Overseas Jack Rebuild Help Tutorial.

[Hiball]

I have a floor jack that was purchased from Sam's about 16-18 or so years ago. Brand is Allied, model Indy 5, 47-HJCI. It lifts fine, and doesn't seem to drop, however it does leak externally from the pump piston. No external leak from the ram. Wondering if it is repairable with seals sourced locally or from suggested sellers here, or if it has anything that would make it obsolete? Photos attached.

[I have two others leaking as well, one a 1.5 ton aluminum, and another a 3 ton "Michelin" brand.....I'll tackle those later, the "Michelin" appears to be leaking externally from the ram].

Thanks - this is a great thread. I'll start at the top with teardown if the internet prognosis is that it is worth the effort.

It appears to be fairly clean, as long as the rod surface is good I don't see why it can't be Re-Sealed. Obviously you can get by fairly cheap by simply replacing the Oring on the pump piston, but I would reccomend a New ram seal and tank seal while your at it. I don't know what your local resources are, but Once you get things apart, make some calls and take the old parts with you.

 

[Toyo72]

Hiball you are fast! I'll dig into it and see what I can find. You're probably right about the ram and tank seals, assuming that I can get the cap off I'll do those too. Thanks.

 

[jacked_72]

My Sears Shinn Fu jack just gave up the ghost. The U-cup seal is shot and came apart in 2 pieces. The dimensions seem to be fairly standard for these imported jacks at 22mmX40mmX12mm. I know I need a u-cup seal, but there are lots of different flavors it seems. I presume I want non loading. Then there are urethane, buna and EDPM. And is it a universal u-cup seal I want or a rod seal or a piston seal? And do I want symmetrical? Then, if that is the case, do I want MUSN light duty or MUU? (I'm looking at the oring store.)

Thanks.

 

[Hiball]

My Sears Shinn Fu jack just gave up the ghost. The U-cup seal is shot and came apart in 2 pieces. The dimensions seem to be fairly standard for these imported jacks at 22mmX40mmX12mm. I know I need a u-cup seal, but there are lots of different flavors it seems. I presume I want non loading. Then there are urethane, buna and EDPM. And is it a universal u-cup seal I want or a rod seal or a piston seal? And do I want symmetrical? Then, if that is the case, do I want MUSN light duty or MUU? (I'm looking at the oring store.)

Thanks.

Urethane, so that rules out light duty, it's a piston application, so stay away from the Strictly Rod version, universal application Ucups are fine if you can't find a Piston only application. The only issue with the loaded Ucups is that on some occasions they can Create too much cylinder wall pressure, which can cause drag issues, it's a easy fix as you can simply pull the energizer.

 

[Toyo72]

It appears to be fairly clean, as long as the rod surface is good I don't see why it can't be Re-Sealed. Obviously you can get by fairly cheap by simply replacing the Oring on the pump piston, but I would reccomend a New ram seal and tank seal while your at it. I don't know what your local resources are, but Once you get things apart, make some calls and take the old parts with you.

I was able to disassemble the Allied Indy-5, a 24" pipe wrench made pretty easy work of getting the tank cap off. The oil was pretty black, so I expected the seals and rings to look bad. Surprisingly they look decent overall. I contacted Lazzar's and they are going to put together a kit with my measurements.

>> Also, I'm wondering if this would be a good candidate for a u-cup upgrade? With the leading washer that is in front of the o-ring/cup, would a u-cup work?

 

[jacked_72]

I'm putting this out there as kind of a PSA about a seal kit for the quick lift jacks. Mine is a MVP Superlift which has three valves. It quit lifting and so I measured the u-cup seal. It was 24mmX40mmX9mm. I couldn't find the 9mm height, so I ordered an 8mm, which I 've seen on other threads works. In doing some digging, I came across some reference somewhere that said my jack was the same as another brand which used the rebuild kit #QG59500-K00. I found it on line for $12 and ordered it since it was a complete kit. (The 8mm seal was about $5 on ebay.) Prices seem to vary wildly from $12 to $60, so shop around. The kit contained the elusive 24mmX40mmx9mm plus a bunch of o-rings and backup o-rings including the large backup washer under the u-cup seal. I've attached pictures of both the 8mm and 9mm seals.

