Sears M/C jack leaking down

[slypig]

The bottle is leaking down slowly under weight.  Any ideas what to check?

Thanks, Sly

[tomcat64]

mine does the same thing,, altho I figure I got what I paid for,, $89.00 ain't gonna buy the top of the line jack!!

[IronMike113]

Internal seals bypassing inside,Rebuild or buy new? 

[james r]

  Can You get the Jack up Enough to Use the Locking Bar ??
    Locking Bar should hold the Weight ,Right ??
     Mine Screws up once in a While.
     Fun when it won't Lift off the Locking Bar !!
     Wait a Minute and it works Ok.

[wholehog]

I think there's an o-ring in there that dries out.....

[rmc115]

go to garage journal . com, they had a great thread on rebuilding cheap jacks. Mike

[wholehog]

go to garage journal . com, they had a great thread on rebuilding cheap jacks. Mike

this one?

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51105&highlight=rebuild+jack

[truck]

Try this.


[attachment removed after 60 days by system]

[rmc115]

go to garage journal . com, they had a great thread on rebuilding cheap jacks. Mike

this one?

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51105&highlight=rebuild+jack

looks right, been a while since i read the 27 pages but all bottle jacks are similar. Mike

[Bigs]

My Sears jack was sucking air and I was having trouble getting the bike up. I looked up Sears parts and found the company that makes the jack for Sears. I think the jack was $20 and shipping $10.50 for $30.50. The jack now works better than it did when it was new.

When the jack gave out I went to Sears and bought one of their aluminum jacks since it was on sale. BIG mistake. When I put my RGU on it was like I had it on a see saw and I decided to take it back and try and fix my old one.
   Bigs

[Rags722]

Speaking as one who had the lifting system of a motorhome fail and drop 18,000 lbs of angry motorhome on me....
"JACKS ARE FOR LIFTING, NOT FOR HOLDING"   There is a reason they sell horses/jackstands and motorcycle lifts have lift bars.
NEVER trust a jack seal to hold your bike in the air. PERIOD!

While a bike may not weigh quite as much as a motorhome, I doubt anyone on this forum can bench press a bagger off his chest while it has him pinned to the garage floor.  Be safe guys, never trust a jack!.  I have no problem with you rebuilding a jack that weeps when lifting, but if it weeps only when you have it sitting there with weight on it, lower the jack to the next stop on the lifting bars, that's why they are there!

[Dan89flstc]

  Can You get the Jack up Enough to Use the Locking Bar ??
    Locking Bar should hold the Weight ,Right ??
     Mine Screws up once in a While.
     Fun when it won't Lift off the Locking Bar !!
     Wait a Minute and it works Ok.

And what will you do when it won`t lift off the locking bar?

[wholehog]

  Can You get the Jack up Enough to Use the Locking Bar ??
    Locking Bar should hold the Weight ,Right ??
     Mine Screws up once in a While.
     Fun when it won't Lift off the Locking Bar !!
     Wait a Minute and it works Ok.

And what will you do when it won`t lift off the locking bar?

just put another bottle jack under it and release it

[slypig]

Speaking as one who had the lifting system of a motorhome fail and drop 18,000 lbs of angry motorhome on me....
"JACKS ARE FOR LIFTING, NOT FOR HOLDING"   There is a reason they sell horses/jackstands and motorcycle lifts have lift bars.
NEVER trust a jack seal to hold your bike in the air. PERIOD!

While a bike may not weigh quite as much as a motorhome, I doubt anyone on this forum can bench press a bagger off his chest while it has him pinned to the garage floor.  Be safe guys, never trust a jack!.  I have no problem with you rebuilding a jack that weeps when lifting, but if it weeps only when you have it sitting there with weight on it, lower the jack to the next stop on the lifting bars, that's why they are there!

Rags....great point and reminder.

Sly

[Rags722]

Speaking as one who had the lifting system of a motorhome fail and drop 18,000 lbs of angry motorhome on me....
"JACKS ARE FOR LIFTING, NOT FOR HOLDING"   There is a reason they sell horses/jackstands and motorcycle lifts have lift bars.
NEVER trust a jack seal to hold your bike in the air. PERIOD!

While a bike may not weigh quite as much as a motorhome, I doubt anyone on this forum can bench press a bagger off his chest while it has him pinned to the garage floor.  Be safe guys, never trust a jack!.  I have no problem with you rebuilding a jack that weeps when lifting, but if it weeps only when you have it sitting there with weight on it, lower the jack to the next stop on the lifting bars, that's why they are there!

Rags....great point and reminder.

