SHOP TALK: rebuilding floor jacks

[miketyler]

This would be great topic if we had a garage talk forum. Anyhow, I bought my 3ton floor jack from Sams over 10 years ago and its been the best $60 I ever spent. However, its leaking now and where I leave it, theres a small puddle of oil. Its an Allied brand jack, cant see any maint instructions on it, I am not even sure what type of flud it takes.

Maybe you rebuilt your jack recently? Got any tips? Wil have to check Google and see if I can find a manufacturers link somewhere

[Chryco Psycho]

it would take regular hyd fluid , I have had no luck rebuilding floor jacks & mine just started leaking in th elast 2 days

[Aussie Challenger]

  A couple of years ago I to had a jack that started to leak a little, my local jack repairer couldn't get a kit for it in a hurry but told me to use ATF fluid. I filled it up and it worked fine, still weeped a little. It kept me going for quite some time and didn't damage the jack or seals.   

[moparmaniac59]

A hydraulic shop may carry an o-ring kit (universal with assorted sizes and cross-sections). There's a shop here in my town that carries specialty tools and makes custom hydraulic hoses and also carries a universal kit. They come in handy and I have one in my garage. Most of the seals should be just a Buna-n or flourocarbon type o-ring. You should be able to remove the old o-ring and match it up by I.D. and cross section to a replacement one. It may take a little hit and miss on the size to get the right fit. I also think Sears used to carry a universal o-ring kit as a special order catalogue item. Good luck!!

                                                           Matt B.

[ShelbyDogg]

I had the same problem with an old jack 2 years ago.  I went to Sams and bout another one for $85 and it has the quick-lift feature. The first 1/2 pump lifts the jack all the way up to the frame.  A very nice feature.  Throw the old one away or give it to someone that has the time to fix it. I'm sure that you have MANY other things to do.

[miketyler]

your probably right!

[vinb]

I have a old Hien-Werner true 1 1/2 ton jack. It's got to be over 30yrs old and I used the hell out of it. I had it rebuilt twice over the years and still works great. The jacks today most are junk. They say 2 or 3 tons but they are probably 1 to 1 1/2 ton jacks. (so over rated). Remember you get what you pay for.

[miketyler]

Wel I hate to give up on her after all the faithful years she has worked for me. What kind of hydraulic fluid? Like trans or power steering fluid or?

[miketyler]

well scratch that, I just found the manual and the included rebuild kit for it. "use hydraulic jack oil only"