That's right folks. You are the best.

I coach a high school ultimate frisbee team and we had a great practice this evening in the unseasonal April snow here in Minneapolis. I was the last person getting into my car to leave tomight and my darned car wouldn't start. Turned over fine, but no ignition. I didn't hear the characteristic hum of the fuel pump when I turned the key, and so suspected some sort of fuel delivery problem and my mind naturally went to the fuel pump relay.

I've only had this 745 for a few months (I had a 1987 245 for about four years before it died this past December) and so I'm still learning my way around the insides of the car. Subsequently, I had no idea where the fuel pump relay was and since I have no car manual and my Haynes lives at home, I had no easy way of figuring this out.

I knocked on some random lady's door and she graciously let me into her home to use her computer so I could check the FAQs and try to get rolling again. In short order, I learned the relay's location as well as a quick diagnostic (feel for the click in the relay when you turn the key without starting the motor).

I went back outside to my car and quickly located the relay, put my hand on it, and felt for the clicking while turning the key. It clicked, but ever so faintly. Since I've read BB posts on and off for some time, I do carry spare fuel pump relays and AMMs and stuff like that. So I replaced the relay, turned the key, felt a strong click, turned the key more, and with one crank of the engine, it roared back to life. Hooray!!!

So thanks again, happy bricking, and don't leave home without your spare relays.

- Steve in Minneapolis
1988 745 GLE, 139k

Now that's Minnesota nice!

--Joe HC
Minneapolis, MN
--
1977 244 160k (RETIRED), 1990 244 DL 102k, 1989 244 GL, 1978 Fiat 124 Spyder (restoring . . kind of)

Hi Steve,

This is a good one for sure! I agree about Mpls. and the nice people I met there on my last visit a few years ago. It is really a very warm place despite the latitude.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

Marathon runners with bad footwear suffer the agony of defeat.

"excuse me ma'am, I need to borrow your computer, I have a Volvo issue and I know where I can get an answer." Oh yeah, There is NO WAY I would let you in with a sad story like that. LOL
--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.no.net/ebrox/Tony's%20cars.htm

I guess that is one of the differences between the Big Apple and the Twin Cities. Midwesterners tend to help each other out when in need. Northeasterners require knowlegde of the family tree for 4 generations :)

Klaus
--
1975 164 w/174,800mi (Sold) 1995 850T w/91,000mi, 1998 V70R w/129,000mi

Um... yeah. That's about how it went down. And add to that, she's a recently retired, single, barely ambulatory with a cane woman, and it was after dark.

Life's good here in what some folks regard as merely flyover land.

She gets pretty flowers from me today.

You'd be right on either coast, where (for some reason) we're paranoid about people knocking on the door in the middle of the night asking for internet access.

However ... keep in mind that this happened in Minnesota ;-)
--
'92 245 5-speed, '92 944 GL auto

You are right. The Coastlines crossed the barrier of being attentive and caution with paranoia
--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.no.net/ebrox/Tony's%20cars.htm

"...I knocked on some random lady's door and she graciously let me into her home to use her computer..."

The BB may be great, but you must be handsome as hell!