The Challenger AB-7816-1 is the direct-replacement power unit for the Challenger lift it came off of — the genuine part, same fit and same working specification as the one already on your lift. Ordering the Challenger power unit from us gets you the OEM piece that matches the lift, not an aftermarket knock-off that is close but not the same.
Specifications
- Part number: AB-7816-1
- Brand: Challenger
- Type: Genuine OEM power unit
Seals and hoses age on two clocks at once: cycles and years. A cylinder seal wears from the miles the rod travels; a hose gets brittle just sitting in shop heat and cold. Run dirty fluid and you speed both up, because grit scores the barrel and the rod and shreds seals from the inside. Most lifts that pump every day start weeping a seal somewhere in the eight-to-fifteen year range.
The hydraulic side of a lift is a closed loop: the power unit's motor drives a pump that pushes fluid from the reservoir, through a hose and fittings, into a cylinder that does the lifting, while a lowering valve meters it back to tank on the way down. Every part in that loop either moves fluid, holds pressure, or seals it in. When one link weeps or won't hold, the whole lift feels it.
Related parts for this lift
The parts below are commonly ordered alongside this one — cables, sheaves, seals, and hardware wear on similar schedules, and most repairs go faster when the whole set is done in one visit.
Replacing your power unit
Replacing a power unit means confirming the voltage matches, killing power at the breaker, bleeding the hydraulic pressure, then transferring the lines and wiring to the new unit and refilling with the correct fluid. Getting the voltage and the fluid right is what separates a working swap from a paperweight. The complete procedure covers each step in order. Full step-by-step: how to replace a car lift power unit.
Find the right part for your lift
Want to be sure before you buy? Pull the model and serial off your lift's plate and open our Challenger parts lookup to open the exploded parts breakdown for your model — find your part on the drawing and you know it fits. New to finding your model number? our guide to finding your model number covers it, or send a photo of the plate and we will read it for you.
Signs of a hydraulic problem
Check for drift-down as the clearest internal-leak test: raise the lift, shut it off, and time how long it holds. A properly sealed system holds height for days. Noticeable sag in a few hours points to the lowering valve not seating, a failed check valve, or a piston seal passing fluid — cracking the cylinder and watching whether it sags with the valve closed isolates which.
Parts commonly replaced at the same time
The parts near a hydraulic failure are usually next in line — seals that are hardening, a hose that is cracking, fittings that seep. Do them together while the system is open and bled. We will match the seal kit, hose, and oil to your lift so you are not chasing the same leak in a month.
Hydraulic fluid
Most 2-post and 4-post lifts run hydraulic oil equivalent to ISO-32; some older units were filled with Dexron ATF. Check what your lift currently uses and do not mix the two — and defer to your lift's installation manual for the exact fill capacity, since it varies by model.
Safety notes
A hydraulic lift that drops or drifts almost always traces to air or a failed seal, both of which are preventable. Relieve pressure before opening anything, bleed until the stream runs solid, and never sign off a repair with the lift drifting even slightly at full height. Locks stay engaged while you work.
Before you order
Before ordering, confirm your lift's model and serial and, for a cylinder or hose, the exact length or fitting configuration — these change across production runs. If you only need to stop a leak, a seal kit may be the smarter buy than a whole cylinder; call and we will help you decide before you spend.
Confirm this is the right part before you order
Lift manufacturers revise parts mid-production without changing the model name, so the same lift bought two years apart can take two different revisions of the same component. Before you order, find the model plate on the lift — on most 2-post lifts it rides on one of the columns at eye level, on 4-post lifts it is usually on a column or the power-unit side runway — and note the full model number and serial. The serial dates the lift to a production run, and that is what decides which revision fits.
If the plate is painted over or missing, take a photo of the part you are replacing next to a tape measure and send it to us. Between the dimensions, the mounting pattern, and what lift it came off of, we can almost always identify the exact part before you spend money on the wrong one.
Why buy your Challenger power unit from Auto Lift Services
We install, inspect, and repair Challenger lifts every week — the AB-7816-1 is a part we handle in the shop, not a random SKU we drop-ship. The phone answers if you have a question mid-install — call 800-674-9302 — and every part ships genuine, no aftermarket substitution unless you ask for it.
Challenger AB-7816-1 Power Unit 115V 1Ph 50/60Hz
Inspect your lift.
Free. In your browser.
Our free lift inspection walks your lift end to end and shows you exactly which parts you need — right on the exploded diagram. No signup, no charge.