I notice that if I jack each corner the car moves BIG TIME... it there a central point in the front and back that is safe to jack on and put two stands under the "blocks" at the same time... thus avoiding the tendancy for things to shift and tip over the stands?

Thanks!

 

Nope.

 

If you use a floor jack, just jack one side at a time, and stick one side of the top of your stands into the factory jack points. There is a rail under the plastic bit towards the inside of the car you can jack on, and you can place both stands on one side of the car at the same time.

 

My problem is when I jack up the one side put it on the stands lifting the other side causes the car to push on the stands and almost knock them over. I guess I could go around the car a couple of inches at a time, but the car is so low it is hard to get the stands under even fully retracted.

Isn't there some hard metal point in the middle of the car that will allow the front/back end to be lifted such that the blocks intended for supporting the car can be utilized and the risk of tipping the jack stands at least mitigated if not eliminated by allowing some wheel roll during jacking?

 

Found this:
link to pictures

 

Awesome! That's exactly what I'm looking for! Any suggestions for the back?

 

Here in Memphis, the title of this thread has a completely different meaning...

 

and i thought this was a thread on how to "jack" a mini.....


that's what i get for living in the city...

 

are you using a floor jack and putting the stands into the factory jack points? I've done this countless times w/o a problem.

 

[QUOTE=early_apex]That is exactly what happens. As soon as the 2nd side starts lifting off the ground, the body begins to slide off the other stand. I think I will end up buying 2 jacks and doing both at the same time. That's much cheaper than getting one of those sweet racing jacks for the whole front end.

 

Have you considered a Rhino Ramp? It's inexpensive, costing around $30 a pair at Kragen's. Good for 12,000 lb weight support and gives enough ground clearance to access under most of the front area.

 

Rhino ramps will work but with a really super low MINI the front bumper will hit the ramps and push them. Have someone step on a piece of wood to stop the ramp from sliding while slowly going onto the ramps. Or drive the MINI onto some wide pieces of wood to raise them before going onto the ramps.

If you are working on the wheels then using the ramps aren't as useful, you'll need stands. If you use a racing jack you can get under even a lowered MINI and if you use the front jack point you can raise both wheels on that side at once.

 

You are using 2 stands per side right?

Does the car start to slide off the jack or does the jack start to tip over? If the car is sliding off, then your stands are in the wrong place. They should be stuck up into the holes that are the factory jack points. The car can't "slide" if they are in there. If the stands are tipping, maybe they don't have a wide enough base?

Also, is the car sliding away from the jack or towards the jack? If it is towards, then your jack isn't rolling freely while lifting the car.

 

Anyone have problems jacking up the front of the Mini?

Planning a pulley upgrade, and these posts concerning lift/jack points is making me sort of nervous.

If anyone's done they're own upgrade - which "how-to" seemed to work better for your Pulley? Looking @ 15% pulley myself - Randy's or ProMini's or AMD How-to guides? They all seem to differ espically on how many motor mounts you remove.

Thanks

-CityHunterMini-

 

If you're used to working on cars at all jacking up your MINI will not be an issue. Just like any other car. Pick good jack points. Lots of threads on that.

I used Randy's pulley how-to #2 when I changed the pulley on my Mar '04 MCS and was done in about 3 hours. I'm no mechanic or anything, just a half-baked do-it-yourselfer.

 

Okay here is my experience scenario... 1. I go to the RT rear jack point and lift on the provided jack point then put my first stand on the rail nearby. 2. I move to the RT front and do the same. 3. I go to the LT front and attempt to jack it up but as I do so the car begins to push on the jack stands (tilt) on the opposite side and so I stop and re-evaluate.

I want to rotate the tires so ramps are out. (possibly paint the brake calipers too.)

 

You've got it backwards - jack on the rail, and put the stands -inside- the factory jack points. Keep in mind the rail I'm talking about is hidden under plastic, and may be hard to find if you haven't seen a pic of it.

I will try to remember to take some pics and write up a how-to tonight.

 

Here's some pics of how I've been doing it, and a potential problem with this method.

This pic shows where I've been putting the jack. There is a metal rail behind that plastic. I usually use a 10" or so board to distribute the pressure, but more on that later.



Both wheels will come up jacking here, and then you want to put your stands, offset, into the factory jack points. If this pic isn't clear, I'll take another.



Here is the problem I noticed while taking these pics. The rail is deforming a little from the jacking. I've jacked the car this way about a dozen times, usually with a board. I think the board helps alot, and most of this is from jacking w/o it.

 

.

 

I know it sounds stupid, but it really is a pain in the ***... with a car this rigid and small and having runflat tires it is acutally difficult to jack this thing without tipping over the stands.

I will try doing it one side at a time instead of one corner at a time... I still think it will try to tip the stands when I get to the other side, but it is worth a shot.

I was actually thinking that doing the front first and then the back after releasing the e-brake might make it easier to accomplish given the tires will be able to roll during jacking, but the car will be stationary on the front stands.

Thanks for your patience.

 

Jeremy, what is the width of the base of your jack stands?

 

Jebernauer:You need to make sure that your jack will roll forward as the car lifts off the ground. This way it will not want to pull the jack stands on the opposite side. If you have to jack on gravel dirt, place the jack on a piece of ply-wood big enough to hold the jack and allow it to roll forward as you jack the car. If the jack can't roll, it will pull the stands on the opposite side.

 

There are no such thing as stupid questions, just stupid answers. Peace.

 

We want owners to ask questions, and this is particularly important question when the result can be gravely serious if done incorrectly. As has already been pointed out the car is firm and it is possible to lift the entire car up on only two points (the jack and one jack stand on crossed corners) and have a potentially dangerous balancing act on your hands. That's even before we get to the relatively more minor, although important, issue of damage.

It is wise for anyone not comfortable with jacking the car to ask for clarification and assistance.

Dave

 

Is anyone jacking the car up from the front subframe? That ultimate garage link shows the jack positioned near it.

I've got a floor jack, but it's too tall to reach that jack point without first putting the car on ramps, which is just too precarious. I was looking for a jack that would be able to do that, but I'm beginning to think that hardly anybody's doing it. I'm trying to decide if I should try to find another jack that will be small enough to get in there (which is what I assumed the Harbor Freight and Craftsman aluminum "racing" jack could do) or if I should just forget about that approach and use the jack I've got.