Stupid mistake...

[spartanpride]

lol
Made an idiotic mistake today... Went to jack up the rear end to swap wheels and thought i had the jack under the middle of my axle, however it was sitting on the edge of it and when weight was applied while being jacked up it slipped and bent a corner of my diff cover. It's not a whole lot maybe 1/2-3/4" in at the furthest point (it is on the corner). It's not leaking or anything and it's never seen so do you think it's worth replacing or trying to straighten or should i just not worry about it? I'll post pics of it tomorow.
Also on this topic, how come on the bottom two corners of the 8.8 there are like half circle cut outs?

Anyway thanks for your advice on my hasty mistake!

 

[toyman]

You are probably okay. However, it is not advisable to jack up a car using the axle tubes. They can bend or so I've been told.

 

[spartanpride]

It's good! No leakage, just cosmetic! And no I never use the axle tubes, i use the main housing.

 

[nmcgrawj]

If it doesnt leak i wouldn't worry.


Prolly scared the s%*# outta u huh? Lol

We all have our "stupid" moment stories!

 

[95BlueStallion]

Im sure you could tap that corner with a rubber mallet and straighten it back out. Its pretty thin metal.

 

[Adam95GT]

i use the main housing.

Pretty sure you should avoid this as well...

 

[BIGDATOWN]

Just to throw this out there but it is OK to jack a car up by the main housing of the rear and/or axle tubes, Mainly because your car sits on those same axle tubes everyday. Your not gonna bend them lol

 

[Adam95GT]

Just to throw this out there but it is OK to jack a car up by the main housing of the rear and/or axle tubes, Mainly because your car sits on those same axle tubes everyday. Your not gonna bend them lol

its about displacing this weight unevenly.

 

[toyman]

Just to throw this out there but it is OK to jack a car up by the main housing of the rear and/or axle tubes, Mainly because your car sits on those same axle tubes everyday. Your not gonna bend them lol

Want to bet? It's all about leverage. With the car being supported on it's wheels the downward force is located at the wheel end of the tube close to the axle bearings. When you lift the car by the pumpkin or along the tube the car's weight is now leveraged from the middle (where the jack is) to the ends of the tube. As the ends now want want to drop this creates an arc along the length of the housing with the pumpkin at the center. End result, a bent tube.

 

[earleys94gt]

When your car is in a shop, does the mechanic jack it up by the axle...no

 

[95steedamustang]

Add to that

Its never a good idea to use a curved surface like the pumpkin to jack a car up by. I have seen them slip off and you would not want an arm or hand under there trying to position a jack stand when it happens.

 

[Chythar]

I put a block of wood on top of the jack and then lift the rear by the pumpkin. Spreads out the force from a few small points to the entire block of wood. If I put jackstands on the axle, they're either right next to the pumpkin or as close to the wheel as possible. Never put a jackstand in the middle of the axle tube, that's asking for trouble.

 

[revhead347]

I always jack from the pumpkin too. I wouldn't worry about it. If it's not leaking, it's fine.

Kurt

 

[95BlueStallion]

I always jack from the pumpkin too. I wouldn't worry about it. If it's not leaking, it's fine.

Kurt

+1

What is your alternative? Jack each side and twist the hell out of the unibody?

 

[Husky44]

I'm curious: Has anyone ever actually witnessed this bending of the axle tube phenomenon?

I've been jacking up cars and trucks by the pumpkin for 35 years, and never have had an issue. And I've seen plenty of mechanics use the same technique, including quite a few I trust implicitly. So I'd love to hear from actual witnesses.

 

[95BlueStallion]

I'm curious: Has anyone ever actually witnessed this bending of the axle tube phenomenon?

I've been jacking up cars and trucks by the pumpkin for 35 years, and never have had an issue. And I've seen plenty of mechanics use the same technique, including quite a few I trust implicitly. So I'd love to hear from actual witnesses.

I cant imagine anything good could come from jacking the car using an axle tube, I wont argue that. You would have to be a complete retard to do it though. The only other way I can see you bending an axle tube would be to drop the jack abruptly, letting the car fall onto the jack stands rather than set down slowly.

 

[Adam95GT]

+1

What is your alternative? Jack each side and twist the hell out of the unibody?

Yes. Slowly side by side... I cant even reach the pumpkin with a jack on my car.

 

[toyman]

Maybe there's a Ford engineer lurking here. The owner's manual (page 228) is very clear on this point. To quote,"NOTE: Never use the differential housing as a lift point".

Here's the quote from the Technical Service manual.
"CAUTION: Never use the differential housing as a lift point.

Position jacks under the rear axle housing tubes between the suspension arm brackets and the rear axle housing (4010). Do not place jacks under the suspension arm brackets."

Now here's the interesting part. The illustration show the rear suspension lift points as being on either side of the differential housing. Is there a floor jack arm that will support the lift points on both side of the differential? Not stated but implied in the illustration.

And this as well from the Service manual,
"CAUTION: Never use the differential housing as a lift point (applies to all rear wheel drive vehicles)."

From the manual about using floor jacks.

"When using a floor jack, the vehicle may be raised at several locations. The front of the vehicle may be lifted by positioning the floor jack under the center of the No. 2 crossmember. The front, as well as either side of the rear end, may be lifted by positioning the floor jack under the rocker flange at the contact points used for the service jack supplied with the vehicle."

 

[j_lutter31]

I put a block of wood on top of the jack and then lift the rear by the pumpkin. Spreads out the force from a few small points to the entire block of wood. If I put jackstands on the axle, they're either right next to the pumpkin or as close to the wheel as possible. Never put a jackstand in the middle of the axle tube, that's asking for trouble.

This theoretically makes sense but I really dislike the idea of having a block between the jack and the pumpkin. Seems like the most unstable option out of all of them.

By the way, idk if it was me or a shop but my diff had a slight bend at the bottom for the longest time. It eventually started leaking all the fluid out. Took the cover off, straightened the cover, regasketed the cover, and filled it back up. Good as new.

 

[95BlueStallion]

You would have to use two jacks at once to do the axle tube option on either side of the pumpkin. Good luck with that. I guess this is a similar topic as "how much power can a stock block handle." We all have our own experiences and different answers, and they vary greatly. OP, did you straighten out your diff cover?