I really screwed up - ruined my floor jack

[bjaspud]

I have a 20+ year old Sears 2.5 ton floor jack that has been a real workhouse for me. Like a knuckle head I inadvertently set down my 4" grinder, still spinning, and put a nick in the chromed pump piston. Now it leaks fluid when I pump the jack (piston) up and down. I removed the piston and tried using JB Weld to fill the nick. The JB Weld did not stick or it dissolved in hydrualic fluid. I tired to get a repair part from Sears but the jack has been discontinued.

Does anyone have an idea of how I could repair my jack?

If I could find another piece of chromed shaft I could cut off the c shaped yoke that is welded to the piston and reweld onto the new shaft.

Anyone out there in garage land have any suggestions.

If it can help I can get the model number and shaft diameter.

Thanks,
Spud

 

[Hiball]

I have a 20+ year old Sears 2.5 ton floor jack that has been a real workhouse for me. Like a knuckle head I inadvertently set down my 4" grinder, still spinning, and put a nick in the chromed pump piston. Now it leaks fluid when I pump the jack (piston) up and down. I removed the piston and tried using JB Weld to fill the nick. The JB Weld did not stick or it dissolved in hydrualic fluid. I tired to get a repair part from Sears but the jack has been discontinued.

Does anyone have an idea of how I could repair my jack?

If I could find another piece of chromed shaft I could cut off the c shaped yoke that is welded to the piston and reweld onto the new shaft.

Anyone out there in garage land have any suggestions.

If it can help I can get the model number and shaft diameter.

Thanks,
Spud

Give me the measurement and maybe a pic and ill provide you with a used one that is reasonably priced. I probably have 50 or so.

 

[bjaspud]

Wow! I posted my problem and recieved a solution in less than five minutes. What took you so long Highball?

Man I love the internet.

I'll get back to you the particulars. Thanks!!

Spud

 

[bjaspud]

Highball, Here are some photos (see attachments) I'd need to do some serious digging to find the old owners manual / model number. Does this give you enough to go on? The piston is .785" / 20mm in diameter.

Please let me know if you can help.

Thanks,
Spud

 

[Hiball]

Highball, Here are some photos (see attachments) I'd need to do some serious digging to find the old owners manual / model number. Does this give you enough to go on? The piston is .785" / 20mm in diameter.

Please let me know if you can help.

Thanks,
Spud

That should be enough info, If by chance you can pull the piston and give me the total length that will Help, Probably wouldnt hurt to give me the ID of the square housing at the top so i can find the exact one. Will you need a new Oring? If so give me the thickness of the Oring being we already have the ID. No need to dig up the manual, They are pretty much all the same with only minor differences.

 

[bjaspud]

Thanks Highball,

I will disassmble tommorow and measure the piston length for you. I am not familiar with the O-ring set up. Any special tricks / instructions to remove them? How many are there? Where? Sure, while I have it appart I will want to replace any wear parts wth a rebuild kit.

Thanks, Spud

 

[Hiball]

Thanks Highball,

I will disassmble tommorow and measure the piston length for you. I am not familiar with the O-ring set up. Any special tricks / instructions to remove them? How many are there? Where? Sure, while I have it appart I will want to replace any wear parts wth a rebuild kit.

Thanks, Spud

Pretty straightforward, Inside the hole after you pull the Plunger there will be grooves recessed inside. Using a pic just pull them out, There is probably a Backup on top of the orings and there might be actually 2 grooves instead of 1.

 

[nate379]

You may be able to fix if you weld it to build up the area, grind down with flap disc and finish with 600ish grit sandpaper. I have done this before to fix seal surfaces that had wear grooves in them and a speedi-sleeve wouldn't work on.

 

[bjaspud]

Got it. Thanks. I'll have some details for you tommorow. Spud

 

[bjaspud]

Nate I thought about doing that but didn't think I could get nearly a good enough finish. It sounds like Highball has what I need. Thanks for the suggestion. Spud

 

[bjaspud]

Highball,

Here are the pics of my jack and piston. The piston measures 3.8" overall, the shaft is 3" x .785". The 'U' opening at the top is .380.

I did not remove the O'Rings because I did not want to damage them (the jack still works even though it leaks). There appears to be a top seal with a 1" OD, then an white plastic 'washer' then a rubber o-ring.

I've included a shot of the bottom of the jack. Can you give me an idea of the total fluid capacity?

I sure hope you have what I need to get her going again. I've had this jack fo so long she feels like part of my family. I'd hate to have to put her out to pasture.

Thanks,
Spud

 

[Hiball]

Highball,

Here are the pics of my jack and piston. The piston measures 3.8" overall, the shaft is 3" x .785". The 'U' opening at the top is .380.

I did not remove the O'Rings because I did not want to damage them (the jack still works even though it leaks). There appears to be a top seal with a 1" OD, then an white plastic 'washer' then a rubber o-ring.

I've included a shot of the bottom of the jack. Can you give me an idea of the total fluid capacity?

I sure hope you have what I need to get her going again. I've had this jack fo so long she feels like part of my family. I'd hate to have to put her out to pasture.

Thanks,
Spud

Thats enough info, Ill grab one monday when i go to the shop and Pm you. Ill throw in a New oring as that is probably the original. You can see the white part above the oring if you look in the hole. That is a Backup, When you install the new oring you must install it below the backup. The top piece is a scraper and appears to be in bad shape but most of your newer imports dont even have that option so its your call. I wont have that piece in stock but can get if needed.