 

[LB-1911]

From Introduce yourself here!

Hi, this is my first post.

I am trying to replace the Ram O ring with a U cup seal since the O ring spacer is cracked and apparently no longer available.

I bought the jack used and unfortunately don't know the model number.

The jack looks identical to the jack shown in the rebuild tutorial. Here are the measurements from the Ram .. OD is 42mm, ID is 33.67 mm and heigth is 5.4mm. The hcrcnow web-site shows a 32X42X5.6 seal. Would this be the correct replacement ?

Thanks for your help. It appears the thread you listed is closed.

I read most of the jack tutorial thread especially how to measure seals and found the thread very helpful. I did measure properly for the U cup seal replacement and a groove already exists on the Ram that will accept a U cup seal.

No machining of the Ram is needed for a spacer or washer install since there is no lip that would have to be removed.

The groove length is 5.4 cm. so this should accommodate a 5.4 cm heighth seal. I will follow your advice though and try to post this in an appropriate jack tutorial thread. Thanks

 

[cn90]

Re: Harbor Freight 2-ton jack

I am new here and want to thank everyone who contributed, especially HiBall!

I have a question re Harbor Freight 2-ton jack (see photo below):
- Has anyone successfully rebuild the ram piston seal?
- If so, what seal? Detail with photos of the ram piston please!

 

[Hiball]

Re: Harbor Freight 2-ton jack

I am new here and want to thank everyone who contributed, especially HiBall!

I have a question re Harbor Freight 2-ton jack (see photo below):
- Has anyone successfully rebuild the ram piston seal?
- If so, what seal? Detail with photos of the ram piston please!

There is no One answer fit all for these trolley jacks, the majority of the Newer ones I have seen simply use a Oring/Retainer, Similar to the one documented in the early part of this thread. I have seen older ones that use actual Ucups, but at today's price point, more than likely you will find a Oring/Retainer version.

 

[cn90]

Thanks HiBall,

Since the Oring/Retainer is difficult to find (Harbor Freight does not sell rebuild kit), I am wondering if I can replace the O-ring/Retainer setup with U-Cup (easy to find locally).

I saw somewhere that there is a ridge built into the ram piston area that may (or may not) interfere with the U-Cup setup. Any advice?

 

[JIMJR56]

HIBALL I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU TWO THUMBS UP ON YOUR POST. MY SON AND I SPENT HALF THE NIGHT TRYING TO FIND THAT FLOOR JACK AND IT WAS HELL NOT KNOWING THE MANUFACTURE ( PLEASE IF YOU KNOW CAN I HAVE YOU SEND IT TO ME PLEASE) I CANT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR YOUR HARD WORK YOU HAVE DONE FOR ALL OF THANK YOU AGAIN HIBALL

 

[Khaotic]

I've now skimmed through all 45 pages but cannot find any question that fit my problem, so if I missed it somewhere I appologize.

To try and describe how mine is acting in short is it seems to not fully "****" oil into the pump housing of my jack, so as I pump the handle "in a normal rate" it only catches and lifts the jack on about half of the range of motion of the handle.
If I keep the handle upright for 2-3 seconds before pumping down again it catches much earlier, but not right away.
It seems to speed up "filling housing with oil" if I pump the handle at the top with very small jerks (up-down-up-down with only 1 inch motion) to where I can eventually feel resistance from the very top of the motion range and then lifts through all of the pump down.

Other than that, it works fine.
I can lift it up to its maximum range, it holds during load and there is no leaks that I can tell.
I have tried replacing fluid, bleed it as described and checked oil level several times (sits just above cylinder when looking into fill plug hole)

Its only 4 years old, so I'd like to get it back to perfect working condition.. As its still working I use it but annoying that it takes twice the number of pumps to lift the car, or I have to wait 3 seconds between pumps to get it lifting through 3/4 of its range of motion.

