OK, dumb question of the week maybe. Can I use ATF or brake fluid in a bottle jack? Don't feel like driving into town but I will rather than hurt the jack.
I put something other than hydraulic fluid in a new jack one time and the jack went to shit. Now ATF type F is nothing but hydraulic fluid with red dye in it so there might be a chance that it will be ok?
I put ATF in an old one of mine, been working a long time w/o issue. I figured we used to use ATF for power steering fluid.
I would think any oil of similar viscosity will be fine, but definitely not brake fluid - it's a different family of fluid (it's water soluble, even). Brake fluid will not mix with the remaining oil, and of course absorbs moisture from the air, promoting rust. So it will work in a pinch, but is bad for the longevity of your jack.
Yep, most anything but brake fluid. Engine oil works good, too. What happens most of the time is, when you have to add fluid to a Jack, it means it has developed a leak. So the seals are already damaged. So they are on their way out any way, no matter what fluid you put in it. That’s why people blame a certain fluid as causing damage to their Jack. But sometimes you can buy some time! Bones
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