This symmetry in design allows you to choose which column will support the power unit, depending on where your electrical supply is most easily accessed. If you can more easily drop a line from the ceiling or conduit on the left side of your bay, you can mount the power unit on the left-side column. If it’s easier on the right, you can mount it on that side instead. This flexibility simplifies installation and wiring.
In professional automotive shops, it is a common practice to mount the power unit on the passenger-side column. This strategic choice helps the technician move efficiently through the lift process. The technician drives the vehicle into place, exits the vehicle on the driver’s side, positions the lift arms on that side, then walks around to the passenger side to adjust those arms, and finally stands up to operate the power unit and raise the lift. This flow minimizes unnecessary movement and helps streamline the lifting process, saving both time and physical effort.
Once the lift has been installed, there is a critical step that must be performed before raising any vehicle: bleeding the Car Lift Repair Huntsville AL hydraulic system. Hydraulic car lifts operate using pressurized fluid to extend the cylinders and raise the vehicle. During installation, air can become trapped inside the hydraulic cylinders, and this air must be purged to ensure smooth and safe operation. If the lift is equipped with direct-drive hydraulic cylinders, there will usually be a bleeder screw located at the top of each cylinder. Bleeding the system involves raising the lift slightly—around twelve inches off the ground—and then loosening the bleeder screw to allow any trapped air to escape. Once fluid begins to come out of the screw without any visible air bubbles, the screw should be retightened. This process should be repeated for the second cylinder to ensure both sides are fully purged of air.
After the initial bleeding process, the lift should be cycled up and down at least once to help circulate any remaining air through the system. Lower the lift completely and then raise it again, allowing any air still in the lines to rise to the top and be expelled during a second round of bleeding. For Car Lift Repair Huntsville AL chain-over-cylinder style lifts, which differ from direct-drive systems, the procedure is slightly different. These lifts benefit from simply being cycled up and down multiple times. Each time the lift is fully lowered, it’s important to continue holding the lowering valve open for ten to fifteen seconds to give trapped air enough time to escape back into the hydraulic reservoir. The air then vents out through the cap, effectively clearing the system without needing to open any bleeder screws.
Proper planning and attention to detail at each step of the process—from spatial layout and column positioning to electrical setup and Car Lift Repair Huntsville AL hydraulic bleeding—are essential to ensuring a successful lift installation. Taking the time to visualize your workspace, understand the specifications of your lift, and accommodate the vehicles you intend to service will result in a safer, more efficient, and more enjoyable working environment for years to come.
Installing and maintaining a Car Lift Repair Huntsville AL two-post car lift requires careful attention to both mechanical detail and safety protocols. One of the most essential aspects of ensuring a two-post lift operates correctly and safely over time is the synchronization of the lift cables. These cables play a crucial role in maintaining the balance between the two hydraulic cylinders housed within each column of the lift. The purpose of the synchronization process is to ensure that these hydraulic cylinders operate in unison during the lifting and lowering processes. Without proper cable synchronization, there can be uneven lifting, which may result in mechanical issues or, more seriously, safety hazards.
The cables themselves are not responsible for lifting the vehicle. Instead, they serve a balancing function. As the hydraulic cylinders raise the car, the cables ensure that both sides of the lift ascend evenly. If one side of the lift begins to rise more quickly than the other, the tension in the cable on that side increases. The locking mechanism on each Car Lift Repair Huntsville AL column, designed to engage at the same height, will then activate unevenly. This lack of synchronization can be detected by listening for the “clicking” of the locks. If one side engages before the other, it’s an indication that the cylinders are not moving at the same rate. In this scenario, one cable has more tension than the other, and an adjustment is needed to correct the imbalance.
To begin the synchronization process, the cables must first be installed according to the specific instructions provided by the lift manufacturer. These instructions are typically found in the installation manual that comes with the lift. Once the cables are properly in place, the next step is to raise the lift a few feet off the ground. Doing so exposes the top of the carriage, allowing access to the adjustment nut located at the top of each cable. It is important during this step to listen carefully and note which side of the lift engages the locking mechanism first. That sound is a key indicator of which side is moving more quickly.
Once the initial lift has been made and the Car Lift Repair Huntsville AL locking mechanisms have been observed, the next step is to physically inspect the tension in the cables. This can usually be done by hand. If one cable feels tighter than the other, it confirms that there is an imbalance. To correct this, the adjustment nut on the side that engaged the lock first should be carefully turned. This adjustment should be done slowly and incrementally, just a few turns at a time, to avoid overcorrecting. After each adjustment, the Car Lift Repair Huntsville AL lift should be raised and lowered again to test whether both sides are now locking at the same time. The goal is to reach a point where the lock mechanisms engage simultaneously, indicating that the lift is level and balanced. It is also important that the tension on both cables feels equal, ensuring that neither side is bearing an unequal load.