Leaking floor jack repair.

[Michael_P]

Quote:
There was a thread here a couple years ago about fixing and maintaining old tired floor jacks. It had a link to a youtube guy who would take them apart, clean em up and replace O-rings, and add fresh oil.


Leave a jack outside and there will be tons of folks willing to take this jack off your hands. To me, it isn't worth my time. I upgraded from a 20 year old sears 3 ton to a HF 4 ton and never looked back. The HF outperforms the old Sears by leaps and bounds. I put an ad on Craigslist for my leaky Sears 3 ton. $5 to discourage the scrappers. Had dozens of hits.

 

[Kira]

Hello, Short, ironic story.

Two years ago I had a floor jack leak and a recently relocated hydraulics shop repaired the cylinder.
Someone near the shop's old address was kind enough to find their new address and phone number.

I was welcomed with open arms-invited back anytime with other jacks I said I had-and they only charged me $30 which I hoped they split.
All that was in their new, empty shop.

I went back recently and the place is a super busy madhouse. They said it wasn't worth it. They gave me a name of another shop which had shown me the door for the same reasons (not worth it-go buy another jack etc.).

I effectively pleaded with them...reminding them I had returned at their invite! "OK", they said. They still have the 2 cylinders I brought them 3 weeks ago. These are from another jack of mine and that of a friend.

I hope they've gotten to them. I too cannot see chucking all that steel because it's a small job.

For heaven's sake, where's this country going to with all this tossing? Hey, I know about obsolete parts and any other economic argument you want to make...but this is a simple task and they have the parts bin right there.

We shall see. Kira

 

[Donald]

The issue is its made in China by someone paid $1.00/hour and the place fixing it wants $50/hour.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

It's a floor jack. It's about as simple a hydraulic system as you can imagine. Take it apart, figure out what it needs, get the parts, and put it back together. You're better off with an older repaired floor jack than a made in China Harbor Freight POS special.

 

[Vikas]

If it is really as simple as it is claimed, what difference does it make if it was built in US or in China?

 

[Kira]

One difference could be quality of materials. I was told (mockingly) that the cheapest of jacks leak the first time they're loaded up.

Also, at the closer hydraulic shop in Newark I saw a guy dragging two brand new looking, blue and silver HF low profile (cutaway frame) jacks into the office. I didn't stick around but I hope they showed that guy to the door too.

On a happy note, I called the shop with my 2 cylinders and my man said he was finally catching up with his work and he'd get to my units Monday or Tuesday.
Again, for the savings, I'm happy.

I'll letcha know how it turns out. Kira

 

[Vikas]

Talking about jacks, how dangerous is this idea? My jack does not have enough height to lift the rear of the vehicle to be able slide the jack stands underneath. How about forming a hockey puck to fit snugly on the cradle of the jack and then adding another puck on top screwed to the first one? Obviously, I do not want any shear load on the double hockey puck and that is my concern. I can add two more screws but is it necessary?

 

[mjoekingz28]

Getting it exchanged may hurt. Like I see on GJ, folks who take their grandfather's or whoever's old Craftsman ratchets in for repair and grt a cheezy Chinese one in exchange. They sure do seem sore about it sometimes, like tif they would have known that is the way things are now, they would have held onto it, ordered a rebuild kit and then watched a video about it.

I agree with the OP, why scrap fifty (or so) pounds of good iron for a three dollar rubber piece, especially when some of the new jacks seem to be a plastic/cardboard alloy which cannot be trusted.

Remember, there can be a few brief moments when the car if lifted and you are in the process of staging the stands, that a worthless, cheap and hateful jack could do some real damage.

 

[007]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
It's a floor jack. It's about as simple a hydraulic system as you can imagine. Take it apart, figure out what it needs, get the parts, and put it back together. You're better off with an older repaired floor jack than a made in China Harbor Freight POS special.


X2. They do not sell jacks with 1/4" steel at the consumer level where I live anymore.