Trolley Jack leaks. Let this be a lesson to you... ;)

[MGJohn]

FYI: X-Posted from other sites :~

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I really was thinking of trashing this Trolley Jack which I've had for best part of ten years. Light amateur use only. It leaked out all it's fluid from the Hydraulic Pump when I last used it to lower my son's 620ti off the Axle stands... it simply wouldn't raise anymore and the fluid mess was everywhere. This is what I was faced with after cleaning up :#



I even trawled the web and catalogues to see what a replacement would cost ... about £150 quid for something similar.

Now I have patience but nowhere near as much as I did say forty years ago. However, decided not to throw the towel in and after putting up that thread request for information, did several searches on the web and got stuck in with the tools. Found a few helpful 'how to' items on the web AFTER I had part dismantled most of the hydraulic pump and it's various valves. That was a mistake. Little springs and steel balls but, where do the go? In my hasty impatience I had pumped the arm just a tad too much with their filler cap removed which shot the springs and ball valves out at speed.... .... Was able to locate them all so I thought but where do they all go. Various sizes confused the issue.

I pulled up Sealey's exploded diagram of the hydraulic internals and these were ideal for seeing what goes where. I had recovered all the parts ... except one. A tapered spring about 30mm long which controls one of the ball valves... it's in the garden somewhere ....

Sealey had a contact number on their diagram and the phone was immediately answered by an actual living member of the species [u]Homo sapiens[/u]. That makes a refreshing change. Excellent start and it gets better. I soon had all the parts I wanted with several duplicates just in case, for less than ten quid posted.

Previously I had already taken a worn seal to a local Hydraulics Company in Innsworth, Gloucester. The helpful guy behind the counter took it and came back with a couple of near identical O-Ring Seals. Guess how much they cost... eleven pence each plus VAT. So I splashed out and got two... a whole 27pence ... Whilst there, I asked if they had some suitable hydraulic fluid. They did but only in 5 litres Bottles ... those cost about a tenner including VAT. Enough to do many Jacks I would guess... got one anyway ...

So, carefully reassembled all the components and filled up the main Hydraulic Cylinder via a little rubber bung plug on the top of the cylinder casing. It took more than I expected so obviously most had leaked away. I then followed the priming process as shown on one of Sealey's helpful vids on YouTube. This one :~

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_QfMBoQvnw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EEu5edakxE

It took more than twenty pumps to prime it. Following those instructions I was relieved to see I had a fully working 3 ton Trolley Jack again. Here it is raised :~



I then got my assistant ( wife .. ) to twist the shaft anti-clockwise to release the lift whilst I videoed it. Here it is lowering smoothly. Click on image to activate :~



MORAL: Patience is a virtue. Had I not impatiently jumped the gun, I could have repaired my Jack back to full working operation for a total cost of 11 pence plus VAT for a new O-ring seal ... plus a little Hydraulic fluid. One is never too old to learn....

MG-"Ace Trolley Jack Repairer"-John signing off a tad wiser tonight ....
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[MGJohn]

DickHerpes said:

MGJohn said:

I then got my assistant ( wife .. ) to twist the shaft anti-clockwise

I think you uploaded the wrong pictures.

I wondered if anyone would pick up on that when I typed it ... you rascal...

It gets you in the end though.

[MGJohn]

MarJay said:

I repaired an old trolley jack of my dads. Was a three ton jobbie.

Until my mate Dave borrowed it... I found out he'd been using it to lift his 7.5 tonner. When I asked him about this he replied "It doesn't weigh 7.5 tonnes on one corner does it?"

On a side note I thought this was going to be one of those "Man repairs his own trolley jack and then dies when a car crushes him" viral threads...

Yep, I've read one or two sad stories about that happening. I always use Axle Stands and nag my car user and DIYer sons to always ensure when they work on their cars, they use axle stands. We have two sets of those which are easy to use so no excuses.

Although I'm reasonably confident I've done a gooid job on this Jack, I shall watch it very carefully when I again use it .... just in case. Anyone refurbishing kit like this should do the same.