i looked at the car. it wasn't so bad. there was no battery, but he said if i was really interested, when he had the chance, he'd take the battery out of his Camry at put it in there(?) would that start a diesel? the radio had been stolen. the AC fascia and it's undercarriage looked ok, but i was very surprised at all the wiring that was hanging out of an otherwise not destroyed center console. the wiring to the windows were all undone. the black plastic modules need to be popped back into place on the underside of the console. are they 'one way only idiot proof', or not? and if not popped in %100 proper, would having the wrong orientation, (window lock, two prongs only, looks reversible)or wrong window module(looked the same, all) hooked up to the wrong window switch toast anything? those modules seemed frozen in their given orientation after sitting crammed in that tight space for 26 years. i took pix of all those wires. i will post them. it doesn't look like any wiring was yanked out of the climate controls. it had aftermarket sony equipment in there, b4 the theft, i wonder if a lot of those wires were dead ended duplicates? He thought the control fascias on the dash and center shifter console were all destroyed and needed replacing, they only appear to need re assembly.
i looked at the fuse box, the fellow said the headlights and sunroof had stopped working. in the fuse box, a bunch of those metal covered snap in boxes to the rear of the fuses were missing. so i looked at the firewall to point out an example of what was missing to the fellow, and a foot away to the center between the sound capsule and the firewall, there was a plastic bracket with the female slots, missing 2 modules. unless that was a diagnostic socket, i think someone looted this guys car of some electrics componetry. he claims to know very little about the car, but has had a few knowledgeable shade trees come by and give him a minor educatelette, then lowball him bellow the belt. i wonder if someone grabbed a handful of electro tin when he was perusing the ozone. he claims to know nothing about fuses or anything. he said if i was serious, he would put a battery in and start it, but also said he was reluctant to add fuel because, apparently, that leak we discussed is more like a tributary than a weep or drip. when prompted, and offered the info you folks gave me, it sounded right to him, he said he thinks he recalled being told it was rottolla over the sub and around frame fuel line mounts. i believe we went over the subject of starting a long sitting car back in 2007, but i forgot, what to do to bypass this fuel line schtick, often used when starting cars to prevent fuel contaminants from getting in the injector pump. if i recall right, is there a rubber hose on the injector pump that can be taken off, and a longer hose put on, then stuck in a mayonnaise jar sitting pretty on the inside fender? like, diesel purge instructions, maybe? 'stick a jar on the fuel supply to stop spill, stick new supply hose in purge jar'. in this care, i'd need two jars, one for drip, other to fill with diesel.. can you cut a hole in a bottle cap, squeeze the hose in there, screw shut, and drive the car while on the bottle?
btw, is it the fuel lines in both directions that go? (delivery and return? .
weird, that he'd know nothing of electrics, but be willing to put the Camry battery in, or is that the minimal a male knows how to do? point in hand, being that this is not an appropriate battery to put in there. or is it ok for a temp? to start a two year outdoor storage diesel??
or at least to check new fuses/modules to see if lights go on, sunroof opens, etc?
other wise car was clean, very minimal rust, clean interior, a few cracks on dash and stretch marks on seat. nothing worse than what you'd find on a woman of comparable age :-)
dash disassembly for stereo theft that looks fixable, clean rust free trunk, lower edges of rear window free of fogging.
what are these modules missing in the fuse box and firewall? mucho expensive? pap fare? i think he'd put the battery in at least to get all new fuses in to check the electrics, but not yet start car. that'd be the next step. i think he won't mind letting me pop over there and fiddle with these things to be sure i am comfortable b4 taking car. he says he doesn't need the car gone. and i think he felt burnt by the low ballers. i have time to fidget and decide. He knows i have time. i think he feels ok with me doing for the car what he has no time or knowledge to do.
i am trying to see whether i trust that this guy is clueless, but patient and willing to work with me, or if he is just acting clueless to cover up worse issues with car. i don't think he'd be willing to let me fidget with it over there to take baby steps to get it going if he had a corpse up his sleeve. i said to him that if i were to get car in slightly better shape for him, at the least, and i decided not to take it, it would be easier for him to get someone else to take it. these minor parts are cheap enough, fuses, used modules, rubber/metal fuel lines, no battery till engine is bottle started and run and ac proves to work. the guy even picked me up today and took me over to look at the car and brought me back.... so in a way, he is making it much less of a risk for me to decide, and in return, i may lower the list of bugaboos that scare off other potential buyers or take the wind out of low ballers. i'd think we'd be easing issues for each other. Heck, maybe he'd even keep it.... i'd just be happy to be around one for a while. on the other hand, i am no mechanic, i'd hate to cause a liability issue...
i gather if i were to rent ramps and stands for a day, and borrow a pipe cutter, i could get under there do the fuel line. He said the leak was on the left side, just forward the rear wheel, and he said another low balling shadetree told him that was the world famous rotty metal fuel line location. i guess it would be best to put just enough fuel in there for a drip just to confirm where the leak is and to confirm it is not the rubber lines between the tank and steel lines. where exactly would those rubber lines drip? probably best to do rubber and metal all at once.
i wouldn't fiddle with the fuel lines without confirming electrics are ok and running the engine off a bottle long enough to see if the AC works as he claims it does.
also, if this tank sat empty, does that change the fungus dynamics? how so?
and do i also recall someone saying that there is someone making better bullet fuses for these cars now? where to get them?
Meanwhile, right now, i myself am very annoyed at the insurance companies. i live in new jersey. i got phone quotes, that were then sent to me via email, but in the email, the quotes were a couple hundred over what was stated on the phone. i have forgotten what companies were suggested for classics, etc, by the members here. please, don't get me wrong, i save everything i deem important you folks recommend, but my last attempt at this was 2 blown hard drives ago.
so,
access your opinions;
head to tails of wires
replace fuses,
replace modules;
test electrics off battery
install battery, bottles, to bottle start/drive
confirm ac works
wet tank, confirm leak(metal/rubber)
raise rear, fix fuel line.
decide if i want it, or if i just did a mitzva.(kind act)
give you guys a break
:-)
