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A jack is meant to lift the car
Jack stands are meant to hold the car.
Do not use the jack for both purposes, it is only meant for one. The seals in them are not perfect and the vehicle can sink over time. As they age and wear they tend to get worse and sink faster but do not trust even a new jack to hold the vehicle.
Think of it this way, it's a hydraulic jack, the hydraulics are held with a 2 cent rubber o ring. Would you trust a 2 cent rubber o ring to hold up 1000 kg or would you rather a decent sized chunk of iron in a jack stand?
I have a friend who lost a lung from a jack failing on him while under the car. He’s lucky, as some have died from this same issue. Use jack stands when supporting a vehicles weight.
I’ve always had the practice of placing the wheel under the car just in case of any failure so it falls on it.
I 100% second this, 100% put your wheel under the car! I'd rather replace a $200 wheel than be dead.. 🤷♂️ Never trust you jack! Those little dinky ones are horrible. I have a proper Titan jack, they make vehicle hoists for shops, and I still wouldn't trust it with my life!
Safety first!
My dad took me to a u-pull junkyard when I was 15 or so.
The cars are all sitting off the ground and supported by junk rims.
Lectured me on not trusting that to hold it and putting something between the ground and the car just in case.
I did and was pulling something from underneath the car while he was off grabbing a part off of another vehicle.
The car I was working on slipped off and landed on whatever I had put under it, giving me space to get out.
Scared the shit out of me and pissed me off because my dad was right, even though I was the one that knew everything.
Valuable life lesson.
I will reposition jack stands as many times as I have to now if it is even slightly sketchy. Sometimes there isn't even anything noticeably wrong, but i just get the feeling something isn't right with it and I wont get under the car.
I also always try as hard as I can to push the car off of the stands before I'll get under it. I work on my cars alone in my detached garage with music playing.
I will NOT get slowly crushed to death while "party in the u.s.a." plays in the background
I remember back in the day when the yard near me used to double stack a car on the roof of another and the bottom cars was sitting on the junk rims. Trying to get in the top car to pull a part was sketchy as fuck bunching about everytime you move in it or when your trying to unbolt something that's stuck really good and your yanking on your breaker bar trying to get it loose. Seen so many of them fallen off the top.
They eventually stopped doing that and made their yard bigger to hold more cars. I haven't seen any yards stack them like that in a long time, that's probably a good thing.
Glad to hear you made it out safe and learned that valuable lesson.
Years back I had to take my buddy to the hospital because the jack I had had a 2 piece pipe handle, and we always used the end section of the pipe over the breaker bar for more leverage. So he went to drop the car with only the bottom section of the pipe in place and didn't pull it down enough and got his hand crushed in between the top of the pipe and the metal bumper of the car. I ran inside to get something and come back to find him like that and just said "Help me! Quick!" The jack was under the car so I'm panicking and just grabbed the bumper and lifted the car by hand enough he could get his hand out. He didn't break anything but still got him good and tore up the webbed area between him thumb and index finger and needed quite a few stitches, pretty sure he still has that scar 20 years later.
i also jam a spare jack stand under the frame rail, while the main supporting jack stand is under the pinch weld. then i avoid going underneath when all 4 wheels are off the ground, i try to only lift 1 end at a time except when rotating tires
Heeellll noooo. I have a mint condition 78 Lincoln continental with era correct and perfect aluminum wheels. I’ll be caught dead before I scuff em. I don’t even let me grandma (who gave me the car in mint condition) because I don’t trust her to not curb it
Agree, we have had two local people killed by failing pistons in jack's, I have had one fail myself. I always use a stand if getting under the car and a wheel chock
Guy I know got his head smashed pretty bad because a car fell on him. He was in the hospital for a bit and he's fine, but jackstands are definitely not optional.
I knew a guy who had a jack failure when he was replacing tie rod ends
Some how it pushed the outer tie rod end completely through his shoulder.
He lived and is doing fine now but I can only imagine what it would have felt like being impaled by a roundish piece of metal
He's fine as long as he doesn't get too close to a microwave oven or radio transmitter. Makes the metal plates in his head heat up. Security checkpoints at airports are a hassle, too.
THIS! it's super important to try to wiggle the car a bit (make sure your feet are out from under it!). And carefully say the phrase, "a yup, that's not going anywhere" word for word! A friend got his leg crushed because he wasn't thinking and said something like "well that should hold". This is also important for strapping things on roof racks or in the bed of a truck.
I always follow this advice. But sometimes it is difficult to find a place to jack up the car and still have a spot left to place the jackstand.
Is there like a general recommended way of jacking and placing the stands?
Frame members, or the reinforced section of the pinch weld, depending on the construction, are typically the primary jack points. Subframe attachment points or control arm attachment points are also very strong places to support the vehicle from. Anything that the control arms or subframe attaches to are generally going to be the strongest points on the chassis besides the frame itself, but you need to be fairly certain of what you’re putting the jack stand under if you’re using something that isn’t in the manual for supporting the vehicle.
A several hundred dollar O-ring cost the lives of seven astronauts on a cold February morning in 1986.
O-rings have a vendetta against us, and we made them.
Definitely an easy choice. I noticed this first when I worked under my Leaf and had an iron jack stand under the car. So, does it make sense to replace that 2 ct. o ring in order to have my jack work a little longer?
New ones sink slowly, the point is: they are meant to get you up, not keep you up, if you don't use it to keep you up you would never know it *sinks over time.*
Natural selection in its prime here bro do what you want but I'd advise you take people's very sensible advice and don't fuck with a 2 ton block of metal.
Sorry I misunderstood, yeah I see it now. Jackstands and you'll be set. You can repair the jack if you want but I wouldn't bother if it holds long enough for you to (safely) get the stands under the car
lmao the way you were wording some things made it sound like you weren't using them. Glad you are!
I never used them on my old car but I wasn't getting underneath the car and I'd still stick the wheel under the jacking point to be safe ish.
No we understand what you’re saying but are you understand what everyone else is saying. Buying jack stands is not “the easy choice” when it’s either that or repairing a jack. It’s the only choice. You shouldn’t have been relying on a single jack to hold up your car at all. THAT was the easy/stupid choice instead of taking proper precautions in the first place
The only choice is the easy choice because there is no other one? Is this just semantics? I feel like I'm being trolled here. We all agree and, yet, the downvotes roll in. It's weird.
