My '87 has done this occasionally since I got it last
summer.  I suspect the ignition switch, for no
particular reason that I can prove because I have not
done any troubleshooting.  It always starts on the
second try after failing to start once.  Sometimes
I'll go 20 starts in a row with no problem and
sometimes it will happen every fresh start.

I'll be interested to hear what you find.

Stephen
--- Karen <gritis@VERIZON.NET> wrote:

> Hi all:
>
> My daughter is using my vanagon while her 1989
> Cabriolet is in the shop for body work.
>
> She's been having some trouble with an intermittent
> no start issue.  The first time it happened was
> after the ice and snow we had here in Northern
> Virginia and the van had been sitting for about a
> week.  She went to start and got nothing.  Took the
> battery out and took it over to a FLAPS and they
> said the battery was fine.
>
> Put the battery back in the van, we went over and
> rolled the van forward a couple of feet (not a roll
> start), then tried the ignition and it started.  It
> did this again maybe 2 or 3 times in the 7 or so
> days since.  This morning, it wouldn't start, she
> tried to roll start, no go.  It's still sitting
> there, not starting.  There's no grinding, almost no
> noise, except what my husband says is the fuel
> injectors.
>
> My husband thinks we should go buy another starter
> and put it in and then see if it works.  Is there
> any way to tell for sure that it's the starter
> before laying out that much money, provided I can
> even find one?  Any other possibilities we need to
> rule out first?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Karen
>

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