General jacking points

[puntodad19]

well the haynes 5956 manual for this car arrived, and as usual quite pathetic really, no proper wiring diagrams for the ign/sensors etc. for the engine.......and no list of earth points, but some pictures of earth points.....

anyways, jacking points.

We know of the 4 triangle area jacking points but when the car is up in the air, say the front, where do the axle stands go??

My car port is not level, it slopes, so I use joist sized wood to make a tower and rest the car on these, via the jacking points ( cross grain ) , but if these have a jack under them where else can I support the car without damage to the frame/chassis/suspension components etc.???

 

[AndyRKett]

Generally speaking you can jack or put axle stands anywhere that the subframe or suspension mounts to the body.

So where all the bolts are for the subframe into the body and where the rear suspension attaches to the body. where the suspension arms attaches to the subframe, anywhere solid made out of decent metal is generally ok but don't use the body of the car. don't use the floor pan and don't use the sills anywhere other than where indicated.

many cars have special mounting points put in place specifically for when the car is made in the factory, they are points the car is bolted to jigs or machines, to help with things like tipping the car on its side for mounting parts on the bottom like the exhaust pipes and wires. You can sometimes jack or support off these mounting points, I don't think the Evo has any that stand out but older punto models have.

Essentially you get to knowing where you can and can't jack.

With fiats that have a rear beam suspension you can normally always support off anywhere along the rear beam as well.

If you are not sure or don't know then don't use it and especially don't get under the car. Absolutely never use wood to support a car, it can seem strong but it can suddenly split or break dropping a car, and a car dropped on a person can very quickly but very painfully kill.

 

[puntodad19]

steel on steel will slip, and, i have been under a car when an axle stand disappeared a few inches inside a perfectly excellent looking box section that was not undersealed, that was frighteneing indeed!!

the box looked and sounded really sound, and a light car ( tamworths finest ) , but box just crumbled due to internal corrosion.

anyways i use thick joist sized timber and always cross grain when stradelling the jacking points. I always scotch the rear ( or front ) wheels with handbrake on etc..

I always spread the load which helps. The towers ( piece on piece ) are always cross grained and final bit using the choped bristol board type stuff.

when the load has settled on the wood tower, i always wobble the car so i know it will not "blow over" etc.......

Rear beam axle, so ok to jack up rear of car via it and a trolley jack, in the centre, then erect towers ( or axle stands ) under oe jacking points and jack down till contact and full weight? more concerned with bending beam axle.....

as said i have a slopping car port so axle stands are out of the question. If i had a level smooth and reinforced concrete floor things would be different.......but i would still tend to use wood joisting etc.....a truck on the other hand.......

 

[2668GRIFFIN]

Buy some drive up ramps

 

[puntodad19]

Buy some drive up ramps

buy, BUY, i have made some drive up ramps for the mondy ( now razor blades ) and the pug, made from wood, but I still have the problem to do with skyhooks. I need to get the car in the air and wheels off.

I will have a real good look under the car when i comes here and suss out areas strong enough to jack it up then place the wood towers under the sill jacking points.

Looks as if the rear axle is "half and tube" in the centre section so doubt if thats strong enough to jack in the centre.

a fellow dragon horse? we have the same last name perhaps?

 

[AndyRKett]

Looks as if the rear axle is "half and tube" in the centre section so doubt if thats strong enough to jack in the centre.

The rear beam is a torsion beam which means it works as an anti rollbar as well
So It might look like it’s just half a tube but it’s very think metal and designed to resist bending

 

[puntodad19]

So the rear beam is defo defo strong enough to jack the rear of the car up with a trolley jack, in the centre???

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

I'm not a fan of jacking up in the middle of a rear beam, just makes me nervous. I think probably you'll get away with it on many cars, but if it does deform, even by a small amount, your rear geometry is goosed and a new beam will likely be needed. When my daughter bought one 19 years ago, I was told not to jack the older Suzuki Swift in this way as it almost always bent? I just don't do it.

I find there are lots of solid box sections on the Punto which will take axle stands. (always with wooden blocks on top) Yesterday I used the box section just in front and inboard of the jacking points to suspend the front wheel free. I also always chock the other two wheels for stability - I carry chocks in the boot to use if I have a puncture whilst away from home.

 

[SRafferty]

This is the underside of a GP. I'd be surprised if the Evo is any different. I have highlighted solid parts of the floor pan. You should use rubber pads or at least some wood on your jack to avoid damaging the underseal.

Hth, Simon.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

This is the underside of a GP. I'd be surprised if the Evo is any different. I have highlighted solid parts of the floor pan. You should use rubber pads or at least some wood on your jack to avoid damaging the underseal.

