may be the stupidest question ever

[khamul02]

Can I start my engine with my car on jack stands?

[porsche930dude]

yes but judging by the stupididy of your question id say you probrobly shouldnt because you probrobly have it supported improperly

[911s55]

Originally Posted by porsche930dude

stupididy id probrobly shouldnt probrobly

Isn't that ironic!

[khamul02]

It's on 4 stands and you can shake it pretty hard with very little movement. Common Sense would tell me it's OK. But I'm pretty stupidididid

[911s55]

If it's sitting square and level and doesn't wobble you'll be fine.
Keep the tires and wheels on it, or under it.

[theclaw]

I've started my car on the mid-rise lift 4ft in the air. As long as its properly supported you are ok.

[72 four door]

No stupid questions here. Just dont rev the crap out of it. If its on a lift no problem but on stands id be careful.

[barney911rs]

When my race car was running, I did it all the time. +1 on making sure it's securely supported.

[eauboy]

Don't forget to properly ventilate the area you are working in as well...

[schamp]

I hope you aren't going to crawl under it. It's not worth the risk.

[Komenda Fan]

I hope so, I did it yesterday. Just make sure the car is securely supported. I always shove the car side to side and front to back a bit before I get started working on it. A properly supported car should have no movement.

As for it being a stupid question - it's not. Firstly, safety questions are never stupid, and secondly, if you are asking, I bet there are dozens of others with the same questions. We all come here to learn things we didn't know, and no one is born with this knowledge.

[HawgRyder]

Why does this scene suggest to me the old "falling off the stands and running through the back of the garage" scene from Keystone Cops movies?
If you exercise extreme caution and brace the car properly, I see few problems.
But if you are the only one there....no way...do not try this alone.
Have someone else there and standing to the side or out of any possible harm's way to observe, just for the sake of safety.
Bob

[Wayne 962]

Put your elevated jack under the car's engine with a tiny bit of clearance, just for a safety precaution...

-Wayne

[khamul02]

Nice idea about the the jack under the engine. I did that as well as put the wheels back on. Everything went great the car didn't budge.

I just did a valve adjustment and am in the process of stripping several parts to have the front end and rear valance painted. So I really just wanted to move a little oil around since the engine was drained and the car will probably be on stands for another 2 weeks. Things are pretty humid down here right now & I noticed a little surface rust start to build after the valve covers where off for only a few days. I brushed some oil on the adjustment nuts (that is what started rusting) and hopefully running the engine for a good while gets everything lubed up.

Thanks for all of the advice.

[larrya]

What are the proper undercarriage contact points when using jack stands on a 911, a 993 in particular?

[billybek]

Hey Larrya,
Welcome to the forum!
If you use the search this forum feature and type in lifting and or jack stands there will be tons of information on lifting the car and properly supporting it.
This is a great source of information and a lot of it is in the historic threads.
Why don't you formally introduce yourself on a new thread and post some pictures of your car??

[khamul02]

Larrya
That is the custom

[c019740]

If you dont worry about your safety you wont be safe.