I have a craftsman 3 ton floor jack, it is about 3 years old, the problem is: once I jack up a car, lawnmower, etc it will come back down on its own after a while. I don't know much about jacks, the only thing I do know is the handle is in the lifting position. Someone told me it could be the seals and told me to throw it away and buy a new one. Can you help me
Well you jack need some oil just add it and it will stay up. There is a lil part that unscrew on top and thats where you add it at but it has to be oil for the jacks. get it from the auto zone or a car part store please rate me and i hope this help you have a great day
Find the model number and check for availability of replacement parts at searspartsdirect.com. If it is a relatively new jack, you might be able to get parts. The defective part is probably the seal on the hydraulic shaft as your friend suggested. Not a part that is easy to find locally since it is very size specific. Sometimes an overload or age will cause the seal to develop a hairline crack that will allow the hydraulic fluid to bypass and lower the jack. It could also be a defect or misadjustment of the overload system or the control valve not shutting properly. In any case I would suggest that you don't use the jack until it is repaired. Even if parts are still available, it is quite a job to drain and disassemble the cylinder to verify the defective part that you need. The seal is normally attached to the far side of the chromed cylinder that pushes out when you pump the handle. Several hours work for sure. I disassembled mine with basic tools only to find that the cracked seal I needed was no longer available. Maybe worth it if it was a top of the line jack. If you spent less than $75 on it I would chuck it and buy a new one. Make sure the new one rated high enough for the loads you want to lift and always use jack stands. A seal could blow out at any time. Don't want to be under the car when that happens. Good luck.
Phil
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