Jacking Question

thamlin000 · thamlin000's Garage

Can a 944 be jacked up (using a floor jack) by the cross member under the engine.

ae1969 · 10-18-2002, 03:23 PM

The crossmember is not a good place..... that piece of aluminum may hold, but its not a good stresspoint.

One of the major downsides of the 944 series are jacking points.

Right now I have mine about 18 inches of the ground on the four corner points and thats scary enough for me.....

SoCal Driver · SoCal Driver's Garage

Yes use the cross member. Just get the jack in the center and watch out for any leaning.

Mike B · 10-18-2002, 03:42 PM

I know what you mean Alex...I had mine about 28" off the ground (as I dropped / installed my engine from the bottom) and was a little concerned the first few times I slid under there...But it was solid...Never had a problem...

I used the jacking points to raise it but when I needed help and took the car to Marc ( www.alpineautowerks.com ) ...When it was time to get it back on the ground he slid his floorjack under the cross member without a concern...I trust this guy implicitly with anything Porsche...His knowledge is endless.

rbt944 · 10-18-2002, 04:16 PM

I need to lift my car also and was wondering about the same thing. Will I need to get one of those special jacks that fit cars that are lower since it seems that my normal one won't go under there?

RBT.

Moneyguy1 · 10-18-2002, 07:19 PM

I do not like to use the crossmember; I use the stub frames with a u shaped piece of 10 gauge welded to a steel dowel that fits into the cradle of my jack. If you use the crossmember, spread out the force with a piece of 2 x 6 and make certain it does not move. It depends on what you want to reach where you jack it. There are a number of points that will take the stress if you are careful. The rear is a bit more problematical; I have never had a problem jacking with a cup shaped insert in the jack socket right under the place where the torsion bar comes out and attaches to the suspension arm. It is strong; probably one of the strongest places on the car!!!

Just make certain you spread out the force as much as possible. I never recommend the use of a "bottle jack" for lifting a 944..too concentrated.

Good luck.

ae1969 · 10-18-2002, 07:41 PM

well..... I guess when it comes time to drop her down....

The cross member it is ...........with a big piece of wood in between!

todwic · todwic's Garage

I use a 'neric 2.5 ton floor jack from Autozone. to get all four wheels off of the ground (as I did when I replaced the flex disc) I use the recomended jacking pt. in the middle and put jack stands on the 4 pt. areas for garage lifts. just do one side at a time.

scottmandue · 10-19-2002, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by todwic
I use a 2.5 ton floor jack from Autozone. to get all four wheels off of the ground I use the recomended jacking pt. in the middle and put jack stands on the 4 pt. areas for garage lifts. just do one side at a time.

I do exactly the same, no problem.
ae1969, RBT: Are your cars lowered?

rbt944 · 10-19-2002, 04:24 PM

Scott, my car is not lowered. I just don't think that my jack could slide under there to where the crossmember is. I think I may just go with lifting one side at a time like todwic said.

RBT.

thamlin000 · thamlin000's Garage

Thanks for the replies.

I used the crossmember. My 944 now has bilstiens up front. It rides much better.