Can you really jack the rear of a 911 from underneath the engine? Which location?

[chrisp]

I am looking for a sigle point to lift the enitre rear end with one shot. I have heard about jack placement under the motor but want to get a consensus from experienced users.

[dhaines]

I lift mine with a suitable floor jack under the engine, on the case between the heat exchangers. I have done that for 20 yrs with no evidence that it causes a problem. One thing I did not see in your post is what year your car is. I am not sure how this applies to newer (than my '67!) as there may be more stuff down there to interfere.

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Doug '67 911 2.2

[atr911]

Going on the word from 'Porsche People', I jacked my car up at the engine. Just use a single jack with a long handle and a piece of wood between your soft aluminum case and the hard steel jack usually does a good job of protecting the case.

Welcome to The Board!

Adam Roseneck

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1978 911SC 3.0
roseneck@cyberbeach.net

[chrisp]

It's an '83 SC. I am not 100% familiar with the underneath of the motor (yet!) but I think there is a crankcase oil plate with a few bolts heads circling it. Is this the place to jack from?

[GB83SC]

Welcome!
A old phone book open in half also works great for a soft protection.
GB83SC

[Rot 911]

Originally posted by GB83SC:
Welcome!
A old phone book open in half also works great for a soft protection.
GB83SC

Hey, GB, depends on how big your town is as to whether or not the phone book is thick enough I use a 2X8 about 8 inches long and place it directly under the sump plate with no problems.

Kurt V
72 911E

[pwd72s]

I use a point behind the oil plate cover, protecting the soft magnesium (mine a '72) of the case with a section of 2X4...also I place jackstands, cushioned with rags, under the torsion bar tubes. NEVER crawl under a car supported by a floor jack alone. Basic safety is jack stands. Probably silly to say, but we read of unfortunates who ignore this rule all the time...

[troy]

I'm with pwd72s, I jack mine towards the rear of the engine with a piece of 2x6 as a pad. I worry about the engine/trans-bellhousing fasteners (only four) being stressed, and jacking to the rear puts the stress mostly on the very beefy rear motor mount

[GIBSON]

This post reminds me of something I saw a Costco yesterday- it's a motorcycle/ATV lift that is hydraulic and has two forks that lift up to 16 inches (or was it 19, I can't remember). The lifting forks would be right about where the oil return tubes are so an adapter would have to be made but it's a nice lift with wheels that would allow an engine to be removed and be mobile. Cost is 96.00 or so. Looked interesting.
One thought on jacking the engine, the sump plate can get bent if a jack is placed right on it so the comments on protecting it are a good idea. If you tried to buy a new sump plate recently with the drain plug in it you've noticed that they are no longer available. The new one has no plug in it, so keep your old sump plate in good shape.

Bruce Herrmann
73911S

[Wayne 962]

I like to use a rolled up newspaper, but a phone book is good too!

-Wayne

[911pcars]

I don't know. Concentrating 1400-1600 lbs. on the sump plate area of the engine doesn't make me feel too comfortable. I've always lifted the rear end by placing the floor jack under the trans. motor mount with a block of wood in-between. Since the car is low, I use a hydraulic scissors jack and a jack pad in the factory jack sleeve to gain enough height to slide the floor jack in position. I haven't heard of too many guys lifting the car this way; most of the time it's under the sump plate. Please enlighten me if the method I use isn't desireable for any reason.

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars

[Roland Kunz]

Hello

Does have someone looked into the operator manual ?

As far I remeber the car is not allowed to lift on the crankcase.

As far I remeber the workshop manual shows lifting with a steinbock lifter on following points.

1.) Rear engine muont. The lifter sits direct under the steelcase. The lifter has a special deeper retangular dish fitet. On race cars there is a tow hook with a lifter plate welded on.

2,) The trany direct under the axle housing on the reinforcement rip.

3.) The forward steel trany mount.

4.) with the P 201 plate

If I would have used to lift the engine my master would have thrown a tool on my head and kicked my out.

It was a absolut no no to lift aluminium cases even if it was a old worn beetle.

