Rich said: (snipped away a lot of good ideas)
>- pumping leftmost switch 15-20 times (also tried 25-30 times)
>- holding safety button for 30 seconds while pushing in leftmost
>switch all the way

Rich,

Since you got it running recently, may I suggest our non-standard starting 
technique:

While holding down the safety button, we pump that left most switch in 
a rapidfire mode,(like 4-5 times per second, as fast as is humanly possible)
with one person doing the pumping while the second holds down the safety switch 
and looks for the green "on" light,  sheltering it from ambient light with a free 
hand. (I'll bet we end up pumping that leftmost switch more than 100 times, 
easily, and the emphasis is on getting the igniter to fire, not on pumping more 
propane through).

When it starts to faintly glow, we keep pummelling the leftmost
switch, until the light increases in brightness. Then we slowly stop with the 
rapidfire pumping, and continue to hold down the safety switch for another 30 
seconds or so. Then we slowly release it, watching the green light all the time. 
If the green light starts to fade, the safety switch goes back in, and if it 
really starts to fade, the rapidfire action starts anew. 

Has not failed us yet...

Tom F.
90 Syncro Westie    http://pwp.usa.pipeline.com/~tforhan/