How to jack up Hydropneumatic Citroen on a hill

bencowell · Unread post by **bencowell** » 28 Jul 2003, 01:45

I am wanting to perform an interim oil change on the C5, just wondering how to jack it up when I live on a hill.
My thought is to drive onto ramps (suspension on high), use some axle stands as a safeguard for suspension dropping, and to chock the rear wheels.
How to change brake pads in future requires some more thought and I am not there yet.
Ben

AndersDK · Unread post by **AndersDK** » 28 Jul 2003, 02:47

Ben -
Not knowing of the C5 - but reading a lot of owners experience - it seems the C5 cheats you on the visual design. The C5 is in fact a quite large car & quite heavy on front - which is much like the old CX I'm used to.
My experience is that it's VERY dangerous to try drive the car on ramps - large riscs one (or both) of the ramps will push forward at the instant you let go on the clutch. Also it's very hard to avoid the ramps flipping up hitting the sills - when you finally get the wheels to grip - and have to brake a split second later once up on ramps. This will be even worse with high (& stiff !) suspension setting.
Considering the fact you are living on a hill (steep driveway ?) - the whole project sounds to me as a potiential fatal drama.
Your owners manual booklet should show lifting & jacking points - a safe guideline.
There are safe-locks around - small curved ramps that positively locks the wheels - by allowing the wheel to drive a bit against it.

Linegeist · Unread post by **Linegeist** » 28 Jul 2003, 12:42

I'd go along with that Ben. Any form of elevation on a gradient is asking for trouble, if only because of the multiplicity of forces acting on the car in its raised state.
Gravity will be trying to pull it down on top of you while at the same time the car will be trying to run off down the slope. It would only take a minor shock to potentially upset its equilibrium and bring the whole shebang crashing earthwards .......
Please! - Don't do it!!!!!!!

Homer · Unread post by **Homer** » 28 Jul 2003, 12:56

I was in a similar situation a few years ago.
My solution was to use a friends drive. Though I once did a basic service in the underground garage at work. (shhhh).

bxbodger · Unread post by **bxbodger** » 28 Jul 2003, 19:47

Go somewhere flat and do it!! You shouldnt really need ramps to chang the oil , just set suspension on high.
If for some reason you do need ramps for another job, just do what i did years ago when i had to change the clutch on a r.w.d. marina that I had, and sneakily drill two holes in the road surface, put an expanding bolt from b&q or whereever in each hole and temporarily fix a plank of wood to the road surface, put the ramps against it so they wont then slide, and then drive the car up and do the job. If you go up slowly enough and halt when you hit the end stops they wont flip up. Remove the plank and bolts afterwards to avoid annoying the council.I now live where you park front in to the kerb and can just butt the ramps up against this.

mbunting · Unread post by **mbunting** » 28 Jul 2003, 20:21

Well, I our drive is a bit of a slope, and I've had one or two dramas involving the handbrake, a hedge, the neighbours fence, and the 1/5 slope in his garden !
My recent method, which is pretty good, is to put the ramps downhill of the car.
Now, you have a problem, in that if you brake, the ramps will push forwards, and you're in trouble.
So the trick is to stick the car in reverse, and then let the car slowly forwards down the hill, onto the ramp, controlling the speed of the car using the clutch.
You must not touch the brakes, otherwise you're a skateboard !
Once up on the ramps, stick the car in reverse, handbrake on, chock rear wheels, job done.

