Hey All,

I had the same issue - turned out to be a bad ignition switch.   ...JMM

Justin M. Mayrand
1980 Westy "SuperVan"

On Tuesday, May 20, 2003, at 05:39  PM, Russell, William wrote:

> Edmund,
>
> I have a very similar problem with my 1980.  Basically, the first start
> of the day is a nightmare.  It used to be that I'd have to give it one
> 30 second (or so) cycle, then wait a minute, then give it another 30
> second cycle, then wait a minute, then on the third cycle I'd hear it
> cough.  At this point I would wait another minute and then it would
> fire
> up (coughing more and more until it was running).  Now I've noticed
> that
> sometimes (more often than not) it won't start at all for the first
> number of cycles.  However, if I walk away for 15 minutes or more, the
> next time I try, it starts right away.  I'd love to hear what you
> discover as you try to resolve your similar problem.
>
> Willy
> 1980 Westfalia "Jazzy"
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf
> Of Edmund Shotwell
> Sent: May 20, 2003 5:15 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Daily First Start Hard
>
> I have a second problem.
> Every day the first time I start my 86 GL it is hard to get it to fire.
> The
> more moisture in the air the harder it is to get going.  But after it
> does
> start, I don't have any more hard starts all day.  Even after it sits
> at
> work for several hours.
>
> What happens the first time each day is I have to crank it for 1 to 3
> minutes and then just as I let go of the key it will turn over once.
> Then I
> crank it with the gas pedal down and it usually fires up within another
> minute or so.  The rest of the day it starts within 10 seconds.  I have
> made
> sure everything is plugged in in the engine compartment, and I have
> replaced
> the cap and rotor, and the plugs. but still the hard start in the
> morning.
> Today I had to give up as it did not start after fifteen minutes of
> trying.
>
> --
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