I also tried changing the two O-rings for the pump piston, however Im not sure I did get the correct sized rings.
I have ordered new ones that should be a better fit, but can you think of any other parts that might be worn down to cause this behaviour or is it just a matter for me to find a more precise sized O-ring for the pump piston?

Thanks

 

[paulsomlo]

I've now skimmed through all 45 pages but cannot find any question that fit my problem, so if I missed it somewhere I appologize.

Are you using the jack in cold weather/unheated garage, etc.?

 

[Khaotic]

Are you using the jack in cold weather/unheated garage, etc.?

Yes its been kept in an unheated garage, only heated when Im working on the car which might be 2-3 days / month during winter.

 

[paulsomlo]

If the jack was cold when you were using it, try bringing it inside overnight where it's warm, then try pumping it. If it starts acting normally, it may be an issue with the viscosity of the hydraulic fluid.

 

[Hiball]

Is the reservoir too full? It needs head space, otherwise the pump Pistons can't overcome the vacuumn created when transferring fluid, weak or improper fitting orings will amplify this effect. A quick test to diagnose would be to simply pull the fill plug. Outside of that, it's possible that piece of a internal seal has come off and is found its way into the intake port, thus restricting the flow of oil from the reservoir to the working valve.

 

[Khaotic]

If the jack was cold when you were using it, try bringing it inside overnight where it's warm, then try pumping it. If it starts acting normally, it may be an issue with the viscosity of the hydraulic fluid.

Thanks for the tip, but its been like this for quite some time even during last summer so should not be a cause I suspect.
Its hard to remember but I believe its just become slowly worse during the last year or so and now its at a point where its to annoying to ignore any longer.

Is the reservoir too full? It needs head space, otherwise the pump Pistons can't overcome the vacuumn created when transferring fluid, weak or improper fitting orings will amplify this effect. A quick test to diagnose would be to simply pull the fill plug. Outside of that, it's possible that piece of a internal seal has come off and is found its way into the intake port, thus restricting the flow of oil from the reservoir to the working valve.

Thanks for the input, I will try working the jack without the fill plug and see what happens and swap the O-rings to get a better seal and report back.
If this doesnt get it working right, I guess I will have to try and disassemble it completely and look for clues.
Is the intake port visible when fully dismantled or will I need compressed air if some broken piece is lodged?

 

[Khaotic]

I've now had some time to look at the jack and first off all I unscrewed the filler plug but it did not change the characteristics of the pump as described above.
I did however confirm that the new O-rings I fitted was the wrong size as I put it under load it did slightly leak past the pump.

However likely it might be that correct O-rings will fix my issue, I still decided to tear it down and look for anything else that could contribute to the problem.

The only thing I noticed was that the smaller ball in the check valve was "hard" to get out.. I could not get it with a magnetic pen (didnt reach all the way down, but still) and it wouldnt fall out when I turned it up side down.
I got it out eventually by wiggling it abit with a small driver and got it with a magnetic tip of a small screwdriver, could this be a clue? That the small ball isnt moving upwards as easy as it should?

Other thing I found was this inside;

I have never opened this up, or changed oil until a few weeks ago and theese gooey lumps was found?
They were very soft, any idea what this might be? Didnt see any damage to O-rings/U-cup or piston but could be rubber shavings clumping from O-rings?
Perhaps this casued some blockage in the check valve canals but I did not find any hard debris that would definitly be the smoking gun.

Im going to order new O-rings now and assemble when I get some time over and hope its fixed, I assume theese are identical to many here in this thread, since I live over in Europe I cannot buy kits from you but is there any way you can help with sizes?

Pump O-ring I believe is ID 16mm but thickness I cant measure that accurately.. The machine shop I order from have options of 2,4mm/2,5mm/2,6mm and Im unsure which size is correct or how much 0,1mm does for function if I get it wrong?

