Neighbor let out the hyd. fluid from car jack. How do you bleed a jack?
04-24-2005, 10:05 PM
#1
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Neighbor let out the hyd. fluid from car jack. How do you bleed a jack? I let my neighbor use my craftsman suv high lift jack so he could install a KN filter on his new Honda. He had to lift it to take off his fender. Well, he returned it to me and explained that he did not know how to lower the car and turned the wrong screw on the top of the jack. There is a big sticker next to the screw that says "do not adjust." A large quantity of fluid shot out.
Being the nice neighbor that I am with the faster car, I said I would fix it and it was an honest mistake.
Weellllll, I am pretty good with cars, but I cannot figure out how to get this car jack to build up pressure. What kind of fluid do these jacks use and is there some special bleeding process????????????? I added straight 30w fluid in the "add fluid" hole on the top of the jack piston cylinder. When I pump, the arm barely raises.
Being the nice neighbor that I am with the faster car, I said I would fix it and it was an honest mistake.
Weellllll, I am pretty good with cars, but I cannot figure out how to get this car jack to build up pressure. What kind of fluid do these jacks use and is there some special bleeding process????????????? I added straight 30w fluid in the "add fluid" hole on the top of the jack piston cylinder. When I pump, the arm barely raises.
04-24-2005, 11:30 PM
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What kind of fluid do these jacks use and is there some special bleeding process?????????????[/QUOTE]
No special bleeding process. Any good hyraulic jack fluid should work of viscosity 10° - 32° cST/40° C. NEVER use brake fluid - it is not made for this situation AT ALL and YOU CAN KILL YOURSELF as it will not sustain the jack's load.
I can't overemphasize this. I pray to God you don't get under that car while you have regular motor oil in that thing.
-Matt
No special bleeding process. Any good hyraulic jack fluid should work of viscosity 10° - 32° cST/40° C. NEVER use brake fluid - it is not made for this situation AT ALL and YOU CAN KILL YOURSELF as it will not sustain the jack's load.
I can't overemphasize this. I pray to God you don't get under that car while you have regular motor oil in that thing.
-Matt
04-25-2005, 12:38 AM
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http://www.hyjacks.com/H7.HTM
FLUID
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Another popular question is - What fluid do I use? About 20 years ago we called several oil companies and asked what they recommended as a general purpose fluid. The closest, Mobil Oil, told us to use DTE Light or DTE 24, so we used that for many years. Ten years ago, tho, they moved several miles away and we went to a nearby Shell Oil distributor and asked for their equivalent - We've been using Shell's Turbo 32 ever since. The truth is - It probably doesn't matter so much what fluid you use as what you should NOT use - and that is Brake Fluid! Yes, BRAKE FLUID is for hydraulic brakes but IT IS NOT HYDRAULIC FLUID! Simply put, it contains alcohol which will pretty much turn most of your seals into JELLO! DO NOT PUT BRAKE FLUID IN YOUR JACK ! Got it?
Still another popular question is - Can I put Transmission fluid in my jack? And our standard answer is - maybe... If you've got a seeping jack that's lost some of it's oil and you need to get a new starter put in or you'll have to walk to work tomorrow - What the hell, put in the trans fluid and use the jack. But as soon as you can swing it get the dang thing fixed, drain out the trans fluid and buy a quart of jack fluid at your local auto supply store, (most stock it or can get it if you ask). Does the trans fluid hurt the jack - we don't know. We have not seen any specific proof one way or another...
NOTE: Most jack manufacturers specify in 'the fine print' that if you use other than their exact fluid you void the warranty. Needless to say, if their jack lost fluid in the period covered by the warranty they haven't made too good of a jack... I personally see it as being ridiculous, like you HAVE TO buy General Motors Power steering fluid or FORD Freon, but their lawyers are nastier than yours, try and play the game if it won't kill you.
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Another popular question is - What fluid do I use? About 20 years ago we called several oil companies and asked what they recommended as a general purpose fluid. The closest, Mobil Oil, told us to use DTE Light or DTE 24, so we used that for many years. Ten years ago, tho, they moved several miles away and we went to a nearby Shell Oil distributor and asked for their equivalent - We've been using Shell's Turbo 32 ever since. The truth is - It probably doesn't matter so much what fluid you use as what you should NOT use - and that is Brake Fluid! Yes, BRAKE FLUID is for hydraulic brakes but IT IS NOT HYDRAULIC FLUID! Simply put, it contains alcohol which will pretty much turn most of your seals into JELLO! DO NOT PUT BRAKE FLUID IN YOUR JACK ! Got it?
