MOT stuff

You can RANT and RAVE to your hearts content here instead of clogging up the Q&A Technical Forum!
Report any offensive posts to [email protected]
Post Reply
User avatar
nigecapri
Posts: 5795
Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2008 6:31 am
Car(s): Black 2.0S with supercharged bike carbs.
Location: http://www.blacklabradorpuppies.co.uk/
Contact:

MOT stuff

Post by nigecapri »

Beware when you take your car for a test, modern cars are designed to be jacked up under the sills, my regular place has a couple of younger guys on testing & a few weeks back one of them was about to jack my fully loaded fish van using the sills - two tons on a skinny bit of twenty year old bodywork steel would have probably made a mess. Same yesterday on my black 2.0 S - Chap slides the jack ends out under the sill either side. I always go in and watch them so I had the chance to offer advice on the suitable jacking points.
For the front end; jacking is fine under the engine cross-member, the chassis box-sections (rails,) or with a cupped-jack pad you can lift under the arb/radius arm bulge.
For the rear end; under the leaf spring clamp plates or under the axle tubes is good. Middle of the differential is easier but watch for the thin steel cover plate.

I'll tax it for May & promise to use it this year.
Paul G
Posts: 1857
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2015 5:21 pm
Car(s): MK 3 3.0S needing restoration, 2.0S, 1.6 Laser (nearly ready), Skoda Octavia VRS, VW Polo 1.4CL
Location: High Wycombe

Re: MOT stuff

Post by Paul G »

It's amazing (horrifying) the number of younger generation MOT testers that don't have a clue with older cars. I bet this jacking issue is why so many Capris have the floor strengtheners mangled too.

Quite a few older cars need to actually be jacked on the front suspension for wear in balljoints to show up and a prize example was the Morris 1000/marina/Ital. If you didn't jack the front by the lower arms, wear in the bottom trunnions just wouldn't show up no matter how bad it was which was why you so often saw them by the roadside with a front wheel totally collapsed as the trunnion had jumped off its threads.
User avatar
Andrew 2.8i
Donator
Donator
Posts: 14723
Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2014 7:38 pm
Car(s): '83 2.8 Injection (sunny days only)
'04 Toyota MR2 (owned from new)
Location: Ceredigion
Contact:

Re: MOT stuff

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

Hi,
I find the best solution is to have my car tested by an old-school tester. :)

Andrew.
Image
User avatar
D366Y
Donator
Donator
Posts: 2569
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:26 pm
Car(s): 1986 Laser 1.6, daily runaround project
1981 GL Auto 2.0, Barn-Find-Resto, now also a runaround project
1980 3.0S, crash damage resto
1993 Fiesta 1.1

Currently full up and no more space but I still want a 2.8...
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: MOT stuff

Post by D366Y »

Andrew 2.8i wrote:Hi,
I find the best solution is to have my car tested by an old-school tester. :)

Andrew.
Ditto, the garage I use just drive the car onto a ramp and lift the whole thing up rather than jacking it..

Maybe it's because they know the jack will just go straight through the floor with all the rust?? :lol:

Danny
A wise man once said... "you can never have too many capris - buy another" :beer:
It's me, I'm the wise man.
User avatar
Peter-S
Donator
Donator
Posts: 7453
Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2008 7:57 am
Car(s): 1985 Capri 2.0
1983 Capri 2.8i
Location: Kent
Contact:

Re: MOT stuff

Post by Peter-S »

D366Y wrote:
Andrew 2.8i wrote:Hi,
I find the best solution is to have my car tested by an old-school tester. :)

Andrew.
Ditto, the garage I use just drive the car onto a ramp and lift the whole thing up rather than jacking it..

