Jackstand Points?

I need to put my '99 996 on jackstands in order to have all four wheels refurbished. The one aluminum scissor jack that came with the car obviously isn't enough ...and no jackstand will fit the lift points along the side of the car that the owner's manual designates. Could somebody help me out here? Where would you put jackstands to fully support the car once all four wheels have been removed? Thanks!

The 4 lift points on the car are where you support the car with Jackstands. Here are the ones that I use. First, you put the front jackstands on by lifting the car from the rear lift point. Using a standard hydraulic jack, lift the car up on one side so that both wheels are off the ground, and the front is high enough to clear the jack stand. Here is the front lift point. After you have one jack stand placed, lower the jack, and do the other side. The car is so stiff, that the other sides front wheel will come up off of the ground. Other side is just like the first. Note the orientation of the lift points and how the jackstands are arranged. Next you have to lift the rear. There are 2 places that mechanics use as a lift point for the rear. One is the rear sub-frame cross member that is below the engine and the transmission, and the other is on the rear engine case just behind the oil sump cover. There is a large metal stub that is cast into the engine case. That is where you lift, making sure that your jack does not contact the oil sump cover casting. Center the jack on the engine or on the subframe and lift the car high enough to put the remaining stands on the 2 rear lift points. And with that you are done. Just take your time and make sure that each jackstand is centered and aligned properly on the lift points and you will have no problems. One last thing, it is to your advantage to break the torque on all of the lug nuts before your lift the car up off of the ground. Also when you are lifting the car, make sure it is on a level surface, and the car is in neutral and the parking brake is off so the car can pivot on its wheels as it is lifted.

Wow that's more than I hoped for, appreciate it! That's a nice looking underbody. My MY99 is all rusted up and the plastic shielding is either missing or ripped to shreds. Anyway, thanks for the info.

Orient, kudos to you for having the absolute cleanest car ever. Period. Clean jack, too! I still miss The Levitator...

Rusted up? That is definately not good.

With the car in neutral and no parking break, isn't there a danger of the car rolling and coming off the jack and/or first jack stand during the lifting and/or lowering process? I it would seem that is much safer to have the car in gear (or park for those with a tip). Are you sure it is rust? It most likely is cosmoline which looks sort of brown/rustly color. It is sprayed on the car prior to shipment and a royal PIA to remove. Orient has just done some serious house cleaning the underside The cosmoline looks even worst as the car gets older because it gets dirt attached to it.

Orient, What is the best way to lift a '2000 996 for just changing one tire at a time? Is it similar to the above? Or is there a better way? Nubie porsche tire changer.

I notice that OE has 4 legged jackstands....which is the only way to go IMHO!

Cosmoline....eh? Never heard of it. That could definiately be it. I just had the oil pan replaced. So the new pan is a bright shiny silver, while the rest of the oil tank and all the metal under there is the brown/rusty color you describe. How would I clean off the cosmoline? And wouldn't one want to keep it on there for anti-corrosision? Orient, "First, you put the front jackstands on by lifting the car from the rear lift point. Using a standard hydraulic jack, lift the car up on one side so that both wheels are off the ground, and the front is high enough to clear the jack stand." I just remembered...I took a hydraulic jack to one of the 4 lift points once. Since it didn't fit perfectly (i.e. isn't designed just for the 996), I ended up denting some kind of fluid line on the underside. How did you get the hydaulic jack to fit the lift points? That also worries me when I think about the rear lift point (engine cover or rear sub-frame cross member). How do you prevent the teeth of the hydaulic jack from digging into the car? Speedread, For my 1999 996 I just use the scissor jack that is supposed to be packed in with your spare tire. It should fit perfectly into each of the 4 lift points next to the wheels. You have to hand crank it up quite a ways, but then the wheel will be good to go. For the front wheels, you will also need to put a metal bar into one of the holes where the nuts used to be. Otherwise the wheel will refuse to come off and you'll have no idea why. Do you have an owner's manual? It's described in there. If not, let me know and I'll scan the page for you from my manual. But then again, I am a MY99....so maybe it doesn't apply to your 2000.

To say the Cosmoline is a PITA to remove is an understatement. To remove it be prepared to get really dirty and wet. You will want to lift the car (I recommend just one end at a time for this). Use safety goggles (not glasses). I have been cautious about what I use as cleaner and have not had good luck with anything. After some attempts at cleaning to achieve the look OE has I gave up. I decided it was not worth my time as my car is a daily driver. My car is an 01 with 39k miles. The cosmoline is baked on with all kinds of dirt. I am assuming yours is the same. The times I have worked on it I used Simple Green. It worked "ok" but not spectacularly. Elbow grease was used more than anything. Spray...soak a little...then scrub with a brush...rinse and repeat (many times). I ended up using a wire brush on it. It is tedious work. Good luck. If you find a cleaner that works relatively well please let me know. As for one wheel just used a floor jack without the cup or place a hockey puck in the cup and use the factory lift points. Much easier and quicker than using the scissor jack. Break the nuts free prior to lifting (or use impact gun while in the air). Don't forget the torque wrench for final tightening when putting the wheel back on.

The Jack that I have has a flat bottom on it with a rubber pad on it. If you center the jack on the hole of the lift point you will not have a problem. For those with a conventional hydraulic jack, that has a concave cup on it, try putting a hockey puck, or a 1x2 piece of wood on the on the cup. As far as the car rolling off of the jack stands with it in neutral, as long as the floor is flat, this is not a problem. The car moves a little back and forth as it is lifted.

Orient, Just checked out your Renntech pics. Your car looks like it is super well taken care of, my compliments! I wish the previous owner of my car had been so nice to it. But...then again, if he or she had, I would not have been able to afford to buy it! I noticed you have 18" wheels. From all I've heard, the 996 does not like 18" rims. Supposedly they make for a really rough ride. What has your experience been with them (and on what tires)? My 17's are in pretty sad shape, hence the origin of this thread. I may just go for broke and pick up some new 18's though. Then I could use the 17's for tracking! Hmm...I've really gotten my imagination started here. Anyway, how have 18's been for you?

Thanks for the kind words about the car. This car has almost 36K miles on it. It is also the PCA Western US Concours high points champion for 2002, 2003, and 2004. The 18" wheels are a little rough, but not overly harsh. I run the air pressure a little lower than factory recommendation at 34/40, and it is just fine. The only problem is the lower pressure dials in a little understeer, but if you are looking for it, it is fine. If you are in the market for new wheels, 18" ones are fine.

Orient: It looks like you "painted" some type of protective coating on the saddles of your jack stands. I have the same stands and the saddles are bare. What did you put on them...it looks like a great idea.

Thanks for the help. Speedread

Orient, I am in need of the plastic protective covers you have on your jackstands. Any leads where I can find those. Thanks and good info posted. Chet

Yes, I coated the ends of my jack stands with Plasti-Dip . I bought it at Harbor Freight for about $7/can, but it is available at many places. It is the same stuff that is used to put rubber covers on tools like pliers, etc. To apply, you just dip the tool you want coated in the stuff, and let it dry for about an hour. It is sorta like coating an ice cream cone with chocolate. The tool is dipped several times to get the thickness you desire. I highly recommend it.