Mark,

Before Arthur's outer reaches hit us here on the southeastern Mass coast I checked your suggestions. I'm assuming the two wire connector in the relay box is the one with a brown and a green/yellow wire. I disconnected it. Nada.   I also disconnected the idle relay,and no change.

So I'm still plugging along. Definitely it's a problem with a spurious signal to the starter. Something to do with terminal 50 and 15 and their associated wires. Just got to figure out where those wires go.

BTW, I like the idea of contributing the money to PIF fund.

Ric 

Sent from my iPad

> On Jul 2, 2014, at 22:19, "mark drillock" <mdrillock@COX.NET> wrote:
> 
> I can think of 2 possibilities at the moment.
> 
> 1. The PS pressure switch power wire comes out of the fuel injection
> harness. There is also a starter signal wire in there too. It may be
> that the PS power wire melted through its insulation and is shorting out
> to the starter signal wire inside there.
> 
> A simple test for this could be done at the relay box on the left side
> of the engine. The front edge of the relay box has a 2 pin connector.
> One of those pins is power for the fuel injection relay, the other pin
> is the start signal wire feed into the injection harness. If you could
> unplug that 2 pin connector and see if that solves the starter running
> on issue. If you want the engine to start and run you would need to make
> a jumper wire to reconnect only the power wire so the starter signal
> will be still isolated from the injection harness.
> 
> 2. The other possibility is that there is a spurious start signal coming
> from the idle control unit wiring since the idle control unit also
> connects to that same starter signal wire inside the injection harness.
> 
> A simple test for this is the same as the for the above. You could also
> remove the right rear tail light assembly, reach in and unplug the idle
> control unit that hides in there, looking like a wide relay. It could
> also be that there is some wiring damage in there where the idle "relay"
> hides as that is a favorite place for small rodents to set up house.
> When they set up in there they tend to enjoy chewing on the wiring
> bundle and that could be the cause of your problem rather the the relay
> itself.
> 
> Please send my $100 to the PIF fund, assuming I win.
> 
> Mark
> 
> Richard Golen wrote:
>> Dear Vanagon List Members,
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> I am offering a $100 Reward for the solution to my starter problem. Please
>> read all of this carefully before suggesting your solution. The reward will be
>> sent via PayPal or via check.
>> 
>>