Getting a flat tire often seems like the worst thing ever. However, a predicament that tops off even this awful scenario is the handle of your floor jack coming off right when you have to lower it. Now you have got your car hanging up in the air, with a jack stuck under it. Do not fret, even this awful hassle has a solution.
It may seem unbelievable but there is a way for you to release your floor jack and lower your car even with the absence of a handle on the floor jack. The procedure in itself is quite simple. However, it still requires a lot of consideration, especially if you are not an expert like me.
To bring ease to the lives of people who are as inexperienced with cars and their tools as I am, I split the entire process into a couple of simple and easy-to-follow steps. So, let’s dive right into how you can release your floor jack without a handle.
How To Release Floor Jack Without Handle
The seemingly impossible task of releasing the floor jack without its handle can be done very easily if you follow the below-stated steps carefully.
Remove The Plate Behind The Handle
The first thing that you will need to do is get your tool kit out of the car. You need a screwdriver and a wrench for this process. Every floor jack comes with a small plate right behind the handle section. This plate is attached to the body with a couple of screws. The area that we need to work on is underneath the plate, so locate the plate first. The second step of the procedure is unscrewing all of those screws and removing the place. Once you have found the plate, then take your screwdriver and start unscrewing them one by one. Make sure to place the screws close by, so you do not lose sight of them.
Locate The Release Valve
After you have removed all the screws from the plate of your floor jack, then lift the plate and set it aside. Here comes the technical part, floor jacks come with a small release valve which is connected to the handle section and extends to the rest of the body of the floor jack. Your job is to locate the part of this release valve which is protruding.
Twist The Release Valve
Once you have successfully found the small valve, then it is time to move on to phase three of this procedure. Take the wrench and hold that release valve with it. Move it to the left side slightly. You will notice that your floor jack will start releasing your car lower, the moment you move the release valve. A critical part here is to make sure that you are not right under the car while doing this step; otherwise, the vehicle will lower onto you which is highly dangerous. Once the car has stopped lowering, it is time to move the release valve again. After a few seconds, twist the release valve a little bit more to the left. Make sure to give it small twists; otherwise, the car will come thrashing down. A couple of small twists and voila! Your car will be lowered back to the safety of the ground.
Putting the Plate Back On
Once your car has been released from the clutches of the handle-less floor jack, pull the machine out from under the car. Take the plate and its screws and put them all back in their places. Make sure to tighten them properly, so as to not bring more damage to your floor jack. Now you can inspect your floor jack to fix the handle, or completely replace it with a new one.
Conclusion
Any inconvenience no matter how minor can become a headache if it happens at a bad time. The same can be said about the handle of the floor jack breaking while your car is up in the air.
Lucky for you, the article above contains a step-by-step procedure of how you can release the floor jack without a handle conveniently. So, make sure to follow every step exactly as it says above.
- Craftsman Jack Stands Review - October 18, 2022
- OTC 1545 Motorcycle Lift Review - October 18, 2022
- Pro Lift Jack Stand Review - October 17, 2022