Stupid mistake...

revhead347 said:

I always jack from the pumpkin too. I wouldn't worry about it. If it's not leaking, it's fine.

Kurt

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+1

What is your alternative? Jack each side and twist the hell out of the unibody?

I'm curious: Has anyone ever actually witnessed this bending of the axle tube phenomenon?

I've been jacking up cars and trucks by the pumpkin for 35 years, and never have had an issue. And I've seen plenty of mechanics use the same technique, including quite a few I trust implicitly. So I'd love to hear from actual witnesses.

Husky44 said:

I'm curious: Has anyone ever actually witnessed this bending of the axle tube phenomenon?

I've been jacking up cars and trucks by the pumpkin for 35 years, and never have had an issue. And I've seen plenty of mechanics use the same technique, including quite a few I trust implicitly. So I'd love to hear from actual witnesses.

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I cant imagine anything good could come from jacking the car using an axle tube, I wont argue that. You would have to be a complete retard to do it though. The only other way I can see you bending an axle tube would be to drop the jack abruptly, letting the car fall onto the jack stands rather than set down slowly.

95BlueStallion said:

+1

What is your alternative? Jack each side and twist the hell out of the unibody?

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Yes. Slowly side by side... I cant even reach the pumpkin with a jack on my car.

Maybe there's a Ford engineer lurking here. The owner's manual (page 228) is very clear on this point. To quote,"NOTE: Never use the differential housing as a lift point".

Here's the quote from the Technical Service manual.
"CAUTION: Never use the differential housing as a lift point.

Position jacks under the rear axle housing tubes between the suspension arm brackets and the rear axle housing (4010). Do not place jacks under the suspension arm brackets."

Now here's the interesting part. The illustration show the rear suspension lift points as being on either side of the differential housing. Is there a floor jack arm that will support the lift points on both side of the differential? Not stated but implied in the illustration.

And this as well from the Service manual,
"CAUTION: Never use the differential housing as a lift point (applies to all rear wheel drive vehicles)."

From the manual about using floor jacks.

"When using a floor jack, the vehicle may be raised at several locations. The front of the vehicle may be lifted by positioning the floor jack under the center of the No. 2 crossmember. The front, as well as either side of the rear end, may be lifted by positioning the floor jack under the rocker flange at the contact points used for the service jack supplied with the vehicle."

Chythar said:

I put a block of wood on top of the jack and then lift the rear by the pumpkin. Spreads out the force from a few small points to the entire block of wood. If I put jackstands on the axle, they're either right next to the pumpkin or as close to the wheel as possible. Never put a jackstand in the middle of the axle tube, that's asking for trouble.

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This theoretically makes sense but I really dislike the idea of having a block between the jack and the pumpkin. Seems like the most unstable option out of all of them.

By the way, idk if it was me or a shop but my diff had a slight bend at the bottom for the longest time. It eventually started leaking all the fluid out. Took the cover off, straightened the cover, regasketed the cover, and filled it back up. Good as new.

You would have to use two jacks at once to do the axle tube option on either side of the pumpkin. Good luck with that. I guess this is a similar topic as "how much power can a stock block handle." We all have our own experiences and different answers, and they vary greatly. OP, did you straighten out your diff cover?