Sly

I would not wish the pain and suffering, the surgery, the sleeping in a chair for 6 months, the showers in a garbage bag, the physical therapy, or the post recovery pain I went through on anyone.  I can not drive past anyone changing a car tire by the side of the road without stopping and suggesting they slide the spare half way under the car and once they get the flat off slip that under the car until they get the spare all bolted up.  All I have to do is show them my scars and explain why that is a issue with me and so far they have all slid the tire under as a safety precaution.  I bout puked one day when I saw a kid in a gas station with the wheel off, car up on a tetter totter jack and sitting there with both legs under the car while he wrestled with a loose exhaust.  Sorry for taking this thread off topic, but I just want folks to use caution when using any kind of jack and not go through the pain & suffering I did.  Then, once it soaks in, go tell your kids about it so they don't get hurt either.

Back to your regular scheduled program.

[88b]

Speaking as one who had the lifting system of a motorhome fail and drop 18,000 lbs of angry motorhome on me....
"JACKS ARE FOR LIFTING, NOT FOR HOLDING"   There is a reason they sell horses/jackstands and motorcycle lifts have lift bars.
NEVER trust a jack seal to hold your bike in the air. PERIOD!

While a bike may not weigh quite as much as a motorhome, I doubt anyone on this forum can bench press a bagger off his chest while it has him pinned to the garage floor.  Be safe guys, never trust a jack!.  I have no problem with you rebuilding a jack that weeps when lifting, but if it weeps only when you have it sitting there with weight on it, lower the jack to the next stop on the lifting bars, that's why they are there!

I've seen the results of a FatBoy coming off a lift because the owner didn't know about the locking bar, not pretty but it could have been a lot worse.

[Chrisocross]

Mine does the same thing. I ensure that it use tie downs to help steady the bike and in addition to the locking bar, I put a 2x4 under the scissor portion to help keep bike lifted when the jack starts to leak and compress.

Chris

[Chrisocross]

Mine does the same thing. I ensure that it use tie downs to help steady the bike and in addition to the locking bar, I put a 2x4 under the scissor portion to help keep bike lifted when the jack starts to leak and compress.

Chris

[HarleyHiwayMan]

It happens to other jacks too. I bought the $400 J&S, emailed the day I received it that my bottle was leaking oil. They replied don't use it!, and sent another bottle. It's a nice jack now, but I call it over priced.

[Templar2]

It happens to other jacks too. I bought the $400 J&S, emailed the day I received it that my bottle was leaking oil. They replied don't use it!, and sent another bottle. It's a nice jack now, but I call it over priced.

I have a J&S, and have used it everyday since new (7/2007), they have replaced one bottle (jack) and 3 sets of the rubber strips on the lift rails, all without charge and all within days of my call.  NEVER have they questioned what I am doing to wear out the parts, they just say "no problem" and send me what I need.  Get what you pay for I guess.

[Ultrashovel]

Speaking as one who had the lifting system of a motorhome fail and drop 18,000 lbs of angry motorhome on me....
"JACKS ARE FOR LIFTING, NOT FOR HOLDING"   There is a reason they sell horses/jackstands and motorcycle lifts have lift bars.
NEVER trust a jack seal to hold your bike in the air. PERIOD!

While a bike may not weigh quite as much as a motorhome, I doubt anyone on this forum can bench press a bagger off his chest while it has him pinned to the garage floor.  Be safe guys, never trust a jack!.  I have no problem with you rebuilding a jack that weeps when lifting, but if it weeps only when you have it sitting there with weight on it, lower the jack to the next stop on the lifting bars, that's why they are there!

This is correct. Jacks should never be left holding. They need to be let down on stands or, in the case of a sears jack, down on the latch.

As to the let down, I would check to make sure that there is not a problem with excess air, low oil or the wrong oil in the cylinder. I'd drain it, refill with proper jack oil and test again. Other than that, make sure that it's not left holding a load when you are taking a break.

It could be a bad O-ring, but it's difficult to find the right parts for those things.Been there, done that and have the T-shirt.

[Ajayrk]

Is there a rubber plug on the jack for adding oil?  Pop it out and let the captured air out.  Jack will lift better and higher so that you can set the locks.

[14Frisco]

in addition to the locking bar, I put a 2x4 under the scissor portion to help keep bike lifted when the jack starts to leak and compress.

In addition to?
So you are saying the locking bar doesn't hold the bike up and you have to use a 2x4 to keep the bike lifted??

[frito1]

  Can You get the Jack up Enough to Use the Locking Bar ??
    Locking Bar should hold the Weight ,Right ??
     Mine Screws up once in a While.
     Fun when it won't Lift off the Locking Bar !!
     Wait a Minute and it works Ok.

And what will you do when it won`t lift off the locking bar?

A cherry picker will do the job.

[Rags722]

You get 3 friends and 1 wife.  The 4 guys each lift about 200 lbs while the wife rolls the jack out of the way.  Then set the bike down.  If 4 guys can lift a stolen bike into the back of a van, 4 other guys should be able to pick one up an inch and set it down.