Shopping Cart

Your cart is currently empty.

How-to Replace Your Lift’s Cylinder Seals

Maintaining your Eagle lift is important to insure continued safe operation.  One of the most common maintenance tasks is replacing the seals in your lift’s cylinders.  Seals wear down over a period of time or work their way loose.  This will be evidenced by leaking hydraulic fluid from the cylinders.

 

Replacing these seals is easy to do.  It requires a simple cylinder seal kit and about an hour. Sure, the instructions (you can see those here) may make it sound complicated, but we want to show you how simple it is. If you’re like me, it’s so much easier when you can see what to do, so we had Beau do this quick tutorial on how to replace the seals on your lift’s cylinder!

 

WHAT IS THE BEST OIL FOR MY EAGLE LIFT?

Types of Eagle Car LiftsJust like different sorts of gasoline, transmission fluids and hydraulic oils have different additives, density and purposes for use.  Fluids are made for very specific uses and products are made to be used with a specific fluid.  When something else is used, the performance is poor and the product is damaged.

In years past, there were lift manufacturers in North America who said that ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid) could be used in their automotive lifts; some manufacturers still do. Some professional installers, familiar with such manufacturers, tend to assume all lifts take ATF; but they don’t, and never have. Please do not use ATF in your Eagle Automotive Lift.

You wouldn’t use the wrong oil in your engine. You wouldn’t put leaded gas in your unleaded car. Read on to see why you must use AW-32 Hydraulic Oil in your Eagle Equipment Auto Lift.

The AW stands for Anti-Wear. It also protects against Rust & Oxidation, and contains Anti-Foam additives. An oil’s rating refers to its viscosity, which determines its ability to flow at different temperatures. Lower numbers indicate thinner, more easily flowing oils. AW32 is approximately 10-weight oil with the additives and is ideal for all climates. Whether you plan to use your lift on a cold morning or down in Miami, AW32 is universal.

For Eagle Equipment lifts, AW32 is required in all circumstances. We do not recommend the use of automatic transmission fluid (ATF) because its thinner viscosity (5W) can allow the oil to “leak” around hydraulic cylinder seals and will reduce the life of the pump seals. When you use ATF, you can expect your seals to break and your lift to be useless. This is why Eagle Equipment must void your warranty if you put ATF in your Eagle Lift (This is also stated in all Eagle Lift manuals.)

Important to Note: When looking to buy your AW32 Hydraulic Oil just make sure it says “Hydraulic Oil” not “Hydraulic Tractor Oil” or “Hydraulic Fluid” as they are not the same thing! Hydraulic fluid is used in small systems such as car brakes. Hydraulic oil is used in large systems such as lifts.

Why Isn’t My Power Unit Pumping Fluid?

THE PROBLEM: Power unit runs fine but will not pump any fluid.

Do you have a power unit that is working but not pumping fluid? Before you give us a call, our resident expert tells the fix and it’s so easy to do!

 

power unit priming diagram

Step 1 – Locate the check valve, the flush plug to the left of the lowering valve.
(See illustration.)

 

Step 2 – Using an Allen wrench and shop towel – with shop towel in place to catch fluid – loosen the check valve plug 2-1/2 turns to allow it to leak.

 

Step 3 – Push the START button for one second, then release for three seconds.

Repeat these steps until the unit starts pumping fluid.

 

Step 4 – Tighten the check valve.

 

THE POWER UNIT SHOULD BE PRIMED

Four Maintenance Tasks For for Your 2-Post Car Lift

Mechanics Car Lift UsesIf you own a mechanic shop or you like to do work on your own vehicles, you might be in the market for a car lift. Car lifts make performing routine and complicated maintenance much easier because you do not have to get down on the ground or under the car. There are several different types of lifts, but the most popular are the 2- and 4-post lifts. At Eagle Equipment, we carry both.

4-post lifts are more suitable for vehicle storage, and 2-post lifts are a lot better for major reconstruction and mechanical repairs. Realize which projects are easier when you own a 2-post lift and make the right investment.

Below, find four common repairs that can be done more efficiently with a 2-post automotive lift.

1. VROOM! VROOM! Working on the Engine
If the full frame is under the body of the car and you are working on the engine, a 2-post application will make it easy for you to lift the car up off of the engine and the suspension sub frames. This makes the job less involved and complicated.

