Anyone rebuild a floor jack?

[Los_Control]

I have a leak in my old floor jack .... bought it a few years ago & works great .... except for now it does not.

Right here on the lever it is now obvious where it leaks. .... been seeping for awhile, now it is just useless til fixed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm thinking these jacks were sold in the 1980's? The orange paint.

In the 1970's Sears sold a jack that looks just like them except a different color ..... A model 328.

I'm guessing they were the same jacks built in Japan, distributed to different stores ...... How do I know what seal kit to buy for it?

 

 

I guess many would just toss it in the trash, I like it & is a quality built jack .... better then some of the junk available today.

Just not sure how to order parts for it. ...... I'm only guessing if I order parts for a Sears 328 they will work on this jack.

Any ideas on how to get the right parts?

 

 

[Eneto-55]

I didn't get a floor jack until we moved back from Brazil, in 2003.  Big Red brand.  I modified it a bit right away because our vehicle at the time was a 93 Chrysler Town & Country, and the handle didn't go near enough to the floor that I could make more than really short strokes starting out.  The car just sat too low.  Now it's worse, because at least that one had enough of a frame under the engine that I could jack it up from in the middle.

Just yesterday I jacked up our 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan, and I wanted it pretty high, so I went up pretty far on one side before switching to the other side.  I noticed after that that my jack's frame is now twisted a bit.  Maybe it was already, but I think I did it by jacking the car up too far on one side only.  It caused the jack to angle to the side a bit, which I didn't see until later.  I think I could straighten it on the press if I completely dismantled it, but that would be quite a bit of work.

But to your question, mine now very slowly drops down under load - has been doing that for quite a few years.  (I hear it creaking.)  I think I gave $85.00 for it new, from the tractor repair shop near here.

Edited August 10, 2023 by Eneto-55

[Los_Control]

Just now, Eneto-55 said:

But to your question, mine now very slowly drops down under load - has been doing that for quite a few years.

 

Yeah I bought mine from a estate sale for $50.  I have tested it several times overnight sitting above jack stands .... no leaks or lowering while unattended.

Great little jack.

 

Now it is leaking. Looks like it has been seeping for a long time at the lever .... I just want to order the right parts to fix that.

A seal kit is about $60 plus shipping. ..... Be really stupid if I ordered a seal kit I thought would work .... Then would not.

Would be time to buy one of those cheap imitations of a race car jack from harbor freight. 

 

My jack now spits fluid out of the seal when I raise it under any load. .... Now it is low on fluid & not raise.

 

I need to replace that seal .... in order to get it I need to buy a whole seal kit ..... how do I know what kit to buy?

 

Let the question ride for a bit, possibly someone has a idea .... I suspect I will order the seal kit for the sears 328 & hope it fits.

 

[Bryan G]

If you have a local company that does hydraulic repairs, you could give them a try. I've had a bottle jack rebuilt many moons ago by a shop like that. Maybe if you carried it in they would know what you need?

[Dave72dt]

The 328 kits will fit a bunch of different jacks.  You won't use all the seals that come in the kit.  That plunger has a dust seal on top and an O-ring with a nylon backup ring.  If you can find someplace that sell Orings and backup rings, that may be all you need.  With the handle out of the way you should be able top pull the plunger out and access the Oring.

[vintage6t]

6 hours ago, Dave72dt said:

If you can find someplace that sell Orings and backup rings, that may be all you need. 

 

Hardware store. I had a similar leak in the speed control for the 3 point lift on my tractor. Long story short - after unsuccesfully trying to obtain a very expensive rebuild kit, a hardware bought oring of the proper size fixed the leak. This cost less than a dollar and has been in service for many years.

[Los_Control]

I appreciate the reply, there is some good advice here.

I think buying parts for the 328 is going to probably be my best option .... til I find out they wont work .... there is a lot of stuff in those kits, no way you could use them all.

 

I also like @vintage6t solution.

There is no indication of any leak around the cylinder. I have a few times jacked up a vehicle & let it sit overnight just to see if it leaked. It never leaked down.

 

So really all I may need is the o-ring & nylon backup ring. ..... I'm thinking I'm going to start there. Just fix what is broken.

I will try to source the parts locally .... if no luck I will gamble on buying the 328 kit.

I do have a hydraulic repair shop in town. Lots of farms & ranches around with hydraulic equipment to maintain.

If they had the parts I need, they would just be doing me a favor to get out of their hair & get back to work.

