Need help with craftsman floor jack

[Plays_with_Toys]

I have a 3.5 ton craftsman floor jack and while it's never worked that great after the first couple uses, now its useless. I can pump my car up two inches (for a height of 8" total) and after that, I have to raise the jack handle all the way up and then I only get compression in the cylinder in the last six inches (when the handle is almost to the bottom). It's rated for close to 30" of lift. There is a small note about adjusting the air vent on the jack, but I don't have an owners manual and see nothing to adjust on it. Just attaching hardware.

So anyone own this jack or one similar that might know whats going on and how to fix it? This thing was over $150 and I'm peeved that I can't even get my car up high enough to work on the rear sway bar.

Here's a pic of the particular jack:

 

[EeePee]

Gotta bleed out the air mang!

 

[Plays_with_Toys]

How do I go about that? Like I said, it looks like one solid cylinder and nothing else for adjustments of any kind.

EDIT: Google yielded this off of a car racing forum: Might be as simple as bleeding the jack. The right way to do that is raise the end of the jack away from handle up about a 75 degree angle unsrcew handle relief a couple turns and pump handle 15 or 20 times this bleeds the air out of jack's hydraullic's. So I will go try this out now.

 

[EeePee]

Exactly.

Sorry, I recall you driving a Subaru, and I thought you guys knew this kind of stuff! Maybe it's cause it's a wagon!?

 

[Plays_with_Toys]

It might have a little to do with me driving a wagon. It probably has more to do with me being a dumbass. :lol:

I haven't needed the jack that often, my previous car was a lifted toyota pickup, and my subaru has enough clearance for me to crawl under it either on level ground or at the top of my driveway, but the eibach's in the picture are going to drop it two inches, and so I'll be needing the jack and my car ramps much more often.

I went ahead and did the bleeding but the sun is down and it is cold outside, so I'll test it this weekend.