jacking points for 116

[jjccp]

Can someone tell me the correct points for a floor jack and/or jack stands on a 116 chassis. Also what size jack is correct since my 1977 280 SE weighs around 3900 lbs. Thanks in advance.

Jim

[michaeld]

Jim,
While this is a so-called "beginner's question," it is by NO means a dumb question.  You are on a forum where people never seem to mind - and never seem to become rude - answering any question under the sun.  So ask away, and someone will be all too happy to be "Yoda" to your "Young Skywalker."   It never ceases to amaze me how car manuals seem to be written for people who do not need to look at car manuals.  Basic, practical, common-sense questions NEVER get answered, do they?

First of all, 3900 lbs is just short of 2 tons.  So, theoretically, a 2 ton jack will do.  I'm more of a "don't want to be squished like a bug" guy than a theoretical guy, so I would recommend a 3 ton floor jack if you can afford one.  Never get under a car with nothing more than a floor jack to support the car; ALWAYS use jack stands!

Where does your jack stand go?  Your axles.  The rear end is pretty obvious; put the jack on the axle, and place your jack stands on either side near the wheels.  The front is a little more tricky, but follows the same principle: place your floor jack under the main crossmember (which is located immediately behind your engine oil drain plug) and then place your jackstands on your lower control arms (which connect to your front wheel).  For both your front and rear end, you can also place your jackstands on the chassis sheet metal immediately behind the front wheels and immediately in front of the rear wheels.  Since rust can be a problem on older cars, carefully check the chassis sheet metal for severe rust before you use these points: otherwise you could be in for a shocking surprise!

Hope this helps.
Mike

If someone else has another idea about where jacks and jack stands go on the 116, I'll be "Young Skywalker" to YOUR "Yoda"!  But these are the common points for a rear wheel drive car, and they've been working fine for me.

[Denis]

Hi fellows

Stay alive, never rely on only ONE jacking system, use jackstands....100% in agreement !

Now I use a 2,5 ton jack that is OK for one end of the car. In the front, the chassis rails just behind the front wheel is a safe spot for jackstands, I usually lift the front right at the lower arm, just behind the front wheel. In the rear, there is a flat spot a the beginning of the trailing arm - good for jackstands, you can also place them right under the mounting points for the rear suspension subframe. I usually jack the car, again, right behind the rear wheels under the trailing arms. Unless you must, I see no point in jacking up the body of the car if you just want to get the wheels off the ground for instance.

If you hear cracking noises when lifting, investigate the cause. Cracking when the car is supported under the mounting points for the rear suspension subframe means that you might have to think about getting another W116 
It is a sure sign of terminal cancer.

While the standard jacking points can be used to initially jack the car, they must not emit cracking sounds or worse. NEVER use these jacking points alone to support the car. Never support the car anywhere under the door sills - damage ensured 

Finally, W116 doors should still open/close normally when the car is lifted - unlike 7 year old garbagemobiles that twist

I am adding these pessimistic comments because it is not just an issue of jacking a car but of safety on what are potentially dangerous old vehicles  ...no flame please but between the parts cars and the beauties in the gallery, there are a lot of unknown quantities...

Denis

Paris, France

[John Hubertz]

I agree to lift under the trailing arm attaching points, and to only lift one corner at a time.

Don't lift from the center of the diff or the center of the front subframe if you can avoid it - why strain the car since the only factory authorized lift points are outboard?  Also the subframes themselves can get rusty, and I don't like anything that might lead to damaging the engine oil pan so I stay out as close to the corners as I can when I jack up Mercedes.  The other nice thing about lifting from the points where the suspension attaches to the hub assemblies is you never have to lift the car way up due to the suspension extending during the lift.

[michaeld]

I'll agree to stand corrected - to a limited extent.  Maybe this ISN'T such a beginner's question?  I can now imagine two retired mechanics with a century of experience between them arguing over something like this!!!

Denis makes a good point; there IS no need to jack the entire car if one merely wants to get one wheel off the ground (say to change a tire or do brake work).  I made the error of assumption: most of the time when I jack up a car, I want to be able to crawl under it.  If you are just changing a tire or doing a little work on the brakes, then yes, all you need to do is jack the car at the "trailing arm attaching points" (which I referred to imprecisely above, to clear up any confusion).  If you are actually wanting to be able to crawl under the car, I would advise you to jack up the entire front or rear end: I think having one corner of a car nearly three feet higher than the others would put far more stress on a chassis than anything else you could do.

As for the statement that the only factory authorized lift points are outboard, I have a feeling this is in reference to the owner's manual, which is based on using the scissors jack included with the car by the manufacturer.  My view would be to say, "Never use the scissors jack if you can avoid it."  I have a couple of very good, fundamental automotive maintenance books which lists the basic jacking/lift points of front and rear wheel drive cars, and I trust the information which I provided for you is accurate.

But my mea culpa stands: why lift the car more/higher than absolutely necessary?  Good job catching my oversight, guys.

[jjccp]

Thanks to all for the great info. Everyone is a beginner at something. Even though I've owned my car since 1988, I'm just now getting into doing many of my own repairs. This car is a pleasure to work on.

I'm very safety conscious that's why I asked first. I don't even have a jack yet, that's why I asked about what size jack would be best.

Thanks again,

Jim

[michaeld]

Jim,
4 posts is close enough to say "welcome to the forum!"  You're right; everyone is a beginner at something.  Right now, I am really just beginning to seriously try to learn auto electric so I can do my own work in that arena.  I've always done my own basic maintenance; and I've always been able to take a bad part off a car and put a good one on in its place. 

In any event, you don't have to have mechanical knowledge to take part in - or enjoy - this forum.  You just have to be someone who has a passion for these marvelous old 116s and enjoy the virtual company of others who share that passion.  I hope that you become a regular part of w116.org.  You can build your knowledge of technical stuff, develop relationships with people who HAVE that knowledge, and participate in a lot of interesting discussions that don't require "expertise."  This is a great group of guys here.

You only truly NEED a 2 ton jack, but if you don't have one yet, I'd get a 3.  Pep Boys (at least in S. California) has a 3 ton for $30 on sale.  Whether you buy a 3 ton jack or not, I would insist you get a pair of 3 ton jack stands.  Some things you just shouldn't fool around with!!!

[jjccp]

Michael,

Thanks for the welcome and for the additional advice. I'll check out Pep Boys while I'm jack and jackstand shopping.

The advice you can get on these forums is priceless. I'll be back shortly for more, I'm going to tackle a non working window soon.

Jim