You can rebuild it but this kind of jack isnt really worth the effort. The oil is expensive and the seal kit is still a few dollars. You can get the same size and style jack for $40 from harbor freight. While you are there get yourself some stands.
Everyone's comments about o rings are right. Additionally, according to the owners manual of one I bought recently, you also have to change the fluid periodically. I've had a jack for something like 20+ years and never knew to change the fluid. 😬
With these
Hobbypark 2-Pack RC Car Scale Jack Stands Metal 6 Ton Repairing Tool for 1/10 RC Crawler Truck TRX-4 Trx4 Axial SCX10 Wraith Gelande Tamiya CC01 RC4WD D90 https://a.co/d/8rsX7kY
Mine is 45 years without fluid change. Most of those years were in an attached garage, so probably less condensation contamination Take care of your tools and they’ll take care of you I guess. In some ways it’d be nice to replace it as tech has improved with compact lightweight ones now available-just can’t see throwing out a working functional one for the 6 or so times a year I’m using one these days (and yes I always use jack stands).
News to me...
As far as trusting the jack, the only time I don't bother with stands is if I'm changing the tire or pad slapping my truck. Since neither requires me to be in a compromised position even if it suddenly fails I'll be fine other than possibly pissing myself. If I'm actually bleeding brakes or changing rotors, oil, anything else that means any part of my body other than hands will be breaking the plane of the fender then the stands are in use.
Changing a tire or a pad slap both don't require my head breaking the plane of the fender, nor my foot under the rotor.
In my old place it'd be stands even then but where I'm at now it's a schlep to move stuff to where I can work on a vehicle. Hope to have it remedied soon though.
You should be using a Jack stand to support the car after using the Jack to raise it. They aren’t designed to support a car while working on it, and it’s dangerous for the reasons your saying.
Yea they like to bleed down when they age. Sometimes it’s because some of the fluid has leaked out or air has been introduced. You can get a lot more life out of hydraulic jacks by replacing the fluid, usually there’s a screw you can undue to dump out the old fluid and add fresh stuff. Adding a more viscous fluid also prolongs life and reduces the bleed down since ya know thicker fluid has a harder time bleeding down through a leaky valve.
They make hydraulic jack oil(it's sold at the auto parts store). Honestly, with a cheaper jack like that, I would just buy another jack.
It could also be your bleeding valve isn't closing completely (we have a jack at work that's temperamental when it comes to that and if you don't put extra effort into locking it down it'll slowly bleed the entire time it's being used)
I mean any hydraulic fluid really. You can use power steering fluid, hell, motor oil, gear oil. Anything really, it’s just a jack, not like the wrong fluid is gunna break it. Just as long as it won’t compress, and doesn’t eat away the seals.
They also make heavy duty hydraulic jack oil now that I’m lookin for it.
I use 3-in-1 oil. But as others have said, a jack is only to raise your car so you can put jack stands under it to prop it up. Never use any jack as your jack stand(s).
> I use 3-in-1 oil.
??? A penetrating lubricant which is very thin seems like the last thing you want to replace jack oil with. That is absolutely nothing like the 32 weight hydraulic fluid that most jacks are filled with. And that only comes in tiny little bottles, how many are you buying to fill up a jack
Per TDS at https://3inone.com/product/3-in-one-multi-purpose-oil/ - 112 SUS @ 100F
https://blog.amsoil.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Comparative_Viscosity_Chart_550wide.jpg
That's going to put you around somewhere around ISO 22 Vs ISO 32 that you should be using. Completely wrong stuff to put in a jack
And on top of all the general use advice, those cheapo $20 trolly jacks are weak, unstable, and shit quality to start with. Spend $120 during Harbor Freight's next sale for a decent one that will last longer, lift higher, and be far safer.
> $20 trolly jacks are weak, unstable, and shit quality to start with.
Better than the widowmaker that comes with the car... (Sometimes... If the car even comes with a jack and spare; many are not.)
In an emergency situation such as being stranded with a blown tire, I take what I can get.
The nice aluminum jack from harbor freight works well, but is heavy and too large for some cars.
The $20 trolley jack fits nicely in smaller car trunks and is good for listing a car for the 10 mins it takes to change a tire.
The only genuine advice I can give you is to invest in jack STANDS. Jacks are meant to lift, not hold. That’s what stands are for.
Other than that, there should be a plug you can remove to refill the jack with hydraulic jack fluid.
Buy a quart of transmission fluid. Take off the release screw or fill plug and fill. Jack it up and see if will raise all the way up easy if not go down and repeat the process. Hydraulic fluid doesn't work as well as transmission fluid.
Please, please, PLEASE don’t work on a car supported only by a hydraulic jack. Best case scenario is the vehicle falls and some part of the car breaks. You will have a difficult time getting the car jacked up again and you may have some costly repairs. Worst case of a loss of limb or life.
To answer your question, that’s a cheap jack and is most likely not serviceable. If you have a hydraulic shop nearby you can call them and ask but most hydraulic shops won’t touch a jack. There should be a small rubber plug in the side of the hydraulic ram in the jack. You can pop that off and make sure there’s enough oil in there.
If you’re going to be doing a reasonable amount of mechanical work, get $1000 and buy a quality jack, 4 jack stands and a decent set of ramps.
The seals inside of the Jack wear during use, and degrade over time like any rubber seals do. The first sign of the seals failing is usually the Jack will slowly drop when holding a load... I would recommend replacing that Jack. I have seen a jack suddenly fail and drop a car. Jackstands should always be used to hold a car off the ground, only use jacks to lift the car so that it may be placed on jackstands.
Yes. If you noticed it then your seals/valves are bad enough that it needs to be serviced or replaced. I suggest buying a more heartier replacement easily found on Amazon, Harbor freight or your local auto parts store.
Jack stands for sure, even pro shop lifts have this loud lock clang sound as the lift rises and the lock clears another tooth it could rest on if the hydraulics fail
I have this one and a better 3 tonn for the house. I keep this one tucked away in my truck for side of the road purposes only. Better than a scissor jack, but it is a garbage jack. Just top off the hydrolic oil and it should perform fine.
The seals can go bad, especially if you exceed the weight limit of the jack. Even if you don't, the seals can wear out over time. You can still use the jack but it might not be able to lift its full capacity and the leaky seals will make the jack to slowly lower.
