Floor jacks do an excellent job elevating your car, and they are usually quite robust. However, if you are not careful with how to use this tool properly, you might end up in a situation where your car is elevated because the floor jack is stuck.
In a situation like this, you won't have the handle to quickly release the floor jack, so you'll have to use an alternate technique. To soon overcome this issue, we will give you an elaborate tutorial on how to release floor Jack without handle!
So, let’s dive in.
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Why Does the Floor Jack Get Stuck?
Although floor jacks are reliable and do not cause many difficulties, it still malfunctions occasionally. After lifting your car with the floor jack, you might notice it is stuck in its elevated position.
So, why does this happen? Floor jacks work using hydraulics. Therefore, when air gets trapped in the hydraulic pump, the floor jack will not have the ability to elevate your car or release itself, meaning it will get stuck.
While this issue can resolved quickly if you have the handle, things will get more complicated if your handle gets detached.
If you don't have the handle locked into the socket properly with the bolt right behind it, it can easily slip out. Once the grip slips out, you can't try to put it inside again to release the pressure and lower the floor jack.
4 Steps To Release The Floor Jack Without Handle
The floor jack handle is usually just twisted to disengage the release valve. Once that is done, the hydraulic fluid creating the pressure to elevate the car will come back into its chamber, and the saddle will start to come down. With the handle detached in this case, you will have to use another method discussed below.
Step 1: Unscrew the Plate of the Floor Jack
Most floor jacks have a metal tool plate on top, held together by 4 screws.
Your first step will be to take a screwdriver and unscrew all of them.
The plate should come off very quickly, and then you can move on to the next step.
Step 2: Turn the Release Valve
After you have opened the tool plate, you will see the release valve located beneath it.
When you have a handle, twisting it would also turn the release valve, disengaging it and making the hydraulic fluid return to its chamber.
Since you don't have the handle, in this case, you will have to use a wrench or pliers to do this.
Releasing a floor jack without a handle is not really hard; you will have to twist the release valve carefully because putting too much force can bend it and permanently damage it.
Step 3: Keep a Safe Distance from the Car’s Bottom
After you have loosened the release valve with pliers or a wrench, the hydraulic fluid will return to the chamber, which will make the floor jack come down.
You want to unscrew the oil filler screw by putting gentle pressure, but you also want to do it fast.
Get your head out from under the car because once the floor jack is released, it will start to come down with the vehicle.
If you're not careful, you might hurt yourself and get your head out of there in time.
Step 4: Put the Tool Plate back in Place.
Your job is almost done once the floor jack is released and completely lowered. You will just have to put the tool plate back into its position for the last step. Get it in place, and insert the 4 screws holding the tray in place with the help of a screwdriver.
How To Prevent This Situation from Happening Again
Releasing the floor jack without the handle is not necessarily a very challenging task, but it is still more complicated than just turning the handle. Now that you have learned your lesson, you should know how to avoid this in the future.
Before elevating your floor jack, ensure that the handle is correctly aligned in the handle socket. Then, you want to put in the safety bolt to hold the handle together. Use a wrench to tightly secure it in, so there's no chance of the handle slipping out again.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you release floor jack with the handle when it's stuck?
You will have to twist the handle until it stops rotating. Then, you will have to pump the jack around 15 times so that the trapped air is bled out. Once that’s done, you can close the relief valve by rotating the handle completely.
Can Floor Jacks be Used on the Side?
No, floor jacks usually have to be used on the front or rear of the vehicle. Bottle jacks are used on the side of the car to lift it.
Why is my floor jack stuck although the tightness of my handle and release valve is fine?
If your floor jack cannot lift your vehicle and you've checked that the tightness of your release valve is perfect, then there is a high chance that you are overloading the jack. Once the weight rating of any car jack is exceeded, it will stop lifting the vehicle. But no worries, as we have a guide on how to adjust a floor jack overloading valve.
Final Words
It can be a bit of a hassle if you have to release your floor jack if your handle has slipped out, but our guide on how to release a floor jack without a handle should solve that issue.
To avoid this from happening again, don't forget to follow what we have said above. Most importantly, when releasing your car jack, please be careful because your vehicle is quite heavy, so you might get injured if you’re reckless.
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