THSCC Forums

So, I'm trying to pull an engine + tranny out of a car, got everything loosened up, ready to hook the engine hoist up to it, and the *(&@!%#$ hydraulic ram won't work!!

This thing is one of the infamous Harbor Freight specials- the hoist is a nice one, but the ram that came with it died a while back- so I bought an 8 ton replacement from HF. I think I have used it to pull 1 engine since it was new- it was stored inside, and now it will not work!!

When I close the valve, and pump the handle, you can see the piston raise ever so slightly, then it drops back down when you lift the handle back up. It seems that there is some back-pressure on the pump, what I mean is that it seems that there is a blockage or something that is preventing the pressurized fluid from getting to (and staying in) the cylinder.

I took the small pump portion apart, and the seals seem to be just fine, and it seems to build up decent pressure. There does not seem to be much else on this that can be easily dissasembled.


Any one been through this before?? Any ideas on how to rejuvenate this thing?? I hate to go buy another POS jack from HF, but if it comes down to that- I don't have much choice!

Thanks, Bret.

Bret-
I have no experience with engine hoists and their associated ram, but the problem you describe sounds very similar to what happens to my HF low profile jack when it gets air in the system and needs to be bled. Is that a possibility?

Hi Rick,

well, I'm not sure if air in the system was the problem or not- but I got it to work long enough to get the engine pulled.

I read the HF "owner's manual" for the jack, and it went into pretty good detail on how to bleed the system- there's a rubber plug about 1/2 way up the body of the jack that is the fill plug. I (sort of) followed the directions for bleeding- remove fill plug with jack all the way down, fill with jack oil, raise the ram to it's full extension (couldn't do this with the pump, so I lifted it manually several times), let the jack down using the relif screw, then check + top off fluid. I had to lift + lower the ram about 10 times before it started to work properly.

I was able to get the engine pulled, and it did not loose pressure, or drop on me, but hydraulic oil is leaking out around the base of the small pump- alot!!!

Thanks for the suggestions, and offers of help (Rick + Rich).....

Bret.