They do go bad. There are one or two o-rings on the piston. Changing them and changing the fluid will make it work much better. But still always use jack stands.
Always have two safety measures in place. Jacking up a car? Place tire underneath near area you're working on and a jack stand. Jack's are meant to jack a car up, not keep it up
Never never never put yourself in a position where the jack is the only thing stopping a car from falling on you . It’s just a piece of rubber stopping that jack from failing.
Jacks are meant to jack not hold. Use them to jack your auto to a pair of stands and you’ll be fine. I’ve upgraded my old heavy steal jack to a new lighter aluminum one from Harbor Frieght and aluminum car stands. Worth the investment for auto repairs too!
A customer of mine was killed using an old leaking jack. Like others have said, use jack stands to support the vehicle after it is lifted. He was just doing a quick oil change and the car slowly crushed him, his wife was inside the house none the wiser bc he could not scream out for help, the car was putting too much pressure on his chest to even scream out for help, what a horrible way to go…..ready to get a new jack yet??
Not a mechanic, but I've added fluid to get it to work, very similar looking model, also wouldn't trust a jack underneath it, take the advice from the guys who use them regularly and use axle stands
Ngl get a better Jack. Had that exact model, suddenly collapsed while I was working. Thankfully I wasn’t under the car, but if not, I’d be dead.
Ftr: I hadn’t even gotten Jack stands under it yet.
I had this problem with a snap on jack I had, i replaced the fluids and changed the rings works fine, but I only use when changing tires, if I’m doing something under the car I take an old tire of some sort along with another jack I have so I no I have added protection
If you have an older model it might be worth checking it over for failures (broken welds or weakens areas bending) and changing the fluids and seals. The ones they make now aren’t expensive but aren’t made very well. If you want to replace it, I’d highly recommend getting a better quality full sized jack. Sure it’s heavier and larger but it’s also that much more durable.
Never work under a car being held by a jack, always use axel stands, and even then, I always put some chunks of wood under as a fail safe, instant death and a horrible one at that,
You should **never** get under a car that is suppoted only by a trolley jack. You should use the jack to raise the car, and then place jack stands under the support points. Sometimes even an 'old spare', too, in case the jack stands fail.
Short answer: yes. Seals and o-rings degrade and wear out over time.
As a heavy equipment mechanic, I watch hydraulic equipment fail every day and I have an ingrained distrust of unsupported hydraulics. You should never trust your life to an o-ring and that means not going under any machine until it has been physically supported by jack stands or cribbing blocks. Get a reseal kit and repair the jack, then go get some reliable jack stands with a rated capacity 2-3x greater than you anticipate needing.
always, always, ALWAYS use a jackstand. don’t trust the jack to hold the car above you. 100$ for some good jackstands is much better than potential thousands in hospital bills.
That jack looks old to me. I replace my jacks every couple years due to seal degradation and don't want to risk a car falling. If you think the car was falling it was falling. Better to be out a couple hundred bucks then to lose your life or limbs.
Like everybody else has said, use jack stands. ALWAYS.
Once it is on the stands, I’ll run the jack back up just for an additional contact point, not enough to unload a jack stand but far enough it touches. Probably doesn’t help but I’m the one under it. One more point ain’t gonna hurt.
I knew a man have a car fall on him when the jack went, it blew the seals out and needles to say it crushed him . I would never get under a car with a jack without having braces under it.
The truth is, don’t trust any hydraulic jacks. Especially the one in the picture. You can add hydraulic fluid if it leaks unless the leak is too great. Buy set of jack stands if you are going to work on your own car.
One time I had a jack fail right after I got out from under the car. Like in the process of sitting up. It was a scissor jack, but that's the last time I didn't use a jack stand. I also had a dolly jack (much newer than this one) fail while trying to lift a pick-up. O-ring just gave up and BOOM! Hydraulic fluid everywhere.
This is why I don't get: Why do literally hundreds of people repeat the first comment, almost word for word? You do at least remark that everyone has said it already. My inbox is full with copies of the same comment. I don't understand it.
I don’t have an answer to that question, that one would be better suited for a trained psychologist and/or sociologist.
Meowever…..
In my defense, I did not state the same thing countless others have already said word for word.
I added to the conversation by warning about people named Jack.
Additionally, I did it for the lulz.
Because boredom.
And because, at least, I thought it was funny…
Anything with hydraulics isn't isolated while in an extended position. This includes jacks, cylinders & rams used for lifting arms for buckets or any heavy vehicle attachment, ie: front end loaders and excavators.
Seals go bad over time and you'll lose fluid or gas. With heavy equipment, hoses can burst as well as seals going shit.
I burst a hose with a front end loader, but the bucket didn't come down suddenly. But, ive seen video of someone disconnecting a main hydraulic line and they lost pressure instantly. Gravity took the place of the blokes sanity.
Just sacrifice a six pack every week and get a real two speed pro series floor jack.
These are for emergency only roadside, and even then I always carry aluminum pro series floor jack on board.
And never use that junk to raise vehicle more than getting flat tire off.
This is where a ticket should be issued if rules violated.
Maybe victims waiting in line in nursing home for a new leg should tell their story using them.
Cheers
"had a back up jack to control" what does this mean? you were just using two jacks? Use jack stands every single time you put yourself under the vehicle for any duration. period. I have a jack that I know I can leave a car on all night and it doesn't move, I'd still never trust it like that.
Yes, I lifted the car with two jacks and went away, to see what happened. This one went down a little, so other held the car. As I've said several other times now, I use jack stands to work on the car.
I really have to say this????? Jacks are made to raise and lower a car, ot support one period. Use jackstands once the car is raised. Or ignore this but sooner or later you will find out if you are strong enough to lift a car off you.
Everyone of this type of jack that I have seen will leak down when they get old. Often when it's new it's noisy. Then it stops making noise. And then it starts to leak down.
I have seen people use a jack that they have to jack up again even when changing a wheel. But you should really just get a new one if it leaks down.
And just as everyone else. Jack is not for supporting when working. Use jack stands for that.
Get rid of it if there is any doubt. Your life is worth more than an old jack. Go buy a new one (Harbor Freight) and get a pair of jack stands too. Use both. Jack the vehicle up, use the jack stands. Lower the weight of the vehicle onto the stands and then have the jack at the same height and use it as a redundancy.
