The clicking sound is probably the starter failing to engage.  This could be caused by a dead battery or a bad connection.  It's likely you have a simple problem.

Bill

---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
From:         "Jack R." <jack007@COMCAST.NET>
Reply-To:     "Jack R." <jack007@COMCAST.NET>
Date:          Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:04:39 -0400

>Jeff,
>
>Check your ground straps, make sure you good contact at ALL points.  Where
>the battery ground connects in the battery compartment, the ground strap by
>the starter, the one on the tranny, etc.  Anything that is bolted to the
>body, Un-bolt, wire brush, add di-electric grease and reconnect.  Make sure
>your battery is fully charged, and then try to start it.
>
>Are you in a "rust belt" area?  These connections often go un-checked.  My
>sister's 2003 Volvo wouldn't start yesterday, it was a corroded connection
>at the starter which caused her problem.  Our van's are much older!
>
>Do the same with the connections to your fuel pump, just for kicks!
>
>Jack R.
>84 Westy Wolfie
>N. of Detroit
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
>Stuart Jeff
>Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 3:49 PM
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Bad Fuel Pump?
>
>Hello Everyone,
>
>Pretend my fuel pump is bad and I left my van sitting for four weeks without
>starting it. Now say, I go to start it - what should happen?
>
>Here's what I've actually experienced - pardon my limited wrenching
>knowledge. My van is an 83.5 water-cooled Westy with a WBX engine that had
>the heads done 60k miles ago. I've owned and driven it around 3000 miles
>without incident. The only symptom of concern that I've heard is that there
>has been a loud buzzing from the region under the sliding door for quite
>some time. It is the sort of buzzing that one would hear if you left your
>keys in the ignition.
>
>About four weeks ago I was driving on the highway at 60mph when all of the
>sudden my van starts to slow down. It was as if I was running out of gas
>(granted I've never run out of gas but this is what I would imagine it to be
>like). The van didn't stop completely but I couldn't go more than around 20
>mph. The engine is still sounding fine but I have no power. I limped about a
>mile to my office in first and second gear and parked the van. I noticed
>that the buzzing had quit at that point. I left the van in that spot and
>haven't touched it until today. Today, I went out there and decided to see
>what happened if I cranked it. I turned the key, the dash lit up, buzzes,
>and I hear a rhymthic clicking sound. I assume this is the starter. The
>engine never turned over or seemed to make any attempt to crank. My interior
>lights and stereo continue to work fine and as far as I know my starter +
>starter battery is in perfect working order.
>
>Now my thinking was that the buzzing was the fuel pump and that fuel pump is
>now dead. The optimist in me says that if I just replace that fuel pump then
>all will be well. The pesimist in me is afraid that my engine has gone and
>died for real. The loss in power but still being able to limp another mile
>has me concerned about a deeper problem. Also, this may just be from a
>nightmare but I have a vague memory of brief black smoke at the point when I
>lost power. I wouldn't swear by it but it is a fear.
>
>So what would your next step be? Replace the fuel pump? Get on the waiting
>list at Vanaru? Some other option I haven't thought of?
>
>Thank you all for playing along at home!
>Stuart
>