This (or, starter problems in general) has/have been exhausted in the
archives:

http://gerry.vanagon.com/cgi-bin/wa.exe?S1=vanagon

Search for posts regarding 'Wesley Pegden' and 'starter' from the last two
years- as I recall this guy pretty much went through just about every
possible troubleshooting permutation there is in trying to fix his problem.

Aside from that, the conventional wisdom is probably going to be to start
with making sure your grounds are clean and uh....well grounded. That's what
it was when this happened to me (and countless others).

Having said that, I have an auto. Evidently there's a bushing in the manual
starter that can cause what appears to be the same problem- but it's all in
the archives.

Good luck,
Robert

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan Barrett" <dbx@POBOX.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 9:24 PM
Subject: stupid starter question: 1990 GL

> Last weekend, I turned the key and the engine turned over twice before the
> starter cut out.  Subsequent turns of the key yield all the familiar
> sounds (the ISV hums, the fuel pump does its thing, and there's that
> relay-sounding click from behind the instrument panel), but no starter.
> It basically sounds exactly like what happens when you try to start the
> bus without depressing the clutch.
>
> Does that sound like a dead battery, or something more involved?
>
> I had a major deadline to meet back here in Boston and literally didn't
> have time to troubleshoot, so I left the bus in my girlfriend's driveway
> (several hours from my tools and Bentley).  I'm headed back up this
> weekend, so any troubleshooting tips are greatly appreciated.
>
> Secondly: anyone know of a competent mechanic in or around Montpelier, VT,
> just in case?
>
> - d.
> 1990 GL -- "Mudskipper"