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Harbor Freight Lift cylinder needs a rebuild
- Thread starter selyab
- Start date
gtrider
52184
Any decent hydraulics shop should be able to rebuild that cylinder for you, and I’d expect a rebuild to be a lot less $$$ than a replacement cylinder. A rebuild usually involves disassembly, cleaning and inspection, replacing sealing rings on the piston, and replacing shaft seals. Pretty straightforward in most cases.
Best,
DG
Best,
DG
lkraus
New member
That would be my first step. My cylinder was very under-filled when I received it, taking about three ounces of jack oil to top off.
Using the locking bar is supposed to prolong the life of your cylinder, as well as protecting you and your bike from sudden failure.
If the fluid is not low, I'd call HF at the number in the manual to ask about the cost of a new cylinder. Being HF, it may well be cheaper and easier than finding a local repair shop.
lkraus
New member
I sense confusion.
Lift table manual is here: http://https://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/68000-68999/68892.pdf
Page 7 explains how to check and fill the hydraulic fluid. Hydraulic Jack fluid is available at most auto parts stores.
Last edited:
I fixed the link- ^^^^^^in your quote. A timely posting as I need to add some jack fluid to mine. I'll add it to the Tag Cloud
I have never had any luck with a local shop fixing a jack for more than 3 times the cost of a new "import" replacement......Really unfortunate.......sign of the times-
OM
lkraus
New member
Thanks. Was preparing post when wife informed me I was taking her out to dinner RIGHT NOW, had no time to proof.
selyab, HF changes their tables from time to time so yours might be a little different, but the fill hole should be in a similar location.
Mine has a rubber plug (at the arrow), prys out with a screwdriver.
Not sure if there's any help here:
https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?57355-Sagging-HF-1000-lb-lift
https://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?57355-Sagging-HF-1000-lb-lift
lkraus
New member
Above mentioned manual, page 5:
Page 7:
As the OP have you even attempted to apply the answers you've already been given? Like maybe try reading the fine manual? Insufficient oil is much easier to check and fix than a damaged seal. The cylinder can pressurize air enough to lift, but may then leak that air through an undamaged seal that will not pass more viscous oil. Though the seal may now be damaged by using the table with low oil.
Questions have been asked about your table (age, use, oil level) so that we can better provide possible solutions, but you have not bothered to answer any of them.
Most of us are happy to help, but you seem to be rejecting our responses without any reported attempt to see if they are applicable.
lkraus
New member
Earlier, I was preparing a response to post #14. I'd found a couple rebuild links, a year-old price on the HF replacement cylinder, an alternative repair, and was trying to work up an explanation as to why we had asked for more info. I type slowly and re-edit often, so it takes awhile for me to put a post together.
Then I saw that #14 had been edited, to add all the text after "BTW...".
The resulting post still had some useful info and a few snarky bits, so I've deleted it. This forum deserves better stuff to read, sorry if you read it in the few hours it was up. The info, well, OP has his friend Google.
_________________________________
Suppose somebody here says their engine won't start and they want to rebuild the carb, with no further info. Remember, there has been no indication that any trouble shooting has been done, only a report of a single symptom.
We ask some background questions to help understand what we are dealing with, someone asks if they even have gas, or if the petcock is open, before we get into carb rebuilds, because those are more likely problems and are more easily corrected. A source is suggested for a new carb, as that may be cheaper than a rebuild, with a reference to the owners manual where a picture can be seen showing the petcock positions, and even the manufacturer's phone number.
There is no verbal response from the person asking for asssistance, just a shrug.
"Dunno"
Doesn't know if he has gas?
Doesn't know how to check the petcock?
Doesn't know where the manual is?
Doesn't know... what?
No additional info, still no indication of any actual trouble shooting.
More explanation is provided, we tell how to remove the gas cap and look in the tank, with links and pictures and even the relevant page numbers.
Now we get more info. It seems we were required to know the part numbers and prices for carburetor parts of unknown age from a manufacturer known to use multiple suppliers and who frequently changes designs. None of our answers meet the unstated requirements! A threat is made, the poster is taking his business elsewhere!
Being the helpful sort of folk who tend to gather here, we make one more attempt. We are trying to simplify and verify the problem. Multiple references from the manual show that the manufacturer says the gas level should be checked first, before rebuilding the carb.
Finally, we receive confirmation that there IS gas! First step accomplished. But we are chastised because we rashly assumed the poster would read the entire page and thus we failed to quote the entire chapter and verse, for his convenience. Seems he has another way to judge gas level. It might have been helpful if he had told us the gauge read "full". We know that's always a foolproof way to tell if there is gas in the tank, right?
