Lifting front of car by subframe

[JoesSHO]

Anyone jack up the front of their Gen III with a jack under the center of the subframe?

Don't- unless my car was a bastard child...

I've always done that to all of my cars, because it's faster, even though I KNOW they have other lifting points- always been without incedent- until last night. I was changing front brakes, and it was going to be the fastest brake job ever- lowered the car exactly 38 minutes after I pulled it into the garage. Backed out, had a dust shield scraping, so I pulled back in and thought nothing of the puddle on the ground under the passenger front. I slide the jack under the passenger side, and see dripping coolant.

WTF?

So I jack it up, and sure enough, there's a leak.

My car (I guess it's factory routing) has a coolant line, running between the subframe and the inner fender. When you lift the subframe, the coolant line gets sandwiched between the subframe and the sharp seam of a fender panel, in effect- a giant pair of shears. Crushed the metal hose joiner placed right there, and cut the hose the second time I did it. So that blew my NASCAR pit stop, and caused me to need to run to AutoZone for a new 3/4" connector and 2 gallons of new coolant.

On the bright side, I learned something, and now I don't have to flush my coolant next weekend, like I was planning on.

And I even got to see James at work because I needed a bag of oil dry... :laugh_ti:

As always- saving 5 minutes cost me an hour. But my brakes are awesome!

 

[NebraskaSHO]

Hmm I'll remember that one.

 

[SHOZ123]

I've probably jacked mine up like that a 1000 times.

You must have dislodged the hose somehow otherwise when lifting by the subframe it all moves as one..

 

[JoesSHO]

Here are some pics... Like I said, I don't know if this was altered before I got it- maybe that's why there was a joiner in there. Seems an odd place for a joiner, maybe someone else did the same thing...

Passenger side front, taken from in front of the wheel:

The hose- when you lift the subframe, the subframe lifts, and the sharp seam above it doesn't... That hose was lower on that little "lip" but I had to cut about 3/4" off because it had a cut in it from the second time I lifted it into the seam...

Maybe someone can take a pic of theirs, and see if yours is different? Maybe someone rigged up my hose...

It's ok though, she's still purdy...

 

[Mr Anonymous]

A. That hose is routed wrong. It should be below and in line with the front RH corner of the subframe.

B. Subframes aren't supposed to move when you jack up the car. You need new bushings.

 

[Silvapain]

+1. I ALWAYS lift lmy car up by the subframe in the front.

 

[JoesSHO]

That's what I thought- it looked like they replaced that hose, and put it through there. I can't believe that Ford would route a hose there.

I'll have to check the bushings on my subframe too..

Thanks for the confirmation that I am indeed, driving a bastard child... or a badly rerouted design. -1 for idiot techs- everything on this car was serviced at shops or dealers before I got it...

 

[SuperHO]

Yeah....whenever I do something on the car...****, either of my SHOs....I lift using the subframe.


Joe....ALSFBs....

 

[JoesSHO]

Nah, stockers. She's got too many miles to race hard, and I'm old and bald, and like the cushy ride! If I want to feel a penny on the pavement, I'll drive the Explorer... Ha ha!

Can someone snap a pic of theirs so I can see where that hose should be? I think I'll need a whole new length of hose.