JIm,

Sounds like it does the same thing as the Ford solenoid -- and a lot
cheaper!.  I looked it up on BusDepot.com and they get $7.95 for it plus
shipping.   I paid, a few years ago, about $17 for the Ford solenoid (it's
not actually a Ford but a Borg-Warner) plus tax.

Well, live and learn.  Andrew, are you listening?

Charles
'85 Westy

At 06:40 PM 6/12/01 -0400, JBowen7@aol.com wrote:
>Charles,
>
>It does automatically what I've been doing manually for months with a
>piece of coated wire...LOL: It routes power directly from the battery to
>the solenoid via the relay.
>
>There are four wires (one each; blue, red, black, yellow) that connect to
>the relay.  The wire that connects the ignition switch to the number 50
>terminal on the starter solenoid (the voltage drop culprit), is removed
>from the number 50 terminal and plugged into the the blue wire from the
>relay.  The red wire runs from the relay to the battery cable connection
>on the starter solenoid.  The black wire runs from the relay to the number
>50 terminal on the solenoid.  The yellow is a ground.  Clear as mud, right?
>
>It' great.  All I need to hot start my van now is enough energy to power
>the relay.  It's hot in Austin now and she's been starting fine since I
>installed this relay.
>
>Hope this helps.
>
>Jim Bowen
>'88 Wolfsburg
>'74 Super Beetle Sun Bug
>In a message dated Tue, 12 Jun 2001  2:54:05 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
>Charles McGehee <chasm@elltel.net> writes:
>
><< Interesting, Jim.  How does it work?
>
>Charles
>'85 Westy
>
>At 01:21 PM 6/12/01 -0400, James Bowen wrote:
> >I'm surprised no one on the list has suggested the Bosch WR1 Low Voltage
> >Relay kit as a fix for your problem.   I've been suffering with the same
> >problem on my '88 Wolfsburg (Lola).  This past weekend I fitted this Bosch
> >relay to my Lola.  Voila!  She's fixed.  No more hot start problems.  Bus
> >Depot and Bus Boy both sell this kit.  Good Luck.
> >
> >Jim Bowen
> >'88 Wolfsburg
> >'74 Super Beetle Sun Bug
> >
> >
> >At 04:20 PM 6/11/01 -0500, Andrew Payton wrote:
> > >Well I don't know who read my the story about my trip to Florida & all the
> > >problems I incurred with my Vanagon but it seems to have resurfaced.
> > >Originally I assumed it was the alternator but now I'm not really sure
> b/c I
> > >installed a new one only a few weeks ago, went ahead & put in a new
> starter
> > >too.
> > >
> > >Basically after driving for about 3.5hrs, Evansville to Frankfort, I
> pulled
> >up
> > >into my driveway & turned off the van b/c I had to run inside for
> something.
> > >When I came back outside, no more than 5min later, I turned the key to
> start
> > >my van & there was clearly power but the starter did absolutely nothing -
> >the>key just kinda sat there.  So now I'm stumped & don't really know
> what to
> >look
> > >for next.  Please help me out if ya can.  Thanks.
> > >
> > >   Andrew Payton
> > >   Frankfort, KY
> > >   82 Vanagon L (Water-Cooled
>
>  >>