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Halloween II: The Epilogue

You might remember the posting a few days ago about the 320i with weird
behavior - electric fan coming on rather than starter when the key was
turned, brake wear sensor light also coming on.

One intrepid individual sent advice (Thank-you!).  The solution came from a
local mechanic who is about to become my only mechanic.  He said that very
often when the electrical system seems to be acting irrationally it is
because of a bad ground.  By a systematic use of jumper cables to replace or
augment ground straps in the car (battery to chassis, chassis to engine) I
found that the connection between the chassis in the engine was inadequate. 
It looked (woven strap) fine, but apparently was not up to passing all the
current it needed to.  Cleaning surfaces and supplementing it with another
strap cured the problem.

My mechanic friend is enjoying a dozen donuts this morning.

Moral:  When looking for electrical gremlins, look to the ground. 
(Cultivating competent mechanics also helps.)