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.
A substitute for hydraulic fluid is 5w 30 motor oil.
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.
Another possible reason why the floor jack s ram won t lift is due to lack of enough oil in the reservoir.
Step 2 remove plug on cylinder.
Refill the reservoir until it s full then place the seal cap back.
If any type of debris or dirt gets into the hydraulic fluid it can do a lot of damage to the inside of the cylinders.
Use shop rags to wipe down the cylinders thoroughly before you open any.
Hydraulic fluid would be best but oil can be used temporarily.
If the level is higher than the recommended level then you will need to drain some of it.
In this video i show you how to fix a few common problems with your hydraulic floor jack.
Anytime you are going to be working on or maintaining your hydraulic floor jack it must be clean before starting.
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.
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.
Be sure to check the levels of the hydraulic fluid regularly.
Wipe off excess oil then test it.
When this occurs the air starts to accumulate in the unit preventing it to lift.
Make sure that you use the best hydraulic oil and not some cheaper alternative.
Fill the chamber with hydraulic fluid.
Step 2 remove any excess air from the jack by opening the release valve and vigorously pumping the handle.