At 12:35 PM 1/13/97 -0600, Lebron,Nathan wrote:
>Well I paid $160 for a remanned Bosch starter.  If you really wanna loose   
>your mind, try the dealer!
>Have you checked the voltage on the battery?  I had similar symptoms.   
> All the lights and the radio worked perfectly but the engine turned   
>slowly.  I then called AAA to jump start me and it cranked without a   
>problem.  To my undestanding, the starter takes a lot more juice than   
>anything else in the van.
>
>Good Luck!
>Nate El Great
>85 GL-Blue Whale

Yes cranking amperage far exceeds any other draw that you can make on a
battery. Also remember that Vanagon are known for their bad grounds. Don't
forget the one underneath that is connected to the transmission near the
front and to the frame. The best place to check starter voltage at the
starter if you can. We found a problem with a Bug starter once by checking
the battery load voltage at the starter. It turned out that the starter was
a rebuilt one, (installed by the customer) and it was completely painted.
When it was installed it didn't get a good contact with the transmission
because of the paint so it wouldn't crank good. All we did was remove the
starter, removed the paint at the mounting surfaces and reinstalled it.
Good Luck.
Greetings from Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Jeff & Jean-Marie Diebolt
jdiebolt@up.net