240 General: Jacking the front

[dgbalfour]

I usually work on the underside of my 240 when the car is on ramps. I had to use a trolley jack the other week and had quite a bit of difficulty finding a good place to jack it, and then to put the axle stands.

Any thoughts on where the best places to jack and support the car are?

Many thanks,

David

[GEORGEROV]

Best place at front is front axle member.(Front of control arm attaches to this).Jack up the centre and place axle stands at either end BEFORE control arm. At rear the differential (use a block of wood) and support the axle towards the outer ends.

[Mike_Brace]

I always jack in centre of cross member and put axle stands on front side jacking points. They can't slip very easily here and leave front clear of obstruction. Make sure you have a good axle stand 240s are heavy I have seen a cheaper one bend a leg and drop the car. Also make sure ground is firm and level.

Mike

[I have a nut leftover]

With a 1386 - 1401Kg Kerb weight I wouldn't say they were that heavy. To give some perspective a Ford Focus C-max 2.0 TDCi has a 1431Kg Kerb weight.

Stu.

[minesa240x3]

mike is correct in what he says the 240 is a heavy lump,as are other cars.i once had to do a wheel bearing change whilst on holiday with only the standard jack,did it and whilst it was on flat concrete the car suddenly slipped sideways and knackered the jack,luckily it didnt knacker me! yes it was level but because i had to jack it so high for working on it became unstable.so to every one out there dont rely on the standard jack for anythink other than wheel changing, do use decent axle stands and if possible a trolley jack dont take chances.little tip whilst the car is jacked up before removing the flat place the spare under the car then take the spare off and place this under before removing the spare,I actually did a test after i got home with another jack,i jacked it up so the tyre was just off the ground and gave it a shove the jack did the same and colapsed,the teeth top and bottom went out of sequence.so it proved to me that it wasnt just a bad jack but that even though they look heavy duty they arent to be trusted.

[Mike_Brace]

the 240 is heavy enough - not the sort of thging you want landing on top of you. the cheapo axles stands may be ok on a small hatch but get a decent one for your 240 - you can't be too careful and we don't want to loose any Volvo owners or even have them hurt. Over the years I have seen too many incidents involving 240s moving whilst elevated - a good trolley jack (not one of the baby £10 ones you keep in the boot for changing a wheel) and decent axle stands are an absolute must if you intend doing any serious maintenance - remember you also rock the car when pulling on things and you need the car up a decent height to work easily and safely so invest in decent equipment - it pays for itself very quickly anyway. Be safe guys!

Mike