Jack

[Nick_e30]

Is a $20 2 ton Walmart jack good enough or do I really need to spend $100+ on a jack ? I'm only going to be doing fluid changes

[Zacm829]

I would at least spring for the harbor freight aluminium jack. Cheap, light and effective!

http://www.harborfreight.com/15-ton-compact-aluminum-racing-floor-jack-with-rapid-pump-62160.html

[flyboyx]

none of that bullshit will last very long. after a couple years, you will find that when you pump the handle, it will lift less and less until finally it won't lift anything at all.

i have been through 3 or 4 of these with with same results. i suppose a cheap jack is ok for now.....the best advice i can give you is to buy an old used floor jack from the 70's or 80's off craigslist. find one made in japan and get a rebuild kit put in it. the jack will then last you the rest of your lifetime. i inherited such a floor jack from my grand dad. when i took it to the hydraulic shop, they told me the rebuild kit was around 80 bucks. initially, i was like: JESUS CHRIST!!!! i can buy a new one cheaper. the guy at the shop said hang on a second.....if you could buy this thing new(you can't) it would probably cost a grand or so. he also said that he would be willing to pay me 200 bucks for mine so that he could rebuild it himself and use it in his garage at home. the point of the story is that for less than 100.00 i bought a set of seals and special oil. i went home, installed the parts in my tool, and now i have something i can give to my son when i pass on or am too old to mess with cars anymore.

[Nick_S]

I would at least spring for the harbor freight aluminium jack. Cheap, light and effective!

http://www.harborfreight.com/15-ton-...ump-62160.html

THIS. Had mine for years, works perfect. Light enough to carry around and low enough to fit under a lowered e30.

[Kershaw]

I have the craftsman version. Twice as expensive. ... doesn't work any better. Haha.

I'd get something off craigslist. Definitely get an aluminum jack unless it's meant to stay in the garage. Low profile is important!

[nando]

I had the Craftsman one. I actually liked it a lot better than the HF jack. But after 10 years, the mechanism that opens/closes the valve crumbled and that was that. It only had just started to need new seals, was going to rebuild it but then I ended up with the HF jack instead. :(

[ST1G]

Yeah, I mean for just fluid changes the aluminum jack will do. However like flyboiX said it stops working after a few years.

none of that bullshit will last very long. after a couple years, you will find that when you pump the handle, it will lift less and less until finally it won't lift anything at all.

i have been through 3 or 4 of these with with same results. i suppose a cheap jack is ok for now.....the best advice i can give you is to buy an old used floor jack from the 70's or 80's off craigslist. find one made in japan and get a rebuild kit put in it. the jack will then last you the rest of your lifetime. i inherited such a floor jack from my grand dad. when i took it to the hydraulic shop, they told me the rebuild kit was around 80 bucks. initially, i was like: JESUS CHRIST!!!! i can buy a new one cheaper. the guy at the shop said hang on a second.....if you could buy this thing new(you can't) it would probably cost a grand or so. he also said that he would be willing to pay me 200 bucks for mine so that he could rebuild it himself and use it in his garage at home. the point of the story is that for less than 100.00 i bought a set of seals and special oil. i went home, installed the parts in my tool, and now i have something i can give to my son when i pass on or am too old to mess with cars anymore.

Your story brought tears to my eyes.

[AwakenNoMore]

Bought this one a year ago, it's fantastic, albeit heavy. Wait for Harbor Freight to put it on sale or coupon. So worth it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-low-profile-steel-heavy-duty-floor-jack-with-rapid-pump-61282.html

[ST1G]

Bought this one a year ago, it's fantastic, albeit heavy. Wait for Harbor Freight to put it on sale or coupon. So worth it.
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-l...ump-61282.html

Me too, for $60 or so. Worth it.

[4x4_e30]

I had an E30 drop onto my thumb because of a harbor freight jack. The valve action to lower it gets sticky, so you have to twist really hard to get it to budge, once it does budge it's dropping full speed. Every harbor freight jack I've owned gets to that point. Now I use an old school Napa floor jack, and feeling is starting to come back to my thumb.

[nando]

yeah I hate that about the HF jack. the valving is way too touchy.

[rcsoundn1]

Those $20 jacks are shit, I have gone through to many. Just buy a better one

[TobyB]

The 2- ton HF aluminum jack has held up.
The 1.5, not so much.
The various Crapsman, not so much.

What happens to me,
t

[e30onBBSs]

Probably worth getting the two ton. The HF one looks good. I got mine at Walmart for like $120? Only had a problem when my car was dumped dumped and it wouldn't fit lol