Bob Smith · Unread post by **Bob Smith** » 29 Jul 2003, 04:26

My driveway is steep and I solved the problem of 'runaway' ramps by using two lenghts of strapping (narrow seatbelt) material fixed to the ramps and laid on the ground so that the rear wheels can be driven over them. The ramps are now no longer able to 'escape' when I drive on to them.
Bob

Unread post by **alan s** » 29 Jul 2003, 05:05

If it's only an oil change, why do you need to put it up on ramps?
I'd suggest that it be reversed uphill on the gradient, suspension set on high, chocks under the rear wheels and simply set axle stands and jack under to hold rather than lift the car body.
The length of time taken to do an oil change shouldn't be enough for the the suspension to drop and if the front wheels did look like coming off the ground, just pack them with short pieces of timber.
I'm a bit on the tubby side [;)][:D] & I can fit under a CX doing it that way on a level surface so short of the physical attributes resembling a keg on legs, I'd reckon a C5 on a slope shouldn't present a problem.
Alan S [:o)][B)]

AndersDK · Unread post by **AndersDK** » 29 Jul 2003, 05:20

AlanS -
Exactly WHERE on the engine of your CX model is that oil filter fitted [:p]
I'm the same body design as yours - but only 3/4 your height (judged from a pic I saw on you once [;)]).
On my CX22 (Douvrin/Renault engine) - the oil filter is located on rear of engine angled downwards - next to the (also rear mounted) exhaust manifold/downpipe.
NO WAY getting my (short) key design body that far under - only having this CX raised by it's own [:D][:D][:D]

Unread post by **alan s** » 29 Jul 2003, 07:42

Anders, mate....
If you're 3/4 my height, you'd be about 3'6".....my description is more like a piece of wood...3 X 3 or 4 X 4 so my length isn't the problem; it's the diameter!! [:D][:p][8]
My oil filter is on the rear of the engine & yes I do change it without getting the car off the ground. It is accessed by slipping the hands through a dipped down section in the crossmember but perhaps I cheat; I use an oil filter remover that is best described as a "spider" having 3 fingers attached to small cogs & a bolt that passes through the top & which causes the fingers to exert pressure onto the filter. I usually connect a socket with a long extension to it & slip it up in the allocated space, clamp onto the filter & exert pressure & off it comes.
Then in the famous words of someone we all know & love; "refitting is the reversal of removal." [:D][:o)][:D] you've just got to watch how far you tighten it so as to not make it an Herculian task when it comes time for the next change..[}:)]
Alan S

AndersDK · Unread post by **AndersDK** » 29 Jul 2003, 08:02

Ok mate - I'm not THAT small a barrel [:D][:D][:D]
- you better keep that good pic for presentation then [:p]
Had the impression that the oil filter was fitted rearwards only on the CX Douvrin engines - a bit strange - since there is a bolted on lid over an aperture on the engine - exactly the location where you find the oil filter on the BX 16/19 engine types.

Wolfie · Unread post by **Wolfie** » 30 Jul 2003, 00:14

Just let kwik fit do it, that's where I get my oil changed as it's quicker and easier and cheap... probably the only thing at Kwik fit that is cheap! and that you can trust them to do! however they will stil bill you for new tyre valves though lmao

ghostrider · Unread post by **ghostrider** » 30 Jul 2003, 16:35

ok my wife is not looking so I can reply to a CX post

). Changing the oil was the first job I ever did on a CX and I nearly sold the B***** thing there and then. Like Alan I have a filter tool on a long extension and was able to reach it just with the suspension up, well I broke the tool, bought another Industrial grade one and eventually tore the top off the filter, by now of course the suspension had sunk, could not run engine to raise it and my usual trolley jack would not fit, bought an ultra thin one and wound up unbolting the oil filter housing from the engine and even with the thing in a vice still could not undo it, in the end I had to hack saw the thing off until I was left with just the threaded part jammed on the spigot which I then split by very carefully sawing across it. Total time about three days which was not too reassuring a start to CX ownership, the only thing I could think of was that it was either cross threaded or just the wrong filter, thats main agent servicing for you:-)))
________
TAOISM FORUM

bencowell · Unread post by **bencowell** » 03 Aug 2003, 20:55

I've changed the oil, did it on some private land with a little step to stop the ramps shifting.
Jacked the car to full height, drove carefully onto the ramps. Dropped the tray from under the engine, changed the oil as normal. It was all very much easier than messing about with bricks, jacks and a prayer as I used to do on the Xsara.
Thanks for the advice.
Ben