Dumb fluid change question..
 

Ok, I was going to do an oil and swepco change this weekend on my 80 911 (never done it before), and a thought just occured to me.

I was going to back the rear wheels onto ramps in order to get to the trans fliud and the oil. If I do this, I won't be able to fill up the trans fluid all the way will I? I'm thinking that if I fill the trans fluid to the top, and then put the car back to level I won't have a full tranny.

I'm not worried about the engine oil - I can run it down the ramps and top off once the car is back to level.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Chuck

This is a PITA no matter how you attempt it. I have done the "rear wheels on ramps" method before, but I did it on a portion of my driveway that was sloped. I simply backed the car up onto the ramps such that the car was essentially level. That's too much trouble, IMHO. I'd suggest using four jack stands and just getting the whole car up in the air.

Mike

Mike's right. Use four jack-stands (get it faily level), it only takes a few more minutes to lift the front. Then you can drain, re-fill, check and re-check the lube level so you get it right. This is also a good time to change oil, change brake fluid, adjust clutch cable, check flapper doors, give the car a general look around underneath.

Jerry M
'78 SC

And....like jmohn says, once you get into the habit of doing this, you'll find that it is great for things like bleeding brakes, etc., and you'll find yourself doing it often. It's really nice to just get the whole car up in the air....

Mike

I did this last weekend and just put the whole car in the air. I found that with a jack pad, a decent hydraulic jack that can lift to about 21", and 4 jackstands you can get the 911 in the air very quickly and very easily. I was able to get the car up so high that I was very comfortable working on a creeper. I also found that 6 ton jackstands in the rear under the torsion bar tubes are better at supporting the car at this height than the smaller, 3 ton versions.

I'd also try something recommended by UTKarmann_Ghia on another thread - warm the jug of tranny oil up by running hot water around it to make it flow through the pump easier.