Does my 7 year old HF jack need new seals?

[Jacobson]

I had the wheel jacked up for like 10 mins.
I was messing with the bumper or something, and was not under the car.
After a 5-10 minutes, I noticed the car was lower.
I'd have to rejack it to get it back up.

Can this be fixed?
Is it hard to replace the seals on a jack?

Pittsburgh 2.5 Ton Low Profile Jack.
#68049 but that model number has been updated

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/65076/Pittsburgh-Automotive-68048.html?page=7#manual

 

[d.mcfarland]

Dear God.

Please stop.

 

[Boilerhouse]

Usually the hardest part is getting the nut off the cylinder. I used a big socket, 3/4 ratchet and about a 4 foot cheater bar. Inside there are O rings and probably a U cup which acts as a piston. If you have a good hydraulic shop, they should be able to match them up.

 

[Jacobson]

Dear God.

Please stop.

What a totally uncalled for, and moronic, response.
Did you not take your meds today?

Usually the hardest part is getting the nut off the cylinder. I used a big socket, 3/4 ratchet and about a 4 foot cheater bar. Inside there are O rings and probably a U cup which acts as a piston. If you have a good hydraulic shop, they should be able to match them up.

Thanks boiler. How uncommon is this repair? Are there usually directions posted anywhere? Are most floor jacks built the same way, and any generic video should show me the way? I have an o-ring set but don't have a u-cup. Are hese parts easy to order?

I looked up "hydraulic shop" and see there are 2 around half an hour away. I will give them a call.

 

[Indexmill]

Dear God.

Please stop.

Jacobson,

You have over 1000 posts to GARAGE JOURNAL. Certainly, you know about the hydraulic jack stickies, and about Hiball, and that this is really easy stuff. I think that is why your OP raised some eyebrows.

 

[Boilerhouse]

Overhauling a floor jack is very common although some prefer the easy route and simply toss and buy new. I posted a quick and brief "how to" for my Michelin jack a couple years ago. Seems to me I remember seeing several YouTube videos that cover repair to floor jacks.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=217693

 

[thesilverone]

there's stickies about this along with countless threads. We all know the OP won't fix a damn thing. The OP just wants spoon fed answers.

Throw away the disposable jack and get another disposable jack.

His next thread. What's a sticky?

 

[matt_i]

Keep in mind a jack is a single acting cylinder....

.....soooo....if the seals are truly bypassing its putting oil on the ground each time it loses position.....

....however....if the needle valve which meters oil flow back to the reservoir is leaking, then the fluid will flow there instead of making a mess on the garage floor, as it loses position.

Perhaps your needle valve has a machining defect in the pocket like a burr or the cone is not sealing tightly, it could have a tiny o ring as well which seats on a land....

Just something to consider.

 

[JulianMorrow]

Jacobson, You have over 1000 posts to GARAGE JOURNAL. Certainly, you know about the hydraulic jack stickies, and about Hiball, and that this is really easy stuff. I think that is why your OP raised some eyebrows.

I thought McFarland's post was more of a safety concern--e.g., just buy a new floor jack rather than risk serious injury. OTOH, I'm not familiar with hydraulic jack repair. But you can get a quality 3 ton floor jack for $100-$150.

 

[d.mcfarland]

We all know the OP won't fix a damn thing. The OP just wants spoon fed answers.
?

Yes!

I thought McFarland's post was more of a safety concern--e.g., just buy a new floor jack rather than risk serious injury.

Maybe we should allow Darwinism to prevail here.

 

[Jacobson]

Jacobson,

You have over 1000 posts to GARAGE JOURNAL. Certainly, you know about the hydraulic jack stickies, and about Hiball, and that this is really easy stuff. I think that is why your OP raised some eyebrows.

Nope, never noticed any of that.
I will go look for that now.

Meh, the photos in the sticky are all dead links.
Thread is useless to a first timer

 

[Jacobson]

Throw away the disposable jack and get another disposable jack.

$100 jack is not disposable when a 10 cent o-ring may be the issue.
Sad that this wasteful and foolish attitude is on a tool and repair forum.

 

[AA/FC]

I stumbled upon this thread last night before anyone replied. I was going to be the first reply, but I decided to bite my tongue instead. I'm glad I did. lolol.

 

[Jacobson]

Keep in mind a jack is a single acting cylinder....

.....soooo....if the seals are truly bypassing its putting oil on the ground each time it loses position.....

....however....if the needle valve which meters oil flow back to the reservoir is leaking, then the fluid will flow there instead of making a mess on the garage floor, as it loses position.

Perhaps your needle valve has a machining defect in the pocket like a burr or the cone is not sealing tightly, it could have a tiny o ring as well which seats on a land....

Just something to consider.