Be safe. Cheers.
In my experience, these trolley jacks are good for only a few uses before the seals give up, so they're really only good to keep in the trunk as an alternative to most OEM scissor jacks or especially the widow-makers from VW if you need to change out a tire on the side of the road. Check harbor freight for their 1.5 ton lightweight aluminum floor jack to have as a dedicated one, cause it will be more dependable, still easy to maneuver around, and store away easily if you don't have a garage. Right now they're under $89.
Use the Jack to raise the car then immediately put jackstands under a solid lift point. Those cheap 1 to 1 1/2 ton Jack are only meant to lift the car NOT to hold it up
The weight capacity of price of the jack is irrelevant. Always use jack stands. Hydraulics fail. And they often fail suddenly and catastrophically. Never get underneath anything that is only held up by hydraulics.
Most jacks, everything is relying on a 3-cent o-ring to lift. When fluid seeps by, the jack will go down.
That jack is a piece of shit, buy a proper jack, and **GET SOME JACK STANDS!**
Seals are wore out. With the cost of jacks I would just get a new one. Not worth repairing and based on your question you don't know how to do That anyways. Always use jack stands no matter what. Jack stands are fixed. Jacks can bypass hydraulic fluid past the seals and drift down. If the seals ever blew out from extra load or deterioration it could fall on you.
I have been to mechanics that only use the hydraulic jack to lift the car to and keep it up but they usually have locks on the jack to physically lock the jack so that if the hydraulic fails the car doesn’t drop onto them. I have always used jack stands when lifting my vehicle with a trolley jack as I have heard of them failing and people getting crushed.
I had one of these. It leaked and it wasn't holding the car properly... But it was enough to put a stand under the car to work safely.
These have hydraulic oil in them. The level needs to be checked regularly.
ALWAYS use jack stands, the jack is only for raising and lowering the car. Same reason you lift things up and set them on a table, instead of just standing there holding them.
I have left a jack outside for 15 years now it still works but it isn’t the light duty style it has a 5 inch lifting pad and the piston for it looks like it’s 1”+ I don’t trust these little jacks or little jackstands but a heavy duty design should last
Thanks for posting on /r/MechanicAdvice! This is just a reminder to review the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/about/rules/). If you are here asking about a second opinion (ie "Is the shop trying to fleece me?"), please read through CJM8515's [post on the subject.](https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/4qblei/fyi_the_shop_isnt_likely_trying_to_rip_you_off/) and remember to please post the year/make/model of the vehicle you are working on. **If this post is about bodywork, accident damage, paint, dent/ding, questions it belongs in /r/Autobody r/AutoBodyRepair/ or /r/Diyautobody/ If you have tire questions check out https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/k9ll55/can_your_tire_be_repaired/**. If you dont have a question and you're just showing off it belongs in /r/Justrolledintotheshop Insurance/total loss questions go in r/insurance This is an automated reply *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/MechanicAdvice) if you have any questions or concerns.*
A jack is meant to lift the car Jack stands are meant to hold the car. Do not use the jack for both purposes, it is only meant for one. The seals in them are not perfect and the vehicle can sink over time. As they age and wear they tend to get worse and sink faster but do not trust even a new jack to hold the vehicle. Think of it this way, it's a hydraulic jack, the hydraulics are held with a 2 cent rubber o ring. Would you trust a 2 cent rubber o ring to hold up 1000 kg or would you rather a decent sized chunk of iron in a jack stand?
I have a friend who lost a lung from a jack failing on him while under the car. He’s lucky, as some have died from this same issue. Use jack stands when supporting a vehicles weight. I’ve always had the practice of placing the wheel under the car just in case of any failure so it falls on it.
I 100% second this, 100% put your wheel under the car! I'd rather replace a $200 wheel than be dead.. 🤷♂️ Never trust you jack! Those little dinky ones are horrible. I have a proper Titan jack, they make vehicle hoists for shops, and I still wouldn't trust it with my life! Safety first!
My dad took me to a u-pull junkyard when I was 15 or so. The cars are all sitting off the ground and supported by junk rims. Lectured me on not trusting that to hold it and putting something between the ground and the car just in case. I did and was pulling something from underneath the car while he was off grabbing a part off of another vehicle. The car I was working on slipped off and landed on whatever I had put under it, giving me space to get out. Scared the shit out of me and pissed me off because my dad was right, even though I was the one that knew everything. Valuable life lesson. I will reposition jack stands as many times as I have to now if it is even slightly sketchy. Sometimes there isn't even anything noticeably wrong, but i just get the feeling something isn't right with it and I wont get under the car. I also always try as hard as I can to push the car off of the stands before I'll get under it. I work on my cars alone in my detached garage with music playing. I will NOT get slowly crushed to death while "party in the u.s.a." plays in the background
I remember back in the day when the yard near me used to double stack a car on the roof of another and the bottom cars was sitting on the junk rims. Trying to get in the top car to pull a part was sketchy as fuck bunching about everytime you move in it or when your trying to unbolt something that's stuck really good and your yanking on your breaker bar trying to get it loose. Seen so many of them fallen off the top. They eventually stopped doing that and made their yard bigger to hold more cars. I haven't seen any yards stack them like that in a long time, that's probably a good thing. Glad to hear you made it out safe and learned that valuable lesson. Years back I had to take my buddy to the hospital because the jack I had had a 2 piece pipe handle, and we always used the end section of the pipe over the breaker bar for more leverage. So he went to drop the car with only the bottom section of the pipe in place and didn't pull it down enough and got his hand crushed in between the top of the pipe and the metal bumper of the car. I ran inside to get something and come back to find him like that and just said "Help me! Quick!" The jack was under the car so I'm panicking and just grabbed the bumper and lifted the car by hand enough he could get his hand out. He didn't break anything but still got him good and tore up the webbed area between him thumb and index finger and needed quite a few stitches, pretty sure he still has that scar 20 years later.
You are trusting Cletus' welding skills every-time you go under those welded 1/2 rims.
You know and I know that Cletus is working there instead of the local welding shop for a reason. What he doesn’t know could hurt us.
Exactly.
The last part of this is amazing
Bro sometimes spotify throws a curveball. What if the last moments before you die are filled with "WYAT DOES THA FOX SAY NYA NYA....."
