After which turn the jack s release position and pump it a few times to purge the accumulated air out.
How to fix a hydraulic floor jack reservoir.
Step 2 remove plug on cylinder.
Another possible reason why the floor jack s ram won t lift is due to lack of enough oil in the reservoir.
Make sure that you use the best hydraulic oil and not some cheaper alternative.
Anytime you are going to be working on or maintaining your hydraulic floor jack it must be clean before starting.
Depending on the make and model of the jack some can hold up to a pint of fluid.
In this video i show you how to fix a few common problems with your hydraulic floor jack.
Open the reservoir cap and fill it with hydraulic oil until it is about 1 4 inch below the level of the hole when the jack is on its side.
Use shop rags to wipe down the cylinders thoroughly before you open any.
A substitute for hydraulic fluid is 5w 30 motor oil.
They are easy to repair and it can save you 150 200.
Wipe off excess oil then test it.
Be sure to check the levels of the hydraulic fluid regularly.
For detailed instructions on how to change hydraulic oil for both floor and bottle jacks please refer to this video.
Use the funnel to guide the fluid into the cylinder.
Fill the chamber with hydraulic fluid.
If the level is higher than the recommended level then you will need to drain some of it.
If the level of oil in the floor jack is lesser than the recommended level then you can refill it.
Step 2 remove any excess air from the jack by opening the release valve and vigorously pumping the handle.
Hydraulic fluid would be best but oil can be used temporarily.
Hydraulic jack how it works animation a hydraulic jack uses a liquid which is incompressible that is forced into a cylinder by a pump plunger.