Tank nut O-ring I have ID 30mm x 4mm thick and U-cup O-ring ID 32mm x 5mm written down as measurements.

Dont know how much theese can differ in sizes (beeing the same by looking at them) but any input would be helpful.

 

[Hiball]

I can't see your pictures on my phone, but if the lower ball isn't unseating very easily, that could definitely be restricting the flow of oil from the reservoir.

 

[WWheeler]

@ Khaotic

I can't see your images either.

Looks like you used imgur as an image host and unfortunately imgur blocks garage journal ostensibly because there's a classified section where things get bought and sold - same reason imgur blocks ebay and the like. You may be able to see them and not realize there's a prob, but unless someone recently visited imgur to still have the temp cookie on their device they won't be able to see the pics here.

Imgur photos no longer work on garage journal forums?
https://community.imgur.com/t/imgur-photos-no-longer-work-on-garage-journal-forums/33800

 

[Khaotic]

@ Khaotic

I can't see your images either.

Looks like you used imgur as an image host and unfortunately imgur blocks garage journal ostensibly because there's a classified section where things get bought and sold - same reason imgur blocks ebay and the like. You may be able to see them and not realize there's a prob, but unless someone recently visited imgur to still have the temp cookie on their device they won't be able to see the pics here.

Imgur photos no longer work on garage journal forums?
https://community.imgur.com/t/imgur-photos-no-longer-work-on-garage-journal-forums/33800

Ah, sorry about that.
Fixed now I hope, uploaded to different host.

 

[Hiball]

You need to flush the block/circuits, that gummy stuff is probably settled in the lower valve and is what is preventing the ball from lifting and/or restricting the flow of oil.

 

[Khaotic]

Thanks Hiball, I will definitly flush it before I reasemble.
Will be going away on holiday soon but I will report back once I get new O-rings and put it back together again!

 

[Cadman56]

I just finished reading this whole thread on Monday. First, I'd like to thank Hiball for creating the thread and for all his advice. Also, thanks to all who contributed to this great thread. Looks like a lot of old jacks have been put back to use. Now I want to get mine working again. I bought a JC Penney 1-1/2 ton floor jack in either the late '70's or early '80's. The model is 2015. It's a nice beefy jack that I didn't want to throw out when it stopped working around 5 years ago. So I pushed it back in the corner of the garage after I couldn't find anyone who would work on it and went out and bought a new jack. I wanted to work on it and try to fix it but I didn't know "jack" about jacks. The jack would lift but would slowly lower from what I can remember. It also leaked oil from the area around the tank nut. So, after reading this thread I decided to try and fix this jack. I tore it apart to see if I could find what might have been the problem and I think I found it. The cup seal at the end of the ram has some very bad cracks in it. So, after finding that, I ordered a seal kit from Lazzar's. I received the kit yesterday. Now I have a couple of questions. First, my manual shows that the oil tank has an o-ring where it goes into the oil box. I looked at the oil tank/oil box connection and I don't think it is welded but I can't seem to budge that oil tank. I tapped on it with a dead blow hammer, but no luck. Any suggestions on how to get this off if it is not welded? Pic is below. Next, the screw head with the 2 dimples in it is the over-load valve. Is this correct? The other screw is the working valve. Is this correct? I may pull the working and relief valve out but I don't think I'm going to touch the over-load valve unless I absolutely have to or am advised to do so. The oil looked fairly clean, and the screen was still intact in the suction hole. The inside of the cylinder is clean with no visible pieces of debris any where. Next, can anyone Id who made this pump? The jack was made in Japan. Am I on the right track for the rebuild? Any other tips/tricks/suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks for all your help. Pics are below.

 

[Hiball]

That style of reservoir can be a pain to get off, but on the plus side they seal very well, If you can get it to turn a bit, that aids is loosening it up. I've also had good luck using a small thin pry bar to work it up evenly. The overload is the right valve in reference to picture number 6's orientation. Outside of that, take your time, use some lube (clean hydraulic oil is fine in these applications) when installing the Ram into the bore, pump piston etc..

