does jacking a car damage the subframe bushings?

[erubin]

When i jack a car on the frame I notice that the subframe bushing gets stressed/seperated. Can this damage the subframe bushing?

On a separate note, I sometimes only use a floor jack to raise and hold a vehicle's corner up. The jack stands come out if I'm going under the car. My question is, do floor jacks ever fail and drop a car catastrophically from a hydraulic seal failure? My floor jack is a 2 ton Harbor Freight one that is 25 years old.

[Ken300D]

You should treat a hydraulic jack as though it can fail at any time.

Because it can.

Ken300D

[JamesStein]

1) Don't think so. Unless the bushing was weak to begin with.

2) Yes they do fail.

[csnow]

Don't trust the jack. At the very least set a stand under there just in case. Even if stand is not actively holding the weight of the car, it would halt a fall, and prevent injury. Even if you are not lying under there, it could still fall on your toes!

[Q]

When I'm under 4000 lbs. of steel, I set the car on a jackstand, place a second one just incase the first one slips and also put the jack under slight load. Don't play the fool and end up on the Darwin Awards.

[erubin]

i never go under the car with any part of my body when supported only by the floor jack. If a wheel is removed i generally stick it under the car as additional insurance if I'm not going underneath. The jackstands come out for almost all repairs and the jack is left under partial load as added insurance. Nonetheless, I would hate for the floor jack to fail suddenly without warning.

Some of you out there must have seen a floor jack fail. Is there generally a warrning period where it starts acting badly? This way you get a "warning" that it's time to replace it. Mine is real old but it works great, should i be concerned. Don't want to spend $ unnecessarily, but it is a safety issue. Can the seals be replaced in a jack or is this a definite no-no?

[Steve Gutman]

I have had my jack slowly lower my car to the ground overnight. I know they bleed down. If it's all the way up it holds better. I would never even slip my arm under a car on a hydraulic jack. I at least put a jacvk stand or two under a solid spot, even if I don't lower the chassis onto it. Sometimes I lower the car onto the jack stands with some force but not completely.

[G-Benz]

I have a cheap jack I bought many years ago that still works...for what is was worth, if it ever fails, why bother fixing? Just buy another one.

I do plan on getting one of those $200 racing-type jacks for my garage when I get it remodeled.

Until then, I will use the old jack.

Oh yeah, I have a set of Harbor Freight jack stands...I NEVER NEVER crawl under the car with just the cheap jack supporting the vehicle...especially the ML!

[tvpierce]

On the way to work this morning, the DJs were joking about a news story where the police were called to check on the well-being a guy who hadn't come to work in a few days. When they got there, the guy was laying in his garage with the car on top of him. (Apparently, the jack gave way.)

Police were unsure how long he had been there. But he had unretrieved phone messages on his machine that were 4 DAYS OLD!

What an aweful way to go!

*************************************
The following was added by the DJs: "The real sad part was that one of those phone messages was the car dealer saying, 'Your part is in, and it's covered under warrantee. Just bring your car in, and we'll put it up on the lift and get it fixed for you.' "
*************************************

Jeff Pierce

I attribute my 40 plus years of rolling around under a car with no accidents to my Dad. When I was little and hanging around his shop, he made a really big deal if I just LOOKED like I was about to get near a car that was on jacks or stands or whatever. He made me VERY conscience of seeing that everything was supported and safe before going underneath.

When I first started posting and reading on mshop, there was a guy who went by the moniker "Deezel." He was the mercedesshop, self appointed safety officer. He CONSTANTLY warned about unsafe suggestions in our threads. He must have seen something serious in his life as an aircraft technician that made him really safety conscience.

It would not be a bad idea to have someone urge everyone to watch for discussion that included unsafe practices.

All that said, NEVER, and I mean NEVER go under a vehicle that is supported only by a jack. You can get a really good, solid set of ratcheting jack stands for very low dollars these days. I don't know how much, but certainly less than $100.

The last time I took someone to the emergency room it cost almost $1,000 and they didn't even have to stay but a few hours. You do the math. That math is simple compared to the potential suffering for you, your family, and everyone around you if you were to get hurt.

If you can't afford a set of jack stands, I have a set that I probably won't need now that I have my two post lift operational. If you're that strapped, let me know and I will send you mine to use until you can get a pair.

Be safe,

Same story here...My dad would NEVER allow anyone under a cars unless it had two stands plus the jack at minimum.
I was very glad a few years later when my 4 ton jack failed and I heard the big THUD! when the stands took the whole weight of the car while I was under it! (yeah, I know...I get the car down on the stands and leave the jack under. That time I didn't take the full load off the jack).

Thanks Dad!....

P.S.

Always get the best quality, over-rated stands that you can get. Never ever get cheap or flimsy looking stands.