Floor Jack Tip
Posted: Thu May 07, 2020 10:42 pm
I have 2 floor jacks, a 2-ton Sears Craftsman and a 3 1/2-ton NAPA. Both were rebuilt about 10 years ago, as they were not holding pressure when the weight of the car was on them. 10 years ago I probably spent around $200 to have both jacks rebuilt. Recently, both jacks exhibited the same behavior, and after talking with a couple of shops, I discovered their price today was around $200 each. I ended up buying a new 3-ton Daytona jack from Harbor Freight for about $120. My plan was to dispose of the old jacks at the curb next week. I happened to come across the owner's manual for the NAPA jack and read that if the jack is not holding pressure, to close the valve tightly and rapidly pump the jack 4 times to purge air from the hydraulic cylinder. The good news is I followed the directions and salvaged both jacks, neither of which leak down now. The bad news is I now have 3 good quality working jacks.