Question on jacking up the rear end of the 996

How do you guys safely get the entire rear end off the ground (up on jackstands)? If I jack the car up from the left front jack point, I can't really get the left rear jack point high enough to slide a jackstand under it. If I could get a stand under the left rear jack point, then the thought of the car wobbling as I try to jack up the right front to a stand under the right rear makes me nervous. Is there a center point in the rear of the car that can be used for jacking up both sides of the rear at the same time? Someone clue me in here...

I use the center of the engine case just before the transmission, and behind the sump cover as the jack point to get the rear end off of the ground (I assume you are talking about a 911 and not a GT2 or GT3). There is a thick part of the casting there, that is perfectly safe to stick a jack on. Just make sure the jack is not on the sump cover or the transmission.

Orient, Can I borrow your Levitator? Would you happen to have a pic of exactly where you're jacking up the rear? The thought of a lift has crossed my mind... TIA

RJ...a lift? lmao...when will it end.

One option is to place it in the middle of the cross member.

This center location is a great point to jack from, but even with a very low profile jack I find it convenient to drive the car onto a few 2x6 boards to get enough clearance for the floor jack slid in from the rear. I also made up a few plates that fit onto the left and right jack points so that my jack stands don't mar the jack points.

That cross member is part of the chassis and not part of the suspension, isn't it???

Thanks everyone... Great pic, Andy.

I'm not sure how you have all decided that these are good jack points. The cross member in the pic above is a fairly light piece of alum. I know because I broke mine when I crashed at Road America last year. It is intended to support (sort of) the engine/trans but having held it in my hands I certainly would not recommend that anyone use it to lift the car. If I have to lift the back of the car to rotate it I tend to use the L on the bottom of the engine but I certainly would not tell anyone that it is a safe jack point. I do it at my own peril knowing that it not intended for that purpose and that no engineer intended it to deal with the stress of 2000 lbs on a couple square inches. When I need to put my race car on stands, I use the jack points. I would say that you should use any other approach ar your own risk. Just my 2 cents worth. Jim

There are no ends... only new beginnings.

I hear ya, Jim. I didn't know if there were some other factory safe points under the car.

Believe it or not, but the center of the engine case is a Porsche approved lifting point. Ask any Porsche Tech to verify it. Raising the car via the engine case passes the stress directly up into the chassis via the motor attachment points. Now remember, the only reason you are raising up the car back there is to stick jack stands on the rear chassis lift points. It is not safe to work on the car with it just supported in the back from the engine case.

I see that Costco has some 20 ton hydraulic bottle jacks, cheap. How about driving your car onto 4 2x8's to get some clearance. Then pump up each corner with the bottle jacks. Then place multiple 2x8's stacked under each tire for safety. Has anybody tried this ?

why not just get a pair of ramps? you could get a pair of one piece, heavy gauge solid steel car ramps with steel pavement grippers that will hold 7000 lbs. gvw. (4200lbs. axle weight)

Is that dark area near the "X" a result of a leaky RMS?????????????

That is my picure posted on RennTech back in January. At my local dealer in San Jose. Even has the yellow X I put on it. Car is owned by one of our local 996er named Ron after his engine replacement. Some more.

1. Thanks for the original pic, Jeff. WOW. What a shiny new engine! 2. Orient, your advice is appreciated. 3. Spar, I have considered ramps. 4. Lex, bottle jacks are a bit high... good thought, though. I think ramps would be a better way to go.

RJ, I use the standard rear jacking point to get the car up in the air and position the rear jack stands where the yellow �X� is displayed in the Tool Pants/Andy photo. I find that spot to be very sturdy and I use the AC jack stands which have a nice thick flat rubber top to distribute the load evenly over whatever is resting atop it. I am only 5 weeks into 996 ownership but I have put it up on the stands a few times to change the oil and spark plugs and bleed the brakes. Hank

JimB, I was a little confused by your response with putting the car up on stands. I come from a 993 and whenever I put the car up on stands I placed the stands at the factory jack points, however to get the car up you had to raise the rear by using the floor jack on the engine case. No bid deal on the 993 as there was no oil pan. From these pictures it appears where I would normally place the jack is the oild pan. Do you raise the rear using the factory jack points and place the stands where the yellow "X" is in the above pictures or do you raise the car with a different jack point and place the stands at the factory locations. Thanks in advance for the advice. My new to me car arrives tomorrow and I want to do an oil change and spark plug change when I get it.

Brian, I know your question is directed toward JimB, however, I searched all the sites of which I am aware on "the best" way to put the car up on jack stands. A lot of folks do use the L-shaped molding on the engine. It seemed to me that the easiest and safest method was to used the standard rear jacking spot to get the car up enough to slide the jack stands under the rear subframe marked with the yellow "X" in the aforementioned picture. As JimB points out, we do this at our own peril. I used to own a GT3-Cup car and the guys that supported my car at the races always put the jack stands under the subframe as depicted with the "X" even when the car was up on the built-in air jacks. Hank

Sorry for the slow response but Hank said exactly what I would have. We always jack at the rear jack points and put the rear stands at one of two locations. Either under the subframe as shown in the pictures or under the bolt that attaches a brace that runs at an angle to the rear. I know that's a poor description but it's pretty obvious when you look. Orient, you may be right. As I mentioned, I use that point occasionally when I need to jack up the back and drag the car around but I would make sure the tech is not just using "we've always jacked 911s here" logic before I bet my oil pan on it. You might want to ask your service manager if Porsche will warranty the engine if you bust the pan with a jack. I'm pretty sure I know what the answer will be. Jim

Thanks for the info. For some reason I didn't see Hanks response right above mine until after I posted. Strange.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to imply that it was my pic or car. I just pulled it from the archives because it was a good shot of the cross member.

I will tell you a slick way to do it with disclaimer. I use good high lift aluminum racing jacks (22") and when they are all the way up on the jacking points I put a sloted 2X6 under the lift pad and then release the hydralics to put the weight on the 2X6 and then tighten the handle. Fast and easy. Will x

Our local group jacks up cars all the time. Use common sense and never trust your jack.

Someone, please. A picture of the "L" shaped part of the engine to which I can apply my jack, at my own risk. Thanks!