my roll under hydraulic jacks leak down

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How do I trouble shoot them? small jacks - 1 or 2 ton or so.
One is an early 80s sears, other some one gave me in 90s probably a wal mart china special.
Both tend to creep down unless you really screw dowm on the "bleed screw" that you turn to release pressure and lower them.

They dont leak oil on the floor.
whats the most likely cause - what seals the "bleed down" screw?

Thank you
 
Or the piston that lifts up the claw. If these things don't get used often the seals can get hard, sometimes it is just age itself. You could probably replace the seal rings for a couple of dollars DIY, but you have to disassemble, and a new [censored] jack is only about 20 bucks to replace the old [censored] jacks.
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Originally Posted By: Maritime Storm
Never work under a vehicle secured by a jack only. Always use jack stands, your life is worth hassle of using these simple safety devices.


I agree.

And get a pair of Rhino Ramps. They do a great job for most jobs.
 
Originally Posted By: edwardh1
How do I trouble shoot them? small jacks - 1 or 2 ton or so.
One is an early 80s sears, other some one gave me in 90s probably a wal mart china special.
Both tend to creep down unless you really screw dowm on the "bleed screw" that you turn to release pressure and lower them.

They dont leak oil on the floor.
whats the most likely cause - what seals the "bleed down" screw?

Thank you


I have an early 80's 1-1/2 ton green jack from SEARS. Experienced the same problem due to low oil in the pump piston reservior. Picked up a bottle of hydraulic jack oil from WalMart and refilled the pump and it works like new. Those green painted SEARS jacks from the 80's are worth their weight in gold. Originally made in Japan by Hein-Werner when they only made top quality floor jacks. The company has since sold the name and many of their jacks are cheaply made in China.
 
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The oil fill hole is located on the top of the horizontal part of the pump cylinder. If you put the handle in the vertical position and look straight down the handle, you can see the black rubber stopper plug on the pump cylinder slightly right of center. Mine was partially covered with the green paint, but you can easily pry out the plug with a flat blade screwdriver. Add hydraulic jack oil until it is near the top and reinsert the plug.
 
I'd bleed the air out, and check the hydraulic fluid level as others have said.

Of that doesn't work, it's beyond me.

I'd consider going onto garagejournal.com and asking user HiBall or user HCRCnow their advice. Those guys rebuild hydraulic jacks. If you can't get it rebuilt yourself, unfortunately taking the jacks to a hydraulic repair shop like those guys run may cost more than buying a new jack.
 
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