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Instruments of Death P2 Volvo Jack

Help, Advice, Owners' Discussion and DIY Tutorials on Volvo's stylish, distinctive P2 platform cars sold as model years 2001-2007 (North American market year designations).

2001 - 2007 V70
2001 - 2004 V70 XC (Cross Country)
2004 - 2007 XC70 (Cross Country)
2001 - 2009 S60
2003 - 2007 S60 R
2004 - 2007 V70 R

This topic is in the MVS Volvo Repair Database » Are Volvo Jacks Dangerous?
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JRL
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Re: Instruments of Death P2 Volvo Jack

Post by JRL »

I haven't changed a tire since I was in my 20s and yes, I/we used the awful jacks of the day that came in the car.
However if I had to do this again these days, I would figure out a different way.

I would NEVER use a scissor jack again!
I know enough now to know this is a real bad idea!!!
Mod note. Jim passed away in early 2022, his contributions to this forum are immortal, and he is missed. RIP

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Post by hu5ker555 »

Haven't ever had a problem lifting the car with the OEM jacks. That said, if I'm going under the vehicle I ALWAYS put it on jackstands.

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erikv11
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Post by erikv11 »

Always good to be reminded of the very real dangers of working under a car.

So is everyone who keeps saying "floor jack only" or "jack stands only" actually carrying a floor jack and two jack stands in the car at all times, for the pesky flat tire situation? This thread is about what to do when you are on the road, what to have in the car to make that situation a little less dangerous. Doesn't seem like there are any good solutions, alas.
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Post by zombielinux »


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abscate
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Post by abscate »

You loosen the nuts/bolts

Spare is out of the trunk or hole, ready to go.

Block and jack, tire off , spare on. Get two nut finger tight asap. Elapsed time car is without wheel, 30 seconds or less
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Post by JRL »

Call AAA
Mod note. Jim passed away in early 2022, his contributions to this forum are immortal, and he is missed. RIP

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Post by theWIFES_S70 »

abscate wrote: 06 Jul 2017, 20:14 You loosen the nuts/bolts

Spare is out of the trunk or hole, ready to go.

Block and jack, tire off , spare on. Get two nut finger tight asap. Elapsed time car is without wheel, 30 seconds or less
Depends. Guessing the right height for the donut is easy. But if you're trying to get a full-size spare in there, you need to keep jacking and jacking and jacking. Which reminds me,I really should put one of spare scissor jacks in there...
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Post by Georgeandkira »

"...I really should put one of spare scissor jacks in there..." Do whatever will work but make sure your scissor jack has a saddle which will work somewhere under the car.

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Post by abscate »

theWIFES_S70 wrote: 06 Jul 2017, 21:34
abscate wrote: 06 Jul 2017, 20:14 You loosen the nuts/bolts

Spare is out of the trunk or hole, ready to go.

Block and jack, tire off , spare on. Get two nut finger tight asap. Elapsed time car is without wheel, 30 seconds or less
Depends. Guessing the right height for the donut is easy. But if you're trying to get a full-size spare in there, you need to keep jacking and jacking and jacking. Which reminds me,I really should put one of spare scissor jacks in there...
If you rest the spare against the wheel being changed , you can lift it until the hub is above the spare hub. If you let. Your car communicate, it eliminates guess work! :D
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Post by theWIFES_S70 »

abscate wrote: 08 Jul 2017, 02:18 If you rest the spare against the wheel being changed , you can lift it until the hub is above the spare hub. If you let. Your car communicate, it eliminates guess work! :D
And ruin my paint??? :) Actually, this is not a bad idea. I hate the P80 jack. One of my first jobs, it tipped over on me. It was the scariest thing because the car started to fall to one side so slowly... I didn't have a floor jack yet so I would always start work on the car with the Volvo jack (almost all of rspi's videos, he jacks up his car with the Volvo jack...) and two other scissor jacks (just to be safe) before getting the car on jack stands. Luckily I was able to get a scissor jack under the car before anything serious happened. Needless to say, I haven't used the Volvo jack since.

I chock wheels with those rubber chocks from Harbor Freight and stick a 50lb bag of sand behind one chock and a few cylinder blocks behind the other. Safety first!
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