High jack - how to ?

[charlie8]

I am soon going to be resting the Zed up for winter and will spend the months giving it a good once over, which will involve getting it off the ground pretty high ~ 450mm up on all corners to do things like - gbox oil change, all 4 discs, 4 wheel refurb etc etc

So alot of searching on this forum gives a slightly conflicting view on the front center jacking point

Anyway, assuming that is a no go ( I have an Msport not an M ) and given there is no way I can get the car up on my ramps given about 3" clearance from the ground under the front bumper, how can get I get the car up that high on 4 axle stands under the sill jacking points ?

The procedure I can think of will be

• Jack up at rear jack points, each side to get the front axle stands under ( this will be quite low as you cannot tilt the car too much )

• Jack up at the rear center point, to get the 2 axle stands under the rear jacking points

Then what ? How can I get the front up to get the axle stands higher ? I can easily get the rears higher and I just go high with the rear centre point

Seems a pretty easy thing to do that I have done in the past, but the Zed seems to be awkward in this dept ?

My jack is a low profile, monster and has a reach for 520 mm, but I cannot see how to use that to good affect here

Anybody done this or advice, can the under floor cover be removed to allow the front center jack to be used or is that just not a good strong place regardless unless you have an M ?

C

 

[Silverzedtom]

The method I use to get onto four axle stands is the same as the one you described.

It doesn't get the car very high off of the ground though, when removing my clutch delay valve the back of my head was on the ground and my nose squashed up against the car.

Even if you got a mate to use another jack so your both jacking the rear points I think when you release the jacks the front axles would slip due to the pivot - probably a bit unsafe as well.

Could you borrow a lift or rent one for a day and then store the car on axles at a lower height?

 

[Smartbear]

Hi, if you can’t drive up onto your ramps screw some planks of wood together & drive up onto them to raise the front of the car off the ground.
Rob

 

[aarsavage]

JackPoint Jackstands, you can jack and place the axel stand on the same jacking point.


Edit: they're not cheap

 

[patriot66]

I more or less do what Smartbear suggests. I raise the front edge of the ramps on a sturdy block of wood to 'soften' the angle and then 'lengthen' the slope of the ramp with 2 foot lengths of timber, like this :
I then jack the rear of the car up using the central jacking point by the diff and put axle stands under the rear side jacking points. Just reverse the process if you want to remove the front wheels, otherwise it's plenty high enough for changing gearbox/diff/engine oil etc

 

[charlie8]

Thanks, some good tips - 'll explore by playing with my wood

As you say, prob no need to get all 4 up at once, can move things around a bit, Guess I was lazy thinking once up on all 4 I can choose to do any jobs as it suits, but should really setup for job A, then setup for job B

 

[Steve84N]

I recently got a Quickjack, not cheap but a worthwhile investment longer term and gets it up to almost 0.5m in under a minute.

 

[Z4LEE]

Here is how i do it

http://www.zpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=990176

 

[Mr Tidy]

FWIW I wouldn't do that OP - based on what I have read the only E85/E86 Z4 that has a central front jacking point is the M!

 

[Kamuela]

Z4Lee's pic shows the marked indentation in the belly an where an M has a jack pad. The front crossmember is just above this, but jacking there will mash the marked indentation. Strange that the M has a cutout there and a jack pad, while the non-M does not, the crossmember and pan seem otherwise the same. I can't decide if this is a good idea or not. My copy of the workshop manual shows this as a jack point for all cars, not just M's.

edit; I think that's the purpose of this-- https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=bmw+jack+pads

The rectangular part looks to fit neatly in the stamped recess in the belly pan, and the round base fits on the jack pad. Since it's sold for the purpose, I'm guessing that's the way to do it. I suppose a block of wood would serve, too. I shall order one of the rubber ones and report back.

 

[kis]

Then what ? How can I get the front up to get the axle stands higher ? I can easily get the rears higher and I just go high with the rear centre point

You not seen that post about the guy who jacked the f**k out of his E36 M3 to save it from the flood? Link here... you could employ the same method?

 

[charlie8]

Hmmm, thats not a place I'd put the family jewels under

So now I am thinking the front jack spot is OK, I can see the ident under my car, so if the only issue is about crushing the ali guard but it IS a structurally strong safe place to jack, then yes I will just order a jack pad and use that. My fear was there was nothing safe behind it in all but the M

In fact just getting the front up high enough via the rear side jack points to get 2 stands under the front, would then be high enough to slide in the jack under the center point to go higher. Then just cycle round 10 cm lifts front & back center points, lifting up the axle stands as you go in the 4 corners

When its up, bit of wood to fit under the center points just to be doubly sure and I would say thats a solid hold

 

[Kamuela]

I just had my belly pan off, the aluminum sheet is single thickness at that spot and the front crossmember is above it. It appears - don't have an M handy to check - that the M has a cutout there and a jacking pad screwed to the crossmember protruding through the belly pan. From context and a bit of research, it appears that the "jacking pads" on Amazon and others are made to fit into what is, I suspect, a standard sized indentation BMW uses a lot. So, using the jack pad shouldn't mash the aluminum. Shouldn't. We'll see. Worst case, I'll cut a hole there just like the M and slap a pad on the crossmember, which as I recall, is drilled for it already. Lifting by the back to support the front is scary, the whole car teeters between one offside wheel and the jack, done with that.

 

[Scooba_Steve]

It does get mashed as I found out the first time I looked under, it had been used previously.

 

[Z4LEE]

so much debate

I'm Canadian, so i put a hockey puck on the jack and placed it under the indentation, I'm as anal as the next guy, but it didn't do a millimetre of damage - it's actually the correct place to raise the car. It lifts very evenly, and then you put jack stands under the designated side jack stand supports. Easy peasy.

 

[charlie8]

Hmm, I thought don't sweat after that comment, bought a jacking pad and tried today

The ali plate just pressed inwards and until the car raised , so the square area remained intact, but the whole section pushed up, not sure it raised due to hitting the cross member

So a warning, the cross member must be under there but the base of the indentation is not flush and will bend up

I don't understand the misinformation out there and indeed from the TIS, if you jack under there the plate will bend up, if you don;t use a pad then the ridges will crush.

Almost like BMW wanted to set a puzzle, why so difficult ...... :thumbsdown:

 

[Scooba_Steve]

Didn't I say this...?

 

[Kamuela]

Strange that you would mash the ridges. Sounds like things didn't fit right. Mine was already mashed a bit around the ridges, but with the jacking pad no more damage occurred. It just, well, lifted up. I point out that my jacking pad actually fits into the rectangular indentation quite well, doesn't slop over onto the outer raised area. No problem at all. if I pull off the front, plastic under tray, I can see where the bellypan is right up against the crossmember, maybe a few mm clearance at most (that's while not trying to jack it up) so it likely does move up a wee bit.
I'm pretty clear now that that's the front jacking point, you need the proper tool (the jacking pad, which is sold specifically for that job), and that it picks up pretty cleanly. It may or may not dent the ridges, shouldn't if the pad fits well into the recess.

 

[kis]

The ali plate just pressed inwards and until the car raised

So maybe do a cut out? Like suggested? Like the M? :?

Worst case, I'll cut a hole there just like the M and slap a pad on the crossmember, which as I recall, is drilled for it already.

 

[Scooba_Steve]

What is a cut out going to do for the integrity of the tray? It's a structural piece with bolts that are designed to shear in a collision.