I have really enjoyed the "What are you woking on" thread. Lots of info there and it's fun to see well, what you are working on. I'm starting a new

one and let's see if we can get anywhere near the 850+ comments and 102,000+ views!! Amazing it has that many views.
With so many of us doing our own work, we all must have a few things that we do to save our own bacon as it were. I would really hate to hear of a member getting hurt in the garage or driveway due to an accident that was avoidable. A few tips here could make a difference for someone.
So to start it off I will show this. When I have the car on the lift (I am very fortunate and busy with kids and grandkids cars) I always put jacks stands (I have 3 different sizes) under the lift arms to to support it in case of leak down or failure. This is for times when you have to leave it there a while or any time you crawl under the car. This also stabilizes the lift as there is always some sway and wiggle with the weight of the car on it. Very unnerving when you are under it. TM

 

My safety tip is for when working on the engine. Disconnect the struts and put the hood in the service position putting a bolt in the hole on each side to stop the hood from falling. If the struts fail while you're under the hood you could get a whack in the head or pinch your fingers. I learned this one the hard way.

 

In England we would call that a "belt and braces" approach. I always use a jack and stand combination too.

Only 848 comments and 101,998 views to go.

Graham

 

Multiple jack stands as well as floor jacks left in place in the optimum locations. During my 20s I would crawl under a vehicle supported only by the emergency jack that came with it. I believed I was quick enough to roll out and away from any impending disaster. Fortunate to still be alive. Youth and a feeling of invincibility are a dangerous combination....

 

Exactly my thoughts too!!
I would use the bumper jack only (even in snow pack). Like wise i felt the same as you "quick enough to roll out"

I taught my boys to use 2 types of support, the jack and solid stands under the vehicle with the wheels blocked so as to not roll.

I get the shivers when I think of the chances I took due to youth and stupidity!

 

Yeah I was always taught if it can go up hydraulically, it can go down too, especially if they leak. I also have noticed, hydraulic jacks once in a while, do leak (sarcasm). Always use supports that are solid and fixed!

Sometimes I use jackstands, if I don't need to take the wheels off, I use these big old wood blocks under the wheels my dad and I made out of 3 lengths of 4x4 next to each other, screwed together and with plywood sandwiching the three. We made 8 of them and its enough to get the car where we want in the air and when Im really torquing on the car, Im not worried a jackstand might be unsettling since the car is on its wheels.

I don't like ramps, especially the plastic ones, since I have seen them crack and look REALLY iffy. Plus I've had a lot of low cars where they just wouldnt work anyway.

 

after I have a car raised as far as it can go with the floor jack, the jack stands are put into position. I’ve seen too many shop mishaps with jack stands to trust them 100%. My failsafe is to use 2 steel wheels bolted together placed next to wherever I’m located under the car.

In case of jack stand failure I depend on the stacked steel wheels to keep enough of the car off of my body to avoid serious injury.


Z


PS. A few years ago I lost a friend to a repair accident. He was removing a 4 speed transmission and working without a transmission lift. Balancing the weight of the transmission one end of it slipped, being oily of course. It caught him across the head and knocked him out. The wound itself wasn’t too serious, but kept him unconscious and it bled enough so he died from the loss of blood .

Always make sure someone knows you are working under the car, and checks on you from time to time.

 

........................................'' never go unarmed east of Aldergate''

 

In any bar fight/tussle never mess with the China man.

As children, we are taught Kung Fu/Karate at the age when your father was teaching you to “play ball”

 

Mods please delete

 

Sorry for the loss of your friend. This quote though is a golden rule. I live with other people and do this religiously (someone must be home, must know im out there, and must know how to use a jack and help if something goes out), but when i didn't, my neighbor would keep an eye on me for this exact purpose. Minor injuries can become fatalities with time.

 

My dad was always telling my brother and I to always use at least a jackstand. One other thing that he always did was to take the wheel that was removed and lay it under the side of the car. I still do that out of habit. If things go pear shaped, I'd rather replace a rim and have at least a little more room to breathe

 

A few months ago I was doing some minor welding work on my exhaust. I stepped back for a minute right before starting and “self triggered” and realized I needed to set myself up for a safe completion. Welding is considered “hot work” and when conducting hot work, there shouldn’t be any combustibles near by and you should have an extinguisher handy, aside from the other PPE like gloves, face shield, etc.

I took 5 minutes and made some changes to my work area before starting the job.

 

Remember, always remember, that on a rear-wheel drive car, transmission in (P)ark and with the emergency brake on, the front wheels are still free to roll. Tire chokes are your friend.

 

These are good, keep 'em coming. To concur with jazz, I sometimes use a propane heater in the garage when it's really cold. Of course, all gas cans go outside while these are in use. Even if the cans are in good shape and valves and caps are functioning well, it doesn't take much yo ruin your day. TM

Hi my mane is Tom (hi tom) and I'm a Jagoholic and a scaredee cat.

 

If at all possible, take your time. If I need a car to go somewhere Monday and no backup option exists, I start work the minute I get home on Friday. If it goes sideways, I have more time, the possibility of MAYBE getting parts that day or Saturday, and time to fix extra broken stuff or preventatively replace "while I'm there" bits. That's not the safety bit, but when rushed, you can sometimes accelerate your pace and hurt yourself. I like whenever I can to take a leisurely pace, take breaks and just have the repair or maintenance be as low stress as some repairs can be (lol).

I get my favorite soda, coffee or tea; lay out everything, have my plastic baggies and sharpie for fasteners and just relax. The job will be as difficult as it's going to be, and getting stressed isn't worth the headache.