Todays puzzle , Please help

81 vanagon 2 L fuel injected air cool

This beast is giving trouble when starting. THe symptoms are:

try to start: engine starts but cuts out after  about 1 sec.
Try again: same
Try again: stays on for 2 sec.
Try again: 1 sec.
 .
 .
 .
Starts and stays on.

The stopping has the feel of either fuel injection or ignition.
While it is running it is smooth, when it stops, it doesn't sputter
or cough or anything, just cuts out like someone pulled the iginion wire.
Once it is running for more than 3 sec. it stays running. 
If you stop and start it again, most of the time it just starts up
but sometimes even with a warmed-up engine, I get the same behavior.
It is quite erratic in that it is always a different number of trials
to start it. It needs a tuneup right now and the timing is a bit retarded
The points may be pretty cruddy. I don't thonk that this could have the 
effect I am seeing but maybe somebody else knows.

What do you think?

Mike Crowley
Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center
crowley@psc.edu