Thanks.
My jack is not leaking fluid externally.
There is no machining defect since the jack did not do this for the first 5-6 years.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Usually the hardest part is getting the nut off the cylinder. I used a big socket, 3/4 ratchet and about a 4 foot cheater bar.

Whatever you clamp the body to had better be BOLTED to the ground or get a couple of your LARGE friends to sit on the work bench.

4' cheater ? MINIMUM !

 

[theoldwizard1]

The biggest issue with rebuilding a hydraulic jack is properly setting the overload valve ! Too low and it won't lift what you want. Too high and something is likely to fail, potentially CATASTROPHICALLY !

There are usually a couple of big screw near the base where the handle attaches. These are usually just caps, so just remove them. One of these cover the overload valve. When unscrewing the valve, carefully count the turns on the screw and be prepared for a spring and ball to come popping out. It is critical to replace all of the parts in the proper order and tighten the valve the same number of turns when re-assembling.

 

[zendriver]

For a 7 year old inexpensive jack, that's only problem, that it creeps a bit - after 5-10 minutes, I think I'd just use a jack stand.

 

[LB-1911]

I had the wheel jacked up for like 10 mins.
I was messing with the bumper or something, and was not under the car.

After a 5-10 minutes, I noticed the car was lower.
I'd have to rejack it to get it back up.

For a 7 year old inexpensive jack, that's only problem, that it creeps a bit - after 5-10 minutes, I think I'd just use a jack stand.

^

Jack Stands Garage Journal

 

[thesilverone]

I think I'd just use a jack stand.

you can lead the horse to water, but.....

 

[Robby321]

So how easy that was?..."I think I'd just use a jack stand.

 

[6PTsocket]

Anybody complaining of of a jack slowly bleeding down needs an immediate reminder that jacks are for lifting, not holding. That is what jack stands are for. More than one has been pinned under a car. If he had to tell us he was not under it at the time he he appears to be using just the jack. It is fine to repair the jack but stop using it as the sole support and use some jack stands before you get hurt or worse.

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[rustbucket5]

repair a good jack, you have a cheap disposable jack. get a new one. sometimes things are not worth fixing. im not sure whats so hard to grasp about that

 

[zendriver]

repair a good jack, you have a cheap disposable jack. get a new one. sometimes things are not worth fixing. im not sure whats so hard to grasp about that

Purchase price has zero to do with it.

Those people probably "grasp" the concept that if you can fix A $100 Jack with a $.10 part why would you not want to? Because it's "disposable"? Makes no sense.

Personally, if I had even an expensive Jack that did what the OP stated I would not get it repaired, because the problem is so minor, IMO.

It's like rebuilding an auto mobile engine just because it starts to use a tiny bit of oil.




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[JulianMorrow]

So how easy that was?..."I think I'd just use a jack stand.

Right, but:
1) you need to jack up the car before you can use a jack stand. And if your floor jack is unreliable, then you may never get a chance to place the jack stand.
2) After getting a jack stand(s) to support the vehicle weight, I always use my floor jack as a "fail-safe" device. I position my floor jack a 1/4" under a load point in case the jack stand fails. You need a reliable floor jack.

 

[rustbucket5]

Purchase price has zero to do with it.

Those people probably "grasp" the concept that if you can fix A $100 Jack with a $.10 part why would you not want to? Because it's "disposable"? Makes no sense.

Personally, if I had even an expensive Jack that did what the OP stated I would not get it repaired, because the problem is so minor, IMO.

It's like rebuilding an auto mobile engine just because it starts to use a tiny bit of oil.




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how much is your time worth? how long is it going to take to find the part? how long will it take to fix the jack? how much are you really saving in the process? are you sure its a 10c part? but yes i agree, why rebuild it for a minor issue that almost all jacks will have?

 

[LB-1911]

I had the wheel jacked up for like 10 mins.
I was messing with the bumper or something, and was not under the car.
After a 5-10 minutes, I noticed the car was lower.
I'd have to rejack it to get it back up.

Can this be fixed?
Is it hard to replace the seals on a jack?

Pittsburgh 2.5 Ton Low Profile Jack.
#68049 but that model number has been updated

https://www.manualslib.com/manual/65076/Pittsburgh-Automotive-68048.html?page=7#manual

03-09-2018
My 6 year old jack slowly lowers back down (10 mins)

I had the wheel jacked up for like 10 mins.
I was messing with the bumper or something, and was not under the car.
After a 5-10 minutes, I noticed the car was lower.
I'd have to rejack it to get it back up.

Is this normal ?
I don't know if it was because of cold temps.

Can this be fixed?

Have you checked the oil level?

If your unsure of the process refer to the manual in your initial post Pg 4.

 

[zendriver]

how much is your time worth? how long is it going to take to find the part? how long will it take to fix the jack? how much are you really saving in the process? are you sure its a 10c part? but yes i agree, why rebuild it for a minor issue that almost all jacks will have?

