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  • Woody

    Oct. 31, 2008 2:18 p.m. Woody Dork

    Has anyone here rebuilt a hydraulic jack?

    I have a couple of them, but my Miata-friendly low profile jack has been leaking around the plunger (the small piston under the handle) for a while now. Is repairing the leak as simple as removing the threaded sleeve around the plunger and replacing an o-ring or is there more to it? I have visions of a bunch of springs and seals flying out of there.

  • neon4891

    Oct. 31, 2008 2:42 p.m. neon4891 Dork

    What would it cost to replace it?

  • Woody

    Oct. 31, 2008 2:48 p.m. Woody Dork

    About $60.

  • SkinnyG

    Oct. 31, 2008 3:33 p.m. SkinnyG New Reader

    I've rebuilt a super-cheap jack about 8 times now. It uses a simple o-ring, and that's all I replace. Buy a couple 0-rings, and just to spite you it will probably never leak again.

  • Woody

    Oct. 31, 2008 6:18 p.m. Woody Dork

    SkinnyG wrote:

    I've rebuilt a super-cheap jack about 8 times now. It uses a simple o-ring, and that's all I replace. Buy a couple 0-rings, and just to spite you it will probably never leak again.

    ...and there's the answer I was looking for!

  • EPcivic

    Oct. 31, 2008 8:50 p.m. EPcivic New Reader

    Or just drain the oil and put something thicker in - that'll stop a lot of leaks. Regular motor oil seems thicker than jack oil. Gear oil would be the next step. Might make it come down a little slower.

    -Chris

  • beaulieu

    Oct. 31, 2008 9:50 p.m. beaulieu New Reader

    scary putting the wrong type of oil, might eat the seals or expand them the wrong way.....

  • dean1484

    Nov. 2, 2008 8:55 a.m. dean1484 HalfDork

    I have used gear oil in several jacks for years with no issues.

 

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