car on lift, quick question...

Never leave any hydrolic system unsupported, bleed the system then support it mechanicaly as so you don't put stress on the hydrolic system. Like I keep telling everybody, don't use the floorjack as a jack stand even just for a few second, use jack stand. The hydrolic part of the jack can break suddenly anytime or specialy here in CA. we are prone to earthquake, you just never know, Safety First.

 

MECHANICAL LOCKS!


and extra supports you will live longer that way. I have a twin post lift and always bleed off hyralics until the mechanical locks click in place then stop bleeding pressure off. Then I check the mechanical locks visually. If I leave the area before I go back underneath I always check the mechanical locks again. There is a great picture on FC of a guy using cinder block and raising the a$$ end of a 348 up to get the motor clear. That is a primer on how not to do it.

 

Not matter what I have used, I still HATE lying down and looking at something that weighs 700kg sitting suspended 6" above my nose...yup, safety first.

 

I have the same Snap-On scissor lift. I always back it down onto the mechanical stop AND use jack stands as a back-up. You can't be too thin, too rich OR too safe, IMHO. Since I'm neither of the first two, I'll go with safe.

 

This pic...........Crazy!
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Yeah, but that guy has a great story about his girlfriend driving through those glass windows in front of that 348...

 

That was funny. Poor bastard!

 

Allways bleed it and leave it on the locks.

 

Lesson to be learned here...as long as the front end is tied down well enough this is safer than just trusting hydraulics...problem is hydraulics look safe, until they fail...

 

Hydraulics are for moving, not holding.

 

Absolutely not. You should never use cinderblocks like that to hold a car up. They can crack under load and the whole thing can come down on you. Cinderblocks are designed for one thing -- building the foundation of a structure. The load is spread over a long, interlocking structure and it works. Stacking blocks like is shown in the picture is courting disaster (not to mention that the one on the jack to the left is oriented the wrong way; they are not meant to carry a load on their sides).

 

Been There, Once made the mistake of leaving a 13B (Rx7 TurboII) engine hanging from a 2-ton engine hoist for a month or so. Even tho the engine was way under the hoist's limits, the hydraulic cylinder's seals were shot.

 

Agree with everyone else...

Even if you use jack stands, make sure that you use two for each load point or a jack stand and the jack itself (screw based) as a backup. Jackstands fail too as many are simply spot welded or worse, old and rusty. When you have 2000 lbs. just off your nose, you get religion real quick.

 

Looks like that guy was doing anything to save a buck or two.

 

Hydraulic lifts are like hydraulic brakes -- the fluid absorbs moisture over time, which can cause pitting of the ram, degrading the seals. Replace the fluid every couple of years. (The manual on my lift recommends every year for commercial use -- but it's a pain to dispose of the old stuff, and it doesn't get anywhere near the cycles per month in my garage it'd get in a tire shop.) Your mileage may vary by your environment -- more often in florida, less in arizona, I'd think. (Air moisture content)