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Bringing it Home
The woman who was giving me the Maxima
called me at around 5:00 on January 3rd 2007 to ask if I could pick up
the car that night. She was moving out of her condo, and needed to
get the car out of there that night. I told her I would drive over
there (about 20 miles away) after my wife got home (8:00 or so) and
bring the car back. At 8:00, my mother and I took her mini van,
and went to get the car.
When my boss first told me about the car two days earlier, he
said that it wouldn't start when it was raining out. My mother and
I first stopped at the woman's new apartment to find out where the car
was, and get keys / paperwork / etc. It was during this stop that
the woman told me the car wasn't running. I told her that I hadn't
been aware of that, and wasn't sure if I would be able to get it running
and take it or not, but I would do my best. A short drive later,
and we met her boyfriend at the condo, and I got my first look at the
car.
It was a black 1993 Nissan Maxima. The body appeared to
be in good shape, as did the interior for the most part. I asked
him what he knew about the car, and he explained that they had bought it
about 9 months ago for $2500. A few months ago, one day when it
was raining out, the car wouldn't start. He said that he had
sprayed wire drier on the plug wires, and the car had started, and
continued to work for a few more months, then it wouldn't start again.
Apparently, he paid someone to help him, and they sprayed the wires with
WD40, but it didn't work, and the car had been sitting since then, and
wouldn't start.
I told him to go ahead and turn it over, and I listened very
carefully to the engine. The engine cranked over very smoothly and
evenly which was a good sign. I only heard one cylinder trying to
fire. That told me that it was getting gas, and the the engine
internals were likely in good working order, so we opened up the hood,
and I set to checking out the ignition
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