Has the Vanagon been sitting  for a long time with out being run? Check you battery grounds. Sometimes, if all you get is a click, you can hold the key in the start position a while till the current warms up and frees the sticky solenoid/bendix. The solenoid also closes the contacts that energize the starter armature, so a bad or sticky solenoid will just click or nothing.  
Check all connections -

Robert K
1982 Westfalia
1986 Westfalia
1991 Syncro Vanagon
Seattle

----- Original Message -----
Wrom: XXIMQZUIVOT
Sent: Monday, November 18, 2002 11:54 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: FW: Starter problems

List Members~~
I turn over the key and get a click or moan from the starter motor (BTW it's
not the battery).

Beyond looking at connections for corrosion, which I will do tonight, or
replacing the starter altogether do I have any other options?

Bus Boys sell "replacement bushings" and also a "hard start relay kit" that
sends power directly from battery to starter bypassing the ignition switch.
Has anyone had experience trying one or both of the above?

Thanks so much. We WERE planning on taking the Vanagon on a road trip this
Friday. Of course, I still want to!!

        Matt Heydon
'87 WeekenderGet more from the Web.  FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com