Front/Rear Jack Points for E46
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rquinlivan
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sun Jul 03, 2005 9:30 pm
Front/Rear Jack Points for E46
Service manuals are silent on the jack points to use if you want to raise the entire front or rear of an E46. What are the recommended and safe jack points? My assumption would be the center of the engine cradle to raise the front and the differential to raise the rear but a wrong guess could be costly. Also, can jacks be place on any points other than the four jack points below the rocker panels?
Don't jack up by the diff case. It might work OK, but its mounts are not stressed for that (the diff will be OK but it will rip off the subframe). There's a heavy frame member just a few inches in front of the diff - use that instead for jacking up.
In the front, I actually don't use the jack pads or the "crush" pad to jack up - I use a wooden block under the very front edge of the frame rail. Works great; doesn't deform anything, and easy to put the jack stand under the rubber jack point where it belongs.
I've had such drama trying to get my e46 in the air, that I'm thinking of posting up my own DIY, but I haven't sussed out a "perfect" technique yet. You're absolutely correct that the owner's manual and Bentley manual are vague at best. Worse, online sources never seem to agree. May I suggest getting ramps?
In the front, I actually don't use the jack pads or the "crush" pad to jack up - I use a wooden block under the very front edge of the frame rail. Works great; doesn't deform anything, and easy to put the jack stand under the rubber jack point where it belongs.
I've had such drama trying to get my e46 in the air, that I'm thinking of posting up my own DIY, but I haven't sussed out a "perfect" technique yet. You're absolutely correct that the owner's manual and Bentley manual are vague at best. Worse, online sources never seem to agree. May I suggest getting ramps?
OK here's some illustrations from this morning. Both shots are from under the front of the car, looking towards the back. Note that the front wheels are on ramps. There's less clearance this way, but it's about a bazillion times safer (not counting the ramps sinking into the pavement - but that's a different story).
In each photo, green is the spot where I have put my hydraulic jack with wooden block. This has worked great. The yellow is where I would then place the jackstands (right on the rubber jacking point, with the "claw" of the stand perpendicular to the axis of the rubber jackpoint, plus thick plywood under the jackstand). The red boxes indicate a really bad place to put a jack. Ask me how I know.
Jacking up each side alternately has given me some problems with the car moving slightly (did I mention the drama before?). For example, if the left front is already on a jackstand, and I start to jack up the right side, the left will then either a) tilt the jackstand forward precariously or b) slide off the jackpad so the stand is digging into my side skirt. In the future, I'm thinking my "perfect" method to jacking up the front will include having TWO hydraulic jacks, and evenly raising both sides at the same time.
Hope this helps.
In each photo, green is the spot where I have put my hydraulic jack with wooden block. This has worked great. The yellow is where I would then place the jackstands (right on the rubber jacking point, with the "claw" of the stand perpendicular to the axis of the rubber jackpoint, plus thick plywood under the jackstand). The red boxes indicate a really bad place to put a jack. Ask me how I know.
Jacking up each side alternately has given me some problems with the car moving slightly (did I mention the drama before?). For example, if the left front is already on a jackstand, and I start to jack up the right side, the left will then either a) tilt the jackstand forward precariously or b) slide off the jackpad so the stand is digging into my side skirt. In the future, I'm thinking my "perfect" method to jacking up the front will include having TWO hydraulic jacks, and evenly raising both sides at the same time.
Hope this helps.
I hate to bump this old-ass post, but my memory seems to be an issue, so I'll do this now before I forget (again).
I found this picture on my hard drive. I have NO idea where it came from, but there is somebody named "biodan" on m3forum.net. I googled his name and the file name, but found nothing.
The car appears to be an E46 M3. The red/green good/bad thing isn't consistent; it's apparently OK to use the red circle towards the back/center of the car.
For what it's worth, Sears had a sale last weekend, and their nice aluminum/steel jack was on sale, so I bought it (my 2nd one). Having two jacks, as mentioned above, really has made the job about a zillion times easier, even if it means running from one side of the car to the other every couple of pumps.
I found this picture on my hard drive. I have NO idea where it came from, but there is somebody named "biodan" on m3forum.net. I googled his name and the file name, but found nothing.
The car appears to be an E46 M3. The red/green good/bad thing isn't consistent; it's apparently OK to use the red circle towards the back/center of the car.
For what it's worth, Sears had a sale last weekend, and their nice aluminum/steel jack was on sale, so I bought it (my 2nd one). Having two jacks, as mentioned above, really has made the job about a zillion times easier, even if it means running from one side of the car to the other every couple of pumps.