Quick one: need to raise car to drop transmission pan? Best location for jackstands?

[lapin_windstar]

Hi there,

I'm a long time reader, first time poster. Thanks in arrears to Wiswind and others - thanks to this website I've replaced a power wing mirror, bled brakes, changed pads and flushed the power steering fluid (and yes, I got the traditional, rite of passage pool of P/S fluid on the driveway ). I would never have been able to do all this without the advice on this website.

Anyway, it looks like my next job will likely be dropping the transmission pan, changing the filter and installing a transmission pan drain plug. I've read through all the instructions and looked at Wiswind's very helpful photos. But I can't work out - do you actually have to raise the car to do it? If so, will Rhino Ramps provide enough elevation? I have jackstands but I *hate* being under the car when relying on them and would rather use the ramps. And if I have to use jackstands, where should I place them -0 general advice is good, but if anyone knows exactly where the best place on a Windstar is, I'd be grateful to hear!

(i've searched for threads on the above but couldn't find anything - apologies if I am duplicating an existing thread).

Thanks in advance,

lapin_windstar

[wiswind]

I used my ramps and had plenty of room under the vehicle.
I agree, they are safer than a jack or even jack stands.
However, I would still set the brake, have the transmission in park, and a block behind a rear wheel.

[Blue Bowtie]

For your project, ramps should be adequate. For future reference, whenever you have to use stands, the front crossmember near the anchor points for the strut rods is a substantial location to place jack stands. The rear can be stood on the axle tube or the box channel/subframe members just ahead of the rear axle.

If you are not confident in your jack stands, spend a little more money and aquire better ones. You only get one chance to be wrong. And it never hurts to keep the jack under the vehicle at a lifting point if you can (along with the stands), just as an added peace-of-mind measure.

[lapin_windstar]

Thanks, guys, that's good to know. I will take both of your suggestions: I'll be using all brakes and chocking the wheels when I use the ramps, and I'm going to be placing the jack stands as a backup in any case.

The Rhino Ramps (8000 lbs) and the jackstands are both new and appropriately rated for the Windstar, I just don't like the look of jackstands!

One last question: how big a drain pan did you need to catch most of the transmission fluid?

[Freakzilla69]

Originally Posted by lapin_windstar

One last question: how big a drain pan did you need to catch most of the transmission fluid?

I used the big 15 gallon (?) round, plastic oil catcher they sell at Autozone or Advanced. I guess it's about two feet in diameter. When you loosen the bolts, the manual I have says to drop down the smaller side of the pan to drain it. Doing it that way the dripping fluid stays focused on that side and it didn't make much of a mess.

I probably could have used a smaller one if I knew what I was doing.

[lapin_windstar]

Excellent, thank you!