I have seen these fail:
1) for no particular reason (age, gremlins, the Force)
2) because the ignition switch was left in the "ON" position without the motor running
3) (during testing/repairs) the motor was cranked over without having the coil wire grounded.

Cheers,

G. Matthew Bulley
Director
Bulley-Hewlett & Associates
www.bulley-hewlett.com
Cary, NC USA
888.468.4880 tollfree

-----Original Message-----
From:   Robert Keezer 19618-5th Ave so Seattle WA 98148 [SMTP:BRY4PRTZ@AOL.COM]
Sent:   Tuesday, November 02, 1999 3:44 AM
To:     vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject:        Quantum no-start problem solved( no Vanagon content)

Thanks to you who helped me with my '88 Quantum question a few days back.  My
neighbor's brother-in-law also gets the credit for knowing why the fuel pump
wasn't working-there was no spark. The CIS ECU won't activate the fuel pump
if there isn't spark. That got me thinking about two things, the coil, it was
OK, and the Hall control unit, it was bad.  Does anyone know what causes a
Hall control unit to fail?

Robert Keezer
1982 Westfalia
Seattle