Raising the car without a lift

[Member 10617]

I recently had an overdrive installed in my 58 TR3. One of the results of this is that there is no longer a dipstick on the top of the transmission. Instead, there is a drain plug on the side of the transmission. To check the level or to add fluid, I now have to get under the car and remove the plug. So far, so good, although I miss the old dipstick method.

Problem is that this level, and others, needs to be checked on "level ground." Therein is the problem. Without a lift, all I can do is jack up one side or the other, or one end or the other. Result: the car is no longer level.

Has anyone found a simple and safe way to get the car up, level, without a lift? All I need is enough room to slide under the car.

 

[PAUL161]

Unless it's leaking, once it's at it's proper level, you don't have to check it very often. To be safe, jack it up with a floor jack, put two stands under the front, then do the same in the rear. While it's up there, you can check for other things, such as loose bolts, wiring etc. Just a suggestion. Remember, it only takes a few minutes to be safe, but months to recover from injury, <span style="font-weight: bold">(If Your Lucky)!</span> PJ

 

[poolboy]

I've been in that situation a few times with my TR6's.
To refill, the driver side is jacked up, tranny toped up, driver side lowered, wait for lube to stop draining out the fill hole, jack up driver side again, replace the fill plug, lower the driver side.
If you know the capacity, you won't waste too much oil...
Just want to check the level ? So far all I've done is drain and fill.

 

[martx-5]

Four jack stands are the best way. They're not very expensive for decent ones. Worth it for the peace of mind.

Jack Stands... I don't have the double locking ones shown at the Northern site, but it is a nice feature. I've got six-tonners I bought a gazillion years ago and ALWAYS use them, even if I'm not going to be crawling around underneath. After getting on my son's case one time when he was working on his car using just the jack (he wasn't underneath), he'll never work on a jacked up car again without jack stands.

 

[Geo Hahn]

An alternative is to have a hole in the side of the tunnel that allows access to the fillplug for filling or just checking.

I made mine of a size that it could be sealed with the same rubber plug used for the front u-joint (or the old dip-stick hole). Don E did something similar but with a larger hole using a jack-hole plug to close it up.

Here's a look, it's the front hole with the plug in place. The other hole shopwn is for servicing the OD solenoid.

 

[TR3driver]

I found an alternate solution to that specific problem : rebuild the original cover (with the dipstick) to fit the new transmission. If you look carefully, you can see the dipstick peeking up on the far side of this shot:
https://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh260/TR3driver/TS13571L/DSCF0023.jpg

But the level is not all that critical, it won't hurt anything to be a little high or a little low. (High is better, only because it can leak longer before it's dry :laugh: ) So one alternative, if you don't want to take the time to get the whole car up on jackstands (or don't have 4 tall stands), is to just jack up the side with the fill plug, and fill with it somewhat off level.

 

[Member 10617]

Many thanks for all the advice. I think putting the car up on four good jack stands may be the best for me (first raise one end and then the other end). (By the way, whenever I use jack stands I also put some short lengths of 4x4s under the frame as added insurance.) I am thinking that this will not have to be done often, especially if I have a mechanic check all the levels when I take the car in for servicing at the end of the driving season.

 

[tdskip]

One easy way to do it is to ramps like this, then all you have to do is jack-up the rear.

 

[DNK]

Randall, what kind of braiding is covering those wires?
Speaking of wires,you mentioned you might be interested in my box of TR6 wires.
Still?

 

[Member 10617]

The ramps look like a good solution. I can get some at the local auto supply or even WalMart.

 

[Geo Hahn]

...If you look carefully, you can see the dipstick peeking up on the far side of this shot...

And I like the 3 slotted studs fitted to the top holes on the bell housing.

 

[TR3driver]

Randall, what kind of braiding is covering those wires?

That is "polyester expandable mesh sleeving" from MMC:
https://www.mcmaster.com/#9284k412/=7th1mt
with ordinary heat-shrink tubing to seal the ends:
https://www.mcmaster.com/#7856k151/=7th4b4

 

[TR3driver]

And I like the 3 slotted studs fitted to the top holes on the bell housing.

Well, they aren't actually slotted ... those are just the marks where I cut them to fit. The flange on the late TR6 gearbox is thicker than the original (the extra beef was the main reason I wanted a late gearbox as a previous one broke); so the studs had to be longer. But I got them a little too long the first time, so they got trimmed in place. That's also why the length isn't quite the same across all three.

When I cut threads at the bench, I normally taper the end a bit to make it easier to start the nut. But laying on the back of my neck under the dash, and with my helper looking at his watch (figuratively), I didn't bother in this case.

 

[TR3driver]

The ramps look like a good solution.

Up to you, of course, but I really despise ramps. You can't use them on the rear at all, and the ones I had would frequently slip and fly across the room when trying to pull up on them.

Even a cheap trolley jack provides a lot more functionality, and is no more difficult to use, IMO.
https://www.harborfreight.com/3000-lb-capacity-lightweight-aluminum-racing-jack-91039.html

 

[Member 10617]

I have some ramps, but don't entirely trust them. Perhaps just jacking up the frong, inserting jack stands, and then jacking up the rear, inserting jack stands, is the way to go.

Actually, I really like the suggestion that for topping off I jack up the driver's side, remove the plug, put some gear oil in, lower the driver's side to let any excess run out, and then jack up the driver's side so I can slide under the car and replace the plug. Seems beautifully simple, and safe.

I am always haunted, however, by President Lincoln's warning: for any problem there is a simple solution... and it is usually wrong.