Ray Calvo

Was changing brake pads and wheels/tires over the weekend. I do this with the car jacked up on one side at the rear jacking point with a floor jack. Got done with the left rear and moved to the left front. I had the front pad changed and was about to install the wheel/tire when CRASH! - the car fell off the jack! Apparently I didn't catch the jack lifting face on the rear jacking point; was largely off of it on the plastic underbody trim. So, ended up with the left front of the car on the ground and the rear portion of the rocker panel crushed by the jack body sticking out from underneath the car and a good amount of the plastic underbody covering smashed.

Got the car lifted again using the emergency jack that came with the car. All I can say is it's better than the vertical screw jack that came with my old '76 and 84 911s.

So, if you're liftiing your 993 with a floor jack, make SURE it's firmly under the jacking point. I didn't look; just rolled the jack head under the car and assumed I was under the jacking point. The jacking points are easy to recognize; look under the car for a horizontal steel face with a large oval hole cut in it that the car jack fits in (for stupid pictures - read your owners manual). There's one for the front just behind the back of the front wheel cutout and one for the rear about a foot forward and a foot in from the start of the rear wheel cutout. Drop your head till it touches the garage pavement; if you look under the car you'll see them.

Mark in Baltimore

You moron!!!!



Just messing with you, Ray. Sorry to hear about the accident and hope it's not too expensive to fix.

FYI, I have red stickers on my black trim denoting where the jack points are; I just look, slide and jack.

Joe S.

Bummer! I always worry about this when trying to center the jack pad on the lifting points. It’s kind of difficult to see the jack pad meet up correctly with the jacking locations. I usually end up lying on the floor raising and lowering the jack multiple times to try and get it optimally centered the jacking pad.

993inNC

Don't feel to bad Ray, I did the same TYPE thing on the rear........CRASH came the car, where did it rest you ask? It found its way to the AC line that runs along the pass side of the car. It kinked it, luckily didn't completely tear through the line and the air still works. I'm sure it'll rear its ugly head some day some how. Definately falls under stupid human tricks.

Bull

I won't do work like that anymore without jack stand(s) under the car, backing up the jack. Wonder how I learned, do you......

csertich

Glad you weren't hurt Ray. I was dumb enough to use the jack that came with the car to take the rear wheel off. The jack collapsed once I got the wheel off and dented the body panel in front of the rear wheel.
chuck

Red rooster

Ray,
Get one of those jack pads with the pin that goes in the hole at the center of the jack point. I got mine from Pap-parts.
Helps to aim your jack ! Axel stands are a must but I guess you will agree!
Really sorry about the damage but at least you are OK and that is the really important thing.

All the best

Geoff

JM993

When I was a kid, I'll never forget the time my Dad's jack slipped and his finger became wedged between the tire and the fender (at least it wasn't between the rotor and the ground)! He was OK, but in a lot of pain. Good life lesson for me as I always use jack stands and even place a jack under the car when its up on ramps.

Glad you're OK, Ray!

Cheers

ed devinney

Argh - glad you're not hurt.

Kigiin

This thread is worthless without pics : -)

Howdy993

'Ya did'nt look under there - Lazybones!

Try not to beat yourself up, it'll be fixed and best of all, you did'nt get hurt.

Best wishes

cabrio993

Ouch...sorry to hear that.

It happened to me once with my Alfa...good thing that car weighted less than my daughter's toy barbie jeep. From that point forward, i always slide the wheel underneath the car. If it fells off the jack or stand, the tire will catch the car and prevent the car from crushing me.

Ray Calvo

Curse me out as much as you want; can't match what I called myself.

And thanks for the support; had to send this out to try to warn others to be more careful and not be a moron.

RE sliding a wheel under the car; good point and used to do it, but again got too lazy and figured "it'll never happen to me!".

RE jack pad with the pin: car has a PSS9 setup and I hardly have 5" of ground clearance where the jack slips under the rocker panel. Have to drive the rear wheels up on some 3/4" plywood pads I built to give me bare clearance to roll the jack underneath. Well, back to the drawing board - might even think about a new floor jack with minimal above-ground jack face height (can't remember when I got this one - has gone thru several car evolutions, that's for sure).

John H

I have done that too. I also had a jack stand slip/sink into the ground that caused the car to fall off the stand. It was a b!tch getting that thing back up off the ground.

InTheAir

In my best Ray impersonation, "Serves you right, Lazybones. It only takes a second to look under the car when you place the jack."

Although, honestly, that's a fear of mine every time I jack up my car--hoping I positioned the jack correctly and/or the jack stands.