ew928

Have a HF aluminum $70 jack. Lifts the car. Lowers it with handle twist adjustment.
It did leak a little. But only because I kept it in the box and had it upright.
Now it lays flat and hasn't leaked again.
I like the big single front roller. Doesn't sink into imperfect surfaces like the 2 tiny caster wheel ones. Had the tiny caster wheel jack put 2 dimples into tarmac on a parking lot.

I don't use the jack a lot. Just to swap wheels. Now I remember to plop a wheel under the chassis when car is supported just by hydraulic jack. (Since I got chastised by DR at the Frenzy for unsafe wrenching)
Ernest (NYC)

Jim bailey - 928 International

Good points on "cinder blocks " being a good way to die ! and also teaching the wife how to use the jack to LIFT the car and never ever get under a car with only the jack. Lift it with the jack support it with Jack stands and the jack under the car BUT NOT holding up the car. Wide foot print jack stands , level concrete surface , wood blocks to limit roll against the tires still on the ground, use care when wrenching so the load is up or down but not sideways. Have a "spotter" watching because if the car drops on your chest you can not yell for help !

sprio

You've all given me fantastic information. Thank you.

RngTrtl

I have always been partial to a 2 x 4 or whatever was laying around

tv

Lighten up, I SAID "AND"!

I lift the car with the hydraulic jack, I then support the car with new clean Stands.

I ,then, as a back-up measure put cinder blocks plural, at points that are close to the car frame. So YES I would rather have some cinder blocks than nothing as a back-up.

ooops the sky is falling.

I will take the way i have done this over those glorified ironing boards i have seen posted.

For tranny work in back, I jack up each side one at a time and put 2X8's under the tires, laid FLAT.

Roger

For Christmas, my wife got me a 4 ton Sears Craftsman jack...regular price $129 (on sale for $89).

Over the summer, I was using my buddies 3.5 ton to lift the car from the rear crosmember to work on my transmission. By the time Christmas came around, the 3.5 was discontinued and the 4.0 came out. Just a note: There was a huge difference between the 3 ton and the 3.5 ton. The 4 ton is about the same size as the 3.5.

Regardless of what jack you use, you NEED to get a good set of jack stands to help support the weight. Right before Christmas, there was a thread about a person that passed away due to their jack (or some lift tool) failing. Discounted motor mounts are fine, but you don't want to sacrifice quality on this purchase.

Roger
87s4

PorKen

I always put at least one spare wheel under the car somewhere when I'm working under it.

Here's a good thread for more tips: (928 jack/stand safetly tips)

The FAQ sticky should have a link to that thread, or one like it!

Gretch

This is my favorite "jack":

Tom928

I use 3 steel roller floor jacks. Two are the small 1.5 ton and the large one is a 3 ton. For stands I have two sets of 3 ton and 1 set of 6 ton.

Most of these were aquired for tranny and transfer case service I performed on my Chevy 1/2 ton truck, Blazer and Jimmy. When I purchased the 928, I invested in a set of Porken's lift bars and it was the best money I ever spent on lifting equipment.

You can call me paranoid; however, to work UNDER the vehichle I first lay down a tarp, then lift and place the vehicle on stands leaving the jacks in place. Then I block the frame (in the 928 case the lift bars) at each stand using doubled 4" glue lams that are 12", 14" or 18" wide and 20" long. The glue lams are placed ~ 1 to 2" below the stand height in a "V" so that if the stand fails or the vehicle tips to one side there is the floor jack and 10" of glue lam to either side to stop the fall.

I have used tires for blocking; however, you can't always get the right height with tires and they take alot of room. The glue lams can be cut to custom width (for the height) and take less room.

Too some this may sound excessive; however, for me piece of mind while working under a vehicle is priceless.

sprio

PorKen, do you have a set of lift bars for an 87 S4 available?

heinrich

Here:

heinrich

I have a set of lift bars for an '87 I don't need.

sprio

How much do you want for them, and what do you figure for shipping?

sprio

I have lift bars on the way, thanks to Heinrich. Final question regarding a jack - what lift height should I look for? Is 13" enough, or should I look for something with more?

PorKen

The jack should lift about an inch higher than the top of your stands. Don't use any kind of spacer between the jack and the bar.

Get the widest jack you can, too.