Hth, Simon.View attachment 203014View attachment 203015

Great illustration - A picture paints a thousand words - My Favourite points for placing the axle stands are the two rear most points you illustrate and where the front outrigger pieces meet the main chassis box section at the front.

Then you're left with how to actually jack the car up. I like the idea of jacking on the point designed by the manufacturer for this purpose. For a number of years now most manufacturers seem to have opted for the idea of simply reinforcing an area of the sill so I made up this adaptation to fit my trolley jack:





The bits that bear on the car are covered with rubber cut from old inner tubes to protect the paintwork. It works like this:



That's it being used on Becky, our Panda. I use it on all the family vehicles - Ibiza, Astra, Jazz, Panda, Punto and the new Kia Rio which I had to mess about with to find a suitable spare wheel for. The only word of warning I would give is that if you're working on an older car, especially if it's one you don't know, check the sills carefully for rot before you start - but that is good advice no matter what jacking system you are using.

 

[g8rpi]

I use a ice hockey puck on th lift pad of my trolley jack. stops slipping and damage. Easily carved with a utility knife and or hacksaw to fit perfectly. They are also good as bench blocks when filing or drilling small parts.

Ramps are of limited utiliy. OK for exhaust and bodywork, but no good for uspension or brake work. Not ideal for oil changes either as car should really be level. Finally most don't fit well under the front skirt of most modern cars, needing a helper ramp to get on.

Robert G8RPI.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Ramps are of limited utiliy. OK for exhaust and bodywork, but no good for uspension or brake work. Not ideal for oil changes either as car should really be level. Finally most don't fit well under the front skirt of most modern cars, needing a helper ramp to get on.

Robert G8RPI.

When I first started working on my own cars at home I decided to go with axle stands for their greater versatility. I'm very happy working this way and would not have bothered with ramps except that I was gifted a pair. I quickly discovered that most modern cars have too much overhang at the front to drive up on them without some sort of "help" (helper ramp) to let them clear the front body panels. So I extended mine:



If you start at Twinkle's wheel and look to the right you will see the new section has been added between here and that first vertical brace. Now they work very well. But, for the reasons stated above, I very seldom use them. They use up quite a bit of storage space in the garage too. Actually, this is not a good illustration of the problem because Twink has less front overhang than many.

 

[AndyRKett]

This is the underside of a GP. I'd be surprised if the Evo is any different. I have highlighted solid parts of the floor pan. You should use rubber pads or at least some wood on your jack to avoid damaging the underseal.

Hth, Simon.View attachment 203014View attachment 203015

I dunno About other EVOs but the whole underside of mine is covered with plastic panels. I believe this was done to improve underside protection from the elements and also for aerodynamics to improve fuel economy for the all important tests back in 2010 (hence why my 1.6 multijet EVO has the same CO2 figures as my old 1.3 multijet punto from 2004)

Anyhow it makes seeing anything on the bottom of the car very difficult, I certainly cannot see the parts of the floor pan marked in your picture.

As I said, dunno if this applies to every evo but it does to my sporting

 

[SRafferty]

I Imagine newer models are quieter also for that reason. That's exactly what the underside of my daughter's 07 GP looks like. I'm hoping to pick up a '12 Punto for my wife tomorrow or Thursday. I'll know better then.

I dunno About other EVOs but the whole underside of mine is covered with plastic panels. I believe this was done to improve underside protection from the elements and also for aerodynamics to improve fuel economy for the all important tests back in 2010 (hence why my 1.6 multijet EVO has the same CO2 figures as my old 1.3 multijet punto from 2004)

Anyhow it makes seeing anything on the bottom of the car very difficult, I certainly cannot see the parts of the floor pan marked in your picture.

As I said, dunno if this applies to every evo but it does to my sporting

 

[seanrjordan]

I dunno About other EVOs but the whole underside of mine is covered with plastic panels. I believe this was done to improve underside protection from the elements and also for aerodynamics to improve fuel economy for the all important tests back in 2010 (hence why my 1.6 multijet EVO has the same CO2 figures as my old 1.3 multijet punto from 2004)

Anyhow it makes seeing anything on the bottom of the car very difficult, I certainly cannot see the parts of the floor pan marked in your picture.

As I said, dunno if this applies to every evo but it does to my sporting

my 60 plate evo 1.4 8v looks the same pictures underneath I wonder if its just certain engines/ trim levels that have the plastic trim.

 

[puntodad19]

Thanks for the underview pictures.....seems that the 2 box sections close to the rear axle mounting points will be good enough, as well as the front cross member/outrigger areas, load well spread on substantial wood towers etc.......car not with me yet but for armed is for warned etc.....