Are you having trouble with your floor jack not being able to hold pressure? Well, it may be due to mechanical issues. You see, floor jacks are extremely tiny car accessory, but it can be robust, too.

You can use it to lift heavy things such as your car and such. What that means is that just like other mechanical systems, the floor jack is also prone to damages regardless of its sturdiness. 

How to Repair a Floor Jack That Won’t Hold Pressure?

That being said, learning how to fix whenever it has problems is a very important thing. That is exactly what this article is all about- how to repair a floor jack that won’t hold pressure. We are going to look at all the steps to help you troubleshoot and repair your floor jack anytime, anywhere. Read on.

Clean if First

Anytime you are planning to work on your jack, or when you are carrying out any maintenance work, make sure to clean it before anything else. You see, the floor jack can easily fail to work in the even dirt or debris contaminates the hydraulic fluid. That can easily damage the cylinder interiors.

Do this,use a shop rag to wipe down the jack cylinders thoroughly before opening any of them.

Assess the Plug On Cylinder

When your floor jack isn’t work as desired, there are chances that the plug on cylinder is failing everything. Yet still, it could be a problem of dirt in the hydraulic fluid. Locate the plug just at the top of the cylinder and pry it up using a screwdriver. If you realize that the plug is faulty, you will definitely need to purchase a new one for replacement.

Drain Out the Hydraulic Fluid

Get a bucket and set it up below the floor jack while the tool is turned to drain out the hydraulic fluid. Once you have emptied the hydraulic jack completely, look inside to ensure there is no debris that has been left lying around or at the bottom. If there is some inside, use compressed air to clean them up.

Replace Hydraulic Fluid

After cleaning the jack, make sure to buy new hydraulic fluid and pour it in using a funnel. The fluid is relatively affordable everywhere, but the costs will vary depending on the make and size of your floor jack of course. Regardless of these factors, strive to see to it that they cylinder is full.

If you can’t access hydraulic fluid, you can opt for 5W-30 oil as a better alternative. However, remember to find the correct fluid as quickly as possible.

Check the Plug

We are talking about the rubber plug found on top of the cylinder.Check its age before returning it to its place. Next, clean it using a rag and remove all dirt and set it back into its hole, firmly. Sit it flatly because the availability of wrinkles can cause air leakage into the cylinders- which can fail you big time.

Check if the Release Valve is Placed Properly

Take a look at the jack’s release valve when the tool can’t lift weights despite correct pumping and correctly placed saddle. The valve’s tightness is a major suspect in that case. So, examine its tightness and adjust where necessary. Once you have effectively solved that, the jack should start working normally.

Do Some Bleeding

If the jack is failing every now and then, there is a likelihood that some air is trapped inside the jack, which is causing its failure to lift.

Lucky for you, you can solve that easily, through a process known as bleeding. Do this, place the release valve in a retracted position and remove the filler screw. Screw and pump the handle a number of times repeatedly to remove the air inside the system. Next, replace the oil filler screw and …

See if it’s Working

After you have done all the aforementioned things, you should not have any problem henceforth. However, you should test the jack before concluding that everything is alright. If you see that it is working fine even after putting in a considerable weight on the tool, you can now clap for yourself!

Final Thoughts

In case your floor jack is failing, there is no doubt an underlying issue that you should work to discover as soon as possible. Fortunately, this guide will go a long way to streamline things and help you arrest the real culprit within no time at all.