

| Subject: | Re: A Different Jack |
| From: | Sam Scholten |
| Date: | Tue, 24 Mar 1998 18:30:24 -0800 |
Hi volks; I may have a solution for your jacking troubles (no pun intended). It does not involve a crank getting in the way of the trim. That *&^%&^% Bilstein that came with the bus when I got it just does not work. When it came time to put coolant in the system for the first time, I had to borrow a friend's hydraulic jack and two axle stands. Everything went so well with it that I got a good jack and axle stands for myself. To jack up the bus while avoiding the trim, you have to do all of the regular preliminaries- level surface, blocking the wheels on the ground, make sure E-brake is engaged. Then, if you are jacking up the front wheel(s), put the jack SECURELY under the front A-arm, making DAMN sure not to put it too far inward- it may slide out. You're actually jacking up the wheel, so as you're pumping on the jack lever, the van will budge more slowly at first- remember the spring travel. Set your axle stands to the height that you want the vehicle to be, and keep jacking until you can JUST slide the axle stand under the boss, or "jacking point", where the jack would ordinarily go. This is the part where you bring a trusted friend. If you have none, it's time to reassess your social skills. You don't do this yourself. Anyway, have your friend slide the axle stand to where the groove goes DIRECTLY under the boss. Then, SLOWLY twist the handle on the jack to SLOWLY lower the bus onto the stand. Make ABSOLUTELY sure that the axle stand is firmly planted on the ground. A good way to do this is to have your friend hold onto the stand as the bus is lowered. When you are confident that the stand is seated correctly, then go ahead and keep lowering the jack, allowing the bus to sit on the stand. Don't let the all-caps shouting scare you; this is not a laborious job, just one that requires some focus. > I have run into a similar problem on a Plymouth Voyager. Karma is a bitch. Only kidding :) Best of luck, Sam = "Punk's not dead (it just sucks right now)" _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
Have something to add on this topic today? Revive this thread in the forum »