I use the control arm where it hinges on the subframe to trolley jack the car up, front and back.
When needing to work under the car in the way you describe, I have found driving forward onto ramps is the start. I then use two trolley jacks to jack the rear of the car up and then lower the tyres onto concrete blocks or wooden blocks. You could probably do this in stages with one trolley jack, just easing each side up in turn. Would not trust axle stands alone, they wobble too much and are too easily knocked.
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I jack up the Back using the Halfords trolly jack, then put them on halford 2tonne axle stands, then do the front the same I just don’t like the idea of 1 set and a ramp.
Then ensure I take 2 wheels off and stick them half under the middle of the car on each side,
Can’t resist a few comments here…
With the front on ramps, getting under the rear with a trolley jack can be problematic. So I have two mini railway sleepers (£10 each at Wickes) that I drive my rears onto first. Lifts the rear by 4 or 5 inches.
Then drive the front up the ramps (using ramps extenders). Whole car is now raised and cannot fall off.
Then use ratchet straps to lock the front wheels onto the ramps - remember as soon as you jack the rear up there is no handbrake stopping any movement. Wheel chocks on the ramp sounds very dodgy to me, and an inch of back/forward movement may be enough to cause an axle stand to slip or buckle. Ratchet straps are cheap and pretty bullet proof.
Jacking the rear on the MX5 diff is OK (other cars maybe not, but MX5 is OK), but you must use a block of wood to spread the load - metal on metal may break a cooling fin or worse.
Once jacked up, get axle stands in there and securely located on suspension mounting points - not on arms, or flat surfaces. Lower gently, and make sure it is secure before getting underneath. If you wobble it (think of an idiot child jumping into the driver seat) might it fall off the jack? If you are not prepared to risk that happening by not testing if it is wobble proof, please don’t risk getting underneath.
Axle stands are not the be all and end of of safety. Perfectly aligned they may hold several tonnes, but if anything moves, and the forces are no longer vertical then they can quickly bend and buckle. I can post pictures to prove this…
Don’t let me put you off, but please do be careful. It can be very rewarding working on your car, and I will be under mine in a hour, but taking risks getting under a car is just plain stupid… please be careful. (Makes me laugh seeing others posts about people saying never buy a second hand crash helmet to do a one off trackday, when risks of death or injury working under a car is a zillion times higher than from actually driving it).
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I’ve been right next to a Hillman Hunter that was (briefly) raised on four axle stands. The owner had it in a narrow garage alongside his workbench, which reduced the width even more. He had also taken all four wheels off. He stood up, turned round then leaned his backside against the bonnet and the whole lot rolled away backwards, toppling the axle stands onto their sides. Not only did their sharp edges damage the underside of the car, getting it upright again and the wheels back on was a major problem because there was so very little room. If he had been alone under the car, I doubt he’d have got out.
After that I made a personal rule of only ever having one end of a vehicle on axle stands. Having other two wheels on the ground, or on stable ramps, makes the vehicle far more stable.
Chocking the wheels with a length of 4x2, in the way I mentioned before, prevents them rolling on the ramp, greatly reducing the chance of axle stands at the other end rocking over.
Before going under any vehicle, I give it a good push and pull, (wheels on!) to make sure it’s stable.
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Can you provide a link to these please.
Easy to find on their website…
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Thanks. I tried searching for ‘railway sleepers’ and your one didn’t come back:-)
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