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Old 12-24-2009, 07:33 PM   #1
bryan413
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Default Jacking the front end up

My biggest problem and I never have found a way to jack up the front end and support it. I always have to use a combination of a floor jack, jack stands, and the spare tire jack.

There are some topics here and articles on the web but they dont help. If I am using the hockey puck location to use the floor jack, where am I suppose to stick the jack stand? And I bought a jacking pad, but the front wheels of my jack inhibit the use of jack stands under the hockey pucks. BMW failed at places to lift a car.

My wife's Honda? a point in the front you can lift both front wheels with a jack then stick the jack stands on the frame rails. Superior design. Why do I have to be so poor I can only afford a BMW?
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Old 12-24-2009, 08:46 PM   #2
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The pucks are certainly a good place to lift the car- but they are certainly not the only places to lift the car. They are designed specifically to provide convenient points to put the car onto a shop lift. For a floor lift and jackstands, use them if they are convenient, but don't be constrained by them. The pucks are just plastic pads that are inserted into a structural steel rail. It's the rail that is reinforced for supporting the car, not the pads.

To lift the front, I use a floor jack with a soft pad, and place it about 12-16" behind the puck. Lift the car, and place a stand under the puck. Lower the puck onto the stand, and do the same for the other side.
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Old 12-24-2009, 09:40 PM   #3
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Yea I get what the pucks are for. It just seems there is so much soft steel under there. So how am I suppose to place the stand when the body of the floor jack in is the way? Its safe to jack closer to the middle?
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Old 12-24-2009, 11:04 PM   #4
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This article should help:

http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/tech...Jacking_Up.htm
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Old 12-24-2009, 11:23 PM   #5
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Quote:
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It actually doesnt at all.
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Old 12-25-2009, 01:20 AM   #6
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there are some frame rails in the front closer to the center of the car, they're good to support the car, that's what I use when I put my car on the lift at work
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Old 12-25-2009, 01:47 AM   #7
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I must not understand the problem then, because if you have the jackpad everything should clear like in this photo:

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Old 12-25-2009, 02:38 AM   #8
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jack on front crossmember, if car too low, place stock jack in stock locatoin, lift until you can get real jack under front crossmember.
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Old 12-25-2009, 02:59 AM   #9
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I drive up onto a 2x4 so I can get a floorjack under the car. Just remember to put the 2x4 back under the wheel before you lower it or you won't be able to get the jack out.
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Old 12-25-2009, 04:00 AM   #10
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Yeah, I thought this was you Jess.

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Old 12-25-2009, 04:12 AM   #11
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Ill take a picture for all those who dont believe a jacking pad doesnt work tomorrow. But if I can jack up on the cross member in front then im def doing that.
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Old 12-25-2009, 04:51 AM   #12
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I know what you're talking about, you're placing the jack where the rubber jack pad is located on the bottom of the car(directly undre the jack hole on the sideskirt). That's the only place you should lift the car from. Someone lifted my car up about a foot behind the jack pad and it caved in the floorboard, now my sideskirt doesn't fit quite flush The problem you run into when you jack from there is that it leaves very little room to fit a jackstand, because the jackstand should be in the area where the floorjack is lifting the car. If you look a little further inward, you'll see two frame rails that run along each side of the transmission hump in the floorboard. I usually place the jackstands under those frame rails. You shouldn't do this, but if you do jack it up from the front crossmember, make sure you're not pinching any of the power steering lines and make sure the jack isn't resting against or hitting the steering rack. Just aft of the engine is another crossmember. This is what you replace when you install an x-brace. Do not jack the car up from this piece as it will certainly bend. I used it to jack my car up and it bent despite the fact that there is no engine in my car! No biggie though, I was getting ready to install my x-brace anyway. b.u.ti-ful is talking about an actual tool that plugs into the jack holes, providing an external pad to lift the car from.

Last edited by cooljess76; 12-25-2009 at 04:54 AM.
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Old 12-25-2009, 06:06 AM   #13
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I drive up on ramps to get clearance and then jack from the cross member.
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Old 12-25-2009, 12:41 PM   #14
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I put the jack stands under the rear of the trailing arms as I recall...
Or If I'm not doing suspension work I use ramps.

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Old 12-25-2009, 05:10 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cooljess76 View Post
I know what you're talking about, you're placing the jack where the rubber jack pad is located on the bottom of the car(directly undre the jack hole on the sideskirt). That's the only place you should lift the car from. Someone lifted my car up about a foot behind the jack pad and it caved in the floorboard, now my sideskirt doesn't fit quite flush The problem you run into when you jack from there is that it leaves very little room to fit a jackstand, because the jackstand should be in the area where the floorjack is lifting the car. If you look a little further inward, you'll see two frame rails that run along each side of the transmission hump in the floorboard. I usually place the jackstands under those frame rails. You shouldn't do this, but if you do jack it up from the front crossmember, make sure you're not pinching any of the power steering lines and make sure the jack isn't resting against or hitting the steering rack. Just aft of the engine is another crossmember. This is what you replace when you install an x-brace. Do not jack the car up from this piece as it will certainly bend. I used it to jack my car up and it bent despite the fact that there is no engine in my car! No biggie though, I was getting ready to install my x-brace anyway. b.u.ti-ful is talking about an actual tool that plugs into the jack holes, providing an external pad to lift the car from.
No I use a jacking pad from bavauto and I still have interference issues. The frame is where I still that jack stands but its so sketchy. This is prob the last BMW I own due the the incompetence of BMW to design a car someone at home can lift safely.
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