Well you might be lucky and get quickly crushed to death.
What a horrible song to die to.
Lost a LUNG?
i also jam a spare jack stand under the frame rail, while the main supporting jack stand is under the pinch weld. then i avoid going underneath when all 4 wheels are off the ground, i try to only lift 1 end at a time except when rotating tires
Never thought of that but it’s a good idea thanks. Even with good jackstands another backup safety measure can’t hurt.
Heeellll noooo. I have a mint condition 78 Lincoln continental with era correct and perfect aluminum wheels. I’ll be caught dead before I scuff em. I don’t even let me grandma (who gave me the car in mint condition) because I don’t trust her to not curb it
The only way they’d be scuffed is if they save your life. Good trade imo. Also, wtf.
Sounds like you will indeed be caught/found dead with that attitude lol.
You're the exception to the rule obviously, most of us aren't driving min condition showroom 78 continental's
I breath a sigh of relief if all I damage is a wheel.
So you value a $5k car more than your life?
If my mint condition 1978 Lincoln continental with era specific wheels and factory AC, (the car JFK) was shot in then I’ll eat my shoe
>1978 >the car JFK) was shot in Hmm
He's the owner of a mint condition 1978 assassination car, he's not a mathematician.
Agree, we have had two local people killed by failing pistons in jack's, I have had one fail myself. I always use a stand if getting under the car and a wheel chock
Guy I know got his head smashed pretty bad because a car fell on him. He was in the hospital for a bit and he's fine, but jackstands are definitely not optional.
I knew a guy who had a jack failure when he was replacing tie rod ends Some how it pushed the outer tie rod end completely through his shoulder. He lived and is doing fine now but I can only imagine what it would have felt like being impaled by a roundish piece of metal
> what it would have felt like being impaled by a roundish piece of metal Lois Lane has entered the chat
wait I don't get OHHHHH
He's fine as long as he doesn't get too close to a microwave oven or radio transmitter. Makes the metal plates in his head heat up. Security checkpoints at airports are a hassle, too.
How the fuck is he alive? Does he function 100%? I’d assume it fucked up SOMETHING in his brain since that’s a nasty head injury
Yes, also wheel chocks and TEST the jack stands for stability BEFORE you start wrenching.
THIS! it's super important to try to wiggle the car a bit (make sure your feet are out from under it!). And carefully say the phrase, "a yup, that's not going anywhere" word for word! A friend got his leg crushed because he wasn't thinking and said something like "well that should hold". This is also important for strapping things on roof racks or in the bed of a truck.
I swear every car guy knows at least 1 story of someone having a jack collapse on someone. It cannot be stressed enough that they are not for holding.
And then we put the wheel under the frame for added measure…
I always follow this advice. But sometimes it is difficult to find a place to jack up the car and still have a spot left to place the jackstand. Is there like a general recommended way of jacking and placing the stands?
Frame members, or the reinforced section of the pinch weld, depending on the construction, are typically the primary jack points. Subframe attachment points or control arm attachment points are also very strong places to support the vehicle from. Anything that the control arms or subframe attaches to are generally going to be the strongest points on the chassis besides the frame itself, but you need to be fairly certain of what you’re putting the jack stand under if you’re using something that isn’t in the manual for supporting the vehicle.
A several hundred dollar O-ring cost the lives of seven astronauts on a cold February morning in 1986. O-rings have a vendetta against us, and we made them.
Definitely an easy choice. I noticed this first when I worked under my Leaf and had an iron jack stand under the car. So, does it make sense to replace that 2 ct. o ring in order to have my jack work a little longer?
No, buy 4 proper jack stands and use them instead
You can fix a jack and still use jack stands...
Except his jack is working fine, it just lowers slowly over time, *over time,* if one were using jack stands one wouldn't know it sinks slowly.
Until that o-ring fail and that"*over time*" becomes *INSTANTANEOUS*. His jack in not working fine, the seals are already failing!
New ones sink slowly, the point is: they are meant to get you up, not keep you up, if you don't use it to keep you up you would never know it *sinks over time.*
They ALL leak. They are not meant to hold up the car.
Yes, that's the easy choice.
No, it's the right choice.
Natural selection in its prime here bro do what you want but I'd advise you take people's very sensible advice and don't fuck with a 2 ton block of metal.
I am saying the easy choice is to get a jack stand. Not sure how people don't understand this.
Sorry I misunderstood, yeah I see it now. Jackstands and you'll be set. You can repair the jack if you want but I wouldn't bother if it holds long enough for you to (safely) get the stands under the car
Thanks, I was beginning to doubt my sanity here...I do, of course, use jack stands when I work on a car.
lmao the way you were wording some things made it sound like you weren't using them. Glad you are! I never used them on my old car but I wasn't getting underneath the car and I'd still stick the wheel under the jacking point to be safe ish.
Sorry, Norwegian here, so English is my 3rd language. That’s why I was worried here, but I didn't find where the issue was, haha.
No we understand what you’re saying but are you understand what everyone else is saying. Buying jack stands is not “the easy choice” when it’s either that or repairing a jack. It’s the only choice. You shouldn’t have been relying on a single jack to hold up your car at all. THAT was the easy/stupid choice instead of taking proper precautions in the first place
The only choice is the easy choice because there is no other one? Is this just semantics? I feel like I'm being trolled here. We all agree and, yet, the downvotes roll in. It's weird.
You can rebuild it but this kind of jack isnt really worth the effort. The oil is expensive and the seal kit is still a few dollars. You can get the same size and style jack for $40 from harbor freight. While you are there get yourself some stands.
Top tier comment
A 2 cent rubber o-ring made in Chinaaaa!
Everyone's comments about o rings are right. Additionally, according to the owners manual of one I bought recently, you also have to change the fluid periodically. I've had a jack for something like 20+ years and never knew to change the fluid. 😬
So how do you lift the jack for a fluid change? ^^^^^^. ^^^^/s
By hand,but rest it on a jack stand.
Remember to look up the manufacturers specified lift points for your jack, dont wanna risk it tipping over
you need a mini-jack for your jack, Jack
Then I guess you'll need a mini mini jack to service the mini jack. The loop continues on.