I would think it be like anything else in life, just use my best judgment to decide whether it's feasible or practical to repair. If it's a simple fix that it makes no sense to throw it away. If it's a days work and I have to scour the earth for parts is a different story.

Which, is incidentally is exactly true of an expensive jack as well. If parts are hard to find and may not fix the problem fix The problem because the Jack is wore out I d be in the exact same boat.


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[thesilverone]

03-09-2018
My 6 year old jack slowly lowers back down (10 mins)



Have you checked the oil level?

If your unsure of the process refer to the manual in your initial post Pg 4.

In for when he posts about it in March 2020 having the same problem. More proof that he won't fix the issue.

 

[Jacobson]

Personally, if I had even an expensive Jack that did what the OP stated I would not get it repaired, because the problem is so minor, IMO.

Yes, that is why I did not bother addressing this last year. However, I decided to revist this minor annoyance, since I have some free time. I don't like having to re-crank the jack while setting up the jack stands. Minor annoyance.

how much is your time worth? how long is it going to take to find the part? how long will it take to fix the jack? how much are you really saving in the process? are you sure its a 10c part? but yes i agree, why rebuild it for a minor issue that almost all jacks will have?

For a hobbyist, we DIY to learn things and keep busy and not be part of the helpless disposable society. If I were a pro mechanic billing shop hours, yea, I would toss and bill another hour in saved time and pay for itself.

 

[Jacobson]

Have you checked the oil level?
If your unsure of the process refer to the manual in your initial post Pg 4.

Thanks. I just checked it. I see no oil. Is this low? Does the oil just go to the top of the hole? I'll just dump in some ATF.

I also tried that bleed procedure, where I opened the valve (CCW), and cranked the jack 20x.

 

[zendriver]

Yes, that is why I did not bother addressing this last year. However, I decided to revist this minor annoyance, since I have some free time. I don't like having to re-crank the jack while setting up the jack stands. Minor annoyance.



For a hobbyist, we DIY to learn things and keep busy and not be part of the helpless disposable society. If I were a pro mechanic billing shop hours, yea, I would toss and bill another hour in saved time and pay for itself.

Yes, I agree if it drops that fast, it needs repaired or replaced.

 

[mrvm]

Thanks. I just checked it. I see no oil. Is this low? Does the oil just go to the top of the hole? I'll just dump in some ATF.

I also tried that bleed procedure, where I opened the valve (CCW), and cranked the jack 20x.

HF sells hydraulic jack oil
$5.99



HF jacks are relatively inexpensive. You got several years of use. IMO get a newer better version for safety and peace of mind. The Daytona versions start around a $100. Always on sale....

 

[Jacobson]

Topped it off with ATF.
NExt time I use it, I will see how it holds.

 

[paulsomlo]

You want the oil to just clear the top of the cylinder, which is visible through the fill hole - ATF is fine.

And yes, if the jack is dropping even before you can get jack stands set, it's time for a rebuild. The manual you linked to earlier shows no breakdown for the hydraulics, because they don't sell kits for it. You can get the parts though, you'll just have to do some measuring of what's in there and match up seals for it.

 

[M6erfan]

OP, please get some jack stands...

 

[DFB]

$79 NEW

Lo pro $10 more

https://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton...12_c1319A_Tab_engaged_default&lid=561,542,705

Keep us posted on the fix

 

[Jacobson]

OP, please get some jack stands...

I have several pairs.
I don't think you read what I posted.

 

[rharman]

$100 jack is not disposable when a 10 cent o-ring may be the issue.
Sad that this wasteful and foolish attitude is on a tool and repair forum.

Heck, I have a 40-45 year old Craftsman floor jack that I bought new. It's certainly earned a retirement but I bought a kit some time back to rebuild it. I'm sure the kit @ $40 cost more than the jack originally did.

Dang... It's family!

 

[Jacobson]

In for when he posts about it in March 2020 having the same problem. More proof that he won't fix the issue.

Topped off the fluid did not fix it.
Bleed procedure did not fix it.

Anyone here actually have experience fixing a jack?
What is in a rebuild kit?

 

[paulsomlo]

Topped off the fluid did not fix it.
Bleed procedure did not fix it.

Anyone here actually have experience fixing a jack?
What is in a rebuild kit?

Here's what HCRC has listed on their website: https://www.hcrcnow.com/shop/seal-kits/product/12121

It appears that it was also marketed by Hein Werner under their "Winner" import line. Here's the only other thread I could find here on GJ, regarding this jack: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=8300029

At this point, seems like you have nothing to lose - take the hydraulics apart and inspect the seals. If it's a faulty seal, I would expect it to be the ram cup, which is probably a sub $5 part.