Russ I don't know how I missed a page an a half of updates on your car. But you seemed to have it sorted. The solenoid is indeed the reason your car wouldn't start. It's the only way to shut that engine off, it has a little electromagnet plunger that drops when the power is off, they go bad occasionally, it's a fancy upgrade from a cable to a shut off valve like my tractors have.  Glad it was a free learning experience.

Not much to report lately.

Coming up on 1 year of ownership. I'm happy with the progress it's made. I've put close to 8000 miles on it since last September.

Thanks! I really like it too. Great little runner for around town and commutes. Some guy tried to buy it from me in the Bi-Lo parking lot the other night, haha.

I had trouble out of the seatbelt ignition lockouts on Joy's 75 convertible and Justin's 74 Super Beetle.  Both of them had been bypassed by previous owners, but what they had done was pulled the realy and wrapped a stripped copper wire around the main input and output power terminals.  I guess it worked for a while, but over time, temperature changes, vibration and humidity got to the connection and they started loosing contact intermitantly.  After a couple of years of intermitant problems on both of them, I finally figured out what the problem was on Joy's convertible.  I removed the two main power wires going to the relay from the fuse box and connected the directly together.  I was able to cut about 2 feet of wire out of the circut and I twisted the wires together, soildered them, and covered them with a piece of heat shrink tubing.  Promblem solved.  I figured I'd try it on Justin's 74.  Fixed it as well!  I know you have a water-cooled diesle engine in the front of the car, but I would bet the wiring for the seatbelt relay is practically the same.  If it is, take the relay out of the circut.  That may not be your problem, but at least you will know.  And if the relay is still intact and it's not giving you a problem now . . . give it time and it will.

Well it's definitely the interlock relay giving me problems. It's a big double relay above the fuse box. I was able to jiggle it enough until the car started, but this is also the source of my seatbelt light coming on all the time, not to mention the awful buzzing noise it always makes. Where can I get a replacement, or maybe better yet bypass it so my car always starts?

There's a few things I need to happen.

1) Turn off the seatbelt warning light in the dash. I always wear my seatbelt and I resent being told it's not on.
2) Make the buzzing noise stop. This is getting really annoying, nearly every time you put in the key it goes off. And sometimes you can be driving down the road and the thing will just start buzzing.
3) Allow the car to start every time, I guess that's the "big" one.

All of these could be fixed with a known good relay I think. If I could locate one. If not though, I'm not opposed to straight wiring some of the connections. I've removed the original shoulder-only belts anyways and replaced them with traditional three point belts. I doubt anyone would be interested in returning the car to stock so much that they'd want the original passive safety restraints and interlock relay in place.

So I'd need a schematic of the relay pinouts in order to know what to jumper to bypass it and fix all three issues above. I'll start searching for one tomorrow.

I don't have a manual, but I do have a Popular Mechanics book on the Rabbit from the 80s. It does have a section on the seatbelt interlock system, so I looked it up. The last line: "Have it checked out by a professional mechanic. It is illegal to bypass the interlock system."

Well that turned out to be really simple. Like you said Zen, I pulled the relay and observed the terminals. There were two larger wires which I presumed to be going to the starter. I made a small jumper using some spade connectors and plugged it in. It starts!

The buzzer was built into the relay as well, so it no longer goes off. And my seatbelt light is out as well. So that accomplishes all three things!