All car owners and professionals can comprehend how essential a floor jack is to their garages. But what do you do if your 3-ton floor jack won’t lift? So, starting a wrenching session by discovering your floor jack won’t lift can be frustrating.
Accordingly, before you give up and head to the store for a brand-new floor jack, a few simple steps may get you lifting again. This read will delve into why your floor jack might not work and how to fix a 3-ton floor jack that won’t lift weight.
In addition, there are a few potential causes why your 3-ton floor jack won’t lift. It may be the hydraulic fluid is low, the release valve is not working correctly, or there is a leak in the system. Besides, it may be the lifting arm that is not engaged or blocked by something.
Whatever the cause, it’s essential to know how to fix a floor jack that won’t lift and solve the issue so you can safely use your jack again. Let’s go through this blog post!
Your 3-Ton Floor Jack Won’t Lift Easily – Problems & Their Solutions
Possible Problems With Your Faulty Floor Jack
Your floor jack only has one job: lifting heavy things. Amazingly, your floor jack can transform the action of pumping the handle up and down into lifting a several-ton vehicle. But your floor jack would experience the following complications:
- It could not raise the rated weight.
- It won’t uphold the rated weight.
- It won’t reach its maximum height.
- Its handle won’t turn completely.
Also Read : Best American Made Floor Jacks
Working Solutions To Fix Jack Lifting Problems
The floor jack is only intended to raise the load and hold it in the air firmly. When you can’t lift your floor jack, it’s a frustrating experience. Therefore, you can troubleshoot the issue and get your jack working again.
So, you should know how to fix a floor jack when it goes wrong. Here are a few essential tips you should keep in mind.
Reduce The Load On Your Jack
Make sure you’re not overloading the jack. Every best floor jack has a load limit that it can hold, and you should not exceed that limit. On the contrary, if you’re testing to overload your floor jack, the floor jack may malfunction and will also damage.
Luckily, it is an easy task to repair the floor jack to perform correctly. Follow these steps:
- Take out the screw of the oil filler.
- Release the jack’s valve.
- Turn it counter-clockwise.
- At last, tighten the release valve.
Still, it might be traditional for the floor jack not to raise enough load if there is a looseness in the release stopcock.
The overload valve is a safety element that deters it from working when it is overloaded. If you’ve accidentally turned it on, you should seek a hydraulics expert’s help to fix it. So just adjusting the valve back will unleash the tension spring and malfunction it.
Check And Fix Your Leaky Jack
A floor jack can leak oil from time to time. Substituting the O-rings in your floor jack will settle this issue and enable the jack to work correctly. You need to release the valve screw, let the fluid drain out, put the new O-rings, restock your floor jack, and then tighten the valve screw again.
Thus, your floor jack must have sufficient lubricant oil. So neither must it be too much nor should it be too little that may create an issue in your floor jack. Always keep the lubricant level up to the line and should exceed it too high or too below. Thus, keep it at a normal level for efficient performance.
Besides, you must lubricate your floor jack’s moving parts so that nothing is stuck in it. If everything is moving smoothly, you will get the maximum output.
Check And Fix Foamy Leak Out
Keep an eye out for leaks regularly. If you detect any leaks, call to repair them before your floor jack works appropriately.
It is a different problem as it shows water or air mixed in with the oil, giving a foamy appearance. It will happen if you aren’t repeatedly wiping out the dust from the drain plug with a rag. To fix this issue, you must change the oil and clean the drain plug.
Bleed The Air From The System
Usually, you can resolve all problems by bleeding the floor jack. Thus, pump the handle about 10-15 strokes and purge all the trap air from the system.
Thus, it is necessary to release all the trap air in the jack’s hydraulics. It is one of the consequential problems that most users confront. The floor jack can become stuck with air and stop functioning.
Congratulation! you have learned how to fix a Pittsburgh 3-ton floor jack won’t lift and will correct it quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a 3-ton jack lift an SUV?
An Answer to the question, “Will a 3-ton floor jack lift a truck”? Floor jacks use hydraulic pressure to raise the vehicles above the ground. They also provide easy positioning under trucks and SUVs.
Arcan 3-Ton Aluminum Floor Jack will be an ideal choice for your truck and SUV. So it has a lifting range of 3.75 inches to the minimum, and its high range is 18 inches which is more than enough for SUVs and Trucks.
Why won’t my floor jack go down?
The main reason a floor jack won’t go down is because of the air trapped in the hydraulic pump. As a result, it prevents your jack from going its full range or coming to the down position. Therefore, to correct this issue, you must bleed or purge the trapped air from the system and make your floor jack functionary.
How high will a 3-ton jack lift?
A 3-ton jack can offer heavy duty and get your vehicle almost two feet above the ground.
Is a 3-ton jack enough for a car?
Most of the Pro users are getting away with 2.5-ton jacks, but workshop mechanics usually use at least 3 tons to cover all the bases to get extra stability. As a result, a 3-ton jack is more than enough for a car to lift it quickly and safely.
Can I use a 3-ton jack on an SUV?
A 2-ton jack would be more than enough for your small car or sedan to lift them easily. But if you have an SUV or a pickup truck will need more rated jacks, such as (3 to 4 tons). Thus, it will give you a high margin of safety during lifting.
What kind of oil do you put in a 3-ton floor jack?
You can use hydraulic jack oil in your 3-ton floor jack. But the oil you will use should be of high quality. Never use any other kind of fluid, such as motor oil or brake oil; they will not work and may damage your jack’s internal parts.
Conclusion
A 3-ton floor jack won’t lift your vehicle for a few reasons, and you can fix the problem. If you’re skeptical about how to fix a floor jack that won’t lift, we recommend you should take your jack to a professional. He will diagnose the problem and get your jack working again.
You must never forget two things First, check your floor jack is adequately lubricated. If it’s not, you must lubricate it yourself or take it to a professional to have it done. Second, inspect that your floor jack is properly inflated. If it’s not, you can try to extend it by yourself or take it to a skilled person to have it done.
If you troubleshoot the issues and still can’t get the jack to work, you may need to replace it. We are sure that you have learned a lot from this post about how to fix a 3-ton floor jack that won’t lift.
