Rod Franklin
New member
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2016
- Messages
- 2
I bought a used Arcan XL2T jack. After changing the oil and cleaning it up it works OK. That's good, BUT the release valve operation is a PITA.
It has a U-joint and is operated by turning the lifting handle. The problem is that the U-joint is sloppy. When trying to let the jack down by gently increasing the amount of turning pressure applied to the handle, the valve will at some point suddenly loosen. This throws the valve open to a point where all the slop in the U-joint has been taken and the rotation of the valve then stops turning. This free spin zone is way too much and the release valve opens too far and the jack just drops the load. DANGEROUS!
I've taken a cover off the jack and grabbed the release valve shaft with a vise-grips and by operating the valve using the vise-grip handle I'm able to gently lower the load.
What's the answer to this problem?
When I was cleaning it up I found what appeared to be a putty like substance around the area where the release valve shaft enters the pump. At first I was thinking it was a crappy backup plan for a possibly leaking release valve O-ring. Now I'm starting to think it was put there by the Chinese manufacturer as some sort of cheap fix to lessen this free spin slop badness.
It has a U-joint and is operated by turning the lifting handle. The problem is that the U-joint is sloppy. When trying to let the jack down by gently increasing the amount of turning pressure applied to the handle, the valve will at some point suddenly loosen. This throws the valve open to a point where all the slop in the U-joint has been taken and the rotation of the valve then stops turning. This free spin zone is way too much and the release valve opens too far and the jack just drops the load. DANGEROUS!
I've taken a cover off the jack and grabbed the release valve shaft with a vise-grips and by operating the valve using the vise-grip handle I'm able to gently lower the load.
What's the answer to this problem?
When I was cleaning it up I found what appeared to be a putty like substance around the area where the release valve shaft enters the pump. At first I was thinking it was a crappy backup plan for a possibly leaking release valve O-ring. Now I'm starting to think it was put there by the Chinese manufacturer as some sort of cheap fix to lessen this free spin slop badness.