One problem leads to another
 

I am in the process of replacing my motor and tranny mounts. Did the motor mounts last night. No trouble there.

Tonight after I jacked the car up, and put it on stands I supported the transmission frame with the jack so it won't fall down on the rear sway bar. I took out the old mount, and after cleaning up the bolts I got back underneath to put the new mounts in. I noticed that the jack has lowered down enough that the transmission is resting on the rear sway bar. Something wrong with the jack?

I put the mount back in, but when I try to do the big center bolt it won't thread straight in from the lowered position. When I try to jack the transmission back up it keeps falling back down.

The jack is a craftsman with a one year waranty bought a year and a half ago! I have the manual, and it suggests adding oil. After a trip to Sears I fill it up with oil. I try again, and it isn't any better.

Any suggestions on what to do with the jack?

If the answer is throw it away, what is a good jack to get?

Any suggestions on getting the transmission bolted back in?

with the fill cap on the cylinder and the release valve in the "lowering" position, pump the lever up and down a few times. then tighten the valve to the "raise" position and give it a spin.

I had a craftsman jack with the same problem and that worked for me.