re:Emergency!! (sort of) - kinda long

[neil <neil@xxxxxxxxx>]

First of all, a sincere thanks to all that replied with mech info,
including a mechanic (hi Ron)  from Eurosport in Springfield, which was
just a short skip from where the car was. DOH!

Well, not knowing that there was a mechanic in the area who actually
cares about cars, and not willing to spend the >$250 that it would cost
to have it flatbedded home, I made the rash decision to go bring the car
home myself, despite the fact that I had no truck, trailer, or tie
downs, nor have I ever pulled a trailer before in my life, let alone 300
miles. Well, that's me.
I made close to a billion phone calls, and found a truck (my dad's 98
Dodge with a V8 and factory tow package), a 15' trailer (on a Sunday, no
less!, rented from the owner of a farm-toy store),  tie downs (bought
'em that morning), and a spare car to deliver to the ladies.
We picked up the spare car (my brother's Cirrus), drove it and the truck
to the trailer's location, outside of town, loaded it up, and took off.
I'll admit that I was not real prepared for this. I used to think that
you guys who haul the ITB E30s were overdoing it with the dually 4x4s or
Suburbans. I apologise. It makes perfect sense to me now.
The trip there was mostly uneventful (i.e., boring), except for one
sphincter-factor-9 episode, during my first hour of trailering
experience, when I was passing a semi. We were right beside him when he
began to drift over across the centerline. I moved over until the
trailer wheels were buzzing on the shoulder's rumble strips, but he
still kept coming. Here I am, driving a truck that ain't mine, pulling
an uninsured (for PD) trailer that ain't mine, carrying a car that ain't
mine, about to take a header into the median ditch. Fortunately, Big
Earl the truck driver woke up, and moved over into his own lane.
We made it there and back without a hitch (sorry, couldn't resist) after
7 hours. Too clean a getaway, so naturally I had to f*ck something up.
We were pushing the car the last 6 inches up the driveway, and the
driver's door caught the fence (4x4 posts,2x4 rails, 1x10 "pickets").
CRAACCKK! SNAP!
Oh crap....
I thought that I'd boogered it up good, but upon closer examination, saw
that I had only torn the moulding off the side (the plastic nut broke),
and scratched the paint on the door edge a bit. No biggie. It's going to
the body shop anyhow next week to get the rear bumper fixed after that
bonehead rearended my wife a while back (a whole 'nuther story). It's a
good thing that I procrastinated in resetting those fence posts in
concrete!

Total expense was ~$140, including trailer rental ($50), gas ($50), tie
down straps (~$30) and food. Still better than a flatbed, and get to
keep the straps (woo-woo!).

It's obviously a fuel problem.
So, now I have to figure out whether the main fool pump, the other fool
pump/sender, or merely the relay died.
I suspect the main pump, but don't want to spend $180 if don't have to.
Only trouble is, I don't know where the relay is, what jumpers to cross
to test the pump, what the resistance ought to be (I have a digital
multimeter), nor do I have the appropriate manual (the owner's manual
does not mention it at all).
Anyone happen to know this stuff off the top of their head?
I took the relay out of my 318i in the half hearted hope that it would
fit, but, of course, found nothing remotely the same in the 318is.

TIA (again)

Neil
'91 318is <-home now, but still dead.
'87 325is
'85 318i

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