I would suspect the starter shaft is sticking. If I'm right, it must be
removed and cleaned before the extra current load causes the wiring to
overheat.
We didn't attend to ours when this happened and we ended up having to
replace the entire unit.
Larry
'86 Syncro Westfalia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stephen Jones wrote:

> With the onset of colder weather here in WY, my van has taken on a new
>
> ailment.  When I first start the engine and the engine is cold, it
> will
> idle at about 400 RPMs and a high pitch screech will sound from the
> engine compartment.