 

[Hiball]

Im gonna need you to double check your measurements, specifically the piston diameter. You specify that its .785/26MM. Heres what i know, Its metric and .785 is damn close to 20MM not 26MM. I grabbed a couple when i was at the shop today a 18MM and a 19MM. Im not saying i dont have a 20MM but i would like you to double check that measurement if you could.

Thanks, Steven

 

[bjaspud]

Steven,

My bad. Sorry for the typo. Yes, it's 20 mm. I tired 3 different sets of calipers just to make sure.

Spud

 

[Hiball]

Steven,

My bad. Sorry for the typo. Yes, it's 20 mm. I tired 3 different sets of calipers just to make sure.

Spud

Ok.. No problem ill do some checking tomorrow and follow up.

 

[bjaspud]

Holy Smokes Hiball, I just read that this is a part time business for you. I thought for certain you did it for a living. Man, you really know your stuff.

Thanks,
Spud

 

[Hiball]

Holy Smokes Hiball, I just read that this is a part time business for you. I thought for certain you did it for a living. Man, you really know your stuff.

Thanks,
Spud

20+ years worth of Part time

 

[FNFS2000]

I was just going to say buy a new one, but you'll never find one like that again, at least not at crapsman.

 

[bjaspud]

Hiball, Any luck finding a 20mm piston?

Spud

 

[tube_guy]

I grew up using a jack identical to that one. Mine was a Sears made in Japan and I remember bringing it home from Sears and putting it together with my Dad when I was a little kid. It was an excellent quality jack and never let us down. Definitely worth fixing if you can.

 

[Hiball]

Hiball, Any luck finding a 20mm piston?

Spud

Bjaspud i spent 20 min digging thru my used Import pumps and never found a 20MM, I found about 100 19MM pumps and 20 or so 12MM pumps. It is possible that they might have used a 20MM pump on those Sears jacks and i just dont have one, If you get a chance double check the measurement to make sure its 20 and not 19MM. Im not questioning your measurement skillz but i find it odd that i didnt run across at least one 20MM pump.


Steven

 

[bjaspud]

Hiball,

I'm on the road until Friday so I can't re-measure until I get home.

I'm using a pair of cheap chinese digital calipers. I can't imagine that they are off by a mm but anything is possible.

Thanks for the effort so far. It's appreciated.

Spud

 

[Hiball]

Hiball,

I'm on the road until Friday so I can't re-measure until I get home.

I'm using a pair of cheap chinese digital calipers. I can't imagine that they are off by a mm but anything is possible.

Thanks for the effort so far. It's appreciated.

Spud

I will call my supplier and see if he has a replacement for that model, along with getting a price ill have him measure it to double check etc..

 

[bjaspud]

Hiball, I'm back home and have confirmed using 3 different calipers (digital, dial, scale) that the shaft has a 20 mm OD.

Am I dead in the water?

Spud

 

[Hiball]

Hiball, I'm back home and have confirmed using 3 different calipers (digital, dial, scale) that the shaft has a 20 mm OD.

Am I dead in the water?

Spud

I will continue to dig and contact a few suppliers to find out if there is some New or used ones available thru other vendors. I will follow up Monday with you via this thread or PM.

 

[Hiball]

Hiball, Any luck finding a 20mm piston?

Spud

I couldnt find a used 20MM OD piston, I dug thru countless boxes. I finally called a supplier and He can get them, doesnt have them in stock and its extremely pricey at $42.50... That is my cost and there would be shipping on top of that. I will keep my eyes open for a used Sears jack that meets your needs and recommend that you do the same, as they do pop up from time to time fairly cheap. I wish i could have been of more assistance but i exhausted all avenues to get you a used one.

Steven

 

[bjaspud]

Hiball, Thank you for your efforts. It is sincerely appreciated. I am going to take another try using JB Weld. Wish me luck.

Thanks,
Spud

 

[84scrambler]

Do you know if you just damaged the chrome plating on the piston or did you dig into the base material underneath the plating? If its just the plating you may consider getting it re-plated. I'm not sure how well the plating process can even out irregularities in the surface but its worth a try. Word of caution, this route may be expensive unless you know somebody in the business. We expedited a 4 foot tall approximately 4" diameter hydraulic piston to get re-plated and it set us back about 3k. Maybe something that small and if you ask them to throw it on the side may cost only a few bucks and a 12 pack of beer.

 

[rwhite692]

IMHO...That jack is certainly worth spending the $42.50 on, to repair correctly/permanently

(and quickly, without playing around with JB Weld)....

 

[kidcool1977]

Is there hope for me, my craftsman jack release valve will not rotate and I need a new one.

 

[mkirkpatrick]

I would make a new thread asking your question, if possible supply pics. Someone will help you, and hi ball might respond to a new thread instead of one that is almost a year old.

Just a thought.

Mike

 

[kbieber]

Thats enough info, Ill grab one monday when i go to the shop and Pm you. Ill throw in a New oring as that is probably the original. You can see the white part above the oring if you look in the hole. That is a Backup, When you install the new oring you must install it below the backup. The top piece is a scraper and appears to be in bad shape but most of your newer imports dont even have that option so its your call. I wont have that piece in stock but can get if needed.

Are the o-ring and backup available anywhere?

 

[oilslick]

My dad has that jack it has been through hell and works perfect I bet it is 30 yrs old!!!