Floor jacks- why do they leak down?

EddieF

EddieF

Top Banana
What the heck goes bad? Anybody fix one? Never been outside, no rust, no leaks externally.
My guess' piston seal? So frustrating. When i got this cheap one, thought to try thicker oil so i dumped it.
Looked & smelled like kerosine. Put 15-50 in it, helped, same ol story few yrs later.
Break over, had to vent. Time to go pump it up again & finish. Grrrr.
 
I was browsing in a California junk yard 35 years ago and found a used floor jack in one car, and they did sell it to me. Its a Craftsman and I have never done anything to it, but I still haven't noticed it drop a fraction. Its heavy, so I bought another one a few years ago that is partly alum, still no leak down, but it was priced in the mid range. Quality of the cheap stuff is hit and miss.
 
Hey the thicker oil did improve it from dropping in 5min to 60 :) it's back to about 10min now.
Next new one i'm dumping oil it comes with & replacing with proper oil.
They seem to go bad just sitting in garage. Maybe keep it pumped up 1 pump?
 
i never use a floor jack to hold anything . dont trust the damn things . rebuild is fairly simple but not really worth it .
 
shine said:
i never use a floor jack to hold anything . dont trust the damn things . rebuild is fairly simple but not really worth it .
Click to expand...
I only use one to put the car on a jack stand, If I'm going to be under the car
I use a second stand as a back up. I have a friend that had a jack stand collapse once,
not on him, but I don't trust any of them to use only one.
Always have a back-up.
 
jcclark said:
I only use one to put the car on a jack stand, If I'm going to be under the car
I use a second stand as a back up. I have a friend that had a jack stand collapse once,
not on him, but I don't trust any of them to use only one.
Always have a back-up.
Click to expand...
I use a stand, and use the jack as a back up. I've never had a car fall on me, but I did have a lower ball joint snap when I was tightening it. The suspension was all chrome plated and I guess the chrome process made it brittle. That thing snapped and slapped my forearm. I thought for sure my arm was broke. It was black and blue and swollen instantly. That was the most pain I've felt. I was working for a mobile xray company at the time and had my co worker on shift swing by and we did an xray in the driveway. It wasn't broken but it looked really bad. It took about 6 weeks for the swelling and brusing to go down. I still bust my buddy's chops once in a while and make him buy lunch lol
 
shine said:
i never use a floor jack to hold anything . dont trust the damn things . rebuild is fairly simple but not really worth it .
Click to expand...
Amen. Jacks are to raise and lower, nothing else. If the jack will stay up long enough to get proper support under the car, that is all I need.
 
jcclark said:
I only use one to put the car on a jack stand, If I'm going to be under the car
I use a second stand as a back up. I have a friend that had a jack stand collapse once,
not on him, but I don't trust any of them to use only one.
Always have a back-up.
Click to expand...
Stamped sheet metal stands are much more likely to fail. None are perfect, but the ones with cast iron and double locking are best. This is an example, ones I ordered recently:
 
Yeah it’s just a hydraulic ram really. The seal goes bad and it will leak down. I deal with the same issue on snowplows and such. Had one blade that would slowly creep down while you were driving down the road. Would have to keep an eye on it and tap it up. Didn’t stay that way long, talk about annoying.
 
the lift cylinders on my dozer tend to leak a little when it sets . pressure is what keeps the seals tight . they are not designed to hold just lift .
it's true some of the older units were better sealed. they spent more money on building them .
 
A scissor jack is what i should've used. I need an extra one.
See, i'm a para (1 vert from quad) & it's so easy putting wheel back on if you lift vehicle just till wheel spins.
Works great for upper 80yr olds too like my dad heh. When i plan ahead, i place floor jack where i can fit jack stand in at proper height. I have tape for marker on jack stands.
Love a good floor jack, they all have their use. I'll pull it apart one day.
I remember lifting his 74 Ford station wagon with the oh so easy bumper jack in bumper slot.
 
Its amazing more people didn't get hurt with those bumper jacks years ago. I still have the three leg screw bumper jack my older brother used in the 1950s and 60s, he did mechanical work on the families cars, but no paint. Unlike this jack, his has a knob on the handle. He was 12 years older.
Screw drive bumper jack.jpg
 
hydraulic cylinders leak if not used much . the seals on my dozer leak for the first few hours then seal up some. i need to rebuild them though. have the kits just lack the ass to get started .
 
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