, just got back from SAM's where I got a 3.5 ton Allied jack similar to what Dave had in his picture. That is one heavy sucker!

SAM's didn't have the jack stands, though. I ran by a local auto parts store and they had some 3 ton ACDelco stands, but they looked cheap. Believe it or not, I saw what looked like a nice pair at Wal*Mart, I think they were 5 or 6 ton stands. I might go back tomorrow and look at them more closely. I also might run by NAPA or AutoZone and see what they have.

MikeTangas 03-08-2002 01:24 AM

Multiple ways to skin the cat, all with the same result :).

As for the ramps, after I had the car securely on four stands, I slid the ramps under the front tires then had to push them in as far as they could go. Easier said than done and a real bear to remove them at the end of the job. I didn't have any choice though as the car was immobile when I brought it home due to broken flex disk and tailshaft housing.

I have 4 pairs of stands, but my next investment is one pair of the heavy duty cast stands.

dpetryk 03-08-2002 01:45 PM

Sam's thats exactly where I got my jack. About $38. It was a great deal.

Hans Ribbens 03-29-2002 08:49 AM

I have done what you folks do regarding lift points. And I to have a Sam's Club jack. To support the car, I cut 4 pieces of 8" long thick walled 3/4" diameter pipe and bent each (in a 12 ton press) at the mid point to an angle of about 10 degrees. I stuck one end of the pipe all the way into the angled jack holes of the car, and then placed the saddle of the jack very near to the car so that when the car was lowered, the protruding pipe nestled into the saddle. Seems to work great. Its very stable and can't slide off. The only uncalculated factor is the sheer strength of the 3/4" pipe and, while this is not very scientific, judging from the amount of pressure I needed to bend the pipe, I have problems believeing that's a risk. Even the 1/4" lag bolts I use have a sheer strength of 2,995 pounds. I think this sounds safer than simply having the car sit on top of the jacks with the jacks under those foam or rubber blocks.

dpetryk 03-29-2002 06:39 PM

Sounds like a good idea. I will try it.

whunter 03-28-2006 12:11 AM

A great DIY
 
that seems to have been lost.


Have a great day.


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