Gear box oil

[Eldavo]

I guess you could support the car on 4 axle stands and this would keep the car level whilst giving enough clearance.

 

[ikillcopiers]

ORIGINAL: Eldavo I guess you could support the car on 4 axle stands and this would keep the car level whilst giving enough clearance.

Be careful with that now, I remember a mate of mine had a 205 rally car who held up his car with 4 axle stands, up until an unfortunate day last year. We were swapping heads on some engines (outside of the car, thank christ), and a cat jumped down out of a window in the shed on to the car. Bam! I'd be afraid of even sneezing under a car supported by only axle stands after seeing that happen! But let me tell you, a frightened cat can fairly bolt!

 

[supersport]

ORIGINAL: ikillcopiers

ORIGINAL: Eldavo I guess you could support the car on 4 axle stands and this would keep the car level whilst giving enough clearance.

Be careful with that now, I remember a mate of mine had a 205 rally car who held up his car with 4 axle stands, up until an unfortunate day last year. We were swapping heads on some engines (outside of the car, thank christ), and a cat jumped down out of a window in the shed on to the car. Bam! I'd be afraid of even sneezing under a car supported by only axle stands after seeing that happen! But let me tell you, a frightened cat can fairly bolt!

That is a very scary story. I was under the impression that this was the supposed to be the way to do things. In fact I was going to do this whilst Wax Oiling the underside. Guess I will think again.

 

[supersport]

Just going round making sure that everything is topped up correctly. Looking in the manual about topping up the gearbox it looks like the plug is on the side of box near the drive shaft. Book says that it should be checked on a flat surface.

Here's the question, is it physically possible to get under there whilst the car is on the ground? If not I guess it needs to be up on a ramp to keep it flat.

 

[robwright]

As long as your beer belly aint to big you should be able slide under to check the gearbox oil from the back of the car. I managed to get under to do my reversing switch and speedo pick up without too much trouble. Planning on changing gearbox oil soon.

 

[ChasR]

When I was welding a previous MG I used car ramps. Due to the ride height I could not drive it on, so I jacked the car up from the rear axle and slid the ramps under the wheels. This isn't possible on a 944 due to the transaxle arrangement so I think that you would need to jack the car up via the sills, but considering you can only jack the sills up from the middle where the indentation is it would certainly be a tricky task. I could just get underneath my 944 to the drain plugs with it not being supported. Whilst I am here, where can I jack a 944 up from bar the sills. I know my sills are solid but after a mate almost losing his head under his Nissan Silvia as his sill caved in (and the car jolted down two inchs) I really hate jacking up cars via sills and tend to go for crossmembers (which on the cars I have owned (Peugeot 306 (front crossmember or centre of rear beam)/MGB (front crossmember or rear diff)) is seen to be the preferred method anyway).

 

[edh]

Getting a car on 4 axle stands is fine - but you need to be careful to get them nice & solid. Take some time and you should be OK Leave the wheels on, jack still in place & you have a bit more protection. The jacking point on the sills is the best place to lift the car - you can also use the gearbox, although some people don't like using this as it may damage the mount. Front crossmember is also an option, but usually this is covered by the undertrays. If you're going to check the gearbox oil level, you might as well change it as well (Often ignored, but should be done every 15K I think). 17mm allen socket for the plugs (remove fill plug first)

 

[supersport]

Luckily my drive is flat at the top and then slopes downwards, so I will have a go at parking it hanging over the slope and then see if I can squeeze my gut underneath. I wonder if I could train my five year old to do the job[8|] I would also add that I don't like using the side sill jacking points having had an accident with my 911.

 

[Diver944]

One thing to note is that the jacking point in't on the sill itself, it's on a thick heavy duty piece of chassis just behind the mark on the sill. If you take the rear wheel off and lower the car onto an axle stand at the back until it's level you can get relatively easy access to the drain and fill holes.

 

[awattam]

Take it to a garage and bung them a fiver to put it on the 4 post ramp for a few minutes when they're quiet. GIves you a good chance to check out everything else under there at the same time with zero chance of death

 

[TTM]

ORIGINAL: ikillcopiers Be careful with that now, I remember a mate of mine had a 205 rally car who held up his car with 4 axle stands, up until an unfortunate day last year. We were swapping heads on some engines (outside of the car, thank christ), and a cat jumped down out of a window in the shed on to the car.

A cat? Are you sure it wasn't a pair of Lions instead? I have spent tens of hours under a 944 supported on 4 axle stands and as long as they are located at the right spots the car won't move, even if there is no engine in it.

 

[rcsalmons]

Just use one stand take the rear ns wheel off and lower the car back down to the correct height. Rich

 

[Alpine]

one option would be to jack up on the jacking point, putting breeze blocks under each wheel onto which the tyre will sit, and do the same on the other side.

 

[ikillcopiers]

ORIGINAL: TTM A cat? Are you sure it wasn't a pair of Lions instead? I have spent tens of hours under a 944 supported on 4 axle stands and as long as they are located at the right spots the car won't move, even if there is no engine in it.

Hey, I can only say what I saw. To be fair I didn't put the car on axle stands, that was my mates "job", so I can't say how good or bad it was done. (Maybe we can just assume he did a bad job???) Don't know what else to say? Maybe the puddy cat had a big dinner that day?? Sufficed to say, I'm taking the experience as a life lesson. As with welding a petrol tank, mistakes like that only happen once in a lifetime []

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: ikillcopiers Maybe the puddy cat had a big dinner that day??

Wasn't this cat was it?

She's ours, and obesely fat. Fat enough to make the house wobble when she jumps down from windowsills. No, really. ikillcopiers - it's believable if you had cats like Lady Millicent walking around. Oli.

 

[Mike_Pollock]

I m pretty thin and can get under ok but easy way take n/s rear wheel off axel stand to keep level but I do like the idea of the breeze blocks ! Mike

 

[ikillcopiers]

'Twas some kind of tabby, does she have a sister? [] I feel it necessary to reiterate the point that I can't vouch for how well those stands were placed - my buddy is from a farming background, over here they ain't known as the kind of guys to take proper safety precautions!