Still another popular question is - Can I put Transmission fluid in my jack? And our standard answer is - maybe... If you've got a seeping jack that's lost some of it's oil and you need to get a new starter put in or you'll have to walk to work tomorrow - What the hell, put in the trans fluid and use the jack. But as soon as you can swing it get the dang thing fixed, drain out the trans fluid and buy a quart of jack fluid at your local auto supply store, (most stock it or can get it if you ask). Does the trans fluid hurt the jack - we don't know. We have not seen any specific proof one way or another...
NOTE: Most jack manufacturers specify in 'the fine print' that if you use other than their exact fluid you void the warranty. Needless to say, if their jack lost fluid in the period covered by the warranty they haven't made too good of a jack... I personally see it as being ridiculous, like you HAVE TO buy General Motors Power steering fluid or FORD Freon, but their lawyers are nastier than yours, try and play the game if it won't kill you.
BLEEDING THE AIR OUT OF YOUR JACK
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Another popular question we receive is - How do I bleed my jack? Well, jacks are NOT quite like the hydraulic brake system of your car. You don't have several feet of small diameter steel tubing carrying ounces of oil all over the place, so, you don't really need to bleed them as part of routine care.
If your jack is acting 'spongey' the major reason generally is that you have a BAD SEAL that is sucking air into the system or else your kids (or some bugwit neighbor) played around with it and tried jacking it upside down. Whatever the reason - Here we go:
Jack the jack all the way up/out. Release the release and retract all the way down. Open the filler plug and you should get a little psssst. Voile'! That's IT! But MAKE SURE you open the filler plug and NOT a CHECK VALVE - This will introduce air INTO your system!!!.
Also sometimes, if kids or neighbors have been around, you may lose the prime of your jack. - Set the release valve closed and PULL THE PISTON OUT or UP, open release valve and push back down. This should force oil through the system and catch the prime again - You may have to do it a couple of times.
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Another popular question we receive is - How do I bleed my jack? Well, jacks are NOT quite like the hydraulic brake system of your car. You don't have several feet of small diameter steel tubing carrying ounces of oil all over the place, so, you don't really need to bleed them as part of routine care.
If your jack is acting 'spongey' the major reason generally is that you have a BAD SEAL that is sucking air into the system or else your kids (or some bugwit neighbor) played around with it and tried jacking it upside down. Whatever the reason - Here we go:
Jack the jack all the way up/out. Release the release and retract all the way down. Open the filler plug and you should get a little psssst. Voile'! That's IT! But MAKE SURE you open the filler plug and NOT a CHECK VALVE - This will introduce air INTO your system!!!.
Also sometimes, if kids or neighbors have been around, you may lose the prime of your jack. - Set the release valve closed and PULL THE PISTON OUT or UP, open release valve and push back down. This should force oil through the system and catch the prime again - You may have to do it a couple of times.
NEITHER A BORROWER NOR LENDER BE...
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Just about half of the jacks that come into our shop for repair are accompanied by the owner's lament - "I lent it to a friend." Don't know what it is exactly but a lent jack is soon a broken jack! People not really familar with jacks seem to think they can lift anything and when no one's looking (and it's not their property to begin with) they try lifting a corner of their 20 ton house with a 2 ton floor jack. God bless 'em, they're going to put my daughter through college, but YOU might want to think twice before you lend your jack. Our best advice is a little white lie - tell them you'd be happy to but 'it's not working right', you 'don't want to chance it...' Then tell them that you think the guy down the street with the old Mustang has one. As much as you'd like to - DON'T DO IT!
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Just about half of the jacks that come into our shop for repair are accompanied by the owner's lament - "I lent it to a friend." Don't know what it is exactly but a lent jack is soon a broken jack! People not really familar with jacks seem to think they can lift anything and when no one's looking (and it's not their property to begin with) they try lifting a corner of their 20 ton house with a 2 ton floor jack. God bless 'em, they're going to put my daughter through college, but YOU might want to think twice before you lend your jack. Our best advice is a little white lie - tell them you'd be happy to but 'it's not working right', you 'don't want to chance it...' Then tell them that you think the guy down the street with the old Mustang has one. As much as you'd like to - DON'T DO IT!
Last edited by ACW; 04-25-2005 at 09:13 PM.
04-25-2005, 11:17 AM
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Thanks for your help. You guys are great.
I use the jack to jack up the car and support it with jack stands.
I am off to buy hydo. fluid now.
I use the jack to jack up the car and support it with jack stands.
I am off to buy hydo. fluid now.
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05-04-2005, 12:35 PM
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The old timers used to use ATF fluid in their engine crankcases.... they always claimed it was better than regular engine oil becasue it has a bunch of additives.....
