Factory jack question

ranchworld

'06 158 2500 Passenger
I put a swivel on my 2006 T1N driver seat and that meant lowering the parking brake handle and adjusting the brake cable. Since I was going under the van I set up to replace the rear shocks and check the U bolt torque. I got the jack out and discovered that it had never been used. The three part handle was still in it's factory shrinkwrap.

When I jacked up the van it lifted the van about and inch then suddenly the van dropped back down! Tried it a few times and got the same result. Took the jack out from under the van and cycled it up and down a few times with my daughter as a weight. Seemed to be very little movement per stroke, maybe a millimeter or two. It did go all the up but made what my daughter called farting sounds once the second stage started up.

My guess is it's low on fluid. There is no sign of leakage on the jack or in the tool compartment in the footwell. A little while back there was a thread about jacks and air bubbles but I couldn't find it. So, how do I repair the jack? There is a rubber plug in it. What kind of fluid and how much?

The good news is I swapped the shocks, took the slack out of the cable and checked the U bolts without lifting the van. The bad news is I drove the van from the east coast to Seattle then went on many adventures into the back of nowhere without checking if my jack worked. :crazy:
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
There was a thread a few (4?) years ago about a number of T1N jacks being found to be low on fluid.

Search via the blue bar ... i don't recall if folks refilled them or not

--dick
 

sailquik

Well-known member
As suggested, do a search on "service jack" or similar.
There is a way to add fluid through the rubber fill port on the side of the jack barrel.
But if it's low on fluid, there should be fluid residue in the area where the jack is stored.
Pretty sure the jack was full of fluid in the reservoir when it was new and it had to have leaked
'out somewhere.
Roger
 

ranchworld

'06 158 2500 Passenger
Solved the jack problem.
Surfing around on YouTube for videos on repair, refill or air purge of bottle jacks led to a better understanding of how my jack works. I got some "jack oil" http://a.co/bAQsCHn and set up shop to work on it. I stapled some builder shim (also known as sheetrock shims or bucking strips), a kind of sturdy tagboard, to a scrap of plywood making a declivity to deal with the ridiculous curved bottom of the jack.

IMG_3133.jpg

I pried out the rubber plug and used a ziptie as a dipstick to check the level. It was only down a 1/2" below the opening. Added 2 oz or so of oil to fill it to the bottom of the hole and reinserted the plug. Purging the air was easy, jack all the way up, about 175 strokes! and then open the bleed valve three full turns. Set the jack on the floor between my feet and used a scrap of ply and both hands to push the cylinders back down. Back on the bench I left the bleed screw open and using just my hand rapidly operated the jack about 50 times. Stopped with the lever down and then used a small screwdriver to push on the edge of the rubber plug aside. A quick woosh of air came out. I jacked it up again and went through the steps over and over till no more air burped out. About 20 minutes total time.

IMG_3134.jpg


I think even without adding oil the air purge would get the jack working again, good to know when you need it and it doesn't work out in the boonies.
 
One of the first things I bought 6 years ago when I got my van was a fairly lightweight aluminum floor jack from Harbor Freight. It stores inside some floor cabinets by the rear doors. I haven't needed it so far, but feel it is a better option and easier to use than the factory jack. Thanks to all here.
 

autostaretx

Erratic Member
One of the first things I bought 6 years ago when I got my van was a fairly lightweight aluminum floor jack from Harbor Freight. It stores inside some floor cabinets by the rear doors. I haven't needed it so far, but feel it is a better option and easier to use than the factory jack. Thanks to all here.
I don't know about the NCV3, but the 3-ton Harbor Freight floor jack (if you mean the roll-around kind) does not lift far enough to get even the 15" wheel of a T1N off the ground (if you're using the proper lift points). It's about 2" shy.

Have you tried yours?

--dick
 

sailquik

Well-known member
For those of you who think the OEM jack is junk, and wish to use places under your Sprinter that are NOT reinforced specifically as
lifting/jacking points, go right ahead!
I have used the OEM 2 stage hydraulic jack many times, and had no problems at all.
As suggested, the curvature on the cast iron bottom/foot of the OEM jack is a bit wonky, but if you are careful and use all the
common safety practices (chocking under the wheel on the opposite side/opposite end......never getting underneath a vehicle lifted
by a hydraulic jack.......making sure the jack is sitting on a solid surface (use a 2 x 8/10/12 piece of hardwood lumber at least 12"
long) you will be fine and so will your Sprinter because it's being lifted by the points that were designed into it as lift points.
One big point to remember is that it's only necessary to take the weight off the tire/wheel you need to change.
There is no need to see daylight under the flat tire....it will slide off the lugs as soon as all the weight is supported by the jack.
The spare tire will be a little taller, so you may need to pump your jack another few times to get the lug bolts or lug studs (516/519/3500 here)
to align at the right height, but if you get it right, you don't need the alignment pins.....the tire/wheel assembly will be at the correct
height so you can simply install the lug bolts (316/3192500's here) then rotate the tire/wheel to snug all 6 bolts up (5 on the early T1N USA spec).
Sprinter wheels and tires are heavy, and squatting down to LIFT that much weight up onto the lugs or alignment pin (s) is just crazy as if you jack the Sprinter to the right height, you don't need to lift it at all.
Spend some time at a big truck tire store/shop....you won't see those mechanics lifting 120 lbs. + tires and wheels. They know (from lots of experience) that lifting the tire/wheel assembly is completely unnecessary.
You do need to torque the lug bolts/nuts to the correct torque, so having a torque wrench with the correct capacity is very smart to have in your Sprinter.
Consult your Operator's manual for the correct torque and for those of you with alloy wheels (both factory and aftermarket) remember you need the short lug bolts in the tool kit to install the steel wheel spare tire.
Using the longer alloy wheel lug bolts will result in expensive damage.
If you have a road service or AAA truck change your tire, be sure to watch the mechanic and be sure to have the short steel wheel bolts out and ready so the mechanic can install the steel spare correctly.
Roger
 
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showkey

Well-known member
One of the first things I bought 6 years ago when I got my van was a fairly lightweight aluminum floor jack from Harbor Freight. It stores inside some floor cabinets by the rear doors. I haven't needed it so far, but feel it is a better option and easier to use than the factory jack. Thanks to all here.

Try it at home first.............many “ 3 ton HF type floor jacks” have a tough time lifting the 3500 rear. The jacks will go into protection pressure relief before they lift the vehicle.
 

calbiker

Well-known member
Found a new use for my floor jack today. After over 200k miles decided to replace front disks and wheel bearings on my '90 VW Westfalia. Couldn't get the brake carrier bolts loose. Even with a breaker bar extension. Besides being too weak, there was no leverage. Put the floor jack under the end of the breaker bar and the bolt loosened so easy!
 

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