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Today I finally got a chance to do something with the jack. I bought a quart of jack oil, intending to drain the old stuff out and replace it, but when I hoisted the thing out of the trunk, where it had been since last Sunday, just for the heck of it I shoved it under a nearby 240 and pumped the handle. Up it went, even after making contact with the crossmember, with no more than the normal amount of effort. Just to be sure, I left the front of the car raised about 6", for close to an hour, and it didn't budge. When I let it down, I was surprised with how smoothly and gradually it lowered (I've used plenty of other jacks that let go rather suddenly) It would seem there is nothing wrong with this jack, so I spent about an hour cleaning it up (lacquer thinner took the overspray right off, and didn't harm the original paint) and now it's ready to go.
So, the big mystery is, why didn't it work last Sunday at the flea market. The only thing I can think of is that it was tipped at an angle and some air got in where it shouldn't have been, and that riding around in my trunk for a few days, and/or my running it up and down a couple of times somehow bled it out. It's not like the guy trying to sell it had a huge truck that was too much for it to lift---I think it was a Tahoe, and he was only trying to raise one corner of it, which, if anything, should weigh less than the front of a 240.
Anyway, thanks to all who replied
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