To lift your vehicle when changing your tire or for other support, you require a floor jack. It’s a great tool that is vulnerable to damages regardless of the sturdy structure. With this in mind, it’s necessary to learn how to repair a floor jack that won’t hold pressure. Get the step-by-step guide on how to fix floor jack leak pressure in this article.
Why Won’t My Floor Jack Hold Pressure?
The existence of an air pocket in a hydraulic system can adversely affect its lifting power. A damaged or cracked O-ring in the valve cartridge may allow air to seep through. Their compresses easier than the oil hence the jack will either feel soft when cranking or lose pressure and lower by itself once you let it sit under load.
If the jack has insufficient oil in its reservoir, some air may start building up inside the unit. Ensure you check the oil levels and avoid using other oil types instead of the designated hydraulic oil that could damage its working mechanism.
How to Fix the Problem
Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot and repair a floor jack that won’t hold pressure:
Carry out the bleeding process
Place the device valve in a retracted position that is anticlockwise of the handle and then remove the oil filler. The continuous screwing and pumping of the handle severally will remove any trapped air in the floor jack. Here is a more detailed guide on how to bleed a pneumatic jack.
Carry out an overall checkup
Troubleshooting will help detect other issues it may have. Examine the cracked weld, ruined parts, oil leaks, rusty pistons, and more; it reduces the chance that something goes wrong while doing the lifting.
Check if you’re overloading
Check your floor jack’s lifting capacity if it fails to lift a particular weight. Various jacks have a safety feature that prevents them from working if it’s overloaded, preventing accidents. Keeping on pumping the jack may cause internal leaks and damages to the seals, ultimately preventing the jacks from holding any amount of pressure.
Check the weight of the vehicle and compare it against the floor jack’s lifting capacity. Typically, a 2-3 ton-capacity jack can lift passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks.
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The jack may not have the right oil levels
Incorrect oil levels could be higher or lower than the recommended making your jack fail. To examine the oil level, take off the fill plug from the jack and peep in its chamber. The best level is usually 3/16 to ¼ over the reservoir.
How to refill your floor jack and check for oil leaks
- You should drain the oil if it’s higher than the level or refill it with quality oil. After fixing the issue, your jack will now enough pressure to lift any weight.
- Also, examine your jack from time to time to detect any debris or dirt in the oil chamber. Any dirt may make the floor jack dysfunctional.
- Always assess the damaged parts that are leading to internal or external leakages.
- Consult professionals where necessary.
- Improper placement of release valve- check the valve’s tightness and adjust it if the jack fails to operate. Proper maintenance of the jack is also necessary to ensure some issues don’t occur. Practices such as lubrication of the moving parts, wheels, hinges will ensure the tool works efficiently.
- Examine the rubber plug- it could be the reason why the floor jack leaks pressure; fix it tightly to prevent any air leak.
- Clean the rubber plug with a rag.
- Set it into the hole of the jack’s cylinder.
- Press it firmly
- Follow any further requirements as mentioned in the user manual.
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Conclusion
The easiest way to prevent malfunctions and potential problems is regular maintenance of your floor jack. Keep your jack clean and dry as much as possible and maintain it at regular intervals. When not sure of an issue, consult a repair shop.