He also would have slaped me if I would have liftet the engine on the heat exchangers.

I also had seen punctured cases ( especialy the 3,2L buble seems to be a bit risky ) and I know guys who had starting the wet case missery by lifting the car on the magnesium case. And I will not risk this on my own engines neither on other engines. You guys do this once a year but I did very often each day.

To make it easier I had markings on the lifter for the typical cars and lifting places.

Grüsse

[Pillow]

I never jack mine from the motor.

I use the jacking points on the side and use the Pelican jacking plate tool for my floor jack. Sure I have to do two sides instead of just one center, but I think it is worth the extra <5 minutes.

To me it is not worth the risk.



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Adrian Pillow
1979 911 SC
1966 VW Microbus
PCA - Peachstate Region

[John Brandt]

I've been lifting mine for years with a floorjack right under the crankcase drainplug without problems, but I've alwas wondered if this is wrong. Is this what you're all talking about in conjunction with a phonebook?

How about some pictures?

[pbs911]

I would never think to lift the entire car by a $7,000 cost of replacement item. It just doesn't seem right. I'm with Adrian, always using the side lift points with a jack pad.


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Paul
78SC Targa

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

Well, we've heard from somebody I, at least, consider to be an expert--Roland Kuntz, and what he says about the potential for starting leaks, etc., makes sense. Makes me happy that I use the beefy jackpad that fits into the jacking relief on either side, lift one side at a time with a floorjack and then a good jackstand. Like Adrian.

Stephan

[cegerer]

"I would never think to lift the entire car by a $7,000 cost of replacement item."

I guess that's one way to look at it.

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1971 911T - 2.5L Big Bore

[Superman]

I was told that I can jack on a certain part of the engine and that the factory supports this. The jack point is that approximately 1/2" wide strip of cast aluminum, about 5" long, between the sump plate and the front of the engine. By "front," I mean the part not attached to the transmission. Our engines are backwards, you see. Anyway, I believe this, even though I have not seen the actual factory bulletin.

I believe that jacking on the sump plate is a mistake, and I also would not jack near where the engine and tranny mate. I use a piece of wood, and would not use a phone book or newspaper simply because each sheet of paper is a separate opportunity for the car to slip on the jack.

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'83 SC

[atr911]

lol, throw a tool at your head and kick you out. I had to chuckle when I read that.

Adam Roseneck

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1978 911SC 3.0
roseneck@cyberbeach.net

[Roland Kunz]

Hello

It isnīt so that you will see the case start leaking oil direct after you liftet it.

But after seeing many engines from the underside you once notice that the leaking units mostly had a "history" scrateched into the underside while dry enginecases mostly looked like the factory send them out. Some tectyl wax meltet away and thats it.

I do see such things. Details are telling more then the maintance book.

I also learned not to lift any engine on the oilpan. Now the 911 engine has a oilpan too.
The drysump is a empty chamber there are only short reinforcmentwalls at the sump plate ends. The part isnīt that massive.

No one will think about to lift a 924 or 928 on the oilpan. ( OK I also had seen typical marks on them too ). If you lift a US V( on the pan you will see it get wrinkled or it will hold long enough to wrinkle when you put load on the corner.

The highs pots came with the 3,2 case.

Porsche uses a mounting plate to lift the engine out & in. Said P 201 was constructet for the 901 case and fittet up to SC. With the new oilbulb case the plate would have sit direct under the bowl so they made two big boses on the outher end from the case to reuse the old tool with the new case ( One size fits all ).

Those places are reinforced and constructet to carray the complete units wight and will even carry the complete car wight.

I had seen some cracked and welded 356 and 911 cases and also one 3,2 with a pressed in piece, coin sized. Some one made a fast fix by puting on metallbondo. But it feel off after a while. He had used a small screw in the hole to add stabilty. Long enough to sale the car.

No I never would like to explain to a costumer that I craked his case and thats whay he has a other engine # in the car.
Nor will I ever have that expierience with any of my cars.

Using a wood or a phonebook will lower the peak load on the contact surface but has other risks and when you car slides down from the lifter something else gets hurt.

Grüsse