dkmura

iTrader: (64)

As winter gets ready to start, it's worth reinforcing the message that job #1 is DON'T LET THE CAR BITE YOU when working on it. This may seem much too basic for many, but with many new and younger members acquiring Zs, it's possible they may not have heard of the basics and may start taking chances when they're working on their cars. Some threads posted in the maintenance and repair section sound as though opinions are wanted BEFORE the OP has even checked underneath their car for any obvious problems.

So, the first thing to convey is to always jack up your car on a firm (hopefully concrete or asphalt) and level surface. If you need to jack on dirt, get a small section of plywood and place it under the jack to prevent it from sliding. I do this all the time at racetracks around the country. Next, and most critically, use jackstands if you're going to be crawling underneath the car, or have a body part underneath it. The FSM tells you where each of the four jackstands should be placed at each corner, and you can feel and see the unibody reinforcements underneath the rocker panels if you check. Don't rely on stacking a tire (or rocks, stools, etc.) to keep a car from falling on you! Be sure to lift your Z evenly and always check each side to check for jackstand lean. And if your car guy buddy insists it's OK to get under with just the jack holding the car, get up and tell him to @#$%.

Every year, there are stories of people being trapped and asphyxiated under their the cars they are working on. There are probably scores more that are never reported and even more of people with crushed feet, hands or other body parts who didn't follow this basic DIY rule. There are scores of other basic DIY safety tips to pass on, what's your favorite?

bealljk

iTrader: (13)

Always a scary topic that is hard to talk about...good thinking DK!

My mentality is to have multiple fail-safes. If it's something quick, I use jackstands, I'll put a cinderblock underneath each tire, and I'll keep the jack in place.

If I'm working on the car for days / weeks / months I stack cinderblocks chris-cross with a plywood squares between layers of cinder blocks (to distribute the load of the car evenly on the blocks) and then a ~1ft long 4"x4" between the chassis rail and the top block/plywood square (I'll find a picture). Also try to put the jack on the FD or up under the engine as a secondary measure.

I also try to keep my cell phone on my work bench where if something did go wrong I can use the siri-function and call for help.

MotaBike Mike

As stated above it seems like most people are on the idea of back up fail-safes which is great. In an add-on to the jack stands if you have just the rear or front of the car in the air with the other two wheels on the ground always put a wheel chock behind the tires on the ground. Many times parking brakes will fail. This will keep the car from rolling backwards or forwards off the stands.

Although not exactly a safety item for us I think people forget about this. When you're draining fluids, coolant in particular, make sure to keep it in a container that's sealed up. Animals love the taste of the stuff for whatever reason, and its very poisonous. Don't be the guy or gal that takes out your's or a neighbor's pet because you left coolant unattended and open.

rustyschopshop

^^^^^ this
what ever is spilt at least rinse it down with a water hose to make sure there is no residual pooling.

rustyschopshop

One tool that is cheap but can save you from injuries is a good dead blow hammer. You should never use steel hammer to strike other steel or aluminum directly. Metal shards can break off and cause serious cuts or eye loss. Which also leads to wearing eye protection when working with certain tools and certainly under the car. Even with my car being extremely clean i still get crap falling on my lenses when under the car. Started wearing them after getting gas in my eye 1 time when i wasn't working around the fuel system on a friends car long ago.

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

This is a good one^^^ I admit to NOT being as careful as I should be with eye protection. Working underneath the Z in my garage or in the pits, I'm a sucker for not putting on my glasses! Using a BFH is another instance when I should be more careful.

bealljk

iTrader: (13)

I've given myself a hard & fast rule that if I'm using a drill, grinder, chop saw, etc I wear hearing protection - simple $5 ear-muffs from HF...My hearing already sucks so making worse wouldnt be smart.