That would be your ignition coil.  Your brain tricked you into typing
"starter".  The other end goes to a tapped hole on the left head, you can
see the corresponding pair of M6x1.0 holes on the other head -- 1.9l uses
that location to mount the aux air regulator.

Losing it should not make the van stop, it's a supplement to the big ground
strap at the front of the transmission.  I suspect that this one might be
intended as an RF (radio frequency) ground but I don't know.

Yrs,
d

On Sat, Mar 25, 2017 at 9:40 PM, George Gaudette <gcgaudette@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Ahem "drive *than* be towed".  Not "drive, then be towed"... I've done
> enough of that!
>
> On Sat, Mar 25, 2017 at 9:35 PM, George Gaudette <gcgaudette@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Hello,
> >
> > A braided ground cable on my van fell apart, just like:
> >
> > https://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m144/Mikls63rag/
> > Posting%20shit%20up/2010-09-06171905.jpg
> >
> > Same cable as mine -- one end bolts in clear view under the starter.
> >
> > I am not...very mechanically inclined.  I don't even own a voltmeter (I
> > know, I deserve whatever comments I get for that admission!)  But this
> > seemed like a small job I could handle.  Battery disconnected.
> >
> > I have two questions:
> >
> > 1) Other bolt location?
> >
> > The other bolt location is... somewhere under the AC compressor?  I can't
> > just follow the cable -- it was very brittle and pulled off in my hands
> > when I gave it a little tug (dummy).  But it should still be easy to
> spot,
> > since the cable terminal is should still be attached, right?
> >
> > I don't suppose anybody has a good photo of "the other end"?
> >
> > 2) **Can** a Vanagon start without that ground cable being connected?
> >
> > Here's what happened:  The van was running normally.  I parked for a
> > couple minutes, turned the key, but no sound from the starter.  I could
> > hear the fuel pump do its initiation whiz sound for a sec, then silence
> > until I relaxed the key.
> >
> > The broken ground strap looked to me like the obvious culprit.  But if
> the
> > van **can** start without it, then I've probably got another problem,
> right?
> >
> > For what it's worth, I did install a new cable already, but no change to
> > symptom.  I'm hoping I just chose the wrong location to bolt it to
> > (question #1).  I did clean up the terminals some, but not down to bare
> > metal.  Light coat of dialectic grease on everything, including the new
> > braid.
> >
> > Either way, the van is on its way to my mechanic, but I'd rather drive
> > then be towed.
> >
> > Thanks for reading!
> >
> > -George
> >
>