Yes, I've seen the jiggle key to make it run situation before. But not in this case, well not that I could do.

Cheers

Alistair

> On May 18, 2014, at 11:56 AM, "Stuart MacMillan" <stuartmacm@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Yep.  A long time ago my '68 wouldn't start while cranking, but would catch
> as soon as I let the key go back to "on".  That was my first experience with
> a failed ignition switch, and now I check that first whenever I have
> intermittent problems like yours.
> 
> Stuart
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Alistair Bell
> Sent: Sunday, May 18, 2014 11:40 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Intermittent no start problem solved
> 
> Relating this tale in part to illustrate how blind to the obvious one can be
> sometimes. 
> 
> Over the winter I noticed the van took more turns with the starter to run.
> Back then I did do the  electrical tests outlined in Bentley to see if some
> sensor or something was awry. But everything was in spec. 
> 
> B me over the last few weeks the van would sometimes take quite a few tries
> with the starter to fire up. I couldn't make out any real pattern, sometimes
> it would fire right up, sometimes I would have to crank and crank.
> 
> If I was forced, I would say it happened more often with the engine warm.
> 
> Once started the van ran normally, good power etc. I wasn't happy with the
> idle though, seemed rougher than normal. 
> 
> So the last few days were spent tracking the problem down. I checked fuel
> pressure and all tests passed. I checked spark plugs and replaced 2 year old
> plugs with new. Checked distributor rotor and hall sensor. Checked the D15
> connection at fuse panel ( I had fixed that a while back). Lucky I did pull
> the fuse panel as I found a very iffy connection at my low beam relay.
> 
> Then I went at the connection box in the engine compartment, left hand side.
> My van had the bbw46 heater installed. I had pulled the nonfunctional heater
> unit and plumbing but the wiring was still in place. The heater system has
> two fuses and a big relay in that box which made the box even more of a rats
> nest than normal. I checked the connections, black wires, that feed the
> coil, idle system heater, and ecu relay. The wiring to the connections was
> hard and the connections didn't look good. I cut back and replaced the
> spades.
> 
> All of the above did not fix the problem. Of course at that point I was
> cursing myself for not making one of Mark's test wire set ups. If I had I
> think I would have saved myself a lot of trouble.
> 
> I had my wife crank the engine and I measured voltage to the coil. I
> wondered if there was a voltage drop problem during starting. Well it was
> more than a voltage drop, it was a voltage absence during starter cranking.
> 
> I was stumped, I didn't see the obvious. While I was thinking, I cleaned out
> the idle valve with brake cleaner.
> 
> We have this hard to capture rooster that has taken to roosting at night
> under our bedroom window. So I was up at five this morning. And them it
> occurred to me, the ignition switch.
> 
> I got out a spare, and plugged it in to the steering column plug and turned
> it with a screwdriver. Engine started up immediately. Tried it again and
> again, engine started. Man, did I have egg on my face. I have replaced a few
> vanagon ignition switches over the years but overlooked it this time. 
> 
> Alistair
>