Hydraulics

Britton30 said:

I used to work at a NAPA store and we had a place to send jacks in for repair. They came back looking like a new one for $30-$100 depending on the jack.
(Scotty's Hydraulic Jack Service, Indy)
Check with your local AutoParts MegaMart or repair garages to see if some service like that is in your area.

Google

The jack would cost less than that to replace, so that idea doesn't fly.

Layback Bear said:

If the jack is made i China don't wast your time doing anything.

Ugh, yes it is made in China, so I guess that it is a waste of time.

carwiz said:

I've got more floor jacks and bottle jacks in the shop than I know what to do with. All but two came from the salvage yard. They end up in the scrap yard for all the same reason--They don't pump up. I do the quick test and nine times out of ten, they start working. I then buy them for $0.15/lb. (Earlier ones were ten cents a pound.) If there's no sign of leaking, a re-seal is a waste of money. A good cleaning will get them to work again. It's common for paint chips from the fill plug, dirt or bits of rust to get under the intake check ball. Give it try. It costs nothing.

Even though I've had this jack about 3 years, I think that I've only used it twice. It almost looks like new, the paint hasn't even been knocked of the wheels.

Yeah, I think it's still the check ball but a leaking pump seal could give you the same symptom. But a leaking seal on the pump will show oil around the plunger. The bodies are cast steel and it's not uncommon for the import products to contain sand or slag. This works it's way into the valve and pump. The check ball lifts to allow fluid into the pump when the handle is raised. When the handle is pressed down to pressurize the cylinder, the check ball is supposed to close. If there's dirt under the ball, it won't seal and the pump pressure leaks back into the reservoir. So there's little or no pressurization of the cylinder.

I don't know of any one that makes a seal kit for the imports. It's just not worth it. They'll be metric and if you do have to replace them, you'll just have to match them up. (I doubt any one will have listings.) Most hydraulic distributors should have the seals. The bearing distributor I use carries a selection of seals too. I think you'll find that replacement seals will cost more than you probably paid for the jack though.

In any case, don't load the jack when doing the clearing. You can't any way--The release valve needs to be open. The procedure is simply to flush fluid back and forth through the pump to dislodge debris from the check ball and seat. After that, then you can load test it. If it holds then do the cleaning procedure because you know it's dirt under the ball.

Britton30 said:

I agree with Layback Bear on the Chinese issue. There are really nice aluminum floor jacks available for less than $100. Similar to the kind NASCAR pit crews use(also Chinese though)

Unlike most people, I don't use the floor jack in the garage (don't have one), I keep it in the vehicle in-lieu of a regular jack, because of it's greater ease of use.

The better floor jacks not only cost much more, but they are too heavy and large to keep in the vehicle. However, even though it only cost me ~$40 new, that is still somewhat expensive for a jack that only worked twice.

carwiz said:

Yeah, I think it's still the check ball but a leaking pump seal could give you the same symptom. But a leaking seal on the pump will show oil around the plunger. The bodies are cast steel and it's not uncommon for the import products to contain sand or slag. This works it's way into the valve and pump. The check ball lifts to allow fluid into the pump when the handle is raised. When the handle is pressed down to pressurize the cylinder, the check ball is supposed to close. If there's dirt under the ball, it won't seal and the pump pressure leaks back into the reservoir. So there's little or no pressurization of the cylinder.

I don't know of any one that makes a seal kit for the imports. It's just not worth it. They'll be metric and if you do have to replace them, you'll just have to match them up. (I doubt any one will have listings.) Most hydraulic distributors should have the seals. The bearing distributor I use carries a selection of seals too. I think you'll find that replacement seals will cost more than you probably paid for the jack though.

In any case, don't load the jack when doing the clearing. You can't any way--The release valve needs to be open. The procedure is simply to flush fluid back and forth through the pump to dislodge debris from the check ball and seat. After that, then you can load test it. If it holds then do the cleaning procedure because you know it's dirt under the ball.

I truly hope that you are right, because the alternative is to consign it to the dumpster. I wouldn't mind too much buying a new jack, but I've never had too much luck with hydraulic jacks in the past...probably because I didn't want to pay the price for a good one.

Even the good ones can have this problem over time. I have several old "made in USA" floor jacks put back in use just by doing the same thing. It does work. I hope it works for you. Let me know one way or the other.

Back to work - More sandblasting to do.

TTFN

carwiz,

It appears that your tips worked. At least it held pressure for 10-15 minutes after exercising it as you described. I guess that means that I need to wash it out as mentioned and refill it.