Maybe it's because they know the jack will just go straight through the floor with all the rust?? :lol:

Danny
It will still need jacking so they can check the wheel bearings etc
ImageBanner by Peter Smith, on Flickr
User avatar
D366Y
Donator
Donator
Posts: 2569
Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:26 pm
Car(s): 1986 Laser 1.6, daily runaround project
1981 GL Auto 2.0, Barn-Find-Resto, now also a runaround project
1980 3.0S, crash damage resto
1993 Fiesta 1.1

Currently full up and no more space but I still want a 2.8...
Location: Buckinghamshire

Re: MOT stuff

Post by D366Y »

Peter-S wrote:
D366Y wrote:
Andrew 2.8i wrote:Hi,
I find the best solution is to have my car tested by an old-school tester. :)

Andrew.
Ditto, the garage I use just drive the car onto a ramp and lift the whole thing up rather than jacking it..

Maybe it's because they know the jack will just go straight through the floor with all the rust?? :lol:

Danny
It will still need jacking so they can check the wheel bearings etc
Fair point, I guess I'm too pre-occupied covering my eyes with my hands cowering in fear :lol:
A wise man once said... "you can never have too many capris - buy another" :beer:
It's me, I'm the wise man.
User avatar
Andrew 2.8i
Donator
Donator
Posts: 14723
Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2014 7:38 pm
Car(s): '83 2.8 Injection (sunny days only)
'04 Toyota MR2 (owned from new)
Location: Ceredigion
Contact:

Re: MOT stuff

Post by Andrew 2.8i »

D366Y wrote:Fair point, I guess I'm too pre-occupied covering my eyes with my hands cowering in fear :lol:
Do what I do. Distract the tester by asking him questions when he gets to the bits you know are a bit dodgy! :lol:

Andrew.
Image
User avatar
pbar
Posts: 7420
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 6:29 pm
Car(s): Capri 2.0 Laser, frequent driver.
Location: North-West

Re: MOT stuff

Post by pbar »

Peter-S wrote:
D366Y wrote:
Andrew 2.8i wrote:Hi,
I find the best solution is to have my car tested by an old-school tester. :)

Andrew.
Ditto, the garage I use just drive the car onto a ramp and lift the whole thing up rather than jacking it..

Maybe it's because they know the jack will just go straight through the floor with all the rust?? :lol:

Danny
It will still need jacking so they can check the wheel bearings etc
To do that, mine lifts it further, whilst it's on the lift. Hope that makes sense!
User avatar
Peter-S
Donator
Donator
Posts: 7453
Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2008 7:57 am
Car(s): 1985 Capri 2.0
1983 Capri 2.8i
Location: Kent
Contact:

Re: MOT stuff

Post by Peter-S »

pbar wrote:To do that, mine lifts it further, whilst it's on the lift. Hope that makes sense!
So does mine, has some sort of sliding contraption that is part of the ramp but it still needs to be lifted from a strong point. The garage seem pretty careful about it but then I'm always watching!
ImageBanner by Peter Smith, on Flickr
User avatar
pbar
Posts: 7420
Joined: Thu Jun 07, 2012 6:29 pm
Car(s): Capri 2.0 Laser, frequent driver.
Location: North-West

Re: MOT stuff

Post by pbar »

Peter-S wrote:
pbar wrote:To do that, mine lifts it further, whilst it's on the lift. Hope that makes sense!
So does mine, has some sort of sliding contraption that is part of the ramp but it still needs to be lifted from a strong point. The garage seem pretty careful about it but then I'm always watching!
Yes, sounds the same as my garage that, he usually lifts both sides together, i.e. so the rear of the car rises parallel.
fordperv
Posts: 329
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 7:40 pm
Car(s): too many
Location: stoke on trent

Re: MOT stuff

Post by fordperv »

The garage i use for m.o.ts is great, they are banger racers and sympathetic to older cars, not once have any of my cars been jacked up in the wrong place
User avatar
Major_Tom
Posts: 9094
Joined: Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:21 am
Car(s): 2.0S

Re: MOT stuff

Post by Major_Tom »

fordperv wrote:The garage i use for m.o.ts is great, they are banger racers and sympathetic to older cars, not once have any of my cars been jacked up in the wrong place
Mine are grass track enthusiasts (racing, not actual grass path enthusiasts) and love their old Fords too.
I'm the one who leaves all those shoes in the carriageway.
Post Reply