2. Transmission Repairs
Hoisting the car off of the ground with a 2-post application will also make for easier transmission repairs. They will provide easy access to the transmission from the undercarriage of the vehicle and will prevent causing damage to other vehicle components you would have to bypass when working under the hood.

3. Tire Rotations
When you are doing tire rotations you need all of the wheels to be off of the ground. These lifts are far more convenient then using a car jack and will prevent errors and injuries when you are rotating tires. It will take less time to complete this type of project. Using a car jack can be dangerous because it can easily slip while you are working under the vehicle.

4. Quick and Easy Oil Changes
If you do not want to get dirty while you are doing an oil change, a car lift is the answer. These lifts will give you easy access to the oil pan so you can perform oil changes in less time.

Working on difficult projects or even routine tasks is much easier when you have the right equipment, so it’s time to invest in an automotive lift! You can keep your customers satisfied and get your home projects done quickly so you can enjoy your free time. Shop Eagle Equipment Lifts now.

Maintaining your EAGLE LIFT

Your Eagle lift will provide you with many years of safe and reliable service if you perform these routine maintenance procedures.

2-Post Car Lift Maintenance-

Check for proper operation of carriage safety latches each time you use the auto lift.  You should hear the safety latches click in both posts each time they pass through a lock position.  If one or both of the latches are not functioning properly as described above discontinue using the car lift immediately and repair or replace the safety mechanism.

  1. Check Eagle lift arm restraint locks for proper operation.  The arm restraint locks should automatically engage when the car lift is raised preventing the arm from moving horizontally.  Lubricate the vertical arm restraint rods periodically as needed.
  2. Inspect the car lift arms and pins for wear.  Lubricate the Eagle lift arm pins monthly with wheel bearing grease or white lithium grease.
  3. Check pulleys, chains: chain rollers, roller pins, pulley shafts, etc. for wear.  Lubricate these components monthly with chain lube or oil.
  4. Check equalizing cables for wear and proper tension weekly.  If carriage safety latches do not click simultaneously when raising the car lift, a cable adjustment is necessary. (Refer to installation manual for proper procedure.)  If the cables are frayed or damaged replace immediately with new cables.
  5. Inspect all hoses and fittings for damage or oil leaks and replace as needed.
  6. Inspect cylinders for oil leaks.  Replace or rebuild cylinders as needed.
  7. Lubricate all four inside corners of the posts where the rub blocks contact with white lithium grease as needed.
  8. Inspect all concrete anchor bolts monthly and tighten as needed.  Replace any anchor that will not hold in the concrete.  Eagle lift posts should be plumb and if shimming is necessary all anchors points with gaps between the bottom of the base plate and the floor should be fully shimmed before the anchor is tightened.
  9. Inspect all automotive lift pads monthly and replace as needed.
  10. If car lift has an overhead cut-off switch, check monthly for proper operation.

4-Post Storage Lift Maintenance-

Check all safety latches to be sure they are engaging properly each time you use the Eagle lift.  You should hear the latch click in each post as it passes the safety stops.  If any of the latches are not functioning properly as described above discontinue using the auto lift immediately and repair or adjust the latch mechanism.

  1. Inspect lock release linkage monthly and adjust if necessary.  Lubricate all lock release rod pivot points with oil.
  2. Check equalizing cables for wear and proper tension weekly.  If the 4 safety latches do not click simultaneously when raising the automotive storage lift, a cable adjustment is necessary. (Refer to installation manual for proper procedure.)  If the cables are frayed or damaged discontinue using the storage lift and install new cables.  New cables will stretch after the first few uses and will normally require readjustment.  The longer cables will stretch more than the shorter cables therefore it is normal for a re-adjustment to be necessary after the first few uses of a new auto lift.
  3. Inspect pulleys and pulley shafts for wear and replace if necessary.  Lubricate pulley shafts monthly.
  4. Inspect all hoses and fittings for damage or oil leaks and replace as needed.
  5. Inspect cylinders for oil leaks.  Replace or rebuild cylinders as needed.
  6. Lubricate all four inside corners of the posts where the rub blocks contact with white lithium grease as needed.

Sign up to our newsletter & Receive Savings In Your Inbox

Sign Up

Copyright © 2024 Eagle Equipment. | Ecommerce Shopping Cart Software by Miva, Inc.