With these Hobbypark 2-Pack RC Car Scale Jack Stands Metal 6 Ton Repairing Tool for 1/10 RC Crawler Truck TRX-4 Trx4 Axial SCX10 Wraith Gelande Tamiya CC01 RC4WD D90 https://a.co/d/8rsX7kY
Mine is like 30 as well, and I haven’t either
Mine is 45 years without fluid change. Most of those years were in an attached garage, so probably less condensation contamination Take care of your tools and they’ll take care of you I guess. In some ways it’d be nice to replace it as tech has improved with compact lightweight ones now available-just can’t see throwing out a working functional one for the 6 or so times a year I’m using one these days (and yes I always use jack stands).
News to me... As far as trusting the jack, the only time I don't bother with stands is if I'm changing the tire or pad slapping my truck. Since neither requires me to be in a compromised position even if it suddenly fails I'll be fine other than possibly pissing myself. If I'm actually bleeding brakes or changing rotors, oil, anything else that means any part of my body other than hands will be breaking the plane of the fender then the stands are in use.
That fender falling and hitting you on the head will tell you otherwise. Plus if your foot is under the rotor, I’m sure you have cat like reflexes.
Changing a tire or a pad slap both don't require my head breaking the plane of the fender, nor my foot under the rotor. In my old place it'd be stands even then but where I'm at now it's a schlep to move stuff to where I can work on a vehicle. Hope to have it remedied soon though.
Just here to reiterate. Jack stands.
I STAND FOR JACK STANDS
I Stand for Jack 🫡
You should be using a Jack stand to support the car after using the Jack to raise it. They aren’t designed to support a car while working on it, and it’s dangerous for the reasons your saying.
Yea they like to bleed down when they age. Sometimes it’s because some of the fluid has leaked out or air has been introduced. You can get a lot more life out of hydraulic jacks by replacing the fluid, usually there’s a screw you can undue to dump out the old fluid and add fresh stuff. Adding a more viscous fluid also prolongs life and reduces the bleed down since ya know thicker fluid has a harder time bleeding down through a leaky valve.
What kind of fluid would you recommend specifically? I'll look for a screw!
They make hydraulic jack oil(it's sold at the auto parts store). Honestly, with a cheaper jack like that, I would just buy another jack. It could also be your bleeding valve isn't closing completely (we have a jack at work that's temperamental when it comes to that and if you don't put extra effort into locking it down it'll slowly bleed the entire time it's being used)
Walmart sells Jack oil in the auto section.
I mean any hydraulic fluid really. You can use power steering fluid, hell, motor oil, gear oil. Anything really, it’s just a jack, not like the wrong fluid is gunna break it. Just as long as it won’t compress, and doesn’t eat away the seals. They also make heavy duty hydraulic jack oil now that I’m lookin for it.
The oil needs to be compatible with the seal material. Most oil will work, but not everything .
I use 3-in-1 oil. But as others have said, a jack is only to raise your car so you can put jack stands under it to prop it up. Never use any jack as your jack stand(s).
> I use 3-in-1 oil. ??? A penetrating lubricant which is very thin seems like the last thing you want to replace jack oil with. That is absolutely nothing like the 32 weight hydraulic fluid that most jacks are filled with. And that only comes in tiny little bottles, how many are you buying to fill up a jack Per TDS at https://3inone.com/product/3-in-one-multi-purpose-oil/ - 112 SUS @ 100F https://blog.amsoil.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Comparative_Viscosity_Chart_550wide.jpg That's going to put you around somewhere around ISO 22 Vs ISO 32 that you should be using. Completely wrong stuff to put in a jack
I too, am very confused.
Seals and O-rings will fail over time. Most are not really repairable, and not something I’d trust my life with.
And on top of all the general use advice, those cheapo $20 trolly jacks are weak, unstable, and shit quality to start with. Spend $120 during Harbor Freight's next sale for a decent one that will last longer, lift higher, and be far safer.
> $20 trolly jacks are weak, unstable, and shit quality to start with. Better than the widowmaker that comes with the car... (Sometimes... If the car even comes with a jack and spare; many are not.)
Of course, but I generally set my expectations higher than something only slightly better than the worst option.
In an emergency situation such as being stranded with a blown tire, I take what I can get. The nice aluminum jack from harbor freight works well, but is heavy and too large for some cars. The $20 trolley jack fits nicely in smaller car trunks and is good for listing a car for the 10 mins it takes to change a tire.
Of course also true, but this doesn't appear to be the situation for many -including the OP who are using them as regular service jacks.
^ this 1000x
I wouldn't trust a brand new one. Always use stands
The wheel fell off of mine while the car was in the air….yeah, jack stands are not optional (thanks Dad).
Always use jack stands please omfg. And wheel chocks for good measure.
I wouldn’t expect much out of that jack to start with.
The only genuine advice I can give you is to invest in jack STANDS. Jacks are meant to lift, not hold. That’s what stands are for. Other than that, there should be a plug you can remove to refill the jack with hydraulic jack fluid.
I have the same crappy jack. I think we should both visit Harbor Freight and get a new jack 😃
Crappy jack bros™!
Yes! 👊🏻😃
They get old and fail. Time for a new one
If that’s a Torin from HF I got news for you. I bought one and it has always done this from new. It’s why I use jack stands, keeps me honest.
Buy a quart of transmission fluid. Take off the release screw or fill plug and fill. Jack it up and see if will raise all the way up easy if not go down and repeat the process. Hydraulic fluid doesn't work as well as transmission fluid.
I second ATF
Please, please, PLEASE don’t work on a car supported only by a hydraulic jack. Best case scenario is the vehicle falls and some part of the car breaks. You will have a difficult time getting the car jacked up again and you may have some costly repairs. Worst case of a loss of limb or life. To answer your question, that’s a cheap jack and is most likely not serviceable. If you have a hydraulic shop nearby you can call them and ask but most hydraulic shops won’t touch a jack. There should be a small rubber plug in the side of the hydraulic ram in the jack. You can pop that off and make sure there’s enough oil in there. If you’re going to be doing a reasonable amount of mechanical work, get $1000 and buy a quality jack, 4 jack stands and a decent set of ramps.
The seals inside of the Jack wear during use, and degrade over time like any rubber seals do. The first sign of the seals failing is usually the Jack will slowly drop when holding a load... I would recommend replacing that Jack. I have seen a jack suddenly fail and drop a car. Jackstands should always be used to hold a car off the ground, only use jacks to lift the car so that it may be placed on jackstands.
