...what a stupid question

TB2 · Post by **TB2** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:12 pm

Ok, I know I am definitely going to be the laughing-stock of the forum for asking this but... *takes a deep breath

where am I supposed to place the axle stands?

(click to enlarge)

...I just don't really want to be crushed.

And another question: I actually had to use the cars hydraulics to get it high enough to even place the carjack und the frame. And when the wheel lifted off from the ground it sounded like the hydraulics were loosing pressure. After I had finished wondering like a numbskull what to do next I let the car drop and then it was around mid height. At the back it was still at high. Is this normal?

I know, I'm making progress at the speed of light with this car, taking huge leaps every day and mastering every obstacle with ease.

ellevie · Post by **ellevie** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 7:15 am

There's no such thing as a stupid question when it concerns safety.

At the front, I use the designated jacking points for the stands with small squares of wood to protect the jacking points from damage

I also have to put the car on high to get the jack under the subframe, and jacking it up causes the front to depressurise so that when I lower the jack later, it takes a little while to repressurise. Yes, it's normal for the rear to stay high.

DLM · Post by **DLM** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 2:35 pm

I used to use what Haynes seemed to indicate were jacking points on the sill. I was almost certainly misinterpreting the BOL (clear as mud as usual), but a few years a go this wasn't such a bad thing to do. As these are now potentially dangerous on many BXs, unless you know otherwise, I use the following:

Front: Front subframe rear bolt, or the subframe around it, depending on what I'm jacking/standing with. I sometimes jack up in the centre of the front subframe if I've got a industrial-strength trolley jack to hand (yes, I know I shouldn't really), but ONLY if I've got a plank to spread the load on the subframe and ONLY if it's a very temporary lift to put a pair of stands in place.

CHOCK THE REAR if lifting the front - handbrake on front wheels.

Rear: There are a couple of useful stand-sized lugs on either outer end of the subframe, just inside the sill and forward of the rear wheel. Any part of the main beam of the rear subframe should be ok for brief lifts to get the vehicle on stands.

"Obvious" point: - you can put the car in high and then use the wheel-change jack to raise it if you don't need to go very high (normally found in the boot or inside the spare wheel). Don't take any risks though: the original Citroen jacks can distort on the "foot" if used at an angle, and I would recommend extreme care if there's the slightest hint of a slope.

Tip: if you have a Lidl or similar chain near you, European branches often sell bottle jacks with threaded adjustable tops for a few euros. These are great for initial lifting to put the vehicle onto stands and take up very little space when not in use.

Tip: IF you have a towbar on the car - this can also be used as a very temporary jacking point - though I'm a lot more cautious about this on a hatchback BX as they rot out at the rear around the boot floor.

AndersDK · Post by **AndersDK** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 5:51 pm

1.st picture : you can see the end of the control arm pivot bolt (the large nut). Place a wooden block under the subframe paralell to the longbolt and jack on the wooden block. The subframe will take all the weight of the car right under there no problem.

2.nd picture : the rear wing of the subframe is bolted on to a very strong structural part of the bodyshell. Place a wooden block exactly covering the bolt across the end of the subframe wing and jack here.

Especially the last jackpoints are well suited for work on the brakes/hub/drivetrain as the jacks then are nicely out of the way.

Wooden blocks at least 5/4" by 2" some 0.15-0.25m long

DLM · Post by **DLM** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 4:43 pm

Wooden blocks at least 5/4" by 2" some 0.15-0.25m long

Ah... progress. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to type in fractions on a PC and see them appear sensibly - e.g. "one and a quarter inches" in symbols.

PS - I'm not quite as old as the gent in the 70s Michelin advert that's my current avatar.

Rob_e (UK) · Post by **Rob_e (UK)** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:03 pm

I usually use the wheel changing jack in its slot in the middle of the sill and then put the stands under the other jacking points ( I think it is the ones Haynes mention) at either the front or rear of the sill depending on which end I want off the ground. At the front this is where you have your jack in the picture.
I don't find that mine depressurises as soon as it is jacked up provided it is on its highest setting, if at the normal ride height then it does let all the pressure out in an effort to try and get itself back to the correct height. This seems to catch tyre and exhaust places out every time

Rob

stuart_hedges · Post by **stuart_hedges** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:51 pm

Not a stupid question at all. Never, ever get under a car if you don't know it's not going to come crashing down on you.

TB2 · Post by **TB2** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 12:06 am

Allright, thanks for all your answers.

Front: Front subframe rear bolt, or the subframe around it, depending on what I'm jacking/standing with.

My axle stands aren't flat at the top, but are a bit bent at two of the edges, so I wasn't able to figure out how that should ever work as I expected some sort of bump to be somewhere on the subframe to fit on the axle stands. That rear bolt is exactly the opposite.

...at either the front or rear of the sill depending on which end I want off the ground.

I guess I will do that. Sounds reasonable.

The whole subframe is greasy and I feel like my axle stands don't really fit anywhere down there. Also, if the car is jacked up at the front, the whole car is aslope and I simply fear that if I put the axle stands under that well greased subframe even - or especially - when using wooden blocks, the axle stands will just slip and topple over. I just didn't think of jacking the car up from that middle jacking point. I guess that will do it.

Thanks!

DLM · Post by **DLM** » Fri Apr 25, 2008 5:59 pm

My axle stands aren't flat at the top, but are a bit bent at two of the edges

This makes them perfect for fitting on the rear subframe jacking points, as the dimensions are exactly fight for the raised edges to "wrap around", so long as those rear edges are positioned in front of and behind of the jacking point, running along the sill.

On the front I often use a small block of wood at the rear mounting bolt position, so that any deformation is taken by the wood and not the edges of the subframe at this point.