E30 Zone

Is this quite a common problem?.
Trolley jack it looks like.
Anyone had this work done on there E30?.

The u shaped standard e30 wheel jack slips off.

Looking to put the summer wheels on

Fairly common problem. The jacking points are prone to rust which weakens them and then the sharp edges on the top of most trolley jacks concentrates the upward force when jacking and the lower lip of the sill gets crushed.

I usually use a piece of timber on top of the trolley jack as a jacking pad to spread the load. However you need to be sure that it is exactly central and that the jack in centred underneath, otherwise the car may slip off the jack!

The best thing to do would be to get the jacking points welded, and always use a pad when jacking up using a trolley jack. Don't be shy in asking your local tyre shop, garage to do the same!

I just put the trolley jack in under the chassis rail when I'm jacking mine. Gives me abit more peace of mind.

I hardly ever use the BMW jack unless I really have to because I'm afraid of them falling in and putting a nice dent in my panels

Dave_M3 wrote:I just put the trolley jack in under the chassis rail when I'm jacking mine. Gives me abit more peace of mind.

take mine up there also!

theyre not ACTUALLY Jacking points per-say, theyre factory shuttle-points that mackines used for pulling the cars around.

but yes, common if theyre a bit rusty

Thanks gents, off to buy a trolley jack next week.

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... olley-jack

i bought this one, good for low cars and a nice rubber pad.

the problem with trolley jacks is that they 'pull' the car sideways as they lift which tends to pull the lip over as well as squash it. at the rear, i use the subframe mounting bolt, the front i use the chassis leg. my jacking points were all flattened before i got it

Sanchez wrote:http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... olley-jack

i bought this one, good for low cars and a nice rubber pad.

This is what I use. Look for a jack with the longest arm you can,, the longer the arm the less sideways movement you get as the car is lifted.

SCOTT325SE wrote:theyre not ACTUALLY Jacking points per-say, theyre factory shuttle-points that mackines used for pulling the cars around.

but yes, common if theyre a bit rusty

So you dont need them for a MOT then?

guys,

i know this is a silly q, but id rather jack it up right!

you guys mentioned the chasis rail; now i normally jack the car up from the so called jacking ponts.

where in the front am i looking for to jack the car up from the chasis rail???

Behind the sill and parallel to it running backwards from the wishbone. Square section.

ok thanks mate

will have a look!!! from what im trying to picture; almost in line with the lollipop bush no?

siddiqi1 wrote:ok thanks mate

will have a look!!! from what im trying to picture; almost in line with the lollipop bush no?

its the box section that sticks out from underthe car about 20-30cm fron the sill running paralell

Did a quick search this is handy.

I also, have always used the side jacking points when lifting a motor.

Nice jacking diagram

I regard the cills as emergency roadside jacking only!! when doing jobs that involve lifting the cars off the wheels I use a small trolley jack or an old bottle jack on the chassis rail near the lolly pop bracket or the rear beam mounting point.Never,ever attempt to jack under the square plate under the front footwells.As stated,this was only for moving the incomplete car around the factory.

I've had my old E36 fall off the Jack before now - Fortunatly the wheels hadn't come off yet!. Went straight out and bought a tiny little Trolley jack (1.5 tonne?) that normally goes everywhere with me now! Got caught without it last week and got a slow puncture so went to use the BMW jack - I think it's lost a circlip or something as one of the beveled gears just kept poppong out of the other once any weight was on it- Bloody useless!

Also got a 3tonne jack for use at home cos the piddly little one still feels dodge at full stretch.

thanks gazza!

really helpful that was!"

I always use a bit of timber wherever I'm jacking.

One bit of my sills are bent, a pair of plyers pulled it back into shape. But now I never jack there.

I hate using the BMW jack, slipped on me once, thank God I put my alloy under the sill!

gazza325cab wrote:Did a quick search this is handy.

I also, have always used the side jacking points when lifting a motor.

Nice jacking diagram

whenever i see this pic i have to post up...
don't jack or position axle stands on the rear subframe unless you want to trash your subframe and diff mount bushes. if they're at all tired, it'll peel the rubber away at a rapid rate. under normal use, they do not see the weight of the rear of the car, this is taken by the springs and bypasses the subframe.

it's a lot safer with polyurethane bushes fitted as these won't fall apart in the same way

Sanchez wrote:http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... olley-jack

i bought this one, good for low cars and a nice rubber pad.

Ive got one of these and i would not recommend it!!! I noticed when jacking mine the other day that the whole frame of the jack was bending that caused the arm to lock onto the frame. I then had to use the bmw jack to get the car off and back on the ground!

the best place is on the lolipop bracket where it bolts to the chassis leg, good place to put axle stands or jack the car up. Avoids any damage to the underseal without needing bits of wood and rubber and more pissing about.

If you lower 60mm, you have to use the bmw jack to get the car up high enough to get the trolley jack in place! This gets boring!

I have never jacked any of my E30's on the sills.

I only ever jack E30's off the sill if they are about to be weighed in.

Watch those tyre fitters! They always go for the sills!

Made me cringe at the pod watching those 'animals' jack Gareths car up on the rear sills

I use-

Chassis rail at front, (usually have to lift the car by hand with the window down to get the jack under!)
Large subframe mounting bolt at rear or diff

for this i have a set of wooden wedges (18" plank, 12" plank, 6" plank glued together to make a set of 'steps') to get the jack under the front.
does get tedious though

Simon13 wrote:If you lower 60mm, you have to use the bmw jack to get the car up high enough to get the trolley jack in place! This gets boring!

I can just get my trolley jack under the rear with a bit of timber on.

Can't even get the BMW jack under the front.

gazza325cab wrote:Is this quite a common problem?.
Trolley jack it looks like.
Anyone had this work done on there E30?.

I have had them done. I put my car into a recommended garage and they lifted the car with a four post lift. The front factory jacking points in the picture above were crushed. I took it back and they admitted their mistake and repaired them free. They were so upset that their trainee had damaged a customers car they repared the rear jacking points that had also suffered in the past. I now have minty jacking points

DanThe wrote:Made me cringe at the pod watching those 'animals' jack Gareths car up on the rear sills

that's why i tried to jump out but they got the arse with that! judging by the sounds i heard then the subsequent dents, they tried jacking off the tank first
not too worried on this old wagon to be honest, the 'jacking points' are all totally flat already

finding somewhere to jack from to pull the tank and subframe off is tricky, i resorted to using the 'jacking points' for this as it is a real pain in the posterior otherwise

Someone do an update on the diagram.
Get a mod to do a sticky.

Anyone recommend another trolley jack as this was the one I was going to purchase this week.

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... olley-jack

They are the bollocks for E30's Gazza

gazza325cab wrote:Someone do an update on the diagram.
Get a mod to do a sticky.

If someone does an updated diagram, I'll gladly put a sticky at the top of the tech forum.

Nothing wrong with the diagram IMO