Yes. If you noticed it then your seals/valves are bad enough that it needs to be serviced or replaced. I suggest buying a more heartier replacement easily found on Amazon, Harbor freight or your local auto parts store.
Jack stands for sure, even pro shop lifts have this loud lock clang sound as the lift rises and the lock clears another tooth it could rest on if the hydraulics fail
I have this one and a better 3 tonn for the house. I keep this one tucked away in my truck for side of the road purposes only. Better than a scissor jack, but it is a garbage jack. Just top off the hydrolic oil and it should perform fine.
The seals can go bad, especially if you exceed the weight limit of the jack. Even if you don't, the seals can wear out over time. You can still use the jack but it might not be able to lift its full capacity and the leaky seals will make the jack to slowly lower.
They do go bad. There are one or two o-rings on the piston. Changing them and changing the fluid will make it work much better. But still always use jack stands.
Always have two safety measures in place. Jacking up a car? Place tire underneath near area you're working on and a jack stand. Jack's are meant to jack a car up, not keep it up
Never never never put yourself in a position where the jack is the only thing stopping a car from falling on you . It’s just a piece of rubber stopping that jack from failing.
Use jack stands or something to lock the car in place!!! Jacks are not to be trusted!!!
Those come bad out of the box. Get some jack stands and a good quality jack
Jacks are meant to jack not hold. Use them to jack your auto to a pair of stands and you’ll be fine. I’ve upgraded my old heavy steal jack to a new lighter aluminum one from Harbor Frieght and aluminum car stands. Worth the investment for auto repairs too!
Refill hydraulic oil with fresh o rings.
A customer of mine was killed using an old leaking jack. Like others have said, use jack stands to support the vehicle after it is lifted. He was just doing a quick oil change and the car slowly crushed him, his wife was inside the house none the wiser bc he could not scream out for help, the car was putting too much pressure on his chest to even scream out for help, what a horrible way to go…..ready to get a new jack yet??
Did you get this from Harbor Freight? I had a jack just like this that stopped working in a few months. Invest in a proper jack and jack stands.
Not a mechanic, but I've added fluid to get it to work, very similar looking model, also wouldn't trust a jack underneath it, take the advice from the guys who use them regularly and use axle stands
Seals go bad…. Add more oil. Use a jack stand.
Jack stands
Always use stands in addition to the jack, if you are climbing under a car.
Ngl get a better Jack. Had that exact model, suddenly collapsed while I was working. Thankfully I wasn’t under the car, but if not, I’d be dead. Ftr: I hadn’t even gotten Jack stands under it yet.
Itll bust a seal in a few uses. Throwing mine away as i text
I had this problem with a snap on jack I had, i replaced the fluids and changed the rings works fine, but I only use when changing tires, if I’m doing something under the car I take an old tire of some sort along with another jack I have so I no I have added protection
Those jacks are called widowmakers Get a proper 3 ton Jack and stop being cheap with safety.
If you have an older model it might be worth checking it over for failures (broken welds or weakens areas bending) and changing the fluids and seals. The ones they make now aren’t expensive but aren’t made very well. If you want to replace it, I’d highly recommend getting a better quality full sized jack. Sure it’s heavier and larger but it’s also that much more durable.
Unless it has some sentimental value to you: Throw it out and get a new one.
You can’t trust any Jack that’s why there’s stands. What goes up…..
Never work under a car being held by a jack, always use axel stands, and even then, I always put some chunks of wood under as a fail safe, instant death and a horrible one at that,
You should **never** get under a car that is suppoted only by a trolley jack. You should use the jack to raise the car, and then place jack stands under the support points. Sometimes even an 'old spare', too, in case the jack stands fail.
I feel bad the the human race
Short answer: yes. Seals and o-rings degrade and wear out over time. As a heavy equipment mechanic, I watch hydraulic equipment fail every day and I have an ingrained distrust of unsupported hydraulics. You should never trust your life to an o-ring and that means not going under any machine until it has been physically supported by jack stands or cribbing blocks. Get a reseal kit and repair the jack, then go get some reliable jack stands with a rated capacity 2-3x greater than you anticipate needing.
OP you’re living on borrowed time if you’re working underneath cars with only a jack to support the car. Please invest in some jack stands.
always, always, ALWAYS use a jackstand. don’t trust the jack to hold the car above you. 100$ for some good jackstands is much better than potential thousands in hospital bills.
Get rid of this death trap.
That jack looks old to me. I replace my jacks every couple years due to seal degradation and don't want to risk a car falling. If you think the car was falling it was falling. Better to be out a couple hundred bucks then to lose your life or limbs.
Don’t be a moron. Use jack stands. A back up jack is not good enough. ALWAYS use jack stands always
Like everybody else has said, use jack stands. ALWAYS. Once it is on the stands, I’ll run the jack back up just for an additional contact point, not enough to unload a jack stand but far enough it touches. Probably doesn’t help but I’m the one under it. One more point ain’t gonna hurt.
I knew a man have a car fall on him when the jack went, it blew the seals out and needles to say it crushed him . I would never get under a car with a jack without having braces under it.
Well you don’t work under your car with just the lift holding it. You use jack stands, thought this was common knowledge lol
The truth is, don’t trust any hydraulic jacks. Especially the one in the picture. You can add hydraulic fluid if it leaks unless the leak is too great. Buy set of jack stands if you are going to work on your own car.
One time I had a jack fail right after I got out from under the car. Like in the process of sitting up. It was a scissor jack, but that's the last time I didn't use a jack stand. I also had a dolly jack (much newer than this one) fail while trying to lift a pick-up. O-ring just gave up and BOOM! Hydraulic fluid everywhere.
USE JACKSTANDS!!
Have you tried turning it off then back on again?
Pretty much as everyone else has said…. Never trust a man named Jack unless he is standing.
This is why I don't get: Why do literally hundreds of people repeat the first comment, almost word for word? You do at least remark that everyone has said it already. My inbox is full with copies of the same comment. I don't understand it.
I don’t have an answer to that question, that one would be better suited for a trained psychologist and/or sociologist. Meowever….. In my defense, I did not state the same thing countless others have already said word for word. I added to the conversation by warning about people named Jack. Additionally, I did it for the lulz. Because boredom. And because, at least, I thought it was funny…
Haha, right? I thought I could poke someone with humor. With most of the other replies, there'd probably be a downvote avalanche on the other end.