 

[Cadman56]

Thanks Hiball for the quick response. So the over-load valve isn't the one with the dimples in it. Why did they stake the working valve then? If I remove that screw should I stake it again? Thanks so much for your help.

 

[Hiball]

Thanks Hiball for the quick response. So the over-load valve isn't the one with the dimples in it. Why did they stake the working valve then? If I remove that screw should I stake it again? Thanks so much for your help.

Because that valve cap holds pressure against it when the jack is under load. Re-Stake? Sure... if you want to, just a couple dot punches will do the trick, Can't hurt anything.

 

[Mopar_Mikey]

Great thread HiBall! Don't know if it's worth it but I have a Craftsman 875.501390 that doesn't hold under load...it slowly will loose height. This is a fairly old jack maybe 2000-02 vintage and not the best quality, but I hate to throw stuff away that there is a chance for me to fix. I have replaced the fluid and bled the air out but there is not much change in the way it acts. Over the years it gets used sometimes multiple times a day and sometimes sits for weeks depending on the project I'm working on.
I have found the kit to rebuild it for about $45 shipped. There are other kits out there but do not specifically cross reference to my jack with the same part numbers. The one from that lists my jack has a part number 50139 but I see hydraulic seal kits from other hydraulic parts retailer as CAM-061-50139 for about half that cost. I'm wondering if these kits would be the same and include everything I need. I'm guessing it is maybe a $100 jack when it was new just want to do it with as little cost as I can. Any insight would be great.

 

[Mopar_Mikey]

Or should I just junk it and get this old Sears Jack from CL for $60? Hmmm? I like old stuff...It makes my son who loves his fancy new BMWs and ricers go WTF and rolls his eyes.

 

[Roberts210]

Heck yes, rebuild it! If for no other reason than to torment your son! Be sure and leave it to him in your will too. Seriously.

 

[paulsomlo]

The jack that you pictured from CL is actually a Blackhawk, rebranded by Sears. I can't read the label, but if it's 1.5 ton, it would be the equivalent of an SJ-2. There's some rebuilding info around here, not easy to get the tank nut off, and rear casters can be expensive. But a good jack, definitely. Unless it's been rebuilt, expect that it will need it. Don't know that I would bite at $60.

 

[Hiball]

Great thread HiBall! Don't know if it's worth it but I have a Craftsman 875.501390 that doesn't hold under load...it slowly will loose height. This is a fairly old jack maybe 2000-02 vintage and not the best quality, but I hate to throw stuff away that there is a chance for me to fix. I have replaced the fluid and bled the air out but there is not much change in the way it acts. Over the years it gets used sometimes multiple times a day and sometimes sits for weeks depending on the project I'm working on.
I have found the kit to rebuild it for about $45 shipped. There are other kits out there but do not specifically cross reference to my jack with the same part numbers. The one from that lists my jack has a part number 50139 but I see hydraulic seal kits from other hydraulic parts retailer as CAM-061-50139 for about half that cost. I'm wondering if these kits would be the same and include everything I need. I'm guessing it is maybe a $100 jack when it was new just want to do it with as little cost as I can. Any insight would be great.

I would simply call the supplier and have them verify whether or not it will fit or not, IME seal kit prices are all over the place. It probably wouldn't hurt to verify the kits age, is it old stock etc..

 

[Sphinx]

Great thread HiBall! Don't know if it's worth it but I have a Craftsman 875.501390 that doesn't hold under load...it slowly will loose height. This is a fairly old jack maybe 2000-02 vintage......I have found the kit to rebuild it for about $45 shipped. There are other kits out there but do not specifically cross reference to my jack with the same part numbers. The one from that lists my jack has a part number 50139 but I see hydraulic seal kits from other hydraulic parts retailer as CAM-061-50139 for about half that cost.

Mopar Mikey,

The Craftsman model 50139 aka 875.50139 is made by Torin. As of 10 months ago, Torin would sell you a complete power unit rebuild kit for $5 including shipping. I'm not joking - they sent one to me. Call Torin at 909 390 8588
or 888 448 6746 toll free, and press 1 (customer service, parts, etc...) and tell them you need the rebuild kit for the Craftsman 50139.