 

I actually bought a motor from the kid .... Father owns the shop. He had a Ford Flathead V8 advertised on FB for $350 .... had been listed for several weeks.

I contacted him to see if he still had it, then offered him $100 scrap value for it just to save it from the scrap yard .... he accepted.

When I went to pick it up it was already in the back lot sitting in his scrap pile. ..... The karma was bad, he just thought I was taking advantage of him & that engine was worth a million $$

I'm just saying if he remembers me, he probably not looking to do me any favors  

[plymouthcranbrook]

When my old Allied jack started slipping back around 2000 they were long out of business. No body had parts but a local NAPA guy sent me to a local hydraulic hose builder. I took the old seals with me and had a new set in two days.  I installed them and it has worked ever since.

[kencombs]

Take a look here:

 

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/overseas-jack-rebuild-help-tutorial.51105/

 

More info than you'll need but a good read anyway.

[Los_Control]

32 minutes ago, kencombs said:

More info than you'll need but a good read anyway.

Good link, I went through it and have it bookmarked for future reference.

I also found a youtube vid that a older gentleman made up rebuilding a sears 328 jack. He was very thorough & clear on explaining what was going on.

The link you post the man explains his guide will work for all Taiwan jacks .... the sears jack falls in that category also.

Makes me a little more confident the sears 328 seal kit will work if needed .... I will try the hydraulic repair shop first.

 

11 hours ago, plymouthcranbrook said:

When my old Allied jack started slipping back around 2000 they were long out of business. No body had parts but a local NAPA guy sent me to a local hydraulic hose builder. I took the old seals with me and had a new set in two days.  I installed them and it has worked ever since.

I'm hoping for the same result. Thinking the shop in my area survives on rebuilding hydraulic equipment for farmers ...... The same farmers all have repair shops at home with jacks to maintain the equipment. .... possible they have the seals or can get them.

 

I have a project with my daily driver this week end, next week will be back on my pilothouse & will need to get the jack working to work on that truck.

[Sniper]

Dang it, I was driving thru your neck of the woods today and was thinking about a visit.  Then I realized I was in C city and not Sweetwater.  Getting old sucks.

[Los_Control]

I love you @Sniper .... I live in C City not Sweet water .... getting old does suck.

Probably a good thing you not stopped by .... you would have just caught me sitting in the garage loafing thinking about working  

 

I sent you the address once in pm, you ever want it again let me know.

[Sniper]

I still have it, It's in my phone now.

[Los_Control]

Thought I would post this here. I ordered a assortment of O-rings. A pack with 1500 o-rings and it did not have the right size.

Still handy to have around the shop, needed one for my compression tester so it is fixed now.

 

I dug around some more & stumbled across the correct size o-ring for these jacks ... or at least my jack. Just search for a 208 o-ring, I ordered from Amazon.

My plunger or shaft, whatever it is called was in pretty rough shape. I could see visual imperfections on it then feel them with my finger nail.

I dressed it lightly with sand paper finishing it off with 2000 grit to polish it.  It at least has a chance to seal with a new o-ring.

208 Buna-N O-Ring, 70A Durometer, Black, 5/8" ID, 7/8" OD, 1/8" Width (Pack of 100)

[Dave72dt]

Did you try the local parts house, maybe an implement dealer for a 208 O-ring?  When in the parts business we could order them in 10 packs for restocking an assortment box and sell them individually or as a complete package.  Hardware stores may also have assortments and sell individually.

[Los_Control]

Just now, Dave72dt said:

Did you try the local parts house

I went to one parts house, Charlie just keeps a assortment box under the counter ... if he has what you need he just gives it to you.  Just a convenience for customers.

I thought about going to the hydraulic repair shop .... Anything they would have is for their mechanics .... awkward to go ask.

 

I found out yesterday what the correct size was & ordered a pack.... I think there is 50 o-rings for $5.87 + $6 for shipping $13 & will be delivered here tomorrow.

 

$13 for the o-rings might be a bit costly. I'm lazy I did not have to leave the shop then waste gas running around looking .... I was able to finish welding in my floor of the truck & got a few other things checked off the list ..... I'm satisfied spending the money for saving me time to do things I would rather do.

[Los_Control]

Well my jack is becoming annoying ..... I might be in the market for a new jack.

 

I replaced the o-ring then filled it with oil, it was pretty low and took a lot of oil to fill it up.

I know I will need to bleed the air out of it .... it did raise all the way up the first try but when I started to bleed it then would only go 1/2 way up.