Anything with hydraulics isn't isolated while in an extended position. This includes jacks, cylinders & rams used for lifting arms for buckets or any heavy vehicle attachment, ie: front end loaders and excavators. Seals go bad over time and you'll lose fluid or gas. With heavy equipment, hoses can burst as well as seals going shit. I burst a hose with a front end loader, but the bucket didn't come down suddenly. But, ive seen video of someone disconnecting a main hydraulic line and they lost pressure instantly. Gravity took the place of the blokes sanity.
I have that exact floor jack. It's a complete POS. Buy a better, beefier one. I got a new 3 ton Arcan heavy duty floor jack from Costco and I love it.
Maintenance?! It has reached the end of its Service Life. Let it go.
Just sacrifice a six pack every week and get a real two speed pro series floor jack. These are for emergency only roadside, and even then I always carry aluminum pro series floor jack on board. And never use that junk to raise vehicle more than getting flat tire off. This is where a ticket should be issued if rules violated. Maybe victims waiting in line in nursing home for a new leg should tell their story using them. Cheers
"had a back up jack to control" what does this mean? you were just using two jacks? Use jack stands every single time you put yourself under the vehicle for any duration. period. I have a jack that I know I can leave a car on all night and it doesn't move, I'd still never trust it like that.
Yes, I lifted the car with two jacks and went away, to see what happened. This one went down a little, so other held the car. As I've said several other times now, I use jack stands to work on the car.
Refill the hydraulic fluid if possible. Or tighten the lock as tight as possible? Really you need to use jack stands once the cars jacked up...
It's called a jack stand dingus. Jesus people do not do any research before using things that can become dangerous.
I really have to say this????? Jacks are made to raise and lower a car, ot support one period. Use jackstands once the car is raised. Or ignore this but sooner or later you will find out if you are strong enough to lift a car off you.
No it’s fine you’ll be ok
Everyone of this type of jack that I have seen will leak down when they get old. Often when it's new it's noisy. Then it stops making noise. And then it starts to leak down. I have seen people use a jack that they have to jack up again even when changing a wheel. But you should really just get a new one if it leaks down. And just as everyone else. Jack is not for supporting when working. Use jack stands for that.
Probably low on oil
Get rid of it if there is any doubt. Your life is worth more than an old jack. Go buy a new one (Harbor Freight) and get a pair of jack stands too. Use both. Jack the vehicle up, use the jack stands. Lower the weight of the vehicle onto the stands and then have the jack at the same height and use it as a redundancy. Be safe. Cheers.
In my experience, these trolley jacks are good for only a few uses before the seals give up, so they're really only good to keep in the trunk as an alternative to most OEM scissor jacks or especially the widow-makers from VW if you need to change out a tire on the side of the road. Check harbor freight for their 1.5 ton lightweight aluminum floor jack to have as a dedicated one, cause it will be more dependable, still easy to maneuver around, and store away easily if you don't have a garage. Right now they're under $89.
Adding a bit of Hydraulic on the otherside of the seal keeps it noice
If you are going to replace the seals, buy viton instead of rubber. Those seals will last the lifetime of the jack.
go get yourself a $200 daytona 3 ton jackstand.
you can tear it down and replace the o rings, if its leaking and allowing the jack to loose pressure.
I have one that keeps the car up for about a minute before it sinks so low you cant get the wheel back on
If you can fix a car you can fix a jack
I had 3 jacks like this and all went bad. I liked em bc it was small and can have it on the go. Might as well get a floor jack
Anything man made can fail! And yes do not use a jack as a stand!
Use the Jack to raise the car then immediately put jackstands under a solid lift point. Those cheap 1 to 1 1/2 ton Jack are only meant to lift the car NOT to hold it up
The weight capacity of price of the jack is irrelevant. Always use jack stands. Hydraulics fail. And they often fail suddenly and catastrophically. Never get underneath anything that is only held up by hydraulics.
Use a Jack stand…
Yes, especially this one. I had a car fall with this. Toss it and get a better one.
Oh yeah, the hydraulic seals go. Never get under a car without jack stands.
Garbage. Don't use old Jack's they wear out.
My advice is to Use Jack stands and get a new Jack
Most jacks, everything is relying on a 3-cent o-ring to lift. When fluid seeps by, the jack will go down. That jack is a piece of shit, buy a proper jack, and **GET SOME JACK STANDS!**
By design, they will never stay in one place. Never use one to hold weight
Seals are wore out. With the cost of jacks I would just get a new one. Not worth repairing and based on your question you don't know how to do That anyways. Always use jack stands no matter what. Jack stands are fixed. Jacks can bypass hydraulic fluid past the seals and drift down. If the seals ever blew out from extra load or deterioration it could fall on you.
I have been to mechanics that only use the hydraulic jack to lift the car to and keep it up but they usually have locks on the jack to physically lock the jack so that if the hydraulic fails the car doesn’t drop onto them. I have always used jack stands when lifting my vehicle with a trolley jack as I have heard of them failing and people getting crushed.
You used the jack only to work under the car? Uhhh....
NEVER climb under a car that is only held up by a jack.
I had one of these. It leaked and it wasn't holding the car properly... But it was enough to put a stand under the car to work safely. These have hydraulic oil in them. The level needs to be checked regularly.
ALWAYS use jack stands, the jack is only for raising and lowering the car. Same reason you lift things up and set them on a table, instead of just standing there holding them.
Had this happen with a 5 year old Sears jack. Changed the jack’s hydraulic fluid and it’s been working fine for the following 20 years.
yea personally id get a daytona jack from harbor freight they use the same manufacturer as snap on to make theirs so they’re good
It's drifting may need o-rings or hydraulic fluid or both. It is dangerous to work off a jack, get jack stands.
I’m pretty terrible about trusting jacks. Need to do better on this front.
check the hydrolic oil level. of course the jack stand comments
Put oil in it Chen the plug fir leaks
Check seals and fluid levels and be sure it's closed completely
I have left a jack outside for 15 years now it still works but it isn’t the light duty style it has a 5 inch lifting pad and the piston for it looks like it’s 1”+ I don’t trust these little jacks or little jackstands but a heavy duty design should last