____________________________________________
Enough. We are not getting paid to answer these questions. We already suggested contacting the manufacturer, who could provide reliable information and current prices. We still have no info on another recommended procedure on that page. Any other solution will require research into local resources that only the OP can accomplish.
I want to point out that this is a forum (a public meeting place for open discussion). Ask a question of a group of people seeking discussion, you're going to get more questions, some irrelevant remarks, some similar experiences, and often, the group will arrive at a useful answer to the question. Bad answers tend to be weeded out over time. It's the nature of a forum that some of the discussion will be off topic, or go in an un-anticipated direction. Sometimes the response is not what you wanted to hear. In that case, you can ignore the response. Or you can clarify the question. Or you can open your mind and examine an alternative possibility.
Complaining about well-intentioned responses just gets your name on ignore lists.
Then I saw that #14 had been edited, to add all the text after "BTW...".
The resulting post still had some useful info and a few snarky bits, so I've deleted it. This forum deserves better stuff to read, sorry if you read it in the few hours it was up. The info, well, OP has his friend Google.
_________________________________
Suppose somebody here says their engine won't start and they want to rebuild the carb, with no further info. Remember, there has been no indication that any trouble shooting has been done, only a report of a single symptom.
We ask some background questions to help understand what we are dealing with, someone asks if they even have gas, or if the petcock is open, before we get into carb rebuilds, because those are more likely problems and are more easily corrected. A source is suggested for a new carb, as that may be cheaper than a rebuild, with a reference to the owners manual where a picture can be seen showing the petcock positions, and even the manufacturer's phone number.
There is no verbal response from the person asking for asssistance, just a shrug.
"Dunno"
Doesn't know if he has gas?
Doesn't know how to check the petcock?
Doesn't know where the manual is?
Doesn't know... what?
No additional info, still no indication of any actual trouble shooting.
More explanation is provided, we tell how to remove the gas cap and look in the tank, with links and pictures and even the relevant page numbers.
Now we get more info. It seems we were required to know the part numbers and prices for carburetor parts of unknown age from a manufacturer known to use multiple suppliers and who frequently changes designs. None of our answers meet the unstated requirements! A threat is made, the poster is taking his business elsewhere!
Being the helpful sort of folk who tend to gather here, we make one more attempt. We are trying to simplify and verify the problem. Multiple references from the manual show that the manufacturer says the gas level should be checked first, before rebuilding the carb.
Finally, we receive confirmation that there IS gas! First step accomplished. But we are chastised because we rashly assumed the poster would read the entire page and thus we failed to quote the entire chapter and verse, for his convenience. Seems he has another way to judge gas level. It might have been helpful if he had told us the gauge read "full". We know that's always a foolproof way to tell if there is gas in the tank, right?
____________________________________________
Enough. We are not getting paid to answer these questions. We already suggested contacting the manufacturer, who could provide reliable information and current prices. We still have no info on another recommended procedure on that page. Any other solution will require research into local resources that only the OP can accomplish.
I want to point out that this is a forum (a public meeting place for open discussion). Ask a question of a group of people seeking discussion, you're going to get more questions, some irrelevant remarks, some similar experiences, and often, the group will arrive at a useful answer to the question. Bad answers tend to be weeded out over time. It's the nature of a forum that some of the discussion will be off topic, or go in an un-anticipated direction. Sometimes the response is not what you wanted to hear. In that case, you can ignore the response. Or you can clarify the question. Or you can open your mind and examine an alternative possibility.
Complaining about well-intentioned responses just gets your name on ignore lists.
I wouldn’t worry about it Larry. This thread has provided some good info on the basics of a hydraulic jack repair, reseal, rebuild. To single out a specific jack is only to really identify a “brand”.
The real problem, if one was to attempt the repair, is obtaining the repair (seal) kit- and that wasn’t asked for specially.
My experience pretty much tells me that they are all pretty much the same- except the seals.
I have a box of parts from a bad experience with a hydraulic shop, a 20 ton Snap-On and a 12 ton Walker. They were taken apart and I was told $240.00 to rebuild the pair. Well, I can replace both for $65.00.........
It’s the internet.....and the typed word.
OM
The real problem, if one was to attempt the repair, is obtaining the repair (seal) kit- and that wasn’t asked for specially.
My experience pretty much tells me that they are all pretty much the same- except the seals.
I have a box of parts from a bad experience with a hydraulic shop, a 20 ton Snap-On and a 12 ton Walker. They were taken apart and I was told $240.00 to rebuild the pair. Well, I can replace both for $65.00.........
It’s the internet.....and the typed word.
OM
