I guess it was worth it... ?

[Sweet Willy]

Yesterday I replaced an O2 sensor on the truck. It was actually pretty easy and the part cost only 42.99. Chevy dealer wanted 145.00 to do the job. Saved 100.00! On the other hand I strained my back and my knee, almost got heat stroke, the truck fell off the jack, but, I did save 100.00. : ) I feel much better today.

[TB Roye]

You gotta use Jack Stands makes it much safer. Saving a $100 is worth a little heat stroke, don't about the back and knee though. I have finally stopped working on our vehicles except for the brakes. and I will be putting a new grill in LOML Expedition this weekend. Just replaced the temperature door actuator and blend door actuator for the rear AC/heat on her Expedition also. Well I guess I haven't quit yet, maybe next month when I turn 70. I have to take it in next week and pay to have the plugs changed, no way am I even going to try it, Aluminum Heads and the rear two plugs on the passenger side are almost inaccessible. Thank God they only have to be changed every 100K miles

Tom

[cabinetman]

You're lucky you didn't get hurt by the car. If you do the work, I would recommend good jack stands too. The cheap ones aren't worth what you save. Besides for the protection they offer, they are inexpensive.

I quit doing even oil changes. Too much of a hassle. A few years ago, I did have to fix a rear drum brake on a Blazer, when the shoes decided to disintegrate, and of course it had to be done in my driveway. And, of course you have to do both. That shot an afternoon.

.

[Pappy]

Still do most of my own wrench turning. Safety is paramount when working uder a vehicle. I can change the oil on my truck with it sitting on the ground but the wife's van has to be jacked up or on ramps.

[Knottscott]

Now that you've got the wrench and the knowledge you can save the $100 several more times in the future! (...and definitely use jack stands!)

[mpc]

Jack stands and/or ramps are essential! Working underneath a vehicle supported only by the service jack that comes with a vehicle, or a typical roll-around floor jack, is akin to using a table saw to make a rip cut without a blade guard. "If all goes as planned everything will be okay." Except things DON'T always go well so some backup/redundancy is crucial. Jerking on a wrench to break free some stubborn bolt moves a jacked-up vehicle quite a bit; service jacks usually don't have enough of a footprint to resist this. Impact guns are much safer in this aspect - their rapid & short pulses don't get the whole vehicle moving anywhere near as much as pulling on a typical socket wrench or breaker bar. Ryobi has a new cordless impact gun rated at 200 ft-lbs (!) set up to drive 1/2inch impact sockets for $99. (no batteries/charger - it shares the One+ stuff) 200 ft-lbs will do all but really-rusted stuff. It comes with a 1/2 inch-to-hex-drive adapter so you can use those smaller tips too. I'll let you know how well the tool works in a few weeks; I've used the Ridgid cordless impact tool (hex drive) for quite a while; it's strong enough to undo wheel lug nuts for example but it's rating is quite a bit lower than 200 ft-lbs. Seeing that Ryobi at Home Depot really surprised me - I had to double-check the rating to make sure it wasn't a misprint! Impact guns also give your muscles a big break! Which is double-nice on hot days.

I too do almost all repairs/maintenance on my cars. Sometime in the next few weeks I'll be pulling the engine on the Conquest to change the clutch and get to the power steering gearbox to rebuild it. Pulling the engine is easier than removing the gearbox with everything else in the way. Rear wheels will be on ramps (& parking brake set) with the front of the car supported by jack stands. And there will be some strategically placed dense wood blocks just in case I manage to whack a jack stand with the engine hoist. Even though I won't be underneath the vehicle for 90% of the job.

mike c.

[Sweet Willy]

Relax guys. The truck did have not only jack stands underneath but I also had the wheels chocked. The stupid part however was the floor jack was setting on dirt. When I tried to raise the truck a little more so I could raise the jack stands one more notch, the floor jack could not roll. Thus, it pulled itself out from under the frame. But, no harm, no foul. I did go and put some plywood together to create a 1 1/2 slab before I jacked it back up again. As I always say: "I'm not as smart as I look" and this proves it. LOL

[jseklund]

I had a jack tip while changing a tire on the side of a road once...I made the stupid mistake in rushing to get off the road and forgot to set the parking brake.

Whenever I jack a car, it's on concrete or asphalt with plywood under the jack stands. Dirt, etc just aren't reliable enough. If I'm going under, I usually have two jacks holding the car (or 4 if it's totally off the ground for some reason), I then place two more stands under the car on the front or back where I'm going to be...kind of a plan B....it may not work, but I prefer backup. I also leave the jack in a spot where it can lift the car so if it did fall and somone came along, they could just pump and up it would go....

In other words, like most of us, I don't want to become raspberry jam.

[dbhost]

A jack is merely intended to lift a vehicle, not keep it supported while the vehicle is being worked on, that's what jack stands are for. You also need to use wheel chocks to keep the vehicle from moving.

If you are going to be working on a vehicle, please properly support it. I no more want to see any of you having any part of your anatomy crushed by a vehicle than I want to see your appendages abbreviated by carbide teeth...

[TB Roye]

Well I change my mind this morning about working on LOML's Expedition. I had planned on changing the Grille as it was busted up by a kid on a bike who ran into it head on while it was parked on the street. This was the second one, the first was busted by hitting 2 pheasants and 75MPH last summer on the way back from Idaho.

Jacked it up with stands as I needed a little more room to work on the bottom of the bumper cover. The front end piece comes off to get at the Grille. While it was up in the air, I decided to change the oil, and filter. then while it was up there checked the brake pads. So three hours later I was done and now it is ready for our 2 week road trip.

One nice thing is I know how to tear it apart as when I was working for the CHP we used to make these in to Patrol vehicles which requires removing exterior and interior trim and other pieces to install emergency equipment. While I was at it, I check all belts and hoses for wear. Might change 6 of the plugs and then take it in for the other 2. Ford almost $600 to change plugs in these things that includes the F150,250 don't know about the bigger ones. If I bought a F250 I would get a Diesel then no plugs.
Tom,