Lífting The Car; Raising Car Safely - BMW 3 1992 Service Manual

WARNING -
" Never work under a lifted car unless it is solidly
supported on jack stands that are intended for
that purpose. Do not support a car on cinder
blocks, bricks, or other objects that may shift or
crumble under continuous load. Never work un-
dera car that is supported only by the lifting jack.
" Fuel is highly flammable. When working around
fuel, do not smoke or work near heaters or other
fire hazards. Keep an approved fire extinguisher
handy.
" llluminate the work area adequately and safely.
Use a portable safety light for working inside or
under the car. A fluorescent type light is best be-
cause it gives off less heat. If using a light with a
normal incandescent butb, use rough service
bulbs to avoid breakage. The hot filament of an
accidentallybroken bulb can ignite spilled fuel or
oil
" Keep sparks, lighted matches, and any open
llame away from the top of the battery. Hydrogen
gas emitted by the battery is highly flammable.
Any nearby source of ignition may cause the
battery to explode.
" Never ¡ay tools or parts in the engine compart-
ment or on top of the battery. They may fall into
confined spaces and be difficult to retrieve, be-
come caught in beits or other rotating parts
when the engine is started, or cause electrical
shorts and damage to the electrical system.
" The fuel system is designed to retain pressure
even when the ignition is off. When working with
the fuel system, loosen the fuel fines slowly to al-
low the residual pressure to dissipate gradually.
Take precautions to avoid spraying fuel.
Lifting the Car
FUNDAMENTALS FOR THE DO-ITYOURSELF OWNER
010- 3
For those repairsthat require raising the car, the proper jack-
ing points should be used to raise the car safely and avoid dam-
age. There are four jacking points from which the car can be
safely raised . The jack supplied with the car by BMW can only
be used at the four side pointsjust behind the front wheel or
just in front ofthe rear wheel. See Fig. 1 .
WARNING -
" When raising the car using a floor jack or a hy-
draulic lift, carefully position the jack pad to pre-
vent damaging the car body. A suitable liner
(wood, rubber, etc .) should be placed between
the jack and the car to prevent body damage .
" Watch the jack closely. Make sure ft stays stable
and does not shift or tilt. As the car is raised, the
car may rol¡ slightly and the jack may shift.
Fig. 1. 3-Series jacking points (arrows) .
Raising car safely
1 . Park car on flat, leve¡ su rface.
2. Remove the round cover from jack mount using a
screwdriver. See Fig. 2.
0013126
Fig. 2. Jack mount cover being removed from rocker panel.
3. Place jack fully into position . See Fig. 3. Make sure jack
is resting on flat, solid ground . Use a board or other sup-
port to provide a firm surface for the jack, if necessary.
4. Raise car slowly while constantly checking position of
jack and car.
5. Once car is raised, block the wheel that
is
opposite and
farthest from jack to prevent car from unexpectedly roll-
ing .
GET77NG STARTER