Sphinx

 

[Hiball]

Mopar Mikey,

The Craftsman model 50139 aka 875.50139 is made by Torin. As of 10 months ago, Torin would sell you a complete power unit rebuild kit for $5 including shipping. I'm not joking - they sent one to me. Call Torin at 909 390 8588
or 888 448 6746 toll free, and press 1 (customer service, parts, etc...) and tell them you need the rebuild kit for the Craftsman 50139.

Sphinx

Good Information... Thanks for sharing

 

[Mopar_Mikey]

Awesome information...I ordered my kit today! Sure beats $45. Sphinx, I owe you a beer or 12. Look me up if you are ever in Colorado! Thanks!

 

[Codge61]

Hi Hiball

Great tutorial! I have the exact same floor jack.
3 questions:
Is there a specific type of plug for the fill port. Mines missing.
How much hydraulic oil is required to fill?
Where can I get the the seal rings at both ends of the cylinder?

Codge

 

[Codge61]

Hi Hiball

Great tutorial! I have the exact same floor jack.
3 questions:
Is there a specific type of plug for the fill port. Mines missing.
How much hydraulic oil is required to fill?
Where can I get the the seal rings at both ends of the cylinder?

Codge

 

[Codge61]

I'm new to this forum and not sure if my post ended up in the right thread.
Your post from 12-22-2009.
GJ 1 Wilmar Floor Jack

 

[Khaotic]

Time for a small update..
Long overdue but I got some time to work on my jack, I recieved new O-rings and was going to start cleaning it up and reassemble but stumbled on this when I was cleaning out the ports.
I managed to fish it out and turned out to be a broken off drillbit

Needless to say, that port was not drilled through to anything and I've had the jack for several years without any noticable "issues" until as described in my previous posts here.
I traced the 4 ports that run on the outside of cylinder as you can see in the attached picture, can you tell me what function this particular port has (if any, since it seems to trace into the threaded part of the release valve)?

 

[BigMac38]

Hello all!
New member here. I have read a HUGE amount of this thread and I feel like I have really learned a lot, but I still could use some help.

I bought a kit from Lazzar's about a week ago and did my best to rebuild my Craftsman 3 1/2 ton floor jack. I replaced all the seals, rings, and balls, but not the backings in the pump.

I have actually disassembled everything twice to be sure. I was meticulous in labelling and such, and measured the check balls with a micrometer to ensure correct sizing.

Long story....err...shorter, my jack still doesn't work. Before it was just failing to hold up a load (would slowly let down). Now, it doesn't even pump up. I purged the air as well, and checked the fluid level. I won't say it isn't possible that I misplaced a ball. I certainly didn't re-seat them by tapping with a punch. I just dropped them in. The only videos I could find didn't show this as part of the procedure.

After the second time taking it apart and re-assembling, it would lift, but eventually quit. It began acting like there was air in the system and the pump had no resistance to it. There's a chance that I damaged the two nylon backings in the pump port, but minor nicks at most. the o-ring is in good shape. There's also a chance that the smallest ball in the center is misplaced....I honestly can't be sure without a schematic. I simply went slow and tried to ensure that I saw where everything came from. I put it back in the port I saw it come out of, which is sideways (perpendicular to the main port). Since I can't see the seat, I'm not sure it's where that ball goes.

Anyway, any help is much appreciated. It's a quick lift jack, so perhaps I have an adjustment wrong. I made the mistake of counting the threads out and not bottoming out and counting up. I realize this is more prone to error.

I'm including some pics that MIGHT help. I can certainly provide more information if needed. Thank you in advance for any help. My late father got me this jack as a gift about 15 years ago or so. It's seen a lot of use, but I'd love to get it up and going again. Overall it's been a good one. Not sure if the pics will work. This is the first time I've posted on a forum. Let me know, people.