just a reminder to all you enthusiasts who work on your own car...
 

there is a thread on SVTperformance about a cobra owner who was installing a clutch on his cobra, and the car shifted and fell on him. he was killed in the accident. it is very sad and scary to read about, because i was under my Z changing the oil today.

so just a reminder to everyone out there to be extra careful when working under your vehicle. make sure to chock the tires, and use jack stands or ramps to properly support the car.

Damn, that sucks. I just saw the thread.

I am always careful to make sure the car is sitting on the stands right and the wheels are choked if I've only got two wheels up. Still don't like getting under the car for prolonged periods, though.

This happened to someone while changing his oil on my campus.

Safety first guys!!!

wear your goggles

save your jokes for the "driving in reverse" thread. :rolleyes:

that is really sad. I always shove the side of the car as hard as I can after putting it up on jackstands, before taking the tires off, just to be sure its secure.

A few years ago, a good friend and colleauge of mine was changing a u-joint on the family SUV before a trip to see his parents. He got up early to get it done before the trip. His wife found him two hours later pinned under the vehichle. This is a guy that had a great deal of mechanical aptitude and years of experience working in hazardous situations. He left behind a wife and two beautiful children. Please don't take shortcuts when you are working on you cars!!! It was one of the saddest funerals I have attended.

I'm really paranoid about getting under my car. I always take extra precautions.

that sucks, RIP.

yah, very sad story. :(

Thats awful

Here is another tip.

When you change your brakes, make sure you pump the brake pedal before you move. I rolled down a steep hill backward once because I never pumped my brakes. By the time the car is rolling, it was too late to pump. I was lucky to not hit anything, else my dog and I would probably be dead.

great story, great tip. it may seem obvious but u are right in the heat of things its easy to forget.

it is definitely easy to get in a hurry and overlook something like that. a simple mistake could be very costly in the end...

Where's the link to the story/thread?

What does it mean to choke the wheels?

:iagree:


Safety guys, always remember!!

To block the wheels, so the car won't move backwards or forwards.

i never stick my head under the car period. for changing oil on the Z, theres no need to put your head under the car.

Sorry to hear the story.
love yourself then take care of your car.

FYI, the hydraulic line on my jack burst last week. Almost scared the crap out of me.

For safety I have the car on jackstands. Additionally I have somewhat loose jackstands under the car. These loose jackstands are there as a backup just in case the ones carrying the load of the car fail ---- I have heard stories of jackstands failing !!!!!

Another tip I use is to place your tires under the vehicle if they have been removed. Just an extra precaution if any parts such as a jack or jack stand fails. You may think twice about putting your expensive wheel under the car, but if it could save a life, then I'm all for it.

^^^ Yes

Reserve jack stands, wheels, cinder blocks... whatever. I just want something else under there in case the jack stands fail.

I also will NOT put a car up in the air to get underneath it if it's on anything but perfectly level ground. I've seen pics where people were working underneath their cars on slight inclines... no way.

I think like this all the time after the Safety meetings out in the Oilfield. Not just to be safe at work but safe during all activities in life.

I've seen some pretty messed up stuff out there while talking to the Safety person on board. They usually have a boatload of pics they have taken through the years.

i always block the wheels in both directions, engage parking brake and put the car in park or 1st gear and use jackstands, and if i remove the wheels i put them under the car. after all this, i give the car a firm tug or two just to make sure it's stable and it won't tip sideways and fall off the jackstands.

What kind of support was he using?

They didn't mention that in the thread on SVTP. I'd imagine he was on jack stands, especially since he was doing clutch work.

RIP Ben Towle (purdueranger) You will be missed!!!! - SVTPerformance
:(

One of the reasons I bought one of these: (company photo, not my car)

http://kwiklift.com/images/mg2.jpg

kwiklift.com

"He yelled for help but those around were unable to get the car off of him and when paramedics arrived he was pronounced dead"

So much for my hope he at least died quickly. Terrible.

That's really nice.

BTW, it's "chock" the wheels...

Few other useful tips.

Don't start a second task until you finish the first (eg. if you change the oil, don't go changing brake pads until you've refilled the oil.)

Always double and triple check your jack stands. Bending over one more time to see their position is worth the effort.

If your gut feeling tells you something isn't right, trust it. Doing anything that's risky, even for a couple seconds, isn't worth it.

If you're using jack stands: after they take the car's load, just leave your floor jack in place under the car a hair below where it would be holding the car's weight. It's a simple second-line safety. If you put wheels under the car, you've got your third-line.

Dying while working on your car is a terrible and needless way to 'go'. Prevent it with diligence and being over-cautious.

Keep your cellphone in your pocket. There would be a strong chance that it could be reachable.

Damn, this is sad.

A sad day indeed - I honestly get incredibly nervous every single time I get under a car and I have one of those coming up soon to change my own oil. How safe is it to have one of these 370Z's up on 4 jack stands? I'd like the car to be as level as possible when draining but if its not worth the risk I could easily stick with just 2 stands and chocks.

i use a ramp for oil changes. as long as you chock the rear tire it's fine. im not as anal as some of you about leveling off the car while draining. cant get all of it out anyway.

How sturdy are jack stands usually? I'd be afraid of simply doing something like removing the lug's off the wheels and that forward/backwards motion causing the jack stands to tip over. Are their bases usually wide enough that this isn't a possibility?

thats terrible. as far as the jack points on our cars are concerned... should you place the jack on the jack point and then place the jack stand as close as possible to that point, or should you jack the car up from close to the jack point, then place the jack stand on the jack point.