Bleeding a Floor Jack - Need a How To!

[jmgtp]

It is a Craftsman 3ton. All steel and about 8 or 9 years old. It's seen a lot of use but it isnt doing so well lately. I'd rather not buy a new one.

First off it seems like there is air in it. If I jack the saddle up a bit and even just stand on it with my body weight it will compress down almost an inch. On top of that it doesn't pump up like it used to, in other words many more pumps to reach a certain height, load or not. And lastly it won't go up anywhere near what it is capable of. Maybe 10" max now.

There are 2 "screws" at the base of the jack. One seems to be a filling port and the other perhaps to bleed. I'm just not sure how to accomplish it. It seems like the kind of thing where I'll have to open the bleeder screw and pour fluid into it while pulling the ram up by hand, but I am really not sure.

With the saddle at rest if I open the fill screw it is full.

Anyone??

[Joseph Upson]

I believe it's just worn out because my 2 ton jack does the same thing only worse. It started with an improper dismount from under a car being moved onto a dolly where the jack was forced over on its side as the car was pushed and it was down hill from there.

First it would only lift about 85% then over time it decreased from there and got worse even with lack of use and now it barely works at all.

[geoffinbc]

The fluid is contained on the side of the ram somewhere. There will be a fill hole there. Fill it up with the ram fully compressed. There is no saving the jack if it is leaking down. Either replace it or have it rebuilt.

[jmgtp]

It isnt leaking down. It will compress a bit with weight on it, say 34", and they it will hold the weight of the car without a problem. Kinda like a brake system with air in it, you squish and compress the air before before anything happens.

With the ram fully compressed its full, so crap I don't know! Might just be time for a new one, the return spring on the handle snapped too so this thing has become more of a hassle than anything else.