Then I started watching more videos on how to bleed a floor jack .... there is 10 video's and 10 different ways .... everyone does it different & some are obviously wrong.

Anyways it did not take long and could not raise it at all.

I then figured out I could raise it by hand & let it lower itself and watch the air come out of the cylinder .... did this a few times and now it goes 1/2 way again.

I think I can get it this way but I need to install the plug while raising the jack, then remove the plug when lowering so air can escape ..... I dunno. Makes sense on paper.

 

I just got frustrated with it and started working on my truck again .... I will mess with it again in a few days.

I did raise up the Dodge truck as far as the jack would go, wondering if weight would help bleed it ..... I left it in the air for a few hours and no leaks .... just full of air.

 

[vintage6t]

Just going from memory so I could be wrong. I don't think you need to put the plug back in. At least if it's the fill plug. That reservoir is not under pressure, similar to a brake master cylinder reservoir. Keep the plug out and raise and release the jack a bunch of times. You may get some fluid "splashing" out but that's okay, just top it off when done.

[Los_Control]

@vintage6t Thanks for the confirmation. That's really what I'm thinking also.

While I have never needed to bleed a floor jack in the past, everything I have read says the same thing.

While my jack has a rubber plug, some have a screw in plug is said to just leave them out or loose when bleeding. ... I can only get it to go 1/2 way up.

 

Giving it some thought the last few days something is bothering me about it.

When I took the plastic seal & o-ring out, the plastic seal was on top o-ring on the bottom.

Everything I have read says the seal on bottom with o-ring on top. ...... When I saw this I thought AH  HAA! someone has been in here before me.

So I did swap them around and put it together how I think it should be, not how I took it apart.

 

I have looked at pictures again and think I have it the right way now ..... I'm going to have to switch them around and see if it makes a difference.

Maybe I just have a backwards jack?

 

So I have to try that and see if it changes anything. Pretty soon I'm going to need a jack and have been window shopping looking at new ones.

[vintage6t]

Again, just a guess. When it's half way up, add more fluid and see if it will start to go higher. It's possible it just needs more.

[Sniper]

You fill the reservoir with the jack down, otherwise there is nowhere for the fluid to drain out of the cylinder when it is extended.

[Los_Control]

Yeah I have looked at both positions with the jack up and have it lowered .......It is full ... it is not leaking  when under a load ..... just not doing what it is expected to do.

 

 

I just have serious doubts that changing the position on the plastic seal & 0-ring would make a big difference .... I still have to give it a try just in case it does fix it....

 

Just a 40 year old jack that had a leak ...... but never a issue for me  .... when the leak got worse & caused a issue. ......

 

Something somewhere is causing a issue I have to do something ...... when the 40 year old jack will not respond to simple fixes ..... I'm thinking it was low on fluid for some time.

Then when I filled it I got some floaters in it ........ sometimes it pumps up .... sometimes it is blocked  .... Just does not perform like any normal jack that had a o-ring in the handle replaced & filled with fluid.

 

I was hoping for a quick easy fix .... sometimes we win .... sometimes we lose ..... knowing when to move on is the key.

 

Best jack at walmart is $98 .... harbor freight offers online jacks up to $160  .... I wonder what tractor supply offers? Might be where I end up.

[kencombs]

If I'm visualizing the plastic part correctly it is a backup ring.  All the oring/backup ring installations I've seen have the oring toward the pressure and the backup on the other side.  Their function is to keep the oring from extruding into the piston/cylinder clearance area under pressure.

 

I've had good results when working on jacks by positioning the jack so that the fill port is the highest part of the jack.  Floor jack standing on it's front wheels usually, ram fully retracted.  Fill and let it set with the lower/release valve open, overnight if possible so that air will migrate upward.

Edited September 7, 2023 by kencombs

[Dave72dt]

Look at the check balls and ball seats, relief valve.  The plunger just pumps fluid and the O-ring and backup ring seal it.

[vintage6t]

On 9/6/2023 at 5:27 PM, Sniper said:

You fill the reservoir with the jack down, otherwise there is nowhere for the fluid to drain out of the cylinder when it is extended.

 

I don't know for sure but I would think the jack either builds pressure or it doesn't. The fact that it only pumps up halfway might be an indication that there's air trapped somewhere in the system preventing the proper amount of fluid being added. Pump it up and it runs out of fluid halfway up. So why not pump it up, top off the fluid, see if it will pump up some more, cycle it up and down and see if it will bleed any trapped air?  Yes, the worst case is too much fluid that overflows out the fill port when you release the pressure.