>>Remote Starter Switch<<
Don't have one.  Is that something to get through my FLAPS? Advance
Auto, NAPA are the closest two to me.

 >>transmission-to-frame ground strap<<
This was done last year when the tranny was out. Could need doing again,
I suppose.

 >>you don't say which trans you have>>
Manual tranny: Starter was out, cleaned up and appropriate parts lubed
(according to the mechanic in the shop doing the work. I asked, but
didn't actually get to see it.

Thanks for the heads up on the bushing issue.

 >>does starter look 20 years old<<
Didn't see it before tranny work, but it has to be old. I've had the van
for 14 years and it's the same starter as when I bought it. Pretty sure
it's the original starter, given the history of the van. the Van is an
"88 GL. I bought it at 86,000 miles. At 90,000 the engine blew - burn a
hole in a piston, crapped up everything with metal throughout. Replaced
engine with complee rebuild. On the dead engine was a yellow tag -
Remanufactured by Volkswagen of Canada. That meant that somewhere
between brand new on the showroom floor, and my 90,000 mile mark, TWO
engines had died. At roughly 45,000 miles per engine, somebody either
had extraordinary bad luck, or neglected the HE-doubletoothpicks out of
it and simply ran the van to death! And I did have to go through the
tranny before the engine failed on me.

Yep, the starter's time prol'ly is up.

About the starter - I do have a Jay Brown starter relay installed.

 >>running temp, and oil light<<
I have not had the issue repeat itself. Unless it does, I'm going to
leave it alone. at this point it is an anomaly, but if it expresses
itself again, I will get on it. We continue to have abysmally hot
weather, and no evidence of the anomoly has reappeared.

Thanks,

John